Monday, December 26, 2016

Interesting happenings!

A Departure from the Past

1. In a significant departure from US policy of blocking measures, critical of Israel, President Barack Obama refused to veto such a resolution at the Security Council in the UN. The resolution called the Israeli constructions in the Palestinian territories captured from Jordan during the '67 war, a "flagrant violation of international law". A stunned Israel was quick to react, when its PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that his country will not abide by the UNSC's demands!

The Run Up to the Resolution

2. It's interesting to go through the run up to this resolution:-

    * Egypt had tabled the resolution originally but withdrew it following pressure from both
       Israel and the US President-elect, Donald Trump.
    * The resolution was, then, tabled by New Zealand, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela.
    * The 15 member Security Council voted 14-0 with the US Ambassador, Samantha Power
       raising her hand as the lone abstention!

The Import

3. So, what does the passage of the resolution imply?

    "The new resolution demands that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement
      activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem".

   Many feel that it's a significant step towards the UN's hopes for a two-state solution to the
   Israeli-Palestinian conflict!

My take.

4. It's gonna be a long haul, especially, because the incoming President Donald Trump and his Republican party do not endorse the stand taken by the lame duck President which brings me to an aspect that I wanted to highlight against this backdrop.

Obama vs Donald Trump

5. Despite changing leaderships, the foreign policy of a country never deviates and a continuity is maintained as it is dictated by the understanding of the dynamics of international relationships and hardcore national interests. While Trump and Obama have avoided any personal attacks during the transition period, thus far, they seem to be working to undermine each other by this abstention from the voting at the Security Council and the recent announcement of a permanent ban on offshore oil and gas drilling along wide areas of the Arctic and the eastern seaboard, with the White House officials claiming that Trump had no power to reverse them!

6. Are Obama's actions out of churlishness because of the Democratic party's poor showing in the recent elections? But what use is it to make a statement when, deep within, he's fully aware that his successor does not endorse the same views and will reverse them, for sure?

    
Tailpiece.

I was up with the lark and went about the usual morning chores and saw Suma kunjamma off to the temple. We delayed our breakfast till 9 hoping that she'd return by then and had begun, when she returned. She said that she'd enjoyed her stay and I put her into an auto rickshaw which dropped her at the road transport corporation bus stand, at the west gate of the temple, to get on to the bus for Thrissur, where she had an official engagement before her return to Thiruvananthapuram.

The day was okay with nothing much happening. Lekha seemed better and she insisted on going to the Mammiyoor Siva kshetram to partake in the 'Mriyunjaya homam' being done for yours truly as today is 'Anizham' - my birth star....... Suma kunjamma had given me a call by a quarter to 8, in the evening, after reaching her house at Thiruvananthapuram.

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