On The Legality of Israel’s Occupation

Recently, the United Nations General Assembly had passed a resolution that asked the International Court of Justice to render its opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.

 

What is the Israel-Palestine conflict?

• The First Arab-Israel War of 1948 was caused by the declaration of independence by Israel as the British mandate over Palestine came to an end.
• An earlier resolution by the UNGA had sought to partition the then British-mandated Palestine but the proposal was rejected by the Arabs.
• At the end of the war fought between Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt, Israel emerged with more area than was proposed to be divided under the UNGA resolution.
• Palestine was divided into the state of Israel (including West Jerusalem), the Jordan-controlled West Bank (including East Jerusalem), and the Egypt-controlled Gaza strip. 7,00,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes and lands as a result of the conflict.
• Increasing tensions between the states led to the six-day war of 1967. At the end of the war, Israel had captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, Syria’s Golan Heights, and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
• The Sinai Peninsula was later returned to Egypt but other Syrian and Palestinian territories remained under Israel’s control.
• Jerusalem was declared the eternal and undivided capital of Israel.
• Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 but continues to patrol its external borders alongside Syria.
• In 1967, the UN Security Council passed a resolution asking Israel to withdraw from territories seized during the war. However, this is yet to see results.
• Since 1967, Israel has constructed dozens of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank which a majority of the international community see as illegal and a roadblock to peace.
• Over the years, violence against the three million Palestinians living in the West Bank under Israel’s military control has increased. Killings and violations of the human rights of the Palestinians by the army are a regular occurrence.

What do the two parties desire?

• Palestine wants Israel to stop all expansionary activity and return to pre-1967 borders.
• It wants to establish a modern Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital.
• Palestinian refugees who have lost their homes in the conflict should be able to return and settle down.
• Israel desires recognition as a Jewish state and is not willing to allow the return of Palestinians to the seized territories it views as part of Israel.
• The Israel state also views its Arabian citizens as second-class citizens and actively aims for a solely Jewish state.

What is the aim of the 2022 resolution?

• The resolution passed by the UNGA on December 30 had asked the ICJ to give its opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation, settlement, and annexation of the Palestinian territories.
• It also sought the Court’s opinion on the measures aimed at altering the demographic character and composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem and the related discriminatory legislation and measures.

What was the response of the international community to the resolution?

• Israeli allies like the USA rejected the resolution and voted against it.
• The Arab nations unanimously accepted the resolution and voted in favor.
• European powers and India abstained from voting.
• In total, the resolution was favored by 87 members, opposed by 26, and abstained by 53 countries.

What are the possible results of the referral?

• In case a referral is made to the ICJ, two possible situations can take place.
• One, a settlement can occur by either party withdrawing its case.
• In the second case, a trial is conducted and the ICJ pronounces its verdict.
• However, the ICJ has no power to enforce its verdicts despite their being binding on the parties involved.

What is the expected response from Israel?

• Israel has recently seen the return of Benjamin Netanyahu as Prime Minister with the backing of the most far-right coalition in the history of Israel.
• The coalition made up of 5 ultra-orthodox and far-right Jewish Nationalist parties had in its coalition agreement (election manifesto) had prioritized the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the legalization of illegally built outposts.
• The document aims to advance and develop settlements in all parts of Israel including Judea and Samaria, the biblical names of the West Bank.
• It also promises Jewish citizens that Israel would annex the West Bank at a time and situation suitable to the national and international interests of Israel.
• It is feared that the ultra-nationalist politics of the coalition’s allies like the Religious Zionism Party will adversely affect Palestinians living in Israeli military-controlled areas.

United Nations General Assembly The UNGA is the organization’s main governing body and its most representative body.In the UNGA, or GA, there are representatives from each of the 193 UN members.It meets once a year at its offices in New York City and occasionally at other times as needed.The President of the UNGA is in charge and is chosen for a one-year term.Important subjects including peace and security, the admission of new members, and other global concerns are discussed and decided by the UNGA.Decisions are made through voting. In most cases, a simple majority is sufficient but in cases of significant decisions, a two-thirds majority is necessary. There is no veto power and only one vote per member. Powers of the UNGA Examining and approving the UN budget and determining the member countries’ budgetary evaluations.Analysing and recommending ways to cooperate in order to preserve international security & peace, including disarmament.Selecting the Secretary-General in accordance with the UNSC’s recommendations, as well as the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and other UN organizations and agencies.Addressing issues of global peace and security and giving suggestions thereupon (unless the matter is currently being discussed by the Security Council).Developing and codifying international law, achieving fundamental freedoms and human rights, and fostering international cooperation in the social, economic, humanitarian, educational, cultural, and health domains. initiating studies and making recommendations to improve international political cooperation.Making suggestions for the peaceful resolution of any dispute that threatens international harmony.The UNGA also takes into consideration reports from the UNSC and other UN bodies.When there are risks to peace and the UNSC has not taken action as a result of a permanent member’s veto, the GA may take the situation under consideration and make recommendations to its members.

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ) was formed under the United Nations charter in 1945 and began operations in April 1946.It is the main court of the United Nations, and it is located in The Hague’s Peace Palace (Netherlands).In conformity with international law, it renders advisory opinions on legal issues that have been presented to it by recognized United Nations departments and specialized agencies. It also resolves legal disputes between States.The Security Council and General Assembly of the United Nations elect the 15 judges that make up the Court to nine-year periods of office.The International Court of Justice (ICJ) serves as a global court with dual jurisdiction, which includes requests for advisory opinions on legal issues from United Nations bodies and specialized agencies as well as legal disputes between States that are brought before it by them directly.States that are parties to contested cases must be United Nations members, have ratified the Court’s Statute, or have accepted its jurisdiction in particular circumstances.The decision is final, enforceable against the parties, and not subject to review.

 

Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RBIOS)

Issues related to ATM/debit cards and mobile/electronic banking were the top grounds of complaints received at the Office of Banking Ombudsman (OBO).

Why in news?

• Of these, 3,04,496 complaints were handled by the 22 Offices of RBI Ombudsman (ORBIOs), including the complaints received under the three erstwhile Ombudsman Schemes till November 11, 2021.
• Complaints related to ATM/ debit cards were the highest at 14.6% of the total, followed by mobile/ electronic banking at 13.6%.
• About 90% of the total complaints were received through digital modes, including on the online Complaint Management System (CMS) portal.
• Majority 66.1% of the maintainable complaints were resolved through mutual settlement/ conciliation/ mediation.

Banking Ombudsman Scheme

• The Banking Ombudsman Scheme is an expeditious and inexpensive forum for bank customers for resolution of complaints relating to certain services rendered by banks.
• It is introduced under Section 35 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 by RBI with effect from 1995.
• Presently the Banking Ombudsman Scheme 2006 (As amended upto July 1, 2017) is in operation.
• All Scheduled Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Scheduled Primary Co-operative Banks are covered under the Scheme.
• As per the present regulations, the ombudsman redressal is allowed for complaints where the compensation amount for any loss suffered by the complainant is limited to Rs 20 lakh.
• Under the RBI-OS, 2021, following the ‘One Nation, One Ombudsman’ principle, the territorial jurisdictions have been abrogated, and complaints are assigned to all the ombudsmen by the CMS.

What about other sectors?

• The Reserve Bank Integrated Ombudsman Scheme (RBIOS) amalgamates three ombudsman scheme of RBI – banking ombudsman scheme of 2006, ombudsman scheme for NBFCs of 2018 and ombudsman scheme of digital transactions of 2019.
• The unified ombudsman scheme will provide redress of customer complaints involving deficiency in services if the grievance is not resolved to the satisfaction of the customers or not replied within a period of 30 days.
• The new scheme also includes non-scheduled primary co-operative banks with a deposit size of Rs 50 crore and above.
• The integrated scheme makes it a “One Nation One Ombudsman’ approach and jurisdiction neutral.

ASI-protected monuments untraceable

Fifty of India’s 3,693 centrally protected monuments have gone missing, the Ministry of Culture has told Parliament. The submissions were made by the ministry to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture as part of a report titled ‘Issues relating to Untraceable Monuments and Protection of Monuments in India’.

What are centrally protected monuments?

1. The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR Act) regulates the preservation of monuments and archaeological sites of national importance.
2. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Culture, functions under this Act.
3. The Act protects monuments and sites that are more than 100 years old, including temples, cemeteries, inscriptions, tombs, forts, palaces, step-wells, rock-cut caves, and even objects like cannons and mile pillars that may be of historical significance.
4. According to the provisions of AMASR Act, ASI officials are supposed to regularly inspect the monuments to assess their condition.
5. Apart from various conservation and preservation operations, ASI officials can also file police complaints, issue show cause notices for the removal of encroachments, and communicate to the local administration the need for demolition of encroachments.

How can a monument go “missing”?

1. The ASI was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham, when he realised the need for a permanent body to oversee archaeological excavations and conservation.
2. But while the body remained largely dysfunctional in the 19th century owing to fund crunch, in the decades preceding Independence, it became very active.
3. Bulks of the protected monuments were taken under the ASI’s wings during the 1920s and 30s, up till the 50s, officials told The Indian Express.
4. But in the decades after independence, the focus of successive governments was on health, education and infrastructure, rather than protecting heritage.
5. Many monuments and sites were lost to activities like urbanisation, construction of dams and reservoirs, and even encroachments.
6. As per the ASI submission in Parliament, 14 monuments have been lost to rapid urbanisation, 12 are submerged by reservoirs/dams, while 24 are untraceable, which brings the number of missing monuments to 50.

Second satellite to monitor space weather

Space sector start-up Digantara launched its second satellite Pushan-Alpha as a rideshare onboard SpaceX’s Transporter-6 mission that soared to the low earth orbit from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US. The satellite will serve as a space weather testbed in the sun synchronous orbit for enhancing precision driven situational space awareness applications.

More about the Satellite

1. The Pushan-Alpha observations will help complement Digantara’s ROBI (ROBust Integrating proton fluence meter) mission, the world’s first commercial space-based space weather monitoring system onboard ISRO’s PSLV-C53 launched on 30 June last year.
2. The Pushan-Alpha mission is named after the Hindu solar deity considered as the god of journeys and protector of travellers.
3. The Pushan-Alpha mission has a three-fold objective — to extend radiation measurements to the sun synchronous orbit; to assess mid to high energy particle radiation from the South Atlantic Anomaly; and to investigate any co-relation of atmospheric drag and particle environment for enhanced orbit and debris modelling.
4. Bengaluru-based Digantara is developing end-to-end infrastructure to address the difficulties of space operations and space traffic management through its Space Mission Assurance Platform.
5. Transporter-6 was SpaceX’s sixth dedicated smallest rideshare mission carrying 114 payloads, including orbital transfer vehicles carrying spacecraft to be deployed at a later time.

Centre approves National Green Hydrogen Mission

The Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission, which is aimed at making India the global hub for the production of green hydrogen.The total outlay for the mission is ₹19,744 crore, out of which the government has allocated ₹17,490 crore for the SIGHT programme, ₹1,466 crore for the upcoming pilot projects, ₹400 crore for R&D, and ₹388 crore towards other mission components.

More about the news

1. The National Hydrogen Mission was launched on August 15, 2021, with a view to cutting down carbon emissions and increasing the use of renewable sources of energy.
2. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) will formulate the scheme guidelines for implementation.
3. The mission seeks to promote the development of green hydrogen production capacity of at least 5 MMT (Million Metric Tonnes) per annum with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW in the country by 2030.
4. It envisages an investment of over ₹8 lakh crore and creation of over 6 lakh jobs by 2030.
5. It will also result in a cumulative reduction in fossil fuel imports of over ₹1 lakh crore and abatement of nearly 50 MMT of annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Benefits of the Green Hydrogen Mission:

1. It will lead to creation of export opportunities for green hydrogen and its derivatives; decarbonisation of industrial, mobility and energy sectors.
2. It will lead to reduction in dependence on imported fossil fuels and feedstock; development of indigenous manufacturing capabilities.
3. It will create employment opportunities; and development of cutting-edge technologies.
4. It will facilitate demand creation, production, utilisation and export of green hydrogen.

Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition Programme (SIGHT):

1. Under it two distinct financial incentive mechanisms — targeting domestic manufacturing of electrolysers and production of green hydrogen — will be provided under the mission.
2. It will also support pilot projects in emerging end-use sectors and production pathways.
3. The regions capable of supporting large-scale production and utilisation of hydrogen will be identified and developed as Green Hydrogen Hubs.
4. It will lead to development of an enabling policy frameworkto support establishment of the green hydrogen ecosystem with robust standards and regulations framework.

Strategic Hydrogen Innovation Partnership (SHIP):

1. It is a public-private partnership framework for R&D that will be facilitated under the mission.
2. The R&D projects will be goal-oriented, time-bound, and suitably scaled up to develop globally competitive technologies.
3. Under it, acoordinated skill development programme will also be undertaken.

‘BIND’ scheme for upgrading DD, AIR

In a bid to upgrade Prasar Bharati’s infrastructure, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the Central Sector Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) scheme with an outlay of Rs 2,539.61 crore up to 2025-26for Doordarshan and All India Radio.

Prasar Bharati (Akashvani):

1. It is the public broadcaster of the country, is the most important vehicle of information, education, entertainment and engagement for the people especially in the remote areas of the country through Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIR).
2. It played a stellar role in communicating health messages and awareness to the public during the Covid pandemic.
3. Its aim is to ensure information regarding government’s work and schemes reaches people.

BIND Scheme

1. It is the vehicle for providing financial support to Prasar Bharati for expenses related to expansion and upgradation of its broadcasting infrastructure, content development and civil work related to the organization.
2. It will enable the public broadcaster to undertake a major upgradation of its facilities with better infrastructure which will widen its reach, including in the LWE (Left Wing Extremism), border and strategic areas and provide high quality content to the viewers.
3. Under the scheme, eight lakh DD Free Dish DTH set top boxes (STBs) will also be distributed to people living in remote, tribal, LWE, border areas and ‘aspirational’ districts.

Benefits to Doordarshan under the scheme:

1. The scheme envisions how Doordarshan should be 20 years from now.
2. At present, Doordarshan operates 36 TV channels, including 28 regional channels, and AIR operates more than 500 broadcasting centres.
3. The BIND scheme will increase coverage of AIR FM transmitters in the country to 66 per cent by geographical area, up from current 59 per cent, and 80 per cent by population, up from present 68 per cent coverage.