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Business Standard
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Technology must aid, not replace, human mind in judicial decision: CJI
Technology must complement, not replace, the human mind in judicial decision-making, Chief Justice of India BR Gavai has said while emphasising that the value of discretion, empathy and judicial interpretation is irreplaceable. In his keynote address on "Role of Technology in the Indian Legal System" at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London, the CJI said while the judiciary welcomes innovations like automated cause lists, digital kiosks and virtual assistants, it must ensure that human oversight, ethical guidelines and robust training are integral to their implementation. "The value of discretion, empathy and judicial interpretation is irreplaceable," Justice Gavai said and pointed out that the Indian judiciary is well-positioned to develop homegrown ethical frameworks tailored to the country's constitutional and societal realities. "We possess the technological expertise, the judicial foresight and the democratic mandate to build systems that reflect our values of equality, dignity and justice," he said. "In fact, in the very first week after assuming office as the chief justice of India, I initiated a discussion with the Centre for Research and Planning of the Supreme Court to prepare a comprehensive note on the ethical use of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in the judiciary. "Technology must complement, not replace, the human mind in judicial decision-making," the CJI said, adding, "The emphasis must always be on using technology to enhance trust and transparency -- never to replace the human conscience at the heart of justice." He said though the judiciary has started to embrace technology, with the emergence of artificial-intelligence (AI) tools in judicial processes -- from case management to legal research, document translation and even predictive analytics -- there must be caution. "Around the world, debates are ongoing about the ethical use of AI in legal systems. Concerns include algorithmic bias, misinformation, data manipulation and breaches of confidentiality. For instance, sensitive information, such as the identity of a victim of crime, must never be disclosed due to AI error or the absence of clear protocols. Additionally, a few recent cases have shown that AI tools can generate fabricated citations or biased suggestions if not properly regulated and monitored," the CJI underscored. He added that technology, if anchored in constitutionalism and empathy, can transform access to justice from an abstract ideal into a lived and shared reality. "As we continue our journey toward modernising the Indian legal system, our approach must remain deeply rooted in constitutional values. The integration of technology must be people-centric, inclusive and guided by ethical clarity. Our ultimate goal should be to make justice accessible to every citizen, regardless of language, geography, income or digital literacy," he said. Concluding his address, Justice Gavai said, "I firmly believe that access to justice is not solely the responsibility of the judiciary. It is a shared national commitment. Law schools, civil society, legal-aid institutions and governments must work in unison to develop and promote technological models that are accessible, transparent and inclusive." Meanwhile, at a joint event of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and Trilegal organised on the occasion of London International Disputes Week, CJI Gavai said in recent decades, the justice-delivery mechanism, once confined within the boundaries of courtrooms, has witnessed a significant shift towards modes of alternative dispute resolution, with arbitration emerging as a prominent pillar of that transformation. The CJI was speaking on the topic of "Navigating the evolving landscape: The impact of the 7th edition of the SIAC Rules on India-Related Arbitrations". "At the cusp of this evolution lies the recognition that justice, particularly in complex commercial disputes, need not be adversarial or bureaucratic. Rather, it must be confidential, expert-driven and above all, tailored to the needs of those who seek it. Arbitration, in this context, is a substantive recalibration of how we understand and deliver justice," he said. Justice Gavai pointed out that over the last 10-15 years, India has made a multi-pronged effort towards its aspiration of building a favourable and sought-after place for arbitration. "While legislative reforms have significantly strengthened India's arbitration framework, the judiciary has also played a proactive role in fostering a more arbitration-friendly environment. Various progressive judgments by the Supreme Court of India over the last few years stand testament to this. Nonetheless, the enormity of India as a country has ensured that certain on-ground challenges continue," he said. "The Indian judiciary has and will continue to recognise and respect the autonomy of the arbitral process, ensuring that the courts step in only when demanded by the needs of justice," he added. The CJI said, "In conclusion, I am happy to note that the 7th edition of the SIAC Rules is a forward-looking endeavour, aimed at enhancing efficiency while balancing fairness. For India, whose commercial players are increasingly global in outlook and operation, these rules offer both an opportunity and a challenge -- the opportunity to align with international best practices and the challenge to elevate our own standards while balancing them with India's practical realities.
The Wire
06-06-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
An Anti-Caste Counterculture Is Gradually Taking Root in UK Universities
In a darkened lecture theatre in the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, about 50 people gathered on a Sunday morning for a special screening of Court by Chaitanya Tamhane, a movie that critiques casteism in the Indian legal system. Meanwhile, 400 kms away in northwest England, a book stand in the library of Lancaster University showcased a special collection on caste and Ambedkar. And in another part of the UK, at the University of Leeds, students gathered to commemorate Ambedkar's birth anniversary and discuss plans for the newly formed Dr Ambedkar Society. These scenes from Dalit History Month celebrations in April this year in different parts of the UK represent a quiet but growing assertion taking root in many English university campuses. With more Dalit, Bahujan and Adivasi students going to the UK for higher education in recent years, they are creating a counterculture on campus, challenging how 'India' and 'South Asia' are understood among British and international students and faculty. Through organising lectures, workshops and film screenings, and by forming anti-caste and Ambedkarite student societies on campus, marginalised students in the UK are amplifying voices from within their communities on an international platform and contributing to the global understanding of caste and resistance to it. Some are taking the effort further by trying to push for their universities to recognise caste in their policies, to help address the familiar patterns of discrimination and structural inequality marginalised students experience in the UK. Creating a new cultural presence on campus With tens of thousands of Indian students enrolling in UK universities every year, it is commonplace to find 'India Societies' and 'Hindu Societies' among the many student-run clubs on campuses across the country. In fact, societies that promote Hindu religion and culture on campus have been around in the UK since at least 1991 . Through these groups, students organise a variety of events including Bollywood nights, aartis , Diwali and Garba celebrations, and discussions on Indian politics and society Dalit students who came to the UK to study did not feel represented by any of these existing societies, said Abhishek Bhosale, PhD scholar and current President of the SOAS Ambedkar Society. When the society was formed in 2018, the idea was to create a safe space where Dalit students could get together, as well as to democratise and diversify the campus by putting forward their stories and perspectives, he said. In the past year, during Abhishek's tenure as president, the society has organised several public events including a discussion with The Wire' s Sukanya Shantha and her lawyer Disha Wadekar on their petition in the Supreme Court about caste-based discrimination in Indian prisons. The society also organised discussions on Shahu Patole's book Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada and Anand Teltumbde's book Iconoclast. What impact do students hope to have through these events? Abhishek explained that by telling the story of caste in a university like SOAS with an international, politically engaged student body, sensitisation about caste inequalities can reach the wider world through these students when they return to their home countries. 'We want to internationalise the authentic stories of people from Dalit backgrounds. For example, if not for the SOAS Ambedkar Society, there wouldn't be a discussion in London on Patole's book about Dalit food,' Abhishek said. They also try to bring the academic discussions to life through cultural events such as the Anti-Caste Film Festival they organised in April this year, where the Court was screened. With support from the filmmakers who obliged without a screening fee, the students also showed Jai Bhim Comrade , Fandry , Kaala , and Dr B R Ambedkar to a diverse audience of 60-70 members in London. Poster of the Anti-caste film festival organised by the SOAS Ambedkar Society (Left). A scene from the screening (Right). Photo: Abhishek Bhosale/ SOAS Ambedkar Society. SOAS is also home to the first known Adivasi student society in the UK, the Maki Munda Indigenous Studies Society. In the 2023-24 academic year, a few students from Jharkhand who were at SOAS on various government scholarships created this society to engage with Adivasi issues on an international platform. In their public events, they make it a point to invite Adivasi scholars and grassroots activists as panelists, often joining virtually from India, to share their indigenous knowledge and first-hand experiences. During a student fair in January 2024, the society also organised an Adivasi dance from the Chotanagpur region. 'People write about the poverty among Adivasis, their trauma and rights abuse but rarely do they embrace Adivasi culture. As Adivasis, we constantly battle damnation and shame in being who we are. Through the dance, we wanted to showcase our rich heritage and give it due regard in an international space,' said Madhuri Xalxo, a PhD scholar and founding member of the society. A handful of universities in the UK now have Ambedkarite or anti-caste societies formed by students. The Ambedkarite Society of Edinburgh at the University of Edinburgh was formed in January 2024 as a response to various incidents of casteism that marginalised students experienced from fellow Indian students of privileged caste backgrounds. 'I was very taken aback by the lack of sensitivity among many Indians. So we formed the society to promote an anti-caste consciousness among students from India, among diaspora and among international students,' said Aniruddha Mahajan, PhD scholar and founding president of the society. At the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), a few Dalit students started an LSE Ambedkar Society in January 2024 to give the iconic social reformer's ideas due regard in his alma mater. Ambedkar enrolled as a student in LSE in 1916 and completed a master's degree and a PhD from the university. Ritu Kochar, PhD student and founding president of the society, said, 'I was very proud to join the same university where Babasaheb once studied. But when I came here, I realised that even though Ambedkar is featured prominently as a notable alumni of LSE, there is hardly any engagement with his ideas on economics, caste or religion.' Through its activities, the society aims to change this and bring focus to his scholarship. At the University of Oxford, the Oxford South Asian Ambedkar Forum (OxSAAF) was formed in 2021 with the intention to create an alternative to the existing Indian cultural presence on campus, mostly associated with Diwali and Bollywood. 'One thing we wanted to do from the beginning was to create a desi counterculture of food, clothing, films and so on, in Oxford,' said Shireen Azam, DPhil scholar and founding member of OxSAAF. For instance, in 2022, OxSAAF organised a screening of the film Kaala by anti-caste filmmaker Pa Ranjith. 'After the screening, we gave out food coupons which said 'India is not a vegetarian country'. We served both veg and non-veg food but we wanted to push against the widespread association of India with vegetarianism,' Shireen said. Most societies have about 6-10 core members from different caste backgrounds and nationalities, with many more students and members of the public participating in their events. Despite their resolve to assert their presence, keeping the societies active year after year is a challenge since master's students leave when their one-year courses conclude, and PhD students are often kept busy by research and academic commitments. Outside of societies, some individual students like Mayur Helia, PhD scholar Lancaster University, are also doing their bit to bring insider perspectives to conversations on caste within academia. When he first enrolled here, he noticed that the university's library did not have many books on caste or Ambedkar. 'The library had whole sections of books on Gandhi and on Nehru but there was hardly anything on caste, especially those written by people from within the Dalit community,' Mayur said. This prompted him to write to the library's administration in 2024, suggesting that they commemorate Dalit History Month just as they mark occasions like Black History Month and LGBTQ+ History Month. The library staff obliged and in April 2024, for the first time, the library had a bookshelf showcasing books such as Caste Matters by Suraj Yengde and Coming out as Dalit by Yashica Dutt, along with a note on the significance of Dalit History Month. This year, too, the library celebrated the occasion with a dedicated bookshelf. Instagram: Lancaster University Library. Perhaps the biggest shift is the presence of so many researchers from marginalised caste backgrounds in the UK, engaged in academic knowledge production on caste, its history and its contemporary life. Students see this as an opportunity to correct the 'Savarna gaze' in research on the subject and to tell overlooked stories of resistance and dignity. 'There are enough privileged caste researchers doing research on us. I want Dalits to come here to the UK and talk about the community. Now it is time for insiders to get their voice and for the mic to be passed,' said Mayur, whose own PhD research is on caste, resistance and surveillance among sanitation workers in South Asia A growing push for recognition of caste in policies within UK universities Ambedkar famously said that caste would migrate with Hindus wherever they went, a prediction that has been visibly borne out in recent years across the globe. In the UK, too, students from marginalised castes experience subtle and unsubtle forms of discrimination from South Asian faculty and fellow students, and even outside the campus For instance, as a master's student at the University of Edinburgh, Vaishnavi (who goes by first name only) felt alienated by fellow Indian students when she told them she was on the Maharashtra government's overseas scholarship for OBC students 'After I told them, those students didn't want to go out with me, they didn't want to be friends. It disturbed me,' she said. It reminded her of similar experiences of discrimination she had endured during her undergraduate studies in India. 'You come from India and you are trying to run away from that but even here, you are getting the same experience,' Vaishnavi said Many students are first-generation learners who don't have the support networks or resources to tide over these challenges of moving to a new country with an unfamiliar academic system. Even the scholarships, particularly the National Overseas Scholarship, has its issues with students complaining that the stipend amount is insufficient to cover the high cost of living in the UK, forcing them to work part-time jobs Although university administrations in the UK are generally sensitive to the diverse needs of students, a lack of understanding of caste and its impact on the student experience means that universities are ill-equipped to address the specific issues of marginalised caste students. As president of the Ambedkarite Society of Edinburgh, Aniruddha tried to help a few students seek redressal after being subjected to caste-based discrimination from fellow Indian students. But the institutional mechanisms of the Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) in place to deal with such grievances fell short. 'It was difficult to make them understand the seriousness of the complaint and the overt and covert ways in which caste discrimination takes place. Most importantly, they didn't understand the impact it has on the victims and the trauma they experience,' Aniruddha said. When contacted, the EUSA said they were not in a position to comment since they are in the process of changing their representatives for the new academic year. To tackle this lack of understanding, students are now also trying to bring an acknowledgement of caste in policies within their universities. In 2023, students at SOAS, led by Sushant Singh who was then the union's co-president for Welfare and Campaigns, made a proposal to the Students' Union to add 'caste' to their Equality and Diversity policy. Now, as per the amended policy , the union is committed to creating equal opportunities and eliminating discrimination on the basis of caste, along with other characteristics such as age, race, and gender identity. The policy, however, applies only to the students' union and not to the university since the two are separate legal entities. Some students, like Yashashwani Srinivas, a PhD candidate at the University of Leeds, are trying to bring change by taking up positions with some influence. Yashashwani is a recipient of the White Rose doctoral studentship funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the UK. She applied to be on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee for the studentship, and once on it, she advocated for caste to be included in the diversity monitoring. She was successful and, since October 2023, the studentship guidance states that while students will not be discriminated against on the basis of caste, age, race, gender and so on, this information will be collected anonymously to monitor the diversity of the cohort. It's a small change but in the process of doing it, Yashashwani hoped to begin important conversations around caste, conversations which she and fellow students now plan to keep going through the newly formed Dr Ambedkar Society at Leeds. Students are not alone in this fight – they are supported, with evidence and advice, by existing networks of anti-caste advocacy groups in the UK. Santosh Dass MBE, chair of the Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance (ACDA) in the UK, argued that these small wins, like Yashashwani's and the one at SOAS, are 'vital' even if they don't have an immediate impact. 'Maybe having the word 'caste' in the diversity policies will make them think about how people in positions of power may be treating Dalit students differently,' she said Dass and others in the UK's decades-old Ambedkarite movement have been campaigning for caste to be included in the UK's 2010 Equality Act which provides legal protection from discrimination at the workplace and in wider society on the basis of nine protected characteristics, including race, gender, sexual orientation, and age Previously, their efforts were thwarted by counter-lobbying from groups such as the Hindu Forum and the Hindu Council in the UK. Now, with students and Ambedkarite societies on campus trying to bring a recognition of caste within their universities' policies, activists like Dass are hoping that it creates a bottom-up demand for the UK government to include caste as a protected characteristic in the law If caste is added to the Equality Act, universities would be required to take active steps to eliminate discrimination on the basis of it and advance equality of opportunities, said Meena Dhanda, Professor of Philosophy and Cultural Politics at the University of Wolverhampton and long-time anti-caste activist. This could result in sensitisation for all staff and more targeted support for marginalised caste students with finding accommodation, navigating academics, scholarships and addressing any discrimination What happened in Oxford in 2023 is an indication of how the work of student societies and anti-caste groups in the UK can come together to create a wider impact. In June 2023, OxSAAF organised a one-day conference on the theme 'Caste Beyond South Asia' with participation from academics, senior university administration staff, and key activists from the UK. Professor Annapurna Waughrey and Professor Meena Dhanda, both academics involved in the anti-caste movement, and Dass of ACDA shared their research on caste discrimination in the UK in housing, education and employment. Holly Cooper, Equalities Officer for the Oxford branch of the University and College Union (UCU) which represents academic and support staff in higher education, was present at the meeting. ' The conference revealed the extent of the injustices related to caste-based discrimination at Oxford and the wider community. As Equality Officer, my main job is to address injustices, and so taking action was a necessary step,' Holly said in an email response. The discussions prompted Holly to take up the issue of caste at a meeting of the Oxford UCU branch, ultimately leading to them passing a resolution to recognise 'caste' as a protected characteristic within the branch. The motion also led to many conversations among branch members on what caste is and what caste discrimination looks like. Yet, the Equality Act even as it exists today does not hinder universities from making positive change, if they have the intent to do so. Since the 2023-24 academic year, the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD) offers the Savitribai Phule Graduate Scholarship , the first of its kind, targeted at students from Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Caste backgrounds as well as first-generation learners to study on eligible master's programmes. The centre, based in Somerville College, University of Oxford, made a case for the scholarship on the basis that students from historically marginalised castes faced a higher barrier of entry to study at the University of Oxford. Commenting on the role of UK universities in addressing caste inequity, Baroness Jan Royall, Principal of Somerville College, said in an email, 'Universities have a responsibility to ensure that students from all backgrounds have equal access to education and opportunities. While caste discrimination may not be as widely discussed in the UK, it remains a deeply entrenched issue for many South Asian students. If we are serious about global inclusivity, we must acknowledge these challenges and take meaningful steps to address them.' Anti-caste activists, academics and students believe that the clamour for change within universities will only gain momentum in the coming years. As more students from marginalised castes come to the UK to study, there will likely be more instances of discrimination from privileged caste peers, and a greater push for universities to take notice and address inequities within South Asian and Indian communities. 'It is one thing to be interested in issues of caste out of intellectual curiosity. But it is different when it's intimately connected with your own lives. The presence of people for whom it's a question of their own lives has changed everything. Their presence will force a change which is urgently needed,' Professor Dhanda said. Meghana Choukkar is a journalist and researcher affiliated with King's India Institute at King's College London. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Asia Times
31-05-2025
- General
- Asia Times
Righteous revolt against auctioning the Buddha's looted gems
The slick online catalogue entry for 'Premium Lot 1, The Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha' on the Sotheby's Hong Kong website was abruptly replaced on May 7 with a single line notification: 'The auction has been postponed.' Shortly afterwards, the associated webpages went blank. The only evidence remaining on Sotheby's Hong Kong website was an entry on the Piprahwa gems' history and a short YouTube promotional clip for the sale (below). Sotheby's had first announced its intention to auction the relics on February 6, 2025. Discovered in northern India in 1898 and thought to date to the third century BC, it was estimated they would fetch up to HK$100 million (US$12.8 million). The collection was consigned by Chris Peppé on behalf of his family, who had inherited the relics from his great grandfather, William Caxton Peppé – a 19th-century British colonial landowner who owned an estate in India. Reaction was muted at first, but as a scholar who researches the early history and archaeology of Buddhism and issues surrounding loot and restitution, I was gravely concerned by this proposed sale. Fortunately, I was not alone, and thanks to detailed research of SOAS colleagues such as Conan Cheong, Ashley Thompson and Thai academic Pipad Krajaejun, as well as protests from Buddhist devotees worldwide, a groundswell of disapproval began to grow. A letter sent to Sotheby's by the British Maha Bodhi Society, and shared with me, states: Millions around the world, whether Buddhist or not, have religious and ethical concerns and believe that the sale of sacred items is morally wrong and offensive … Members of the Buddhist sangha [monkhood], as well as lay followers from all traditions, are appalled that the gems offered in devotional acts by the Buddha's own clan, have been separated from his corporeal remains and are now being sold to the highest bidder. This disapproval turned into a tidal wave on May 5, two days before the planned auction, with the intervention of the Indian government – which is now threatening legal action against both Sotheby's and the Peppé family, demanding that the relics be repatriated to India. In terms of his rights and those of his relatives to sell the relics, Chris Peppé previously had told the Guardian newspaper: 'Legally, the ownership is unchallenged.' Sotheby's confirmed to me that it and the Indian government are 'currently in discussions regarding the Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha, and are pleased to be working together to find the best possible outcome for all parties.' To understand how we reached this impasse, we must cast our eyes back to 19th-century British colonial India, then forward again to 2018-2023 and a number of high-profile exhibitions at some of the world's most prestigious museums. In 1898, the family's great-grandfather, William Caxton Peppé, excavated a Buddhist reliquary monument (known as a stupa) on his estate in Piprahwa, northern India. He uncovered what is now considered by scholars to be the most significant cache of Buddhist relics found in India. The discovery included five reliquary urns containing gems, ash and bone fragments. An inscription on one suggested the remains could be those of the historical Buddha, who is thought to have been cremated around 200 years prior to their burial. The Indian Treasure Trove Act of 1878 allowed Peppé to keep a portion referred to as 'duplicates' (an art-history term used to justify the dividing up of similar material from a hoard or archaeological site that is very much frowned upon today). The British authorities gifted the bones and ash to King Chulalongkorn of Siam, who enshrined them in Bangkok and distributed portions to other Buddhist nations. The majority of the 1,800 gems, meanwhile, had been deposited in the Indian Museum in Kolkata. It is a longstanding issue, however, that the bulk of this collection remains locked away in the museum safe, off-limits to Buddhists, the wider public, and scholars alike. Perhaps the publicity surrounding the Peppé portion of the reliquary contents might prompt that museum to review this policy after 120 years. About ten years ago, armed with his inherited share of the relics, Chris Peppé began reaching out to museums worldwide, proposing to loan them. This, he recently stated, was to make them accessible to Buddhist devotees and the general public alike. Five museums took him up on the offer and, starting in 2018, duly curated high-profile exhibitions around them or incorporated them into larger shows. Chief among these was the 2023 blockbuster Tree And Serpent: Early Buddhist Art of India at the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, where Peppé took part in the exhibition symposium, delivering a lecture on the relics. Objects with a history of celebrated exhibitions tend to reach higher prices at auction. Whether the Peppé family intentionally built up the Piprahwa exhibition history with the aim of eventually auctioning the relics is unclear. I contacted Chris Peppé directly and posed this question to him, but he declined to comment. Tellingly, the Sotheby's website included a scholarly article from 2023 in Orientations Magazine by John Guy, curator of the Tree and Serpent exhibition. But it was dated to February 2025, which perhaps inadvertently made it appear to have been written as an endorsement of the sale. In fact, the paper had been published to coincide with the exhibition. I contacted Guy about this, and he responded by saying: I regard the linking of my publication to the Sotheby's sale as highly inappropriate and this was done without my knowledge or consent. The Met's lawyers demanded that it be removed immediately, which was done, along with a written apology from Sotheby's. When I spoke to Nancy Wong at Sotheby's, she confirmed this, saying: 'We apologized and immediately removed the relevant reference from our website.' Given the events of the past few weeks, the Peppé family now finds themselves in a bind. With the Indian government engaged, it may not be long before Sotheby's drops them and the relics altogether. Despite their cultured facades and high-society veneers, auction houses are businesses, designed to make a profit, and any potential buyers may have been thoroughly scared off by recent events. It is hard, however, for me to have much sympathy for the family who could have prevented this whole affair by donating the relics to a Buddhist community or museum in the first place. Stephen A Murphy is Pratapaditya Pal Senior Lecturer in Curating and Museology of Asian Art, SOAS, University of London This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
France 24
23-05-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Why are Israeli officials blaming France, Canada and the UK for the DC shooting?
In the wake of the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington, DC on Wednesday evening, Israel's Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Saar was quick to cast blame on those he held responsible for the killings: Europe's leaders. "There is a direct line connecting anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement to this murder," he said. "This incitement is also done by leaders and officials of many countries and international organisations, especially from Europe.' The Israeli government found itself facing unprecedented criticism from some of its staunchest European supporters this week as it launches a massive ground assault in the Gaza Strip, which Israel has cut off from all humanitarian aid for almost three months. The pressure pushed Israel this week to allow limited aid into the enclave even as it issued fresh evacuation orders for the Strip's north. An IDF spokesperson said earlier in May that the operation, dubbed 'Gideon's Chariots', would result in 'the displacement of most of the population' of the Palestinian territory. 17:23 Yair Wallach, reader in Israeli studies at SOAS, University of London, said that the country's growing diplomatic isolation in part reflected the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. 'We've seen a demonstration over the last week that when the consensus emerges that a war crime is being pursued, suddenly you're going to see many people coming on board and agreeing to the kinds of policies that would have been unthinkable certainly a year and a half ago,' he said. It is these criticisms, Saar said, that fed into a climate of anti-Israeli feeling that led directly to the two staffers' deaths. The two embassy employees, identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sara Lynn Milgrim, were shot dead as they were leaving the Capital Jewish Museum. Witnesses reported that 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, who has been charged with the couple's murder, shouted 'Free Palestine!' as police came to arrest him. Saar's statements were soon echoed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused France, Canada and the UK in particular of 'emboldening Hamas' with their joint call earlier this week for Israel to halt its ongoing Gaza campaign and allow humanitarian aid to enter the devastated territory. 10:11 The statement, which called on Palestinian militant group Hamas to release all hostages, also condemned public comments by far-right cabinet ministers promising to 'conquer' and 'cleanse' Gaza and threatened sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. 'Because by issuing their demand – replete with a threat of sanctions against Israel, against Israel, not Hamas – these three leaders effectively said they want Hamas to remain in power,' he said in a statement posted on social media Thursday. 'You're on the wrong side of humanity and you're on the wrong side of history.' Officials from the three countries strongly rejected Netanyahu's statement, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot saying the remarks were 'absurd and slanderous'. He emphasised that Paris was "unwaveringly committed to Israel's security". All three nations have designated Hamas as a terrorist group. Israel has maintained a blockade of the shattered enclave since early March, refusing to allow food, shelter and medical supplies to enter the Strip as it renews its military assault. The UN today warned that 14,000 malnourished children in the coastal enclave face the real risk of starving to death by the end of the year. More than 53,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed by Israeli troops since the October 7 terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas and its allies, the Gaza health ministry says. 03:45 The rising diplomatic tensions reflect what seems to be something of a breaking point between Israel and a number of its erstwhile backers in Europe and the broader West. The European Union this week announced it would be reviewing its Association Agreement with Israel in light of the worsening situation in Gaza, with the UK also putting negotiations around a free trade agreement with Israel on hold. And while Israel's main supporter, the US, has so far been unwilling to lend its voice to the chorus, the administration of President Donald Trump has done little to dissuade the condemnations. Wallach said that Trump's decision not to meet with Netanyahu during his recent tour of the Middle East likely reflected a sense of growing impatience in Washington with the Israeli government's intransigence. Trump's Special Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been negotiating directly with Hamas leadership rather than going through intermediaries used in previous rounds of negotiations, reportedly pressed Israel and the militant group to accept an updated ceasefire proposal earlier this week. 07:31 'I think why we're seeing this kind of intervention now is that people waited for Trump's visit to the region, if this would allow some kind of ceasefire,' Wallach said. 'And then when that didn't happen, and when there's a real risk of starvation and images are coming out, they've – quite belatedly I would say – realised they needed a stronger reaction,' he said. Wallach said he thought the killing of two of its young embassy staffers in the heart of the US would be unlikely to change the equation for Israel's critics. 'Whether the US would change tack – I'm sure that there would be people in the administration calling for that, but I don't think so. I think the interests of the US, as the administration understands them, is to … get the situation under control.' 'So I doubt this will trigger a U-turn for the US – although I'm of course saying this with the caveat that this is Trump, and he could wake up and decide something else.'
Irish Examiner
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Beginner's pluck: Dublin-born writer Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin
An intense child, Niamh always loved writing. 'I scribbled lines before I could write,' she says, 'and at eight, I wrote poems and performed them at my parent's parties, but I lost confidence in my late teens.' Graduating in 2011, Niamh moved to London and worked for non-profit organisations, with social justice publications, with charities and unions on media relations, doing story telling for social change. She then studied politics at SOAS before working for a political blog and doing some freelance journalism. 'Then I worked for the Trades Union Congress and then switched to working freelance.' I like having a mix of different projects. All this time Niamh had yearned to write fiction, but there was never time. 'You have to make space. The pandemic focused me. 'I started writing the novel in January 2021 and sold it in the summer of 2023.' Meanwhile, in 2022, she won the PFD Queer Fiction Award and was shortlisted for the Women's Prize Discoveries Award, (for the first 10,000 words of a novel). Ordinary Saints was selected for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club. Who is Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin? Date/ place of birth: 1989/ Dublin. Education: Castleknock Community College; Trinity College Dublin, English with Classical Civilisation. SOAS, (School of Oriental and African Studies,) Politics. Home: Edinburgh, since 2020. Family: 'I have an incredible group of friends, which includes my sisters, Aoife and Dearbhaile.' The day job: Freelance in non-profit communications. In another life: 'I might have gone into the law and become a barrister.' Favourite writers: Virginia Woolf; Toni Morrison; Dorris Lessing; John MacGahern; Ruth Ozeki; Torrey Peters. Second book: 'It's in the early stages.' Top tip: 'I loved the George Saunders quote: 'Focus on the sentence.'' Website: Instagram: @niamhsquared The debut Ordinary Saints Manilla Press, €15.99 Jay has escaped her devout Irish family and lives in London with her girlfriend. But when she learns that Ferdia, the brother she adored — a priest who died young after a fatal accident — is being considered as a Catholic Saint, she's forced to confront her childhood and her family. Will she come to terms with the past? The verdict: This debut is pretty perfect. It's informative, original, heartfelt, very real, and stunningly written. The characters linger in your mind.
