News
Ex-Lankan ambassador to Iran alleges Israel destroying two-state solution
The United States, Britain and other European countries must respect the growing global public opinion, mostly in the West, including by thousands of principled Jews against the horrific crimes being committed against the Palestinians under cover of a ‘war on Hamas’ for the past one month, former MP and Sri Lankan Ambassador to Iran, M. M. Zuhair has alleged.
The following is the text of statement issued by Zuhair, PC: “Western-complicit Israel continues to reject mass appeals for a ceasefire.
In terms of numbers, Israel aggression in what was left of Palestine in Gaza and the West Bank, had crossed 10,000 deaths of Palestinians, of which according to Palestinian counts, over 4,000 were children, 3,000 women, mostly mothers, with less than 50 Hamas fighters.
These unapologetic massacre of civilians, according to a report by the Director of the New York office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Craig Mokhiber, himself a US citizen, sent to the High Commissioner in Geneva, before he quit his well-paid central office said, “…the current wholesale slaughter of the Palestinian people, rooted in an ethno-nationalist settler colonialist ideology, in continuation of decades of their systemic persecution and purging, based entirely upon their status as Arabs, and coupled with explicit statements of intent by leaders in the Israeli government and military, leaves no room for doubt or debate. Across the land, apartheid rules.”
By continuing to revengefully and indiscriminately bombard Gaza, alarming the Palestinians to exode from their remaining lands, Israel is destroying even the two State solution, that had been dangled before the world for over 50 years, without being realistically offered! The US backed apartheid in Palestine is crossing all boundaries to one of shameful ‘genocide’ leaving the Palestinians, plundered of their homes and lands with nowhere to go.
These are international crimes for which, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Sunak and others must be made to account in the International Criminal Court in the Hague and also in other countries under extra territorial jurisdictions. Of course, armed with nuclear weapons, the criminals amongst those leading the world know that will never happen and that nothing will stop Israel in the coming decades taking ownership of most of the rest of the Middle East as well, as planned by the ‘Elders of Zion’ a hundred years ago. Hamas and the Hesbullah possibly know this and it will be best for the world not to push Hamas or the Hisbullah to go for nuclear weapons as their next dangerous phase.
We need to be concerned that the United Nations as Craig Mokhiber in his report put it, “the UN itself carries the original sin of helping to facilitate the dispossession of the Palestinian people by ratifying the European settler colonial project that seized Palestinian land and turned it over to the colonists.”
“In recent decades, key parts of the UN have surrendered to the power of the US, and to fear the Israeli Lobby, to abandon principles and to retreat from international law itself.”
“We in Sri Lanka need to be deeply concerned that the creation of an exclusive racist State, armed with over 200 nuclear warheads has empowered Israel to profusely arm other countries in our region, bent on ethno-religious divisions, which eventually and necessarily will lead to both internal and external wars in the South East Asian region, leaving a terrible destruction of warring peoples and warring countries. Israel’s belligerence must be stopped, before schools supported by the corporate media teach children these ruthless atrocities as a heroic model, erasing off from history the millions of murders of innocent men, women and children.”
The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has issued landslide early warnings to the districts of Gampaha, Kalutara and Ratnapura valid untill 0300 hrs on 23rd May 2026.
Accordingly,
Level II landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Attanagalla in the Gampaha district and Ratnapura and Kuruvita in the Ratnapura district.
Level I landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Bulathsinghala in the Kalutara district and Eheliyagoda in the Ratnapura district.
The President’s Fund has expressed its attention towards providing a monthly scholarship allowance for school-going children of low-income lottery sellers, as a means of supporting their educational needs.
This was revealed during a discussion held om Wednesday (20) at the Presidential Secretariat between the Secretary to the President’s Fund and Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Roshan Gamage and officials of the National Lotteries Board and the Development Lotteries Board.
The President’s Fund currently provides financial assistance across a wide range of sectors to support low-income groups, while also implementing various scholarship schemes for schoolchildren. As an additional step, approval has reportedly been granted by the governing board of the President’s Fund to extend scholarships to children of low-income lottery sellers.
It was noted that the National Lotteries Board and Development Lotteries Board make a significant contribution to the President’s Fund. However, discussions also highlighted the fact that the living conditions of lottery sellers, who play a key role in generating revenue for these institutions, have remained largely unchanged. Accordingly, attention has been directed towards recognising their contribution and providing relief to ease their financial burden.
The proposal to introduce scholarships for school-going children of low-income lottery sellers through the President’s Fund was discussed in detail. Officials of both the National Lotteries Board and the Development Lotteries Board expressed their willingness to support the initiative. It was also decided that the programme would be implemented expeditiously through Divisional Secretariats.
Among those present were Chairman of the National Lotteries Board M. D. C. Anton Perera, General Manager of the National Lotteries Board A. M. Arif, and General Manager of the Development Lotteries Board W. K. A. A. Jayarathne, along with other officials.
(PMD)
Latest News
Showers above 200 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts.
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 22 MAY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 22 May 2026 by the Department of Meteorology
The South-West monsoon is gradually getting established over the island and the current rainy conditions over the south-western parts of the island are expected to continue further for the next few hours.
Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Very heavy showers above 200 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Several spells of showers will occur in the Northern province and in Anuradhapura district while showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 2.00 pm.
Fairly strong winds about (35-45) kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Southern provinces and in Trincomalee district.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers
Landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Gampaha, Kalutara and Ratnapura
President’s Fund to consider scholarships for children of low-income lottery sellers
Showers above 200 mm are likely at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts.
French court finds Airbus, Air France guilty of manslaughter in 2009 crash
SJB asks govt. to negotiate ‘successor programme’ with IMF urgently
42 ancient paintings missing from National Art Gallery
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
Features5 days agoSri Lankan Airlines Airbus Scandal and the Death of Kapila Chandrasena and my Brother Rajeewa
-
News6 days agoLanka’s eligibility to draw next IMF tranche of USD 700 mn hinges on ‘restoration of cost-recovery pricing for electricity and fuel’
-
News5 days agoKapila Chandrasena case: GN phone records under court scrutiny
-
News5 days agoRupee slide rekindles 2022 crisis fears as inflation risks mount
-
Features2 days agoOctopus, Leech, and Snake: How Sri Lanka’s banks feast while the nation starves
-
Business5 days agoExpansion of PayPal services in Sri Lanka officially announced
-
News1 day agoSteps underway to safeguard Sri Lanka’s maritime heritage
-
News5 days agoCourt orders further arrests in alleged USD 42 Mn NDB fraud case