News
Gaza war: massacre of over 100 civilians must be condemned – former Lankan Ambassador
Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to Iran and ex-lawmaker M.M. Zuhair said that Saturday’s Israeli massacre of over 100 Palestinian civilians in a school sheltering them and a Mosque with the displaced at prayers in the same compound, must stand condemned as an inhuman atrocity on the helpless, by an American backed regime in the Middle East. Israel gave no advanced warning of the attack!
The following is the text of statement issued by the former Senior State Counsel: “CNN reported that “all of these people killed were civilians, unarmed children, the elderly and women” quoting Fares Afana, Director of Emergency Services in Northern Gaza. Though the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed Hamas fighters were the target, CNN asked the IDF for evidence and the response was ‘intelligence reports’.
Israel had sufficient expertise- from the well -known July 1976 Entebbe airport rescue mission of 104 Israelis hijacked in a flight from Paris to the present July 2024 killing of Ismail Haniyah in Tehran- to target the Hamas fighters if they were in the school or the Mosque, without having to kill a hundred innocent displaced civilians!
‘The Island’ is one of the few national dailies that had been giving due coverage to the Israeli war on Gaza that had seen the killing of an average of 140 Palestinians every single day during the past ten months of the war and the near total destruction of Palestine as no longer a viable State for human existence.
On 6th November 2023, less than a month after the 7th October war, The Island carried my statement that “..Israel is destroying the two-State solution” in page one of its edition. The October 6th Hamas attack appeared as a welcome excuse for Israel to destroy Palestine and finish off any possible two State solution that was hitherto ‘dangled as a carrot’ before the Arabs.
On 18th July 2024, the Israeli parliament passed a resolution overwhelmingly rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian State with 68 votes rejecting Palestinian statehood and 9 voting for!
Clearly Israel is destabilising the Arab world in the Middle East by destroying not only the two State solution but by destroying Palestine and its helpless people. With the UN having created the problem engineered by Western powers in 1948, it has now and over the past 76 years demonstrated its helplessness to restore Palestine to the Palestinians or to achieve even the alternative offer of a two State solution which presently stands buried with the nearly 42,000 Palestinians killed during the past ten months alone.
With Israel reportedly armed with over 200 nuclear warheads, Iran or other ME countries are unlikely to go for a full- fledged war with Israel, though Iran will seek counter justice for the killing of Palestinian leader and Hamas peace negotiator Ismail Haniyah in Iran’s capital Tehran on 31st July!
Israel has left only one solution in the hands of Hamas as it knows Hamas can never be destroyed and that solution is to push Hamas to go for Super Nuclear War Heads as an excuse for Israel to nuke most of the Middle East. The West and the UN Security Council together will be responsible for the millions who will die.”
A meeting between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), was held today (21) at the Presidential Secretariat.
During the discussion, Admiral Paparo extended his best wishes to President Disanayake and the new government on their planned initiatives. He also acknowledged Sri Lanka’s continued support in ensuring the security of the Indian Ocean region and maintaining a peaceful maritime environment.
Furthermore, Admiral Paparo reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to strengthening the enduring bilateral ties between the two nations and expressed support for Sri Lanka’s new governmental policies.
President Disanayake conveyed his appreciation for the assistance provided by the United States in enhancing human resources within Sri Lanka’s defence sector. The President also acknowledged the longstanding support extended by the U.S. in this regard.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung, Lieutenant Colonel Anthony C. Nelson of the U.S. Army, and Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the United States Indo-Pacific Command David Ranz were also present at the meeting.
SriLankan Airlines has announced that SriLankan Airlines flights UL 503 (Colombo to London Heathrow), scheduled to depart at 12:50 hrs and UL 504 (London Heathrow to Colombo), scheduled to depart at 20:40 hrs today [21 March 2025], have been cancelled.
Passengers requiring assistance are encouraged to contact the SriLankan Airlines Customer Centre at 1979 (within Sri Lanka), +94117 77 1979 (international) or +94744 44 1979 (WhatsApp chat) or reach out to their nearest SriLankan Airlines office or their travel agent.
The United Kingdom’s Heathrow airport has closed until midnight on Friday due to a power outage, throwing the plans of tens of thousands of travellers into chaos.
London’s main airport, which is Europe’s busiest gateway, said on Friday that it had suffered a “significant” power failure due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the facility.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March,” Heathrow airport said in a post on X.
“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience.”
Flight tracking website FlightRadar24 said the shutdown would affect “at least” 1,351 flights.
“We’re trying to stop passengers from travelling to the airport, and then work with airline partners on flights that are delayed, diverted, or cancelled,” a Heathrow spokesperson told Al Jazeera. “Passengers can reach out to airline partners to work on rebooking.”
Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull, reporting from London, said the roads leading to the airport were blocked, causing “traffic chaos locally”.
“But local traffic disruption is nothing compared to the air traffic disruptions that will be spreading around the world,” he said.
Heathrow is one of the most globally connected airports and regularly ranks among the top five busiest gateways worldwide.
The airport serves more than 200 destinations in nearly 90 different countries and territories, and last year handled nearly 84 million passengers, the largest number on record.
[Aljazeera]
Commander of USINDOPACOM Admiral Samuel J. Paparo calls on President Dissanayake
IPL 2025: Demerit Points System explained, Pandya’s suspension to continue
Nawaz slams maiden ton as Pakistan chase 205 in 16 overs
-
Foreign News6 days agoSearch continues in Dominican Republic for missing student Sudiksha Konanki
-
Business20 hours agoCargoserv Shipping partners Prima Ceylon & onboards Nestlé Lanka for landmark rail logistics initiative
-
News7 days agoDPMC unveils brand-new Bajaj three-wheeler
-
Sports4 days agoSri Lanka to compete against USA, Jamaica in relay finals
-
Features6 days agoThe Royal-Thomian and its Timeless Charm
-
Features6 days ago‘Thomia’: Richard Simon’s Masterpiece
-
Features20 hours agoThe Vaping Veil: Unmasking the dangers of E-Cigarettes
-
Business4 days agoAffairs of SriLankan Airlines could be turned around using local expertise – former CAA chair