TOPIC OF THE DAY:-“Was never recognised”
History is not on the side of the likes of Mr. Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Jerusalem has never been recognised as Israel’s capital by the international community. In the original UN General Assembly plan to partition Palestine and create independent Jewish and Arab states, Jerusalem was deemed an international city. The Zionists didn’t wait for the plan to be implemented by the UN. In 1948, they declared the state of Israel and in the ensuing Arab-Israeli war, they captured 23% more territories than even what the UN had proposed, including the western half of Jerusalem. Israel seized East Jerusalem in 1967 from Jordan, and later annexed it. Since then, Israel has been encouraging illegal settlements in the eastern parts of the city, with Palestinians being forced to live in their historical neighbourhoods. The Israeli Right has always made claims over the whole of the city. In 1980, when the Likud government was in power, the Israeli Parliament passed a basic law, declaring Jerusalem “complete and united” as its capital. This move invoked sharp reaction from world powers, including the U.S. The UN Security Council (UNSC) declared the draft law “null and void” and urged member countries to withdraw their diplomatic missions from the Holy City. This is the reason all countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv despite West Jerusalem being Israel’s seat of power for decades. Israel defying international norms and UNSC resolutions is nothing new, but America publicly endorsing Israel’s illegal claims is unprecedented. In an ideal world, had the U.S. been a neutral power broker, it should have put pressure on Israel to come forward and engage the Palestinians in talks. This is because on the Palestinian side, conditions for talks now look better. Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip, recently came up with a new political charter that signals a readiness to deal with Israel and accept the 1967 border for a future Palestinian state — a compromise which has been compared to the group’s rhetorical anti-Semitic claims in the past. Hamas and the Fatah, Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas’s party that rules parts of the West Bank, also reached a reconciliation agreement recently. This could have been used as an opening to break the logjam in the peace process. Israel’s history suggests that it will not agree to any compromise unless it is forced to do so. Over the years, it has continued its illegal settlements in the occupied territories despite repeated warnings from the international community. If it was really bothered about peace it would have frozen the settlements and agreed to having talks with the Palestinians.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) Aid
Meaning: Help, typically of a practical nature.
Example: He saw the pilot slumped in his cockpit and went to his aid.
Synonyms: Assistance, Support
Antonyms: Hindrance
2) Amassing
Meaning: Gather together or accumulate (a large amount or number of material or things) over a period of time.
Example: He amassed a fortune estimated at close to a million pounds.
Synonyms: Gather, Collect
Antonyms: Dissipate
3) Ally
Meaning: A person or organization that cooperates with or helps another in a particular activity.
Example: He was forced to dismiss his closest political ally.
Synonyms: Associate, Friend
Antonyms: Enemy, Opponent
4) Wary
Meaning: Feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems.
Example: Dogs which have been mistreated often remain very wary of strangers.
Synonyms: Cautious, Careful
Antonyms: Unwary, Trustful
5) Consensus
Meaning: A general agreement.
Example: There is a growing consensus that the current regime has failed.
Synonyms: Agreement, Harmony
Antonyms: Disagreement
6) Endorsing
Meaning: Recommend (a product) in an advertisement.
Example: He earns more money endorsing sports clothes than playing football.
Synonyms: Support, Back
Antonyms: Oppose
7) Dealt
Meaning: Take measures concerning (someone or something), especially with the intention of putting something right.
Example: The government had been unable to deal with the economic crisis.
Synonyms: Handle, Manage
8) Ceding
Meaning: Give up (power or territory).
Example: In 1874, the islands were ceded to Britain.
Synonyms: Surrender, Concede
Antonyms: Keep, Gain
9) Deemed
Meaning: Regard or consider in a specified way.
Example: The event was deemed a great success.
Synonyms: Consider, Judge
10) Annexed
Meaning: Add (territory) to one’s own territory by appropriation.
Example: The left bank of the Rhine was annexed by France in 1797.
Synonyms: Appropriate, Arrogate
Antonyms: Relinquish
11) Embassies
Meaning: The official residence or offices of an ambassador.
Example: The Chilean embassy in Moscow.
Synonyms: Consulate, Legation
12) Defying
Meaning: Openly resist or refuse to obey.
Example: A woman who defies convention.
Synonyms: Disobey, Flout
Antonyms: Obey, Surrender
13) Unprecedented
Meaning: Never done or known before.
Example: The government took the unprecedented step of releasing confidential correspondence.
Synonyms: Unparalleled, Unequalled
Antonyms: Normal, Common
14) Came up
Meaning: To happen, usually unexpectedly.
Example: I’ve got to go – something has just come up at home and I’m needed there.
15) Anti-Semitic
Meaning: Hostile to or prejudiced against Jews.
Example: Anti-Semitic remarks were posted on the site.
16) Reconciliation
Meaning: The restoration of friendly relations.
Example: His reconciliation with your uncle.
Synonyms: Reunion, Feud
17) Logjam
Meaning: A situation that seems irresolvable.
Example: The president can use his power to break the logjam over this issue.
18) Frozen
Meaning: Become suddenly motionless or paralysed with fear or shock.
Example: She froze in horror.
Synonyms: Stop
Antonyms: Run away
19) Right-wing
Meaning: Conservative or reactionary.
Example: A right-wing Republican senator.
Synonyms: Conservative, Rightist
Antonyms: Radical
20) Cues
Meaning: A thing said or done that serves as a signal to an actor or other performer to enter or to begin their speech or performance.
Example: She had not yet been given her cue to come out on to the dais.
Synonyms: Signal, Indication
