Headlines:
- Nakba – 70 Years
- Malaysia’s Game Changing Election
- Al-Sadr’s Time has Arrived
Nakba – 70 Years
At least 55 Palestinians were killed on Monday in Gaza and more than 2,700 others wounded as the Jewish entity’s army fired live ammunition, tear gas and firebombs at protesters assembled along several points near the fence with Israel. The demonstrations, which coincided with protests against the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, are part of a weeks-long movement calling for the right of return for Palestinian refugees to the areas they were forcibly expelled from in 1948. Since the protests began on March 30, Zionist forces have killed at least 104 Palestinians in the coastal enclave and wounded about 12,000 people. Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker, reporting from Gaza City, describes witnessing “extraordinary scenes” at the protests along the fence with Israel. “There was an incredible amount of live fire; it explains the high death toll and the more than 2,000 injured.
There was tear gas raining down on people and people being shot at, people who were peacefully protesting at the border.” The protest were due to the annual commemorations of the Nakba, or “catastrophe”, when the Jewish entity was established on May 15, 1948, in a violent campaign that led to the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their villages.
Malaysia’s Game Changing Election
In an unprecedented general election outcome, Malaysians cast a historic vote to propel the opposition alliance into power, terminating the Barisan Nasional coalition party’s decades long rule.
The Barisan Nasional (BN) had ruled the country for more than 60 years, lost the 14th General Election winning only 79 out of 222 contested parliamentary seats. The opposition alliance known as Pakatan Harapan won 113 seats. Pakatan Harapan’s pick for prime minister is its chairman, Mahathir Mohamad — a defector from the ruling bloc who served as prime minister for over two decades beginning in 1981. Dr Mahathir Mohamed created a history when he sworn in as the Prime Minister for a second time at the age of 92 years. The Barisan Nasional saw losses among its core leadership: Several ministers and party leaders were soundly defeated, and the ruling coalition also lost out in regions previously considered to be reliable bulwarks. During the recent campaign, opposition figures leveled harsh criticism at Chinese investment and infrastructure projects in Malaysia, following the formula seen in other Asian countries that have experienced a boom in Chinese investment. Malaysian opposition politicians charged that the ruling party had struck bad deals that risked a debt trap. Dr. Mahathir announced the that the King (Yang Dipertuan Agong) has agreed to grant a Royal pardon to Anwar Ibrahim which will lead to the immediate release of the said former Deputy Prime Minister. This will subsequently open the way for him to replace Mahathir who is 92 years old.
Al-Sadr’s Time has Arrived
Preliminary results of the 12 May Iraqi election show a major victory for Moqtada al-Sadr’s bloc, which has secured a plurality estimated at 54-55 seats. While going from that to a 165-seat majority is a long road, Sadr’s election performance, and decisive victory in Baghdad district. Multiple Shi’ah blocs dominate Iraq’s political scene, and are historically all cozy with the nation’s two main allies, Iran and the US. Sadr, by contrast, has staked out an independent, nationalist position. He’s positioned himself as the anti-corruption and anti-militia leader for Iraq, something very different from the other leaders. This is going to make forming a coalition with another big bloc difficult, as Amiri’s bloc is very pro-militia, and Maliki’s State of Law bloc has been the target of a lot of the corruption complaints. Prime Minister Hayder Abadi’s faction may be a possibility, as Sadr has said it’s possible they could form a government together. From the earliest days of the Iraqi occupation al-Sadar has bene looking for a political role in the US constructed political system.