Tag: Arab-Israeli war

  • Asim Azhar, Shahid Afridi, Farhan Saeed call out Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians

    Asim Azhar, Shahid Afridi, Farhan Saeed call out Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians

    Asim Azhar, Shahid Afridi and Farhan Saeed have raised their voice against Israel and their atrocities against the people of Palestine. They spoke up after reports came in that more than 200 Palestinians were wounded late on Friday outside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli police fired rubber-coated metal bullets and stun grenades at innocent Palestinians.

    “I am sickened and disgusted,” wrote Asim on Twitter. “How can you attack a place of worship and attack defenceless worshippers?”

    “And yet again, the world will stay silent on Israel’s continuous oppression on Palestine. Ya Allah reham,” he added.

    Former Pakistan Cricket team captain Shahid Afridi also condemned the atrocities and said that the walls of Al-Aqsa Mosque are on the floor, with Palestinian blood, and my eyes are red with tears of helplessness.

    “The global conscience is sleeping wrapped in a blanket of indifference. Perhaps the blood of Muslims is so disrespectful that no voice will be raised and no campaign will be launched, he added.

    “First Qibla [Al-Aqsa Mosque], we are unable to pay off the debt of your sanctity.

    Similarly, Saeed wrote,”The world’s deafening silence is criminal! How can the international community sit back and watch this happen?”

    “This is terrorism,” remarked the singer.

    Tens of thousands of worshippers had earlier packed Islam’s third-holiest site on the final Friday of Ramzan and many stayed on to protest against Israeli plans to evict Palestinian families from their homes on land claimed by Jewish settlers in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.

    Meanwhile, Palestinians have also staged a series of sit-ins in the area in recent days denouncing Israeli orders for them to vacate their homes. Israeli security forces have attacked the sit-ins using skunk water, tear gas, rubber-coated bullets and shock grenades. Dozens of Palestinians have been arrested.

    Violence erupted on Friday when Israeli police deployed heavily as Muslims were performing evening prayers at Al-Aqsa during the holy month of Ramzan.

    https://twitter.com/Arslan_Sadiq/status/1390923500597153792?s=08

    Sheikh Jarrah’s residents are overwhelmingly Palestinian, but the neighbourhood also contains a site revered by religious Jews. The site is known to be the tomb of an ancient high priest, Simeon the Just.

    As per details, the Sheikh Jarrah cause has escalated over the past week but it is not a new issue.

    Jewish settler organisations filed a lawsuit in the 1970s claiming the area belonged to Jews originally, and seeking the expulsion of Palestinian families living there since 1956.

    These families, refugees from the 1948 Nakba, eventually settled in Sheikh Jarrah under an agreement between Jordan and the UN refugee agency.

    The Israeli district court ruled that four families – al-Kurd, Iskafi, Qassim and Jaouni – must leave their homes for settlers to take over, or reach an agreement with these settler organisations by paying rent and recognising them as landlords.

    The families refused and the court postponed the final verdict to Monday.

  • Palestinians mourn death of PAF hero who became only pilot to have downed four Israeli aircraft during Six-Day War

    Palestinians mourn death of PAF hero who became only pilot to have downed four Israeli aircraft during Six-Day War

    Palestinian activists are mourning the loss of legendary fighter pilot Saiful Azam, who was awarded Sitara-i-Jura’at for his heroics in the 1965 war against India, and breathed his last in Bangladesh capital Dhaka earlier this week.

    The 80-year-old retired group captain died at his residence, local newspaper Jugantor said. He had been suffering from various old-age complications for a long time.

    Bangladeshi army’s mouthpiece Inter Service Public Relation Directorate also confirmed the death to Anadolu Agency over the phone.

    “We came to know about his death but we have not published it on our official web page as he is a retired official,” ISPR Director Lt. Col. Abdullah Ibn Zaid said.

    Pakistan Air Force Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan expressed heartfelt grief on the demise of the great war veteran, according to a press release by PAF’s media wing. The air chief paid rich tribute to Azam, saying that the former fighter pilot will always be remembered for his professionalism and his part in the 1965 Indo-Pak and 1967 Arab-Israel wars.

    A unique figure in the history of Bangladesh, Azam fought in wars as a fighter pilot in three different countries — Jordan, Iraq and Pakistan. 

    During the 1967 Six-Day War, he was the only pilot to have downed four Israeli aircraft.

    On June 5, 1967, four Israeli jets were descending on Jordan’s Mafraq airbase to smash the country’s tiny air force, shortly after the entire Egyptian air force had been destroyed.

    Jordanian air force commanders deployed Azam to thwart the attack, shooting down two aircraft. He was shifted to Iraq two days later to defend air bases, where he shot down two more Israeli planes.

    Mourning him on Facebook, Palestinian historian Osama al-Ashqar hailed Azam as a great airman.

    “Our brothers in Bangladesh and Pakistan were our partners in resistance and defending the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he added. 

    Palestinian professor Naji Shoukri posted on his Twitter prayers mourning Azam. 

    “Saiful Azam loved Palestine and fought for the sake of Jerusalem,” said Shoukri, saluting him and wishing him God’s grace.

    Renowned Palestinian journalist Tamer al-Mishal lauded Azam called him “the Eagle of the Air”.

    In recognition of Azam’s contributions, he was conferred with military awards by Jordan and Iraq. The United States (US) also gave him the Living Eagles title in 2001 for his outstanding skills.

    After the cessation of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971, the veteran pilot joined the Bangladesh Air Force to serve his homeland. In 1980, he retired and joined the civil service and later took up a political career.