Daily Briefing: Latest on Israel-Palestine conflict; IOC considers India as Olympics host; and more

In his remarks on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, which took a turn for the worse this week, PM Narendra Modi seems to be backing Israel completely. He recently spoke on the phone with Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu, where he said the “people of India stand in solidarity with Israel in this difficult hour”. Here’s what PM Modi has said so far.

Meanwhile, the big challenge for Delhi is coming up with a statement at a time when cracks are visible in the Arab world, for the first time, over the Hamas attacks on Israel, especially the killing of civilians. And it seems diplomats, particularly from Arab countries, have noticed the MEA’s radio silence on the matter.

In an interview with The Indian Express, Kobbi Shoshani, Consul General of Israel to Mumbai, speaks about the current on field situation in Israel, his state’s plans for the war and his thoughts about Hamas among other subjects. Read more.

⚡ Only in the Express

In his weekly column, C Raja Mohan writes on why the Modi government condemned the Hamas attack and the Congress has not: “The biggest change in India’s Middle East policy under Modi remains understated. It is the de-linking of India’s regional diplomacy from religion”.

Meanwhile, in an interview, former Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid rejects the notion that the Congress resolution was adopted with elections in mind, argues why it does not deviate from the party’s previous positions on the issue, and says it is critical for India to retain its autonomy on the matter.

📰 From the Front Page

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach says he has noted India’s “great interest” in hosting the Games, while adding that the T20 format, which is set to be included in the 2028 edition, was the perfect vehicle to re-introduce cricket into the quadrennial sporting extravaganza.

A total of 56 Pro-Khalistan Entities (PKEs) are spread across different countries including the US, UK and Canada, and some of these were responsible for 15 targeted killings in Punjab over the last six years, the Punjab Police is learnt to have told the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

👩‍💻 Must Read

The killing of six people in Deoria over an old land dispute is now reverberating in the political fields of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The ruling BJP and the opposition Samajwadi Party have accused each other of caste politics over the October 2 murders in Fatehpur village of Deoria, which involved a Brahmin and a Yadav family. Here’s how it is playing out.

While West Bengal is currently in the spotlight due to alleged irregularities in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS) implementation, the National Level Monitoring (NLM) reports available with the Union Ministry of Rural Development show irregularities in implementing the rural job guarantee scheme across several states.

⌛ And Finally 

At a time when many youth in Kashmir are falling prey to the menace of drugs, Sopore is seeing a community effort to keep young boys and girls hooked to something that gives them purpose. To this end, they’re relying on a cricket academy funded largely by locals.

Until tomorrow,

Rahel Philipose

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