West Asia & North Africa Digest by Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev | August 2024
IA) Political Developments: Pan-Regional and Global Issues Gaza Conflict Although the month saw plenty of heat about ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza conflict there was no light at the end and the deal eluded the concerned antagonists. The intelligence chiefs of the US, Qatar and Egypt met with Israeli and Hamas negotiators at least thrice […]
West Asia & North Africa Digest by Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev | July 2024
IA) Political Developments: Pan-Regional and Global Issues Gaza Conflict Despite the US President personally unveiling the peace plan for Gaza at the turn of the month, its endorsement by the UN Security Council and G7 and both sides giving it their positive response initially, it could not be implemented during June as the negotiations ran […]
West Asia & North Africa Digest by Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev | June 2024
IA) Political Developments: Pan-Regional and Global Issues Gaza Conflict After several weeks of demurral, on May 5 Israel Defence Force (IDF) launched its military campaign, without fanfare, on Rafah after asking the residents to move to safer areas. The next day Israeli war cabinet asserted that the operations there would continue despite humanitarian concerns from […]
West Asia & North Africa Digest by Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev | May 2024
IA) Political Developments: Pan-Regional and Global Issues Gaza Conflict During April, only one theme dominated the Gaza war: A suspended animation over Israel’s threat to assault the last redoubt of Hamas at Rafah bordering Egypt. Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and other Israeli political and military leaders repeatedly expressed their resolve to attack Rafah to decimate […]
West Asia & North Africa Digest by Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev | April 2024
IA) Political Developments: Pan-Regional and Global Issues WANA Regional Security and Terrorism March was largely a month of suspended animation in the military aspects of the Gaza conflict. A relative lull in fighting in Gaza could attributed to several factors, such as Israeli failure to achieve its war objectives, dissensions within Israeli war cabinet about the endgame, […]
West Asia & North Africa Digest by Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev | March 2024
IA) Political Developments: Pan-Regional and Global Issues WANA Regional Security and Terrorism With the approaching Islamic holy month of Ramadhan, the desperately needed ceasefire in the Gaza conflict remained elusive during the month largely due to maximalist and obdurate postures adopted by the two antagonists. Two rounds of indirect negotiations, among the intelligence chiefs of […]
West Asia & North Africa Digest by Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev | February 2024
IA) Political Developments: Pan-Regional and Global Issues WANA Regional Security and Terrorism Despite several strenuous efforts to broker a “humanitarian pause” at the UN and by the United States and other mediators, there was no let-up in fighting in Gaza during the month under review. Israel Defence Force (IDF) persisted with its “Operation Iron Swords” […]
West Asia & North Africa Digest by Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev | December 2023
IA) Political Developments: Pan-Regional and Global Issues WANA Regional Security and Terrorism During most of the month under review, the ferocious campaign by the Israel Defence Force (IDF) in Gaza against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) (“Operation Iron Swords”, or OIS) that began on Oct 8, continued. The only exception was during the […]
West Asia & North Africa Digest by Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev | November 2023
IA) Political Developments: Pan-Regional and Global Issues WANA Regional Security and Terrorism On the October 7 day break, several specially trained units of the Izzat al-Din al-Qassam Brigades of Hamas (“Al-Harkat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya”, or Islamic Resistance Movement) and Palestine Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighters launched a well-coordinated, multi-pronged attack titled “Amaliya Al-Aqsa Toofan” or “Operation Al-Aqsa […]
West Asia & North Africa Digest by Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev | October 2023
IA) Political Developments: Pan-Regional and Global Issues Regional and International Developments The flux and fog about the United States (US) mediated rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia persisted during the month with the stakeholders making periodic remarks swinging between the difficulties and early conclusion of the process. Thus, Reuters reported in an exclusive on Sept […]