Palestinians need international protection, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told an aid conference in Paris on Thursday.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Thursday that Israel is waging a war not against Hamas but against Palestinian people.
"What Israel is doing is not a war against Hamas, it is a war against the entire Palestinian people," Shtayyeh said at the humanitarian conference for people of Gaza in Paris.
He said international human rights law was being violated and that war crimes were being committed and added that Israel was not waging a war against Hamas, but against all Palestinians.
Hamas Says Shelled Israel’s Raim Military Base
The military wing of Palestinian movement Hamas, Al Qassam Brigades, said on Thursday that it targeted Israel’s Raim military base and Ashdod with rockets.
“Al Qassam Brigades report rocket attacks on occupied Ashdod in response to attacks against civilians … report a missile strike on the Raim military base,” the military wing said in a statement.
Malaysian Police Ready to Send Peacekeeping Force to Palestine Upon UN Request - Official
The Malaysian police are ready to deploy officers to Palestine for a peacekeeping mission if the UN requests it, Inspector General Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said.
"If we want to send policemen, there needs to be a request from the government and the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL). If there is, we will indeed send them for a peacekeeping mission, but the situation does not allow it at the moment," Razarudin was quoted as saying by Malaysian state news agency on Wednesday.
The official added that the Malaysian police were not aware of any civilians willing to travel to the area of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The authorities also warned citizens to be cautious and vigilant when sending aid to the Gaza Strip to avoid being scammed.
The police are now looking into public statements on the conflict in the Middle East over possible links with the activities of foreign intelligence agents in the country, the inspector general said.
Two months ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate in Miami was one of a dwindling number of opportunities for former President Donald Trump’s rivals to prove that they have a real chance of winning the nomination.
National and early state polls continue to show Trump dominating the field, with the support of as many as half of Republicans. The former president once again skipped the debate, instead holding his own rally in nearby Hialeah.
His GOP opponents started the debate by landing some blows on the former President, but quickly pivoted to attacking each other and outlining their own views on the Israel-Hamas war, related hate incidents at home, and China. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley occupied much of the spotlight as they vie for second in the polls, with both DeSantis and Haley accusing each other of having ties to China and only attacking the country’s leaders when convenient..
These were some of the highlights of the third Republican presidential debate in the 2024 campaign.
Knives out for Trump
Asked at the start of the debate why any of them should be the Republican nominee over Trump, the five candidates onstage drew some of the clearest contrasts yet.
“Donald Trump’s a lot different guy than he was in 2016,” said DeSantis. “He owes it to you to be on this stage and explain why he should get another chance. He should explain why he didn’t have Mexico pay for the border wall. He should explain why he racked up so much debt. He should explain why he didn’t drain the swamp. And he said Republicans were going to get tired of winning. Well, we saw last night. I’m sick of Republicans losing. In Florida, I showed how it’s done,” referencing his landslide reelection in 2022.
From left to right, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott during the NBC News Republican Presidential Primary Debate on November 8, 2023 in Miami.
Credit - Joe Raedle—Getty Images
Haley painted a portrait of a country in dire straits thanks to antisemitism, an insecure border, and wars abroad. She described Trump as the right choice for 2016, but not for 2024, blaming him for saddling the country with $8 trillion in debt.
“He used to be right on Ukraine and foreign issues, now he’s getting weak in the knees and trying to be friendly again,” she said, earning applause from attendees.
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy lamented Republicans’ losses in multiple states Tuesday night, but mostly steered clear of attacking Trump, instead going after the NBC News anchors who were moderating the debate and suggesting Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, and Elon Musk would have been better picks.
Donald Trump’s rivals vow to back Israel and argue over China and Ukraine at the third debate
In their first debate since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the Republican presidential candidates all declared hawkish support for Israel but squabbled over China and Ukraine as they faced growing pressure to try to catch Donald Trump, who was again absent.
Sparring over several issues were Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, who has appeared competitive with DeSantis’ distant second-place position in some national polls. Much of the debate focused on policy — especially foreign policy issues — rather than Trump and his record.
Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, declared she would end trade relations with China “until they stop murdering Americans from fentanyl — something Ron has yet to say that he’s going to do.” In return, the Florida governor said Haley “welcomed” Chinese investment to her state, referencing a land deal with a Chinese manufacturer while she led South Carolina.
All five candidates face growing urgency, with the leadoff Iowa caucuses just a little more than two months away, to cut into Trump’s huge margins in the 2024 primary and establish themselves as a clear alternative. But it’s not clear many Republican primary voters want a Trump alternative. And given his dominance in early state and national polls, Trump again skipped the debate to deprive his rivals of attention.
Trump was the subject of the debate’s first question, when moderators asked each candidate to explain why they were the right person to beat him.
DeSantis said, “He owes it to you to be on this stage and explain why he should get another chance.” He suggested Trump had lost a step since winning the White House in 2016, saying he failed to follow through on his “America First” policies.
Knives Out in Third GOP Primary Debate as Candidates Attack Each Other, Defend Israel
Republican candidates turned up the heat with strong rhetoric focused on drawing distinctions in a debate that had a particular focus on foreign policy.
Republican candidates for their party’s presidential nomination gathered in Miami on Wednesday evening in their third debate of the primary season.
Once again the party’s leading candidate---former President Donald Trump---whom polls have shown with an advantage of as much as 50 points, was absent, leaving the remaining candidates to draw distinctions with the former president.
Those who were present on stage included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. The GOP candidates primarily drew distinctions between themselves however, in a debate featuring numerous personal attacks, especially among the highest polling candidates on stage.
Throwing Elbows
Candidates made efforts to draw distinctions between each other in a debate that saw significant interaction between the nominees.
Vivek Ramaswamy set the tone early on by attacking the “corrupt media establishment,” as well as the network hosting the debate, a perennial conservative punching bag.
“Was that real or was that Hillary Clinton made up disinformation?” said Ramaswamy, referring to the so-called “Russiagate” investigation against former President Trump that failed to find evidence of alleged collusion between him and Russia in the 2016 election.
Ramaswamy suggested Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, and Elon Musk would’ve served as better hosts of the debate, drawing cheers from the Republican audience.
Ramaswamy kept up the combative tone throughout the evening, especially in his interactions with Nikki Haley who’s currently surging in the polls. Ramaswamy occasionally interrupted Haley during her answers and at one point referenced the former ambassador’s daughter, a remark that caused Haley to refer to Ramaswamy as “scum” in perhaps the most heated exchange of the evening.
Meanwhile, Chris Christie continued to differentiate himself by touting his alleged bipartisan appeal as a former governor of a traditionally Democratic state and Tim Scott brought a religious tone to the proceedings. DeSantis reserved much of his ire for pro-Palestine student protesters, having recently banned Students for Justice in Palestine groups from Florida’s college campuses.
Israel Front and Center
Israel played heavily into the first hour of the debate amidst the country’s month-long military incursion into the besieged Gaza Strip.
Matthew Brooks, CEO of the group Republican Jewish Coalition, asked several questions relating to US-Israeli relations and a reported increase in antisemitism on US college campuses.
DeSantis urged Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu to “finish the job” in their war on the militant group Hamas, while Haley likewise repeated her infamous “finish them” line.
Haley continued to distinguish herself as perhaps the biggest foreign policy hawk in the contest by bringing up the subject of Iran early on in the evening. “There would be no Hamas without Iran,” said Haley, referring to the country’s alleged funding of armed groups in opposition to Israel. The former UN Ambassador mentioned economic cooperation between Iran, Russia, and China, calling them an “unholy alliance” throughout the evening.
Ramaswamy distinguished himself by suggesting a slight skepticism towards deep involvement in Israel’s conflict, saying “Israel has the right and the responsibility to defend themselves.” The discussion prompted another dispute between Ramaswamy and Haley, with the businessman calling her a “multimillionaire… military contractor” and “Dick cheney in three-inch heels.”
“I wear heels, they’re not for a fashion statement, they’re for ammunition,” Haley retorted.
Ramaswamy spoke of avoiding the “mistakes of the neocon politicians of the past” in another comment that seemed directly aimed at the former ambassador.
Red Scare
A debate over the social media platform TikTok emerged late in the second half of the debate, with candidates denouncing the platform and claiming China is using the platform to promote harmful and anti-Israel views.
Most of the candidates claimed they would ban the TikTok app in the United States. Ramaswamy distinguished himself by rejecting the idea and claimed Haley is hypocritical given that her daughter uses the platform---the comment thus prompted Haley’s “scum” remark.
Mungkin sebagian besar orang selalu merayakan pencapaian dari anak-anak berbakat di sekolah, atlet berbakat dalam olahraga, dan anak- anak ajaib dalam musik. Apakah mutlak untuk mencapai kesuksesan harus menjadi orang ajaib atau hanya dimiliki anak ajaib.
Dalam studi, proses belajar belum selesai ketika kita memperoleh ilmu. Akan mnejadi Lengkap, bila kita berani dengan konsisten menerapkan ilmu itu.
Berikut adalah 11 perubahan kecil dalam hidup yang dilakukan oleh orang-orang sukses setiap hari:
1. Mereka mencari ketidaknyamanan.
Daripada hanya berusaha untuk belajar, usahakan untuk merasa tidak nyaman. Mengejar ketidaknyamanan membuat Anda berada pada jalur pertumbuhan yang lebih cepat. Kalau mau benar, harus merasa salah dulu.
2. Mereka salah menetapkan anggaran.
Untuk mendorong trial and error, tetapkan target jumlah kesalahan minimum yang ingin Anda lakukan per hari atau per minggu. Ketika Anda untuk tersandung, Anda tidak harus terlalu memikirkannya, yang harus dilakukan mmengevaluasi langkah, karena membuat lebih banyak berkembang.
3. Mereka meminta nasihat, bukan umpan balik.
Umpan balik bersifat melihat ke belakang - hal ini membuat orang mengkritik atau mendukung Anda. Saran bersifat berwawasan ke depan - ini mengarahkan orang untuk melatih Anda.
Anda dapat membuat kritikus dan pemandu sorak Anda bertindak lebih seperti pelatih dengan mengajukan pertanyaan sederhana: “Hal apa yang dapat saya lakukan dengan lebih baik di lain waktu?”
4. Mereka mencari tahu sumber mana yang bisa dipercaya.
Putuskan informasi apa yang layak diserap – dan mana yang harus disaring. Dengarkan pelatih yang memiliki keahlian yang relevan (kredibilitas), mengenal Anda dengan baik (keakraban), dan menginginkan yang terbaik untuk Anda (peduli).
5. Mereka mengupayakan keunggulan, bukan kesempurnaan.
Kemajuan datang dari mempertahankan standar yang tinggi, bukan menghilangkan setiap kekurangan. Identifikasi beberapa kekurangan yang dapat Anda terima. Pertimbangkan di mana Anda benar-benar membutuhkan yang terbaik dan di mana Anda bisa menerima yang cukup baik.
Pada akhirnya, tanyakan pada diri Anda: Apakah Anda membuat diri Anda lebih baik? Apakah Anda membuat orang lain menjadi lebih baik?
6. Mereka adalah hakim terakhir bagi diri mereka sendiri.
Lebih baik mengecewakan orang lain daripada mengecewakan diri sendiri. Sebelum Anda merilis sesuatu ke dunia, nilailah apakah itu mewakili Anda dengan baik. Jika ini adalah satu-satunya karya Anda yang dilihat orang, apakah Anda akan bangga?
7. Mereka mengubah kesibukan sehari-hari menjadi sumber kegembiraan sehari-hari.
Untuk menjaga gairah yang harmonis, desainlah latihan seputar permainan yang disengaja. Siapkan tantangan pengembangan keterampilan yang menyenangkan - seperti memasukkan bola basket ke dalam keranjang basket, mencoba mencetak tinggi poin dalam satu menit, atau bermain mengasah keterampilan komunikasi nonverbal mereka dengan menggunakan kata-kata yang tidak masuk akal dalam permainan komedi improvisasi dan lain sebagainnya.
8. Saat mereka terjebak, mereka mundur untuk maju.
Mundur selangkah untuk melompat dua - tiga langkah. Saat Anda menemui jalan buntu, mungkin inilah saatnya untuk berbalik dan mencari jalan baru. Rasanya seperti mengalami kemunduran, tetapi sering kali ini merupakan satu-satunya cara untuk menemukan jalan menuju kemajuan.
9. Mereka mengajarkan apa yang ingin mereka pelajari.
Cara terbaik untuk mempelajari sesuatu adalah dengan mengajarkannya. Anda memahaminya dengan lebih baik setelah Anda menjelaskannya — dan Anda mengingatnya dengan lebih baik setelah Anda meluangkan waktu untuk mengingatnya. Anda dapat melakukan ini dalam kelompok, dengan masing-masing anggota mengajarkan keterampilan atau informasi yang berbeda.
10. Mereka membuka pintu bagi orang-orang yang diremehkan dan diabaikan.
Ciptakan sistem yang berinvestasi dan menciptakan peluang bagi semua orang — tidak hanya siswa berbakat atau karyawan berpotensi besar. Sistem yang baik memberikan kesempatan bagi mereka yang tidak diunggulkan dan orang yang terlambat berkembang untuk menunjukkan seberapa jauh kemajuan mereka.
11. Mereka terlibat dalam perjalanan waktu secara mental.
Saat Anda kesulitan menghargai kemajuan Anda, pertimbangkan bagaimana diri Anda di masa lalu memandang pencapaian Anda saat ini. Jika Anda tahu lima tahun lalu apa yang akan Anda capai sekarang, betapa bangganya Anda?
Kepala Badan Pangan Nasional Arief Prasetyo Adi memastikan bantuan pangan beras yang diperpanjang hingga Juni 2024 bebas dari unsur politis. Ia mengklaim kebijakan itu dilakukan murni untuk membantu 21,3 juta Keluarga Penerima Manfaat atau KPM yang membutuhkan bantuan pangan.
Hal ini disampaikan menanggapi issu yang dilemparkan LSM setelah pemerintah teah memutuskan bantuan pangan beras akan diperpanjang hingga 2024 berkaitan dengan nilai politis (tahun politis).
“Enggak ada nilai politisnya, ngapain nilai politis? Kita itu Rp8 triliun loh kalau 3 bulan, 3 bulan lagi Rp8 triliun, berarti Rp16 triliun," kata Arief dalam rapat kerja Komisi IV DPR RI dengan Kementerian Pertanian di Gedung DPR Senayan, Jakarta Pusat pada Rabu, 8 November 2023.
Arief menyebut, salah satu bukti bahwa bantuan pangan bebas dari kepentingan politis adalah tidak adanya simbol politik dalam bantuan yang diberikan. "Pada saat memberikan bantuan pangan itu tidak ada kan bendera atau politik tidak ada di situ, murni dilakukan sesuai kebutuhan,” kata Arief.
Menurut Arief, bantuan pangan sangat dibutuhkan oleh KPM mengingat masa tanam di Indonesia yang mundur. "Tanamnya saja mundur. Tadi mengajukan Rp5,8 triliun, seharusnya mengajukan kapan? Seharusnya dari kemarin-kemarin, pas November, Desember eksekusi. Mau ambil risiko? 21,3 juta (KPM) itu desil 1, orang yang paling memerlukan bantuan pangan,” kata dia.
Sebelumnya, pemerintah memutuskan memperpanjang masa penyaluran bantuan sosial (bansos) beras 10 kilogram hingga Juni 2024. Semula, program bansos beras disalurkan hingga November 2023.
“Tadi sudah diputuskan, harusnya bansos beras itu sampai September, Oktober, November, diperpanjang Desember. Kemudian Januari, Februari, lanjut sampai kuartal kedua 2024, Maret, April, Mei, Juni,” kata Menteri Perdagangan Zulkifli Hasan atau Zulhas,di Kompleks Istana Kepresidenan, Jakarta, Senin, 6 November 2023.
Salah satu pertimbangan pemerintah memperpanjang pembagian bansos beras itu, kata Zulhas, agar memperkuat intervensi pemerintah dalam mengendalikan harga beras. Pasalnya harga bahan pokok tersebut belum juga menurun setelah melonjak drastis sejak beberapa waktu lalu.
Sebelumnya, Pemerintah, yang disampaikan Presiden Joko Widodo (Jokowi), memutuskan untuk memperpanjang pemberian bantuan pangan berupa beras hingga Juni 2024 mendatang. Keputusan tersebut diambil usai rapat bersama sejumlah menteri Kabinet Indonesia Maju yang membahas soal perpanjangan penyaluran bantuan pangan pada Senin, 6 November 2023, di Istana Merdeka Jakarta.
Bantuan pangan beras ini akan diberikan kepada 21,3 juta keluarga penerima manfaat (KPM) yang per bulan akan menerima 10 kilogram (kg) beras. Total anggaran yang dikeluarkan pemerintah untuk menyalurkan bantuan pangan beras sebesar Rp18,6 triliun. Angka itu terdiri dari bantuan pangan awal tahun sebanyak Rp8 triliun, September-November Rp8 triliun, dan Desember Rp2,7 triliun.
“Jadi tadi sudah diputuskan harusnya bantuan sosial beras itu sampai September, Oktober, November, diperpanjang sampai Desember kemudian Januari, Februari, lanjut nanti sampai portal kedua tahun 2024 Maret, April, Mei, Juni,” ujar Menteri Perdagangan Zulkifli Hasan dalam keterangannya kepada awak media usai mengikuti rapat.
Zulkifli mengklaim bahwa stok beras pemerintah yang ada saat ini masih dalam kondisi aman. Menurutnya, beras impor untuk stok beras pemerintah akan terus masuk hingga bulan Januari mendatang.“Sehingga stok beras kita akan mencapai jumlahnya hampir 2 juta ton. Jadi aman soal stok,” ungkap Zulkifli.
Sementara itu, Menteri Koordinator bidang Perekonomian Airlangga Hartarto dalam keterangan terpisah mengatakan bahwa penyaluran bantuan pangan sudah sesuai dengan target yang ditentukan. Penyaluran di September 2023 sudah mencapai 94,95 persen, Oktober mencapai 94,89 persen, dan November mencapai 18,45 persen.
“Dan kita masih ada di bulan Desember. Jadi bulan September yang tersalur sekitar 201 ribuan, demikian pula di bulan Oktober,” ucap Airlangga.
Airlangga mengatakan bahwa Bulog membutuhkan tambahan anggaran sekitar Rp19,1 triliun. Tambahan anggaran tersebut terdiri dari tahap pertama sebesar Rp7,9 triliun, tahap kedua Rp8,4 triliun, serta anggaran untuk distribusi dan lain-lain sebesar Rp2,8 triliun.
“Tadi arahan Bapak Presiden bahwa Menteri Keuangan diminta untuk segera melunasi tagihan Bulog yang sudah terakumulasi sebesar Rp16 triliun,” tutur Airlangga.
Sedangkan terkait insentif yang akan diberikan, Airlangga mengatakan bahwa pemerintah akan menanggung bea masuk dengan tarif spesifik 450 kilo. Bea Masuk Ditanggung Pemerintah (BMDTP) tersebut nantinya akan diberikan oleh Kementerian Keuangan.
“Nanti Badan Pangan akan menyiapkan itu untuk BMDTP yang nanti akan diberikan oleh Kementerian Keuangan,” ujar Airlangga.
Ada Kepentingan Politik?
Direktur Ekonomi Digital dan Ekonom Celios, Nailul Huda menilai, perpanjangan bantuan pangan ini erat kaitannya memang dengan Pemilu 2024. Hampir setiap gelaran pemilu, ada saja cara untuk memikat pemilih dengan cara bagi uang secara resmi seperti pembagian bansos.
"Makanya tidak heran tahun ini dan tahun depan ada dana bansos beras," ujar dia, Selasa, 07/11/2023.
Huda menuturkan, perpanjangan bansos ini rawan ditunggangi kepentingan politik, terutama kepentingan Istana. Walaupun dalih pemerintah sendiri adalah menjaga ekonomi tetap tumbuh dan menjaga daya beli dari dampak El-Nino.
"Ini adalah keuntungan dari 'pemegang' kekuasaan terhadap jalannya pemilu," ujar dia.
Direktur Eksekutif Center of Reform on Economic (CORE), Mohammad Faisal menjelaskan bahwa ada kecenderungan di tahun politik atau di setiap pemilu, dana dan penyaluran bansos selalu meningkat.
Dalam Rancangan Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Negara (RAPBN) anggaran perlindungan sosial (perlinsos) dialokasikan sebesar Rp493,5 triliun. Angka tersebut meningkat 12,4 persen dibandingkan outlook 2023 yang mendapatkan alokasi sebesar Rp439,1 triliun.
