Will peace ever be
restored in Gaza?
I refer to the editorial, 'Gaza's Fragile Ceasefire Is A Pause Not A Solution' (Herald, 21 January).
With respect, the tragic situation in Gaza cannot be resolved without addressing the core of the Israel-Palestine issue: the world's failure to recognise its part in the scandalous injustice inflicted on Palestinians. A horrific crime was perpetrated by Europeans on European Jews. The Palestinians, who played no part in that monstrous crime, were made to compensate the victims with their ancient homeland! That's gross injustice.
Consequently, European Jews arrived by boat and plane in the 20th century; staged a genocidal ethnic cleansing involving mass murder and rape of Palestinians; expelled 80% of them to refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza and across the Middle East; helped themselves to 78% of Palestine; Palestinian homes and land and established an apartheid Jewish state with 60 plus apartheid laws that privilege Jews and reduce Palestinians to less than second class citizens.
In 1978, Israel marched in and occupied the remaining 22% of Palestine and maintains a brutal occupation, annexing Palestinian villages to build settlements and set up multiple checkpoints to harass Palestinians on their way to work, school and shops.
Unless the world applies sanctions on Israel to end its Occupation and the 17-year air-land-sea siege on Gaza, allow expelled Jews to return to their ancient homeland, dismantle the settlements and multiple checkpoints in the Occupied West Bank and scrap the apartheid laws, there will never be peace.
Israel must also release the 10, 320 Palestinians including 320 children and 88 women it has abducted in the West Bank and placed in Occupation dungeons and torture chambers.
There can never be peace when people are subjected to apartheid, occupied, oppressed and dispossessed as the Palestinians are.
David Albuquerque, Panjim
Is women’s safety just
a topic of discussion?
Is anyone doing anything about women's safety or just talking and giving big speeches? The ministers in Goa are so busy to promote tourism, development, and the real issue of women's safety is ignored and the question rises when a mentally challenged girl was brutally gang raped by five youth in a guest house in Cansaulim. The authorities should wake up and handle the issue with a iron hand and control crime.
Anita Fernandes, Verna
Wholesale fish market
sans storage facility
After years of redevelopment efforts, Goa’s only wholesale fish market at Margao is finally nearing its much anticipated commissioning which could take place sooner than later. However what comes as a shocker is that one critical component reportedly remains conspicuously absent, which is the cold storage. It must be said that a cold storage facility is a crucial feature for the market’s functionality and long term success. The market is proposed to assist local fishing communities such as ramponkars and fishing boat owners for which the cold storage facility is vital to store surplus fish. It is learnt that the funds allocated by the central government for the redevelopment project was reportedly primarily to fund the cold storage unit. However this vital necessity remains unaddressed. The livelihood of the fishing community depends on the efficiency of the market infrastructure. Be that as it may, it is a known fact that cold storage is important for perishable food items because it extends their shelf life and keeps them safe to eat. Consuming stale fish can lead to food poisoning, most commonly causing symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and headache. There are several types of toxins in contaminated shellfish that can cause illness. Toxins may be found in mussels, oysters, clams, etc. It would hence be prudent to commission the wholesale fish market at Margao only after the cold storage unit has been installed and made functional keeping in mind the health of fish-eaters and the loss that will be incurred by the fishing community in absence of such a unit.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Kudos to SP
Sunita Sawant
Reading the news of the heinous disgusting and gruesome crime committed by the 5 young and insensible men, and that too on a mentally challenged girl, sent a chill down my spine, as it surely must have done to many more. This sad and disgusting news brings to attention the downward trend that Goa is spiralling into in the recent past, the moral decay we are encountering and the insecurity that we will have to encounter in the future.
The silver lining in this case though, is the swift action carried out by our otherwise lethargic Police Force. I wish to congratulate the Police Department led by the SP Sunita Sawant for acting swiftly and nabbing the culprits. I pray and hope that the perpetrators are dealt with accordingly and justice done to the affected- in fact to the entire Goan society- I hope and pray that this case does not die an unjust death, marred by political and financial interference as is the situation in many before.
Jaret de Silva Chandrapurkar, Chandor
Turning challenges
into opportunities
Donald Trump’s policies on immigration, H1B visas, and tariffs pose challenges for India, particularly for undocumented workers and software companies relying on H1Bs. However, these hurdles can serve as a catalyst for India to implement transformative reforms and strengthen its global standing. To capitalize on this opportunity, India must focus on economic liberalization. Deregulation, fostering innovation, and developing Indian-owned intellectual property are critical.
Strategic FTAs, protecting sensitive sectors like agriculture while enhancing market access, can bolster trade. Manufacturing and service sectors must be scaled up, leveraging US-China tensions to position India as a global supply chain hub. Attracting top Indian-origin talent, encouraging return migration, and investing in emerging technologies like AI and IoT can fuel domestic innovation.
Strengthening the pharmaceutical industry to develop high-value drugs and vaccines will also boost self-reliance. Political reforms like One Nation, One Election (ONOE) require compromises, such as greater fiscal devolution to states, to ensure acceptance. Learning from the 1991 economic reforms, bold and market oriented policies are essential.
Gopalaswamy J,
Chennai