The American administration suspended ammunition supplies to Israel this week for the first time since October 7, 2023.
As Day.Az reports with reference to TASS, this was reported by the Axios portal with reference to two Israeli officials.
According to them, this step caused serious concern to the Israeli authorities, who began to find out the reasons for the delay in the supply of shells.
The publication’s interlocutors noted that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his visit to Israel, had a “tough conversation” with Prime Minister of the Jewish State Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the military operation in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Previously, many world leaders and international organizations have repeatedly called on the Israeli authorities to refuse to send troops to Rafah. Among the opponents of this plan, the United States in Washington believes that Israel’s plan to send ground forces into the city is a mistake that will harm the civilian population there and weaken the security of the Jewish state.
Meanwhile, the Israeli authorities, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have previously repeatedly stated that they will not abandon the already approved plans for an operation in Rafah, since, according to them, the deployment of troops into this city is the key to “complete victory” over the armed forces of Hamas. In turn, representatives of the right-wing radical wing of the ruling coalition – Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (far-right Religious Zionism party) and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (far-right Jewish Power party) – threatened to leave the government if the operation in Rafah was abandoned. could lead to the collapse of the coalition and the calling of new elections.
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US suspends supplies of missiles to Israel – 2024-05-08 11:27:11
How the West can Help Ukraine: Three Crucial Steps for Victory
#served #language #choice #recurring #problem #Commissioner #Théberge
Canada’s Official Languages Commissioner, Raymond Théberge, blames federal institutions deemed uncooperative in serving users in the official language of their choice and allowing civil servants to work in French or English.
The language of service is a recurring problem. This problem suggests that recalcitrant institutions do not accept the premise that they must serve members of both linguistic communities in the official language of their choice, writes Commissioner Théberge in his 2023-2024 annual report, published Tuesday morning.
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Among the recalcitrant institutions targeted, Air Canada comes first with 130 complaints, followed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (48) and the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (46).
We must use both official languages, not one more than the other. […] It is very important that we choose senior leaders of the public service who are examples of bilingualism, explained Commissioner Théberge during a press conference Tuesday morning.
Federal institutions that were targeted by the greatest number of complaints in 2023-2024
Federal institutionNumber of admissible complaintsAir Canada130Royal Canadian Mounted Police48Canadian Air Transport Security Authority46Global Affairs Canada42Employment and Social Development38Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat35Canada Border Services Agency34Shared Services Canada33Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada31Department of National Defense30
Source: Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada
Even though the number of complaints made to his team has decreased in the last year, the vast majority still concern communications with the public and the provision of services. Raymond Théberge reports 533 out of the 847 complaints deemed admissible in total.
Although the volume of admissible complaints filed this year is lower than what we have been accustomed to in recent years, we must not take our foot off the accelerator.
A quote from Raymond Théberge, Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada
It is difficult to explain the decrease in the number of complaints. I assume it’s an anomaly, he said during his address to the media on Tuesday. […] We must continue this momentum and build on the progress made to date to produce concrete and lasting changes to ensure the future of our two official languages.”,”text”:”That said, the last few years have been marked by exceptional events which generated a very large number of complaints. We did not experience this type of event in 2023-2024.[…] We must continue this momentum and build on the progress made to date to produce concrete and lasting changes to ensure the future of our two official languages.”}}”>That said, the last few years have been marked by exceptional events which generated a very large number of complaints. We did not experience this type of event in 2023-2024. […] We must continue this momentum and build on the progress made to date to produce concrete and lasting changes to ensure the future of our two official languages.
Complaints deemed admissible according to the part of the Act concerned, 2023-2024 (as of March 31, 2024)
Part of the Official Languages Act concernedCommunications with the public and provision of services533Language of work227Linguistic requirements related to positions41Promotion of French and English34Equitable participation9Other parts of the Act3TOTAL847
Source: Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada
A large number of these complaints were made in Ontario (130) and Quebec (124). But it is especially in the National Capital Region, on both sides of the Ottawa River, that we find the most, with 284 complaints deemed admissible.
The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada specifies that the proportion of complaints for a lack of access to services in French is much greater than that for access to services in English.
Poorly defined language requirements
One of the explanations put forward by the commissioner is that the language requirements for certain civil servant positions are, according to him, poorly defined, which is detrimental to the establishment of a bilingual culture.
When a federal institution fails to establish and promote a bilingual culture, it is surely more difficult for it to meet its responsibilities for institutional bilingualism, he writes.
Poor determination of language requirements for positions also affects the quality of service to the public.
A quote from Excerpt from the 2023-2024 annual report of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada
The ability of civil servants to work in the language of their choice comes second in the number of complaints made in 2023-2024, with 227 cases.
Evolution of the number of complaints deemed admissible over a period of ten years
2014-20152015-20162016-20172017-20182018-20192019-20202020-20212021-20222022-20232023-2024550725101889410871361187054091788847
Source: Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada
These federal institutions seem neither to adhere to the vision of a bilingual public service nor to support the creation of work environments in which public servants feel empowered to work in the official language of their choice, regrets the Commissioner of Official Languages.
One of the structural problems encountered is the poor determination of the language requirements of the positions, which do not take into account all of the tasks associated with these pivotal positions, he adds.
A concerned commissioner
After six years in office, Raymond Théberge says he is concerned about several aspects.
First, I note that respect for linguistic rights on the part of federal institutions does not meet the expectations expressed in my successive annual reports, he notes. I also note that the progression towards equality of status and use of French and English […] remains a major challenge.
The complaints received by the Office over the years and the investigations it has conducted demonstrate that several federal institutions do not take their linguistic obligations seriously.
A quote from Excerpt from the 2023-2024 annual report of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada
Since the new Law was sanctioned during this year 2023-2024, the commissioner specifies that his annual report reflects a transitional situation. However, he believes that the new powers given to him by the Official Languages Act since June 2023 could help improve the situation, even if it is not a magic wand, he emphasizes.
The modernized Act offers more means to support this progression, but it is only one stage in its achievement, maintains the commissioner.
He calls on each institution to respect its obligations and judges that he and his team will need more resources to fully use the new tools given by the Act, such as the power to conclude compliance agreements or issue orders against institutions for order them to correct a breach of the law.
The two recommendations of the Commissioner of Official Languages
Recommendation 1
I recommend that the Minister of Canadian Heritage develop and make public by June 2026, in consultation with the President of the Treasury Board, indicators enabling the examination of the provisions and application of the Act on official languages in anticipation of the ten-year review in 2033.
Recommendation 2
I recommend that all deputy ministers and deputy heads of the federal public service incorporate into their strategic plan, by May 31, 2025, a plan to achieve the full implementation of Part VII of the Official Languages Act, which is based on the Roadmap on the obligations of federal institutions under the part.
Systemic problems
For his part, the Minister of Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault, said he was aware of the report published by the commissioner Tuesday morning.
The report highlights the progress that our government has made with the passage of the new Official Languages Act. […] We continue to make progress, and we will analyze the recommendations closely, his office indicates in a press release.
Even though the number of complaints received by the Office has decreased, the director general of the Fédération des Communautés francophones et acadienne (FCFA), Alain Dupuis, believes that there is still a lot of work to be done within federal institutions. He deplores the fact that some organizations are more at fault than others.
It is always these same institutions that are cited from year to year. There really is work to be done to change the culture in these institutions. Senior leaders must carry out an analysis of these recurring systemic problems, he says.
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According to the Bloc Québécois spokesperson for official languages, Mario Beaulieu, the principle of institutional bilingualism does not currently work within the federal public service.
People need to complain, we need to move. […] We really have to realize that French is in decline in Canada.
A quote from Mario Beaulieu, spokesperson for the Bloc Québécois on official languages
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If you have an employee who wants to work in English with an employee who wants to work in French, what happens? Which one will win? […] The government assumes that everything happens in English, explains Mr. Beaulieu.
As for him, the Conservative spokesperson for official languages, Joël Godin, applauds Commissioner Théberge’s recommendations, but thinks that the current government does not have the will to stop the decline of French in the country.
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The Governor General is bilingual, but she does not speak French in a representative position. We also named the lieutenant governor of New Brunswick, who is unilingual in English. This is not consistent, says Mr. Godin.
The New Democratic Party (NPD) for its part says it supports the commissioner’s report, believing that it is important to develop strong regulations that will put an end to the decline of French one year after the adoption of the modernization of the law on languages official.
Part VII of the Act must apply to all federal institutions, such as the French-speaking immigration policy and the application by the Minister of Canadian Heritage of her responsibilities to the law. It is clear from the report that the government must take Part VII seriously and fully implement the recommendations of the commissioner’s office, indicates the NDP spokesperson for official languages, Niki Ashton, in a written response.
With information from Laurence Martin, Rosalie Sinclair and Félix Pilon
Being served in the language of your choice, a recurring problem, says Commissioner Théberge
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The White House said on Monday that Marwan Issa, the third-in-command of the militant group Hamas, was killed in an Israeli strike last week.
Earlier, Israel claimed to have killed Marwan Isa in an airstrike in Gaza, but his death was not confirmed.
US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan said, referring to a telephone call between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, that ‘Marwan Issa, the number three commander of Hamas, was killed in an Israeli operation last week.’
Israel has also “dismantled a Hamas battalion, killing 1,000 Hamas fighters, including senior commanders,” Saleon added.
According to Jack Sullivan: ‘The rest of Hamas’ top leaders are in hiding, possibly deep in the network of tunnels laid in Gaza, and they too will be held accountable.’
The Israeli military said on March 11 that Marwan Isa was targeted in an airstrike on an underground compound in central Gaza on March 9 and 10. Israel claims that he was one of the planners of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.
Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said at the time that Marwan Issa was the deputy of Mohammed Zaif, the head of Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
However, Admiral Daniel said that it was not clear whether Marwan Isa was killed in the action or not.
“We are still reviewing the results of the attack and final confirmation is yet to be received,” he added.
According to the Israel Broadcasting Corporation, the Israeli Air Force used about 20 tons of bombs, including anti-bunker bombs, for the attack.
According to al-Arabiya, although no official statement has been issued by Hamas regarding the death of the deputy commander of Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Israel has hinted that the ball is in Hamas’s court to confirm his death or not. no.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, communication systems between Hamas leaders, which rely on encrypted applications and messengers, were shut down for more than 72 hours after the attack on Isa, which is usually the time. Whenever senior Hamas leaders are killed.
The Guardian reports that the attack targeting Marwan Isa indicates that Israel is receiving intelligence from key sources within the organization.
Avi Melmid, a former Israeli intelligence official and regional analyst, told the Guardian that Israel’s success in carrying out the operation would require prior knowledge of Jesus’ exact location and time of his presence, such as ID. F would have made sure.
Additionally, Israel had to ensure that Israeli hostages were not used as human shields near it, according to Melamed, a human informant would likely have provided all of this information.
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Marwan Issa was considered Israel’s third most wanted commander after Al-Qassam Brigades commander Muhammad Zaif and the head of the movement in Gaza, Yahya al-Sinwar.
Earlier, after the operation of October 7 last year, the European countries added Marwan Isa and two Hamas commanders to the list of terrorists of the European Union.
The European Union said that the commander of Hamas’ military wing, General Mohammad Zaif, and his deputy, Marwan Issa, have been added to the list.
According to Arab News, the funds and other financial assets of the two commanders in EU member states have been frozen, while EU operators have been banned from providing them with funds and economic resources.
Who is Marwan Isa?
Marwan Issa, known as the ‘Shadow Man’, may be the least known of Hamas’ three top leaders, but he has been involved in several key Hamas decisions in recent years, according to Reuters.
Like Muhammad Zaif, Marwan Isa’s face was unknown to the public until he appeared in a group photo taken during a prisoner exchange in 2011.
From 2009 to 2011, German intelligence agency (BND) negotiator Gerhard Konrad was among the few people who met with Marwan Isa to discuss the prisoner exchange.
Konrad told Al Jazeera television: ‘He was a very careful and analytical commander, that was my first impression of him.’
According to BBC, Marwan Isa was considered to be the right hand of Muhammad Zaif.
He was among Tel Aviv’s most wanted men after being wounded in an assassination attempt by Israel in 2006.
Israeli forces detained him for five years during the first intifada because of his activities with Hamas.
He was arrested by the Palestinian Authority in 1997, but was released after the Second Intifada came to power in 2000.
His home was also destroyed by Israeli warplanes during the 2014 and 2021 strikes on Gaza that killed his brothers.
He is believed to have been instrumental in planning the invasion of Israel, including the October 7 operation.
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