TOPIC : GS 3 Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora.
What is the news?
On the edge (Column) and Over 300 Palestinians hurt in Jerusalem holy site clashes
The beginning of the trouble can be traced to the Zionist movement:
- Jews have been persecuted in Europe owing to their religion and hence a movement started in 19 th century to escape persecution and establish a state solely for the Jews. The place identified for this purpose was Palestine (Ancestral homeland for Jews).
- This idea gained currency among Jews and they started migrating and settling in Palestine.
But how could this migration take place in the reigns of Ottoman Empire?
- Because Ottoman Empire disintegrated in WWI which led to the division of its territories.
- As you know the Middle east was divided according to Sykes Picot Agreement between Britain and France and the administration of Palestine fell with British.
- And British were sympathetic to the cause of creation of Jewish homeland. Hence they allowed immigration of Jews from all across the Europe in large numbers.
How did the numbers of Jews grew so much in Palestine?
As more and more fascists regimes (Especially Nazis in Germany) gained power in Europe, the persecution of Jews reached unprecedented levels and it led to massive inflow of Jews in Palestine.
But how did the local Arabs react to this?
- The inflow of Jews raised alarms for local Arabs which started militant movement against Jews. This led to a lot of violence which resulted in huge causality as well.
- By the end of World War II, a crisis over the fate of the Holocaust survivors from Europe led to renewed tensions between the Jews and the Palestinian Arab leadership.
- Immigration quotas were established by the British, while on the other hand illegal immigration continued.
Then how did the state of Israel come into existence?
- By the end of WWII, British had already made up their mind regarding leaving the area and hence they referred the matter to United Nations.
What was the United Nations resolution?
- UN voted to split the Palestine into two countries into three part Arab state, a Jewish state and the City of Jerusalem.
How was the reception of the UN resolution?
- Jews: Whole Heartedly accepted the resolution as their long term demands of Jewish homeland had become a reality.
- Arabs: Arab leaders and governments rejected the plan of partition in the resolution and indicated that they would reject any other plan of partition.
How has the situation evolved post UN resolution
 1948 Arab-Israel war:
- Following the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the Arab League decided to intervene on behalf of Palestinian Arabs, marching their forces into former British Palestine, beginning the main phase of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
- The overall fighting resulted in cease fire and armistice agreements of 1949, with Israel holding much of the former Mandate territory, Jordan occupying and later annexing the West Bank and Egypt taking over the Gaza Strip, where the All-Palestine Government was declared by the Arab League on 22 September 1948.
- So we can say that Israel emerged victorious and extended its control beyond which it was originally authorized by the UN.
Mains question
Explain the history of Israel and Arab conflict
PRELIMS PUNCHERS
- MACS 1407
Indian Scientists have developed a high-yielding and pest-resistant variety of soybean. This newly developed variety called MACS 1407 is suitable for cultivation in the states of Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and North-Eastern states and its seeds will be made available to farmers for sowing during the 2022 Kharif season.
It require an average 43 days for 50 % flowering and take 104 days to mature from the date of sowing. It has white coloured flowers, yellow seeds and black hilum. Its seeds have 19.81 % oil content, 41 % protein content and show good germinability. This high yielding, pest resistant, low water and fertilizer requiring soybean variety, suitable for mechanical harvesting has recently been released by the Central Sub-Committee on Crop Standards, Notification and Release of Varieties of Agricultural Crops under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India making it legally available for seed production and cultivation.
Sources : https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1714852
- Golan Heights
The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between disciplines: as a geological and biogeographical region, the Golan Heights refers to a basaltic plateau bordered by the Yarmouk River in the south, the Sea of Galilee and Hula Valley in the west, the Anti-Lebanon with Mount Hermon in the north and Wadi Raqqad in the east. As a geopolitical region, the Golan Heights refers to the area captured from Syria and occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War, territory which has been administered as part of Israel since 1981. This region includes the western two-thirds of the geological Golan Heights and the Israeli-occupied part of Mount Hermon.
The rock forming the mountainous area in the northern Golan Heights, descending from Mount Hermon, differs geologically from the volcanic rocks of the plateau and has a different physiography. The mountains are characterised by lighter-colored, Jurassic-age limestone of sedimentary origin. Locally, the limestone is broken by faults and solution channels to form a karst-like topography in which springs are common.
Sources : https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/what-israel-wants-in-syria/article34408536.ece
- The Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF)
It was launched on March 28, 2009. The MEF is intended to facilitate a candid dialogue among major developed and developing economies, help generate the political leadership necessary to achieve a successful outcome at the December UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, and advance the exploration of concrete initiatives and joint ventures that increase the supply of clean energy while cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
The 17 major economies are Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Denmark, in its capacity as the President of the December 2009 Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the United Nations have also participated in this dialogue along with Observers
- The pygmy hog
It is a suid native to alluvial grasslands in the foothills of the Himalayas at elevations of up to 300 m , the only known population lives in Assam, India and possibly southern Bhutan. As the population is estimated at less than 250 mature individuals, it is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
It is used to be widespread in the tall, wet grasslands in the southern Himalayan foothills from Uttar Pradesh through Nepal, Bangladesh, northern West Bengal to Assam. By 2002, only one viable population remained in Manas National Park, which had been estimated to comprise a few hundred individuals. The pygmy hog is designated as a Schedule I species in India under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and offences against them invite heavy penalties.
PRELIMS QUESTIONS
Qn1 .The newly developed variety called MACS 1407 is
- Rice variety
- Wheat variety
- Soybean variety
- Fertilizer variety
Answer : C
Indian Scientists have developed a high-yielding and pest-resistant variety of soybean. This newly developed variety called MACS 1407 is suitable for cultivation in the states of Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and North-Eastern states and its seeds will be made available to farmers for sowing during the 2022 Kharif season.
It require an average 43 days for 50 % flowering and take 104 days to mature from the date of sowing. It has white coloured flowers, yellow seeds and black hilum. Its seeds have 19.81 % oil content, 41 % protein content and show good germinability. This high yielding, pest resistant, low water and fertilizer requiring soybean variety, suitable for mechanical harvesting has recently been released by the Central Sub-Committee on Crop Standards, Notification and Release of Varieties of Agricultural Crops under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India making it legally available for seed production and cultivation.
Qn 2.Consider the following statement regarding to Golan heights
1.The area captured from Israel and occupied by Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War
- Two-thirds of the geological Golan Heights and the Syria -occupied part of Mount Hermon.
Select the correct statement using code given below.
(a). 1only                                (b) 2 only
(c). Both of them                (d). None of the above
Answer: D
The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between disciplines: as a geological and biogeographical region, the Golan Heights refers to a basaltic plateau bordered by the Yarmouk River in the south, the Sea of Galilee and Hula Valley in the west, the Anti-Lebanon with Mount Hermon in the north and Wadi Raqqad in the east. As a geopolitical region, the Golan Heights refers to the area captured from Syria and occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War, territory which has been administered as part of Israel since 1981. This region includes the western two-thirds of the geological Golan Heights and the Israeli-occupied part of Mount Hermon.
The rock forming the mountainous area in the northern Golan Heights, descending from Mount Hermon, differs geologically from the volcanic rocks of the plateau and has a different physiography. The mountains are characterised by lighter-colored, Jurassic-age limestone of sedimentary origin. Locally, the limestone is broken by faults and solution channels to form a karst-like topography in which springs are common.