World View: China's Xi Jinping Snubs Japan's Shinzo Abe at Beijing Meeting

World View: China's Xi Jinping Snubs Japan's Shinzo Abe at Beijing Meeting

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

  • China’s Xi Jinping snubs Japan’s Shinzo Abe at Beijing meeting
  • Palestinian violence increases around Jerusalem
  • Israeli lawyers file war crimes complaint in ICC against Mahmoud Abbas
  • ‘Kiss of Love’ demonstrations challenge Hindu nationalism in India

China’s Xi Jinping snubs Japan’s Shinzo Abe at Beijing meeting

Ice cold handshake Monday between Xi Jinping and Shinzo Abe
Ice cold handshake Monday between Xi Jinping and Shinzo Abe

Pollyannas have been hoping that finally Chinese President Xi Jinpingand Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe would resolve their countries’differences over the islands in the East China Sea when then met onMonday. Abe had reportedly been looking forward to the meeting, butany hopes of détente were quickly dashed.

The encounter took place at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) meeting, being held in Beijing, attended by numerous worldleaders. Xi violated protocol by keeping Abe waiting for Xi to greethim at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. Abe greeted Xi when theyfinally met and stiffly shook hands, but Xi didn’t say a word, andostentatiously frowned.

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said wishfully:think there was big progress in freshly improving the economic andvarious relationships between Japan and China.”

There have been private talks between Xi and Abe, but the outcomes have not been reported. Reuters

Palestinian violence increases around Jerusalem

Fears are mounting that Israel may be facing a new Palestinianuprising on multiple fronts. Violence has been increasing since lastJune’s abduction and murder of three Israeli teens, launching a spiralof violence that triggered the Gaza war, essentially in defeat forHamas, and further violence after the war ended.

On Monday, a West Bank Palestinian stabbed and critically wounded asoldier in Tel Aviv. Hours later, a Palestinian tried to run overpedestrians, and then got out of his car and stabbed three of them.Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. There have been several similarattacks — stabbings and attempts to run over pedestrians — in thelast few weeks, and Hamas has been calling for more acts like that.

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again took a hardline:

The terrorists want to drive us out from here. Ipromise they will not succeed. We will fight the incitement of thePalestinian Authority and we will act with determination againstthe rioters calling for Israel’s destruction. …

To all those [Israeli Arabs] who are shouting against Israel anddemonstrating against it — you are welcome to move to thePalestinian Authority or to Gaza, Israel won’t stand in the way.

But whoever stays here must know — we will stand in the way ofterrorists and attackers. I have given instructions to use all ofthe means at our disposal, including passing new laws, includingdestroying terrorists’ homes, and other measures.

Palestinian Authority (PA/PLO) spokesman Hanan Ashrawi said:

People are beginning to be provoked beyondendurance. We’ve been against violence from the beginning butIsrael seems to think it’s a one-way street, that they can do itagainst Palestinians with impunity and if any Palestinian respondsin the same way it’s called terrorism.

There’s very much the feeling that the situation is spiraling out ofcontrol. Times of Israel and Foreign Policy and Independent (London)

Israeli lawyers file war crimes complaint in ICC against Mahmoud Abbas

The Israel Law Center (ILC) has filed a war crimes complaint in theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) against Palestinian Authority(PA/PLO/Fatah) chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The complaint states that theFatah faction was responsible for numerous rocket attacks on Israelicities during this past summer’s Gaza war, making Abbas personallyliable for the terrorist groups’ criminal acts.

Neither the State of Palestine nor the Palestinian Authority is amember of the ICC. Nonetheless, the ILC says that the ICC hasjurisdiction over Abbas because Abbas is a Jordanian citizen, andJordan became a member of the ICC in 2002.

Abbas has been widely encouraged to have the State of Palestine becomea member of the ICC, and then to bring war crimes charges againstIsrael. However, as we reported in July, Palestinian lawyers are saying that they are on solid groundsin some areas, but that Palestine would face much more severe warcrimes charges for launching missiles at Israeli citizens. Jerusalem Post and Israel National News

‘Kiss of Love’ demonstrations challenge Hindu nationalism in India

A Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) organization is making threatsagainst sponsors of “Kiss of Love” events, where couples embraceand kiss in public, which is considered to be indecent behaviorby strict Hindu nationalists. According to the nationalpresident of a Hindutva youth outfit:

We are not against love – I am a young man too. Butwe oppose any expression of love that goes against our traditions,against Hindu society. The country also has a law against indecentbehavior in public. These are a few misguided youth who areaffiliated with NGOs and want to attract mediaattention.

There have been some threats of violence against “Kiss of Love”participants. DNA India

KEYS: Generational Dynamics, China, Japan, Xi Jinping, Shinzo Abe,Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC, Yoshihide Suga,Israel, Jerusalem, Palestinian Authority, West Bank,Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Gaza,Hanan Ashrawi, Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Law Center,International Criminal Court, ICC,Hindutva, Hindu nationalism, Kiss of Love
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