F. M. O'Donnell

Multilateralist 🇺🇳🇮🇪🇪🇺🇻🇦🇷🇸🇲🇪 🇺🇦🇸🇰Elected civil society leader & Fellow of the World Academy of Art & Science; ambassador/director/trustee/author

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

Yes, it is true that the UN was in Sinai in 1967, but along the border. The United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF, often called UNEF I) had been stationed there since early 1957, following the 1956 Suez Crisis, which I referred to. It patrolled the Egyptian-Israeli armistice demarcation line across the Sinai Peninsula (including key spots like Sharm el-Sheikh) as well as the Gaza Strip until Egypt formally requested its withdrawal on 16 May 1967. The force was fully withdrawn by 17 June 1967, just before and during the opening of the Six-Day War. UNEF was prominently associated with Gaza (it arrived there in March 1957 and maintained a significant presence), but its mandate and deployments explicitly covered both the Gaza Strip and the Sinai frontier. It served as a buffer to supervise the ceasefire and deter infiltrations or violations of the armistice after Israel, Britain, and France withdrew from Egyptian territory in 1957. By May 1967 it had about 3,378 personnel (mostly from Brazil, Canada, India, Sweden, and Yugoslavia). Egypt’s request to remove it—followed by Egyptian troops moving into the former UNEF positions—removed that buffer.

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

Really? The UN was in Sinai in 1967? I thought they were UNEF in Gaza. As for the Golan Heights, I travelled through it between Damascus via Quneitra and Tiberias/Galilee in May 1967, and there were no signs of any Syrian military build-up - but Israel was moving heavy armour into the Hula valley. And don’t forget the Suez Crisis in 1956, when Israel and Britain invaded Egypt

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

Constantinople/Istanbul was also more Christian then, and originally, even as capital of the Ottoman Empire.

[Simon Waldman @SimonWaldman1]

In 1927, the Jews of Istanbul constituted around 15% of the city’s total population. That’s more Jewish than New York City today. 99 years later, Jews make up barely 0.06% of Istanbul’s total. What happened to Istanbul’s Jewish community? In my new book, Looking For Elsewhere: The Jews of Turkey Then and Now I explain why this came to be while investigating what this means for Jews living there today.
#Turkey #Jews #JewishHistory #antisemitism
Here are the links to pre-order:
UK: https://t.co/U9oZS72y6O
USA: https://t.co/Ghdx6knWQf
Canada: https://t.co/I4OPtP4B8r

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

And this is the day, 5th June, fifty-nine years ago, when everything legitimacy-wise, started to go wrong for Israel: the beginning of the Six-Day War, and the still-unending and illegal occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. Up to then, the Israel I had lived in as a teen was relatively respected, even by the Arabs/Palestinians, Nakba notwithstanding. But by 1999, even Abba Eban saw the danger coming in the extremism of Netanyahu. In the final months of Biden's arming of the atrocities in Gaza, I wrote this piece: https://t.co/j3oTOrmB0y. Trump can bring peace to the region by lifting the US veto on the recognition of the State of Palestine. It would be a massive game-changer, and the surest way to peace throughout the region. The other INSC P5 members already do so: France, UK, China and Russia, and a super-majority of UN member states.

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

We are utterly shocked to learn of Rovshan’s passing at a conference in Istanbul today 3 June. Aged only 39, he was a supremely capable and young leader who already accomplished so much for humanity in his humble but fortright manner as the strong, visionary, and compassionate helmsman steering NGIC to the enabling centre of world affairs, in a most sage manner in emulation of the historic Nizami Ganjavi himself. His very premature passing is an incalculable loss not just to his team, NGIC, and his beloved Azerbaijan, but to the world at large, and to the cause of multilateralism, peace, security and human dignity. May he rest in peace and the embrace of his Creator, and long may his memory and deeds be cherished by his family, friends, and by all of us who had the great privilege to know him. 🙏🇦🇿

[Nizami Ganjavi International Center - NGIC @NizamiGanjaviIC]

It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that we inform Rovshan Muradov’s many friends and admirers around the world that he has passed away unexpectedly in Istanbul. He was there engaged in the work he so loved—organizing the participation of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC) in an important international conference in Türkiye.

Rovshan was one of the founding members of the NGIC and served as its Secretary-General from its first days. Through his vision, dedication, and tireless efforts, he played a central role in building the institution into the internationally respected organization it is today. He recruited, mentored, and inspired the staff, established enduring partnerships across continents, and worked ceaselessly to strengthen the bonds of friendship among the Center’s distinguished members.
More than an able administrator and accomplished international figure, Rovshan possessed a rare gift for bringing people together. Through his warmth, and generosity of spirit, he fostered not only professional collaboration but also a genuine sense of family within the NGIC community. He was deeply respected, greatly admired, and sincerely loved by all who had the privilege of knowing and working with him.

His passing leaves an immense void in our hearts and in the life of the institution to which he devoted so much of himself. His legacy will endure in the organization he helped create, in the many friendships he nurtured, and in the countless lives he touched.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family, his loved ones, and his many friends throughout the world. May they find comfort in the knowledge that Rovshan’s life was one of service, friendship, and lasting achievement, and that his memory will remain with us always.

Further information regarding memorial arrangements and opportunities to honor Rovshan’s memory will be communicated in due course.

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

We are utterly shocked to learn of Rovshan’s passing. He was a supremely capable and young leader who already accomplished so much for humanity in his humble but fortright manner as the strong, visionary, and compassionate helmsman steering NGIC to the enabling centre of world affairs, in a most sage manner in emulation of the historic Nizami Ganjavi himself. His very premature passing is an incalculable loss not just to his team, NGIC, and his beloved Azerbaijan, but to the world at large, and to the cause of multilateralism, peace, security and human dignity. May he rest in peace and the embrace of his Creator, and long may his memory and deeds be cherished by his family, friends, and by all of us who had the great privilege to know him. 🙏♥️🇦🇿

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

Ouch!

[Fox News @FoxNews]

"You're f****** crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your a***. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this."

That's what a U.S. official tells Axios President Trump unloaded on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a heated phone call over Israel's military actions in Lebanon.

Trump was reportedly furious that Israel's moves risked blowing up U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region, at one point also asking Netanyahu: "What the f*** are you doing?"

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

@IsraelMFA Says the country that denies statehood to the Palestinian people, invades its neighbours and flouts international law and human rights?

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

Bernie rightly says AI is the based on the collective intelligence of humanity - but not just Americans!!! Therefore his proposal to create an American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund is a direct colonial if not American imperialist raid on what would much better be the right and heritage of ALL humanity. Let the equity and income involved be owned by the United Nations, not America - which by the way is US$4 billion in arrears it owes to the UN - while its current government wastes and ravages multilateral institutions. Better transform his proposal into a global digital tax to benefit all humanity. @pass_blue @mfespinosaEC @grynspan_r85251 @NizamiGanjaviIC @UNAUK @nytimes

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

@yanisvaroufakis @grynspan_r85251 @mfespinosaEC @rafaelmgrossi @JDRnow @GarySlutkin1 @vestager @pass_blue

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

Its worse that that. Bernie rightly says AI is the based on the collective intelligence of humanity - not just Americans!!! Therefore his proposal to create an American Sovereign Wealth Fund is a direct colonial if not American imperialist raid on what would much better be the the right and heritage of ALL humanity. Let the equity and income involved be owned by the United Nations, not America - which by the way is US$4 billion in arrears it owes to the UN

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

Its worse that that. Bernie rightly says AI is the based on the collective intelligence of humanity - not just Americans!!! Therefore his proposal to create an American Sovereign Wealth Fund is a direct colonial if not American imperialist raid on what would much better be the the right and heritage of ALL humanity. Let the equity and income involved be owned by the United Nations, not America - which by the way is US$4 billion in arrears it owes to the UN

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

@declanganley Agreed. Strongly

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

In memoriam: Tomi #Reichental passed away today at the age of 90 years. Before he made public his Belsen survival story, which took him away to celebrity status, he was a very good jeweller for my late father and our family, fond of our Jerusalem reminiscences. Tomi was born 1935 in Piestany, #Slovakia (where I served as SMOM ambassador 2009-2013). At the age of nine he was sent to Bergen-Belsen with several members of his family. After liberation, the Reichentals returned to the family home in Merašice, but when Tomi was fourteen they emigrated to Israel. Later, he studied engineering in Germany and after qualification came to Ireland in 1959 to work. He married an Irish girl in 1961 and they had three sons. Tomi never spoke about his Belsen experience until recent years, but thereafter spent much of his time lecturing in schools, colleges, universities and to other interested groups, including the Dáil and army camps, in Ireland and elsewhere about his experience of the Holocaust.
He worked tirelessly to combat anti-semitism, xenophobia and racism. May he rest in peace and his life be celebrated for his commitment to the cause of reconciliation and highlighting the futility of hatred. Our condolences to his family, to my good friend Stuart Rosenblatt (genealogist of the Jewish community in Ireland), and to the Jewish community, as well as his friends in Israel and Slovakia @OBrienPress @SlovakiaMFA @HMcEntee @dfatirl @SVKembassyIRL @Tzipi_Livni @AGatnar @RachelMoiselle @Holocaust_Irl @MerriganMl @Sasha_Etkind @GarySlutkin1

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

@Irishchutzpah Sincerest sympathies. Tommy was a great human being. May he rest in peace and glory.

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

Not so obvious, and not so fast. Read this @ForeignAffairs article by Michael Beckley who argues “Middle powers are not becoming more visible because they are more powerful. They are becoming more visible because they are more exposed. The conditions that allowed many of them to flourish in recent decades are eroding. For years, they could shelter under U.S. hegemony, exploit an expanding global economy, and trade with rival powers without choosing among them. They could reap the benefits of scale without possessing it themselves. That world is disappearing. Growth has slowed, globalization has become a contest over chokepoints, and great powers have grown more predatory. The United States is increasingly willing to use its dominance to extract concessions. China is using subsidies and export gluts to deindustrialize other countries, debt and infrastructure to make them dependent, and military harassment and economic sanctions to narrow their choices. The result is not a flatter world of ascendant middle powers but a harsher one in which the two top powers have more ways to bend others to their will.” So, whither the EU in that case? @HMcEntee @ThomasByrneTD @danobrien20 And, what, realistically, can Ireland’s imminent EU Presidency achieve?

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

Pleinement d’accord avec la sagesse de votre optique, et d’ailleurs un certain nombre des politiciens Israëliens, y compris d’anciens chefs de Mossad et de Shin Bet seront prèsque du même avis, et contre les politiques extremistes des criminels de guerre Netanyahu, Ben Gvir et Smotrich. @CIJ_ICJ @UNSCO_MEPP

[F. M. O'Donnell @fmod1]

@DavQuinn @Niall_Boylan What an incredibly useless and shallow critique! Please define your arbitrary terms to justify this opinionated remark. Our diverse politics alone would not bear out your view. Otherwise your opinion makes zero contribution to Ireland’s “intellectual life”.