Holy city

• Australia’s minister for foreign affairs, Penny Wong, has announced Australia will return to use of the term “occupied Palestinian territories”.
• Australian officials have generally avoided the use of “occupied” and “occupation” in relation to Palestine since 2014.
• This move by Australia is an important means of signalling condemnation of Israel’s expansion of illegal settlements on Palestinian lands.

The position under international law

• Since the United Nations (UN) was established in 1945, the status of Palestine has been a perennial question of modern international law.
• In 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gave an advisory opinion on the implications of Israel’s construction of a wall in the occupied Palestinian territories.




Read more:
'I can live with either one': Palestine, Israel and the two-state solution

The General Assembly also took the significant step of requesting a new advisory opinion from the ICJ on the legal implications of Israel’s continuing occupation. In January 2023 the UN secretary-general submitted the following questions to the ICJ:
The ICJ is now reviewing submissions by UN member states on these questions. It is likely some submissions will explicitly raise the question of whether Israel’s policies and practices in Palestine amount to the crime of apartheid.

What happens now?

• Based on extensive precedent in international law and practice, the ICJ will surely conclude that Israel remains in illegal occupation of Palestine.
• Australia, along with all UN member states, is obliged to promote respect for international law and universal human rights.

• Millions of men, women and children have converged on Mecca this week for the Hajj pilgrimage.
• The Hajj pilgrimage is, at its core, a pilgrimage towards God.
• If God is beyond time and space, then what is the purpose of travelling to a particular place?

A transformative experience

• It is a communal act that strengthens ties of kinship between Muslims in a way that resembles nothing else.
• When the pilgrims prepare to don the Hajj attire, they discard more than their clothes.
• The experience can be transformative, particularly for those embarking on the pilgrimage for the first time.
• The renowned activist and minister Malcolm X was compelled to re-evaluate his views on race in the wake of his Hajj experience.

Road to Mecca fraught with challenges

• Granted, globalisation has drawn the world closer, denting the impact of encountering people from completely different walks of life.
• If the history of the Hajj pilgrimage has demonstrated anything, it is the road to Mecca is often fraught with challenges.
• The most recent challenges confronting potential pilgrims have been unforeseen, drastically altering the Hajj experience.

The struggle for getting a spot

• Those who had already made bookings were advised to immediately cancel them and register through Motawif.
• This would place the registrant into a lottery-type system, replacing the Hajj travel tours that had operated locally in these countries for many years.
• The Saudi administration claimed it was trying to remove the middle man and make the Hajj travel package process smoother and more affordable.
• In doing so, they step out beyond time, linking the past and present in an unbroken covenant with God.

• MADINAH, Saudi Arabia and LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Oct. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Holy City of Madinah has signed a Letter of Intent with the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) to join its SDG Cities Global Initiative.
• It is a clear recognition of the firm commitment of the Saudi city to be an inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable city.
• Madinah Region Development Authority has decided to begin the onboarding process for obtaining the required certification of SDG Cities Global Initiative.
• The SDG Cities Global Initiative is intended to catalyze local governments' sustainability efforts and build their capacity to localize the SDG.

• RLJ Lodging Trust (the Company) (NYSE: RLJ) today announced the relaunch on October 1, 2022 of The Mills House Hotel (Mills House), located in the heart of downtown Charlestons historic French Quarter neighborhood, following a transformative conversion to a lifestyle hotel and affiliation with the Curio Collection by Hilton.
• As Charlestons iconic and beloved pink landmark, Mills House exemplifies a commitment to Southern hospitality and a refined, welcoming guest experience.
• Guests visiting Mills House will experience modern, sophisticated design aesthetics with comfortable yet luxurious touches that elevate the Southern lifestyle.
• RLJ Lodging Trust is a self-advised, publicly traded real estate investment trust that owns primarily premium-branded, high-margin, focused-service and compact full-service hotels.