Since the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas on Israel, West Asia has become the epicentre of geopolitical strife. Each day brings new sensational developments that quickly overshadow previous events. However, amidst the ongoing war in Gaza, a notable development has garnered the attention of geopolitical analysts, security experts, and Middle East observers. Fourteen distinct Palestinian political factions, including Hamas and Fatah, united to sign a pact aimed at bolstering unity to put an end to their yearslong ongoing rivalry.

"Palestine was ‘twice-promised’ to Jews - first by the Bible and another by the Balfour Declaration".
 

The Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), a UN body on maritime issues, had called upon contracting states to work on two Protocols and introduce substantial amendments aimed at strengthening the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation also known as the SUA Convention. The SUA convention has been adopted by 126 countries representing 82 percent of the world's merchant fleet and provides for an appropriate response to the risks posed to maritime navigation by international terrorism.