WASHINGTON: The most striking feature of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appearance in New York this week was not simply the hundreds of protesters outside the United Nations, or the diplomats who walked out when he began speaking; it was the people standing outside.

They included Palestini­ans and other Muslims, but also Jews, Christians, secular Americans, professors, artists and young activists, who all said they could no longer remain silent about the destruction in Gaza.

Something fundamental appears to be changing in America. Younger Americans increasingly view Israel and the Palestinians differently from their parents and grandparents.

A Pew Research Center survey conducted in May found that only 18pc of Americans aged 18 to 29 had a favourable view of the Israeli government, compared with 47pc among those aged 65 and older. By contrast, 58pc of the youngest Americans had a favourable view of Palestinians, compared with 47pc among those 65 and older.

Devastating images from Gaza are reshaping young people’s views of Israel

However, only 13pc of young adults view Hamas favourably. That distinction is important because the polling shows that many younger Americans increasingly distinguish between Palestinians and Hamas, while becoming more critical of the Israeli government.

Shibley Telhami, a University of Maryland political scientist, notes that the images confronting younger Americans are vastly different from those that shaped earlier generations.

Older Americans came of age with memories of Israel’s creation after Holocaust and its early wars. Younger Americans have grown up watching Gaza on their phones — dead children, displaced families and destroyed neighbourhoods. For many, Gaza has become a formative political experience.

The shift is also visible among American Jews. Pew found in 2026 that 83pc of Jewish Americans viewed the Israeli people favourably, while 47pc expr­essed a favourable view of the Israeli government.

The relationship between Israel, its government and American Jewish identity is being debated more openly.

That debate was visible on the streets of New York. Manijeh Moradian, a professor of Iranian and Jewish heritage, told reporters the destruction of Gaza was being carried out “in our name, with our tax dollars” and that people had a responsibility to speak out.

Jewish organisations also held demonstrations near the UN. Groups including T’ruah, J Street, the New Israel Fund, the New York Jewish Agenda and Partners for Progressive Israel criticised Netanyahu’s government. At another protest organised by Jewish Voice for Peace, police arrested more than 100 people.

Some protesters identify with liberal Zionism; others reject Zionism entirely. But they share opposition to Netanyahu’s government and the conflict in Gaza.

Inside the UN, dozens of delegations walked out as Netanyahu began speaking.

The prime minister defended Israel’s military campaign, rejected allegations of genocide and accused his critics of hypocrisy. He also turned his attention to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom he accused of antisemitism and spreading falsehoods.

Mamdani responded after the speech, accusing Netanyahu of repeating “baseless lies meant to sanitise his genocide of Palestinians”. He added that Netanyahu remained the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Shortly before Netanyahu’s speech, Mamdani planted an olive tree at Gracie Mansion with Palestinian families from Gaza.

“May peace be our future,” he wrote alongside a video of the ceremony. The gesture, occurring as Netanyahu addressed the UN and attacked him by name, offered a starkly different image of how the Gaza tragedy was being remembered in New York.

The exchange illustrated a larger change. Israel’s relationship with America is no longer debated only in terms of its security or right to exist. Increasingly, especially among younger Americans, the question is what Israel is doing now.

While the generational divide is not absolute and attitudes remain sharply divided by party and ideology, the age gap is clear.

For a generation growing up with Gaza on its screens, Israel is being judged not primarily by the history that shaped their parents’ views, but by the images and events shaping their own lives.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2026

KARACHI: State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad on Friday launched the Pasban Remittance Reward Scheme, under which the banking industry will offer Rs16 billion in annual cash prizes to recipients of home remittances sent through formal channels, with no cost to the national exchequer.

The scheme, launched under the auspices of the Pakistan Banks Association (PBA) and developed under the patronage of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), is aimed at encouraging overseas Pakistanis to send money through formal banking channels. It will distribute Rs4bn in prizes every quarter to 2,521 winners, or more than 10,000 winners annually.

Each quarterly draw will offer one top prize of Rs100 million, 20 prizes of Rs25m each, 100 prizes of Rs10m and 2,400 prizes of Rs1m.

The scheme rewards the person receiving the remittance in Pakistan instead of the sender abroad. Partici­pation is automatic and free, with no application, registration, ticket purchase or minimum-balance requirement.

To qualify, a beneficiary must receive home remittances equivalent to at least $100 into an eligible bank account or wallet in each of the three months of a quarter.

The number of entries increases with the value of each qualifying remittance. For example, a $260 remittance earns three entries, while $1,000 earns 10. There is no upper limit on the number of entries that an eligible account can earn.

However, cash collected over the counter will not qualify, as the remittance must be credited directly to an eligible account or wallet. Roshan Digital Account inflows and remittances credited to foreign-currency accounts are also excluded.

The first qualifying period will run from Oct 1 to Dec 31, 2026, and the first draw is scheduled for Jan 15, 2027.

Prizes other than the top award will be distributed through regional pools, with 50 per cent allocated to remittances originating from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, 15pc each to the United Kingdom and Europe, and 10pc each to North America and other countries.

The Rs100m first prize will be open to eligible beneficiaries regardless of the country from which the remittance was sent.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, the SBP governor said workers’ remittances were the backbone of millions of families, helping meet household expenses and supporting education, healthcare and investment.

Mr Ahmad said Pakistan’s external account position had improved substantially and SBP’s foreign exchange rese­rves have jumped to $21.4bn from below $3bn in February 2023.

He said the strengthening of foreign exchange buffers had been driven primarily by purchases from the market rather than accumulation of external debt.

Meanwhile, workers’ remittances reached a record $41.6bn in FY26 compared to $21.7bn in FY19, nearly doubling over the period.

Mr Ahmad said the government and SBP had over the years introduced various Home Remittance Incentive Schemes to encourage the use of formal channels. As those programmes expanded and their cost increased, the authorities began moving towards “a more sustainable, market-oriented model” funded in coordination with the banking industry.

He said Pasban represented another step in that transition and would help maintain the attractiveness of formal remittance channels while recognising the contribution of overseas Pakistanis.

The scheme’s terms and conditions state that Pasban builds on systems previously used for the Sohni Dharti Remittance Programme, which has been discontinued. Pasban is a separate scheme and points or rewards accumulated under Sohni Dharti will not be transferred to it.

PBA Chief Executive and Secretary General Muneer Kamal said Pasban built on a remitter incentive funded by banks since July 2026, taking the banking industry’s annual commitment towards remittance-related support to close to Rs100bn.

The draw process will be operated by 1LINK through an algorithm-based random selection system without manual intervention, while the entry-generation and draw systems will be independently audited.

Prize money will be placed in escrow at the National Bank of Pakistan before each draw. Winners will be contacted by their banks and results will also be announced publicly without disclosing personal details.

After verification, prizes will be credited in rupees to the winning accounts and applicable withholding tax will be deducted at source.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2026

According to a source close to the prime minister, PM Shehbaz extended the invitation for dialogue, but no response had so far been received from the opposition leader. “Yes [the PM has invited Mr Achakzai], but nothing yet [from the opposition side],” the source said.

A Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) spokesman conf­irmed that the opposition leader had received the prime minister’s invitation.

Before the latest invitation, the prime minister had already invited Mr Achakzai on Sept 11 for mandatory consultation on the appointment of a new chief election commi­ssioner (CEC).

Prime Minister Sheh­baz, who is currently in the United States to attend the UN General Assembly, is expected to return within a few days.

Before the prime minister’s first invitation to Mr Achakzai over the appointment of the CEC, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had urged both the prime minister and the opposition leader to sit together for consultations on the appointment of a new CEC.

Under Article 213(2A) of the Constitution, the prime minister is required to consult the opposition leader in the National Assembly and forward three names for the appointment of the chief election commissioner to a parliamentary committee, which hears the candidates and confirms one of them.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2026

ISLAMABAD: Federal Infor­mation Technology and Teleco­mmunication Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Friday that around 5.91 million citizens had been registered under the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme since its launch.

Addressing a news conference along with Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, she said over 6.18 million fuel relief tokens had been generated, of which 4.79m had been successfully redeemed.

Reiterating that the government had removed the five-litre limit for motorcycles, rickshaws and Qingqi following public feedback, she said the ownership requirement had also been remo­ved for motorcycle and rickshaw users who used rented vehicles.

She said that amid volatility in global oil markets resulting from regional tensions in the Middle East, the fuel relief scheme was aimed at providing direct and targeted relief to citizens most affected by rising fuel costs.

She reiterated that the scheme provided fuel relief to eligible two- and three-wheelers, including motorcycles, Qingqi and rickshaws, as well as cars up to 800cc.

The scheme had been designed to ensure that relief reached eligible citizens through a simple, transparent and technology-enabled mechanism.

The IT minister also displayed a live dashboard showing the total number of registrations, tokens generated and redeemed, as well as the provincial breakdown of the figures.

Token figures

The province- and region-wise breakdown of redeemed tokens included 210,032 in Islamabad Capital Territory, 3.07m in Punjab, 1.21m in Sindh, 267,460 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 6,761 in Balo­chi­stan, 23,796 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 4,845 in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The minister underscored that the figures reflected the broad outreach of the scheme, with eligible citizens across all provinces and regions availing themselves of fuel relief.

She said a 24/7 control room at the IT and Telecommunication Ministry was monitoring implementation of the scheme across the country.

The control room was overseeing the process from registration and token generation to redemption, with a focus on ensuring transparency and timely resolution of issues.

She said citizens facing any difficulty or requiring assistance regarding the scheme could call 9771 or visit the official website pmfuelrelief.pk for information and support.

Ms Fatima said provincial governments and their administrations were playing an important role in overseeing the programme.

She said around three meetings were being held daily to monitor its implementation, while officials were also present on the ground.

She said she had personally visited petrol stations where people were facing problems and observed the implementation of the scheme.

Awareness campaigns

The minister thanked petrol pump dealers, oil marketing companies and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) for facilitating citizens under the scheme and urged petrol pump staff to assist eligible people with registration and provide information about the facility.

She said the government was conducting awareness campaigns and would also use the media to reach more people, particularly those affected by higher petrol prices.

The minister said the government was also monitoring petrol stations through a live GIS map to identify facilities being used and address problems.

Regarding older motorcycles, Ms Fatima said she had seen very few cases involving motorcycles registered before 2006.

She added that there were some old cars, including Suzuki FX models, but said most of the people targeted by the subsidy were receiving the facility.

She said the scheme was continuing smoothly and petrol pumps were being paid within a 24-hour cycle.

With input from APP

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2026