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Taiwan will strengthen its defences ‌of the Pratas as China steps up its activities ​around the islands which lie ‌at the top end of the South China ‌Sea, the minister in ⁠charge of ‌Taiwan's coastguard said Thursday.Lying roughly ‌between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Pratas are seen by some ⁠security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance - more than 400km (250 miles) - from mainland Taiwan.The Pratas, an atoll which is also a Taiwanese national park, are only lightly defended by Taiwan, and its coastguard has that responsibility rather than the military. China claims the Pratas, and Taiwan, as its own territory.Kuan Bi-ling, head ​of Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council, said China was gradually expanding the maritime areas in which it carries out "grey zone harassment" - referring to non-combat operations designed to put ‌pressure on Taiwan such ⁠as coastguard patrols.Since last ​year, the number of Chinese government boats, which include the ​coastguard, has increased around the Pratas, whereas previously activity was concentrated around Taiwan itself and the Kinmen islands, which sit close to the Chinese coast, she added."From a political and strategic perspective, we have found that for them, seizing Dongsha would carry considerable strategic significance," Kuan said, using the name both Taiwan and China use for the Pratas.Taiwan has renovated the wharf on the main island and will regularly deploy vessels with greater operational capacity there, she added, ‌in comments to the Taiwan ‌Foreign Correspondents' Club."Dongsha is an ⁠excellent and highly important site for the development of an island defence ⁠system, and we currently ⁠have plans to develop this," Kuan said, without giving details.China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.In January, Taiwan said a Chinese reconnaissance drone briefly flew over the Pratas, in what Taiwan's defence ministry called a "provocative and irresponsible" move.Kuan said China's pressure campaign "lets down people ​on both sides of the Taiwan Strait", given it drains resources from other things such as rescuing mariners in distress.In time of war, Taiwan coastguard ships would be pressed into action, including its new Anping-class corvettes, which are based on the navy's Tuo Chiang-class warships and have space to install anti-ship missiles.Kuan said China was also giving Taiwan an opportunity to learn."As a result, we are accelerating our efforts to strengthen our ‌capabilities and to ​speed up the transition between peacetime and wartime readiness," she said. 

French analysts and experts have affirmed that the Israeli attack targeting residential headquarters of several Hamas leaders in Doha on Tuesday is unjustifiable and contradicts all international conventions, treaties, and diplomatic norms. In exclusive statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), the analysts stressed that such "aggressive acts" committed by the Israeli occupation at this critical time undermine the peace process and inflame tensions in the Middle East.They pointed out that the State of Qatar is a reliable compass in the geography of diplomacy, based on a culture of respect, cooperation, solidarity, and peace. For this reason, they stated that Qatar deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, not this unjust and treacherous attack.In this context, a strategic political analyst specializing in French and European affairs Yves Sintomer said that condemning this Israeli attack on Doha is the least any rational, peace-loving person can do, adding that what Israel has done is unjustifiable and contradicts all international treaties and diplomatic norms.This unjust attack comes at a critical time and undermines the peace process in the Middle East, especially with the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and considering Qatar's role as a serious and reliable peace mediator in the region, Sintomer said. Sintomer stressed the need for the international community to act to review the mechanisms for upholding international law and preventing violations, especially in light of this attack and the repeated violations committed by Israel in Gaza, Palestine, Lebanon, and other neighboring countries in the Middle East.Strategic expert in international relations and former director of the Africa and Middle East region at the French Development Agency Jean-Bernard Veron condemned the Israeli attack targeting the residential headquarters of several Hamas leaders in Doha, describing it as a new addition to a series of violations committed by Israel in the Middle East, disregarding even the most basic rules of international law.He said that if repeated Israeli violations of international laws continue, then these laws and treaties will lose their meaning and value, and will be repeatedly violated and disrespected by other nations, which will ultimately drag the region in the near future into endless conflicts, violence, and dangerous wars whose consequences and results are unknown.In a related context, Veron emphasized to QNA the significant role that the State of Qatar played and continues to play in mitigating tensions and conflicts in the Middle East, Asia, and even Africa through its effective contributions to the peace process and its promotion of a culture of dialogue and solidarity. For his part, financial and economic analyst and expert at Sorbonne University Dr. Camille Sari said that the Israeli attack on Doha is a rash and reckless reaction.It clearly demonstrates the confusion of Netanyahu and his extremist government, and their attempt to escape through the systematic killing, genocide, and starvation they are practicing in Gaza, he added. They also attempt to drag the region into a wider war and an endless wave of violence, because they know and are well aware that as soon as the war in Gaza ends, they and their extremist government will be tried and held accountable, he pointed out.He explained that the majority of Israeli society opposes Netanyahu's violations of international law, the Israeli army's genocide and starvation in Gaza, and the repeated attacks on Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries, including the recent treacherous attack on Doha.They also want the war to end.Dr. Sari emphasized that Qatar plays a pivotal role in advancing the peace process not only in the Middle East but also globally, as evidenced by US President Donald Trump himself. He further said that Israel is a criminal and rogue state that has no respect for international law or treaties, and therefore does not hesitate to do anything to demonstrate its strength and arrogance. He pointed out that the most prominent evidence of this is its cold-blooded and deliberate killing of children and journalists, without any fear of accountability.