English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 23/2022
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

The Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2021/english.december23.22.htm

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Bible Quotations For today
I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 12/44-47/:’Then Jesus cried aloud: ‘Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 22-23/2022/
Lebanese Journalists,Tony Francis, Ali Hamada, As’ad Bechara, Charles Jabbour: Hizbullah Responsible For Death Of Irish UNIFIL Soldier/MEMRI/December 22/2022
Hezbollah to remove facilities near Rmeish after accusations of encroachment
Abul Gheit says Arab League ready to play its role in Lebanese dialogue
Berri meets Arab League’s Aboul Gheit in Ain El-Tineh
Judicial Council dismisses electoral appeals of Jad Ghosn, Haidar Issa
Mikati says sweeping reforms still needed despite return to growth
Report: Arab, Western officials to meet in Paris over Lebanon
Dollar surge causes medicine and baby milk shortages at pharmacies
Geagea meets MP Abou Faour dispatched by Jumblatt
Lebanon’s Ministry of Tourism signs MoU with Lebanon Traveler
Mikati broaches political developments and bilateral ties with German Ambassador
Bou Habib meets with US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs in Washington
Holberton software engineering school brings its capacity-building programs to Lebanon in partnership with LAU
Lebanon drinks giant Kassatly Chtaura reveals plans to open factory in Cyprus
Parents of 2020 Beirut blast victim drive Christmas initiative to help feed Lebanon's poor
Lebanon PM says sweeping reforms still needed despite return to growth
Why Lebanon lacks a cohesive Sunni bloc/Sami Moubayed/December 22, 2022
Lebanese Journalists,Tony Francis, Ali Hamada, As'ad Bechara, Charles Jabbour: Hizbullah Responsible For Death Of Irish UNIFIL Soldier/MEMRI/December 22/2022
Why are there so few answers to Irish peacekeeper’s murder in Lebanon?
Lebanese Columnist, Tony Francis : The Death Of The Irish Soldier Was The First Price Paid By UNIFIL For The Amendment To Resolution 1701/MEMRI/December 22/2022
Lebanese Journalist, Ali Hamada The Killing Of The Irish Soldier Was Intentional; Hizbullah Uses South Lebanon As A Forward Operating Base For Iran Against Israel/MEMRI/December 22/2022
Lebanese Journalist: As'ad Bechara: It Is Hizbullah That Controls South Lebanon And Initiates Operations Against UNIFIL Forces/MEMRI/December 22/2022
Lebanese Politician:, Charles Jabbour: The International Community And UNIFIL Are Capitulating To Hizbullah And Covering Up The Non-Implementation Of Resolution 1701/MEMRI/December 22/2022
Hezbollah’s UNIFIL ambush with impunity from the world breeds terror/Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/December 22/2022
What Christmas is all about!/Charlie Brown/December 22/2022.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 22-23/2022/
US hits more Iranian officials with human rights sanctions
Italian MPs approve resolution condemning Iran for death sentences
Iran used unlawful deadly force against protesters in ‘Bloody Friday’ massacre: HRW
Russia’s Wagner Group denies US claims it tried to buy weapons from North Korea for use in Ukraine
Putin Hints Russian Army Is Struggling Amid Reports Of Belarusian Intervention
White House: Russia's Wagner received arms from North Korea
Ukraine's 'cat and mouse' battle to keep Russian missiles at bay
Russia scrubs Mariupol's Ukraine identity, builds on death
Netanyahu Informs President He Has Formed a Government
Chile president says planning to open embassy in Palestine
Netanyahu regime under US pressure to contain far-right tactics in West Bank
Palestinian militant killed in Israel West Bank incursion
Gaza Christians say travel curbs separate families at Christmas
Turkey, Saudi Arabia decry Taliban university ban for women
Explosion in northern Iraq kills two soldiers, injures three

Titles For The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 22-23/2022/
Saudi Arabia Welcomes China's Xi as US Snubs Allies, Courts Enemies/Lawrence A. Franklin/Gatestone Institute/December 22, 2022
Designate the Iranian regime’s paramilitary group as a terror organization/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arabg News/December 23, 2022
After 300 days of war in Ukraine, what next?/Andrew Hammond/Arab News/December 23, 2022
Democracy in Israel/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/December 22, 2022

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 22-23/2022/
من موقع ميمري: الصحافيون طوني فرنسيس وعلي حمادة واسعد بشارة وشارل جبور: حزب الله يتحمل مسؤولية مقتل الجندي الإيرلندي في جنوب لبنان
Lebanese Journalists,Tony Francis, Ali Hamada, As’ad Bechara, Charles Jabbour: Hizbullah Responsible For Death Of Irish UNIFIL Soldier/MEMRI/December 22/2022
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/114276/lebanese-journaliststony-francis-ali-hamada-asad-bechara-charles-jabbour-hizbullah-responsible-for-death-of-irish-unifil-soldier-%d9%85%d9%86-%d9%85%d9%88%d9%82%d8%b9-%d9%85%d9%8a%d9%85%d8%b1/

Hezbollah to remove facilities near Rmeish after accusations of encroachment
Najia Houssari/Arab News/December 22, 2022
BEIRUT: Hezbollah is to remove structures it was building close to the southern Lebanese town of Rmeish following pressure from residents and Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, who accused it of encroachment. The party’s Green Without Borders environmental organization has been told to remove all of the facilities, which encroached on properties owned by the Al-Ameel, Al-Alam and Al-Hajj families. The developments had angered local people, municipal authorities and religious leaders.
Rmeish is located in the far south of Lebanon, about 135 km from Beirut in Bint Jbeil district. It is the largest parish of the Maronite diocese of Tyre. Father Najib Al-Ameel from Rmeish said: “Since the encroachment took place on property on the outskirts of the town, I went with a delegation of locals to those locations and demanded that such violations stop. However, those who were present insulted us and refused our demands, and even threatened some of us.” Residents earlier this week accused “the de facto forces in the region of encroaching on lands belonging to the people of Rmeish and threatening some of the owners.”“These forces bulldozed large areas of land, uprooted trees, erected structures and used heavy equipment to dig in forests belonging to the people of Rmeish,” they said. “All of this is taking place under the nose of the Lebanese army, which operates in an area subject to Resolution 1701 in the south.”
The Maronite patriarch joined the call for an end to the encroachments and all similar practices that harm coexistence and could lead to an escalation of tensions. It is unusual for Hezbollah to bow to such pressure, especially in the south, which is considered an incubator for the party.
Rmeish is located within the area of operation of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon and is subject to UN Resolution 1701, which was issued in 2006 following Israeli aggression against Lebanon. It calls for “security arrangements to prevent the resumption of hostilities, including the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani River of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL.”It also calls for a “full implementation of the relevant provisions of the Taif Accords, and of resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006), that require the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon.” Lawmaker Saeed Al-Asmar, from the southern Jezzine district, said: “We hope such shameful acts will not be repeated because they will have devastating consequences as we will never accept to be weakened or insulted.”He described the encroachments in Rmeish as “unacceptable.”“We are counting on the intervention of the security services to deal with these blatant violations, although we know they will not be able to confront the ministate in light of the state’s complete impotence,” he said. Hezbollah’s media office said: “What happened was a small issue, not a big deal. It was immediately resolved. The media exaggerated the issue.” Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing into the attack on a UNIFIL vehicle and the death of an Irish peacekeeper in the southern coastal town of Al-Aqabiya, which lies outside the scope of UNIFIL operations.
A Lebanese security source told Arab News that the suspects were Lebanese nationals who went into hiding following the incident but were later arrested. Fingers were pointed at Hezbollah as its supporters have a long history of attacking UNIFIL patrols.
Both UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army Intelligence Directorate are investigating the incident.

Abul Gheit says Arab League ready to play its role in Lebanese dialogue
Naharnet/December 22/2022
Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit said Thursday that Lebanon can not bear a presidential vacuum and that the league is willing to play its role in a Lebanese dialogue. During the Arab Economic Forum in Beirut, Abul Gheit considered that the way to recovery is by electing a new president and making reforms, urging parties to rise above the divisions and to prioritize Lebanon's interests. Abul Gheit also called for maintaining an open and direct dialogue between all parties. "The Arab League has the willingness to do what it is asked to do in this regard," Abul Gheit said, adding that the Taif Accord remains an indispensable national pact for "stability and civil peace in Lebanon."

Berri meets Arab League’s Aboul Gheit in Ain El-Tineh
NNA/December 22, 2022
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Thursday welcomed at the Second Presidency in Ain El-Tineh the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Dr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in the presence of Assistant Secretary General of the Arab League, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, and the accompanying delegation. Discussions reportedly touched on the current general situation and the latest political and economic developments, especially the presidential elections’ deadline. Speaking to media representatives on emerging, Aboul Gheit said, "I had the honor to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri this morning. In fact, discussions majorly focused on the Lebanese situation and on how to get out of the current dire political-economic situation.” Aboul Gheit expressed his belief that despite all the Lebanese political and economic difficulties, Lebanon will certainly emerge from this crisis, saying this matter starts with electing the president of the republic and then launching the Lebanese economy’s mechanisms.

Judicial Council dismisses electoral appeals of Jad Ghosn, Haidar Issa
Naharnet/December 22/2022
The Judicial Council on Thursday dismissed the electoral appeals filed by Jad Ghosn in Northern Metn and Haidar Issa in Akkar. The rulings mean that MP Ahmed Rustom of Akkar and MPs Razi al-Hajj and Hagop Pakradounian of Northern Metn will keep their parliamentary seats. The Council had on November 24 annulled the parliamentary membership of Rami Fanj and Firas al-Salloum of Tripoli, declaring the win of Faisal Karami and Haidar Nasser.
The Council had dismissed six other appeals earlier this year.

Mikati says sweeping reforms still needed despite return to growth
Naharnet/December 22/2022
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Thursday that sweeping reforms remain vital to rescue the stricken economy, despite a return to modest growth this year. Mikati said the economy had grown by nearly two percent in 2022 after two straight years of severe recession that saw Gross Domestic Product fall by 25.9 percent in 2020 and by 10.5 percent in 2021, according to World Bank figures. He said increased revenues from tourism and a rise in remittances from Lebanese living abroad were factors behind the modest growth. He said the country was now "at a crossroads -- it will either mark the start of the economic revival we have been hoping for, or a dark decline."Mikati has led a caretaker government since a May general election failed to deliver a majority to either of Lebanon's rival power blocs. The political deadlock has deepened since end of October, when former president Michel Aoun's mandate ended without agreement on a successor. As caretaker leader, Mikati has limited powers and cannot deliver the sweeping reforms demanded by international lenders in exchange for releasing billions of dollars in bailout loans. "If a new president is elected swiftly and a new government formed that commits itself to real reforms... the country will begin to recover", Mikati told a business forum. "If not, God forbid, the economic stagnation will only get worse," he said.

Report: Arab, Western officials to meet in Paris over Lebanon
Naharnet/December 22/2022
A meeting over the Lebanese presidential file will be held in Paris, by the end of the year, al-Akhbar newspaper reported. The daily said Thursday that an American-French-Saudi-Qatari meeting is being prepared to discuss possible presidential candidates, adding that France has set a deadline for a political settlement to be reached. Informed sources have told al-Akhbar that France is still trying to involve Saudi Arabia in the Lebanese details, while the latter is still refusing to discuss candidate names. "KSA is holding to a list of conditions and has no intention to get involved in a settlement," the sources said, adding that Riyadh is only committed to the French-Saudi humanitarian fund. The Saudis and the Americans are not interested in the Lebanese file, despite the French and Qatari initiative, the daily said. Meanwhile, French affairs journalist Tammam Noureddine told al-Jadeed TV that none of the foreign countries is interested in the Lebanese file and that the American-French-Saudi-Qatari meeting won't be a high-level meeting. "The meeting will be attended by political advisors and will not involve any leaders," Noureddine said.

ISF denies 'Soldiers of God' intervened after robbery call
Naharnet/December 22/2022
The Internal Security Forces on Thursday denied claims by MP Paula Yacoubian alleging that the newly-formed hardline Christian group Soldiers of God had intervened following an alleged robbery in Ashrafieh. In a video circulated on social media, Yacoubian had said that a woman in Ashrafieh had called the relevant police station to report a robbery, after which young men from the Soldiers of God group arrived and told her that they had been "informed by the police station" about the incident. “After the gathering of information and a follow-up, it turned out that no call in this regard had been received by any of the Ashrafieh, Gemmayze or Nahr police stations,” the ISF said in a statement. “The Beirut Police Operations Room also did not receive any call from a woman in this regard,” the ISF added. Moreover, it stressed that it has “no relation or contact with the group mentioned by MP Yacoubian,” adding that the issue of the group is being “followed up” by the ISF and that it “rejects any idea based on the principle of vigilante groups.”And stressing its “commitment to preserving security and order” and “aiding citizens so that they enjoy serenity and safety,” the ISF called on Yacoubian to verify her information with ISF’s officers before making such statements.

Dollar surge causes medicine and baby milk shortages at pharmacies
Naharnet/December 22/2022
The head of the Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon, Joe Salloum, warned Wednesday that the dramatic surge in the dollar exchange rate on the black market has led to “a near-complete halt of the delivery of medicines and baby milk to pharmacies.”
Pharmacies are “gradually running out” of medicines and baby milk, Salloum cautioned. “As the head of the Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon, who is entrusted with the pharmaceutical sector and citizens’ health, I urge politicians in the country and the international community to rescue the patients and the health sector which is breathing its last breaths,” Salloum added. “Rescue starts with the election of a president for the republic to ensure the least level of financial and economic stability,” Salloum went on to say, warning that there could be “an inevitable collapse and a forced suspension of the entire pharmaceutical sector within days.”The black market dollar exchange rate has witnessed a dramatic surge over the past few days, reaching the record level of LBP 46,400 at around 4:30 pm Wednesday.''

Geagea meets MP Abou Faour dispatched by Jumblatt
NNA/December 22, 2022
Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, on Thursday met at the Party’s headquarters in Meerab with “Democratic Gathering” bloc MP Wael Abu Faour, dispatched by Progressive Socialist Party head, Walid Jumblatt, in the presence of “Strong Republic” bloc MP Melhem Riachy. Discussions reportedly touched on the latest political developments in the country, especially the the presidential elections’ dossier.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Tourism signs MoU with Lebanon Traveler
NNA/December 22, 2022
On December 9, 2022, Lebanon Traveler, the country’s top tourism reference and online platform, signed an MoU with the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism to support the latter in its various activities and campaigns, promoting Lebanon as a tourist destination. H.E. Walid Nassar, Lebanon’s Minister of Tourism, said: “We have a long-standing relationship with the team at Lebanon Traveler and look forward to some exciting collaborations that encourage even more people to visit our beautiful country in 2023.” Lebanon Traveler was established in 2011 by Hospitality Services, an event management and publishing company. As the country’s first tourism publication, it is committed to promoting the social, cultural, historical and natural wealth and diversity of Lebanon, which it achieves through its online platforms and magazine. Recognized as the go-to guide for domestic and international travelers interested in exploring Lebanon’s urban and rural gems, Lebanon Traveler’s website attracts over 20,000 users per month, while its social media platforms reach over 3.2 million accounts.
Joumana Dammous-Salame, managing director of Hospitality Services, said: “Through our events and online platforms, we will continue our efforts to promote all the amazing destinations across the country. The Ministry of Tourism’s support means a great deal to us, and we know we can achieve great things through positive dialog and collective action.”

Mikati broaches political developments and bilateral ties with German Ambassador
NNA/December 22, 2022
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Thursday received at the Grand Serail, German Ambassador to Lebanon, Andreas Kindl, where they discussed the latest political developments in Lebanon and the region, and the distinguished bilateral relations between the two countries. Caretaker Premier Mikati hailed the active role played by Ambassador Kindl in Lebanon and highly appreciated his undertaken efforts in developing the bilateral Lebanese-German relations in all domains. Mikati also hailed Germany's offers to rebuild some vital sectors, and its contributions to supporting the displaced Syrians and their host communities in Lebanon, making it the second largest donor country in this regard.

Bou Habib meets with US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs in Washington
NNA/December 22, 2022
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Dr. Abdallah Bou Habib, met with US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, at the headquarters of the US Department of State in Washington, where they discussed the latest developments on the Lebanese arena, especially the presidential elections, the anticipated reforms, in addition to the agreement with the International Monetary Fund and the displaced Syrians’ dossier.

Holberton software engineering school brings its capacity-building programs to Lebanon in partnership with LAU
NNA/December 22, 2022
In its latest move to enhance the career prospects of Lebanese youth in a globally competitive job market, LAU has signed an agreement with Holberton, a software engineering school founded in Silicon Valley with 27 campuses in five continents. The partnership was made possible by Lebanese businessman Alexandre Harkous who gifted LAU the Holberton Lebanon license he held through his fintech company StartechEUS. With student employability at the heart of Holberton’s approach, its graduates have landed jobs in software engineering across all industries and at top tech companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook, LinkedIn, IBM, Tesla and the like. The Holberton learning method provides Silicon Valley-level training for software development jobs. Based on the premise that computer engineering involves a mix of technical and soft skills, the school offers a collaborative project-based environment where students work with their peers across campuses. Students also have access to the Holberton network and alumni community. The courses are practical and are not taught by teachers. Instead, much like a real-job tech setup, students are given increasingly difficult tasks to solve. Guided by experts or faculty members, they draw on their soft skills – such as problem-solving, critical thinking, communication and teamwork – and rely on peer collaboration across campuses. In the process, they are continually upscaling their skillset. Classes are intensive and held daily. The admission process, like the learning methodology, consists of a series of mini-challenges that the student must complete to qualify.
By opening a Holberton school in Lebanon, one of the best capacity-building and training programs in computer engineering, LAU would be “empowering Lebanese technology-driven students, and giving them the opportunity to grow, thrive and realize their potential by equipping them with the required skills to compete in the local, regional and international markets,” said Dr. Elie Badr, vice president for Business Development and Global Affairs. In the current situation in the country, he added, “we believe that the impact of Holberton school programs will provide a positive role in the Lebanese economy.”
The programs will be housed at LAU’s Academy of Continuing Education, based on the Beirut campus, where a dedicated team of faculty and staff will provide support from a local perspective to software engineering issues, onboarding assistance during the first week, monitoring and guidance during Peer Learning Days, and mock interviews. The Holberton specialization programs, all based on three-month modules, are Machine Learning & AI (artificial intelligence), AR/VR (augmented and virtual reality), Web React, Blockchain & Cryptocurrency, Front-End Web Development and Back-End Web Development. As students gain deep knowledge in computer science, they will be able to build web servers or websites, implement a blockchain, create a mobile app or CRM dashboard, configure a bot or a chatbot, devise facial recognition and object detection codes, create video games, build marketplaces, create VR / standing VR experiences, and more. LAU-ACE is offering the programs at a more affordable price than any other Holberton campus around the world, and the university is working on securing full scholarships from different foundations to help Lebanese tech students enroll.
Launched in July 2020, Holberton Middle East has so far trained more than 90 students enrolled in different specialization programs. The first upcoming cohort at LAU-ACE will be starting with Blockchain as of March 6, 2023.
At the signing ceremony on December 20, Provost George E. Nasr, representing LAU President Michel E. Mawad who was called away on a trip, conveyed the president’s delight in the university’s association with Mr. Harkous and in this collaborative agreement “which is aligned with the university’s mission to help the workforce of tomorrow and meet the requirements of the new generation.” Mr. Harkous, who left Lebanon in 1985 for Paris and worked as a computer engineer in Europe and the US, returned to Lebanon in 2019, when he decided to purchase the Holberton Middle East license through his company StartechEUS. His reasons for doing so, he said, were because he “wanted to give back to his country and the Lebanese youth, secondly because nothing happens without technology nowadays, and thirdly because one had to be surrounded by the best people to deliver.”
Holberton, he added, is a sustainable school that is growing, and he was “more than happy to give it to LAU because we trust you to make sure that it helps the next generation.”While Holberton Lebanon was Mr. Harkous’ gift-in-kind to LAU, thanks to him and his team the university has also signed an agreement to operate Holberton New York on LAU’s academic center in Manhattan as of February 6. Commenting on these new venues, the CEO of the Holberton School Network Florian Bucher recently said: “We are very proud of this partnership with a great organization and great people at LAU. With these two new openings In Lebanon and New York, I really want to establish a strong partnership with LAU to join our strengths. We have more than 10 years’ experience training great software engineers in Silicon Valley, Europe and Latin America, and LAU has a very strong network and a great community of students in the Middle East.” -- LAU

Lebanon drinks giant Kassatly Chtaura reveals plans to open factory in Cyprus
Jamie Prentis/The National/December 22/2022
CEO says 2021 Saudi ban on Lebanese imports was spark behind the move.
One of Lebanon’s largest drinks producers is to set up a factory in nearby Cyprus to meet rising international demand.
But while the plan had been in the offing for a while, Nayef Kassatly, chief executive of Kassatly Chtaura, said a 2021 Saudi ban on Lebanese imports was the spark that triggered the move.
Kassatly Chtaura produces an array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages that are sold in Lebanon, the wider region and elsewhere, and is credited with introducing bottled jallab syrup to Lebanon in the 1980s. Mr Kassatly said the firm’s factory in Chtaura, Bekaa Vallery, did not have sufficient capacity to meet a surge in Middle Eastern and European demand for the carbonated non-alcoholic drink Freeze. The move, Mr Kassatly said, would strengthen the company’s presence in Europe and perhaps pave the way to the US as a future potential market. He said the decision to set up at the 50,000 square metre area, expected to be up and running towards the end next year, near Limassol was also prompted by tax incentives. He was keen to stress that this was an expansion — expected to double production — and not a move away from Lebanon. “I need to emphasise and stress on the point that it's not a relocation at all, it's an expansion to strengthen our roots at home,” he insisted. About 100 jobs are expected to be created — a 50 per cent split between Lebanese and Cypriots. Amid a 2021 diplomatic row between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, Riyadh banned Lebanese imports. While tensions have cooled and the Saudi ambassador has returned to Beirut, Lebanese exports have not returned. “The expansion plan was always there but what really triggered it and put it back on the table was the Saudi embargo” said Mr Kassatly, whose father Akram established the company in 1974. "Saudi represented 20 per cent of our exports; losing 20 per cent of your exports was a big hit for us. “Fortunately for us, Freeze was booming everywhere else, and we had the excess in demand. But you know, when you lose a market it's not a fun thing to do. It was a reason to do this expansion outside Lebanon. It gave us a wake-up call to spread the risk.
“You know, we're in a volatile country, it's true, but it's our home. And we will, we will resist, we will maintain our presence. But having this insurance cushion across the Mediterranean half an hour away was not a bad idea.” A devastating economic crisis that first became apparent in 2019 has pushed many in import-reliant Lebanon into poverty, with the local currency losing more than 95 per cent of its value against the US dollar. There are widespread shortages in basic essentials including electricity, clean water and medicine. But Mr Kassatly said the company was used to dealing with electricity problems in Lebanon, and relied on generators to regulate its supply while also looking into solar panels. He said: “For 25 years we’ve been producing our own electricity, it's an ongoing problem that we that we've been juggling with.”

Parents of 2020 Beirut blast victim drive Christmas initiative to help feed Lebanon's poor
Jamie Prentis/The National/December 22/2022
Alexandra Naggear was one of the youngest victims of the August 4 explosion two years ago.
It’s the third Christmas since the deadly 2020 Beirut Port blast, but the memory of three-year-old Alexandra Naggear — one of the explosion's youngest victims — continues to spread solidarity in Lebanon as the country grapples with a devastating economic crisis.
Now in its third year, Alexandra’s Christmas Initiative has helped raise more than $70,000 and received food donations to help feed those in need during the holiday period.
The initiative has been organised by Paul and Tracy Naggear, Alexandra’s parents. They are two of the most prominent faces in the campaign for justice over the August 4 blast which killed more than 215 people, injured thousands and destroyed large parts of Beirut. It occurred after a huge stock of ammonium nitrate, left in storage at the port for years, caught fire. The blast is viewed as a symptom of the country's many systemic problems, including corruption and mismanagement — so far, no senior officials have been held accountable for the blast and a judicial investigation has been stalled for a year.
“It was difficult for us to come back to our apartment in Gemmayze, even back to the neighbourhood, after the blast,” Paul says. “Tracy’s idea was; let’s do something positive and good that would allow us and the other people in our neighbourhood and in the neighbourhoods affected by the blast to come back.”
Gemmayze, a lively and popular area of East Beirut near to the port, was particularly hard hit by the blast and the impact of August 4, 2020 can still be seen on the neighbourhood today. “We thought that cooking for others and distributing food during this period of the year — particularly in December after the blast where things were very gloomy still, it was a dark period for Beirut — we thought that it would be good to bring some hope, some joy to the heavily affected areas, and to ask people to cook from their homes and distribute food,” said Paul. “So, this is where the where the idea started. And of course, for us it was doing good in the name of our daughter.” Lebanon is struggling with the effects of a financial crisis — that first became apparent in 2019 — that has been described by the World Bank as one of the worst in modern history. Much of the population has been plunged into poverty, there are widespread shortages in basic essentials including clean water, electricity and medicines, and many have their life savings trapped in the banks amid informal capital controls. “Our main motivation this year was to really bring back a sense of solidarity and, and responsibility towards one another,” says Paul.
“You can’t imagine … there is such a great energy around this campaign. There's 450 donors, which is huge.
“There's so many messages that we receive from people, the expats coming back, the Lebanese that are here that want to volunteer, that want to help in any way and are sending us messages: ‘You guys are giving us strength and hope during this time of year. How can we help? How can we contribute?’”
Moving forward, the plan is to better formalise and structure the good work being done by setting up the Alexandra Foundation.
“We want to do more, we don't want to do just food distribution, and gifts and toys for children during the end-of-year period. We want to be able to actually contribute to projects that are not only one off initiatives. “So, we've set three priorities that our food safety, education and employment — particularly for women.”And on Friday as part of the initiative from 11am to 3pm in Gemmayze, the Naggear’s have organised a blood donation campaign in collaboration with local NGO Donner Sang Compter — an association which supported both Tracy’s mother in 2014 when she was sick and when Alexandra was in the hospital after the 2020 blast. Last Christmas’s campaign saw more than 14,000 meals distributed to families in need, 2,500 gifts and toys offered to children, and the mobilisation of more than 100 volunteers who came together to put everything into action. Paul recalls the Christmases he has with Alexandra as “very joyful memories”. “As for any kid, she was super happy. We used to make a big deal out of it. “Every day for the week before Christmas, we put a small gift for her under the tree. She would be super excited … very joyful moments.”The theme of the initiative this year is solidarity as the economic crisis tightens its grip on Lebanon and makes life increasingly difficult. “That's the general idea of solidarity, responsibility. And all of that, for Tracy and I, is doing good in the name of Alexandra.”

Lebanon PM says sweeping reforms still needed despite return to growth
AFP/December 22, 2022
Increased revenues from tourism and rise in remittances factors behind modest growth
Beirut: Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Thursday that sweeping reforms remain vital to rescue the stricken economy, despite a return to modest growth this year. Mikati said the economy had grown by nearly two percent in 2022 after two straight years of severe recession that saw Gross Domestic Product fall by 25.9 percent in 2020 and by 10.5 percent in 2021, according to World Bank figures. He said increased revenues from tourism and a rise in remittances from Lebanese living abroad were factors behind the modest growth. He said the country was now “at a crossroads - it will either mark the start of the economic revival we have been hoping for, or a dark decline.”Mikati has led a caretaker government since a May general election failed to deliver a majority to either of Lebanon’s rival power blocs. The political deadlock has deepened since end of October, when former president Michel Aoun’s mandate ended without agreement on a successor. As caretaker leader, Mikati has limited powers and cannot deliver the sweeping reforms demanded by international lenders in exchange for releasing billions of dollars in bailout loans. “If a new president is elected swiftly and a new government formed that commits itself to real reforms... the country will begin to recover”, Mikati told a business forum. “If not, God forbid, the economic stagnation will only get worse,” he said.

Why Lebanon lacks a cohesive Sunni bloc
Sami Moubayed/December 22, 2022
With Hariris gone and for lack of other alternatives, Sunni community feels leaderless
It’s been almost twelve months since former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al Hariri announced his withdrawal from Lebanese politics. He called on his followers to boycott Lebanon’s May 2022 parliamentary elections, insisting that his Future Movement neither nominates candidates nor takes part in the voting. A handful of Sunni figures refused to abide by his command, including his own brother Bahaa Al Hariri, and his predecessor Fouad Al Siniora, a lifetime friend and ally of his slain father, Rafiq Al Hariri. None of them were able to make any serious breakthrough last May, resulting in a chamber of deputies that lacks a strong and cohesive Sunni bloc. Twenty-seven Sunni MPs were voted into office, mostly independents, newcomers, or allies of the Hezbollah-led 8 March Coalition. Lebanese Shiites voted in May — in large numbers — securing 30 seats for the twin Shiite parties, Amal and Hezbollah. So did the Christians, who took the lion’s share of seats in parliament: 19 for the Lebanese Forces (LF) and a total 21 for the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and its allies.
Three decades of the Hariri family
The Hariri family had led Lebanon’s Sunnis since 1992. For three solid decades, they were protected and promoted first by Rafik Al Hariri, then by his son, who succeeded him at the helm of the family business empire, and that of the Sunni community, in 2005. During the Hariri years, all the traditional Sunni families of Lebanon, like the Solhs, Itanis, Salams, and Bayhums, were either sidelined or forced to work with the Hariris in order to maintain their relevance in the Sunni community. Those who refused, like ex-Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss, were defeated in the 2000 elections. Others, like Omar Karami of Tripoli, chose to work with Hezbollah. The sudden disappearance of the Hariris ought to have been a golden opportunity for ambitious Sunnis from all stripes to make a comeback. But they were too weak now, too divided, and both uncharismatic and unable to stand up to more powerful leaders of other communities. They also lacked Hariri’s deep pockets to bankroll their politics. With the Hariris gone and for lack of other alternatives, members of the Sunni community were left vulnerable and without a leader.
Choosing a new president
That wasn’t immediately clear until President Michel Aoun’s term came to an end on 31 October 2022. Post-civil war, presidents were chosen by consensus, making sure that all major components of the country’s confessional system sign off any new occupant at Baabda Palace.
That meant Maronite Christians, Druze, and both Sunnis and Shiites all had a say in who their next president would be. Yet today, nearly two months after Aoun left office, the debate over Lebanon’s next president is taking place exclusively between Christians and Shiites, with Samir Gagegea of the LF lobbying for Michel Mouwwad, Hezbollah rooting for Suleiman Frangieh, and the FPM pushing for their leader, Aoun’s son-in-law, Gibran Bassil. Sunnis have no candidate, forced to play along with one of the names on the table, although two Sunni figures are being consulted on the matter, rather ceremonially, being Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Abdul-Latif Deiryan. Mikati’s approval is mandatory only because he happens to be premier, but had he been out office, he would have minimal say — if any — on the identity of Lebanon’s next president.
No Sunni heavyweights
Additionally, Christian parties have begun to eye important posts in government previously exclusive to Sunnis, like the Ministry of Interior, which Gibran Bassil tried claiming for the FPM. They feel it is the right time to make such claims, with no Sunni heavyweight around.
This Sunni absence is unprecedented in Lebanon’s modern history. President Beshara al-Khoury came to office in 1943 through allying himself with Sunni heavyweight Riad Al Solh. The two men famously put together the National Pact, a gentlemen’s agreement that has been observed ever since, giving the presidency to a Maronite Christian and the premiership to a Sunni Muslim. Khoury’s successor, Camile Chamoun, took the country entirely into the US orbit, but was brought down in 1958. His successor Fouad Shihab was an all-time favourite of Lebanese Muslims, who were given more equal access to jobs, and better representation in the civil service. The list goes on and on, reaching up to the early 1990s, when Rafik Al Hariri became prime minister, leading the country through what was then-described as a powerful “troika” between him, Nabih Berri, and President Elias Hrawi representing Maronite Christians.
Thirty years down the road, Berri is still around. Various Christian figures are there too, but the Sunni component of the “troika” is nowhere to be seen in Lebanon.
**Sami Moubayed is a Syrian historian and former Carnegie scholar. He is also author of Under the Black Flag: At the frontier of the New Jihad.

من موقع ميمري: الصحافيون طوني فرنسيس وعلي حمادة واسعد بشارة وشارل جبور: حزب الله يتحمل مسؤولية مقتل الجندي الإيرلندي في جنوب لبنان
Lebanese Journalists,Tony Francis, Ali Hamada, As'ad Bechara, Charles Jabbour:  Hizbullah Responsible For Death Of Irish UNIFIL Soldier
MEMRI/December 22/2022
https://www.memri.org/reports/lebanese-journalists-hizbullah-responsible-death-irish-unifil-soldier
Following the incident that occurred on December 14, 2022 in the village of Al-Aqbieh in South Lebanon, during which Irish soldier Seán Rooney (23) was killed and three other members of the UNIFIL unit were wounded, Hizbullah took pains to stress that it had not been involved in the incident. Wafiq Safa, head of Hizbullah's Coordination and Communications Department, hastened to explain to the Reuters news agency that it was an "unintentional incident that took place between the residents of Al-Aqbieh and individuals from the Irish unit." He conveyed his condolences to the UNIFIL forces and called not to involve Hizbullah in the matter.[1] Ibrahim Al-Moussawi, a Hizbullah MP who paid a condolence visit to the UNIFIL headquarters, called the death of the Irish soldier "a loss for all humanity," and urged that coordination and cooperation between UNIFIL and the authorities in Lebanon be increased in order to prevent the recurrence of such instances.[2] The Lebanese Al-Akhbar daily, which is close to Hizbullah, also contended that the incident was "the result of a succession of unintentional errors on the part of all those involved" and that neither UNIFIL nor Hizbullah had any interest in politicizing it in any way.[3]Furthermore, several days after the incident, Hizbullah reportedly arrested two people suspected of involvement in it.[4]
However, despite the efforts of Hizbullah officials to deny any involvement by the organization, articles in the Lebanese press insisted that Hizbullah had been responsible for it and for the death of the Irish soldier. These articles contested Hizbullah's claim that the assailants were South Lebanon locals, asserting that the shooting was deliberate and carried out on orders from Hizbullah. This organization, they added, has usurped control of South Lebanon from the Lebanese government, and this incident, like similar incidents before it, is further evidence of the grim reality in Lebanon whereby the state is unable to impose its authority and sovereignty over this region. Some of the journalists claimed that the killing of the Irish soldier was Hizbullah's response to UN Resolution 2650, from August 31, 2022, which extended UNIFIL's mandate in Lebanon by another year and stipulates that UNIFIL has freedom of operation in the areas under their authority, with no need for prior approval from anyone. When it was passed this resolution sparked furious reactions from Hizbullah officials, who called it "a grave development that transforms [UNIFIL] into an occupying force."[5]
This report reviews excerpts from articles by Lebanese journalists who hold Hizbullah responsible for the death of the Irish UNIFIL soldier.

Why are there so few answers to Irish peacekeeper’s murder in Lebanon?
Serh J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/December 22/2022
Since the attack, there has been a tendency in major media outlets, including in Lebanon, to either downplay the incident or push a “wait and see” narrative. The murder of Irish UN peacekeeper Seán Rooney, 24, in Lebanon last Wednesday is a significant escalation against the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). In the immediate aftermath of the attack on Rooney and his fellow soldiers, there were claims that the incident lacked clarity. A week after the attack, many questions remain. Since the attack, there has been a tendency in major media outlets, including in Lebanon, to either downplay the incident or push a “wait and see” narrative, one that would give the perpetrators time to escape. And the only way that could transpire is if Hezbollah is somehow involved. Irish leader Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has expressed his confidence in the ongoing investigations to determine what happened in Lebanon and why an Irish soldier was killed.

Lebanese Columnist, Tony Francis : The Death Of The Irish Soldier Was The First Price Paid By UNIFIL For The Amendment To Resolution 1701
MEMRI/December 22/2022
https://www.memri.org/reports/lebanese-journalists-hizbullah-responsible-death-irish-unifil-soldier
On December 17, 2022, in his column in the Lebanese Nidaa Al-Watan daily, Tony Francis wrote: "On August 31, 2022, the UN Security Council renewed the mandate of the [UNIFIL] international forces in the south for another year. The resolution includes an important amendment related to [UNIFIL's] activity, which stresses that it does not need 'prior authorization or permission from anyone to undertake its mandated tasks and is authorized to conduct its operation independently.' However, the matter did not end there, for in his September 17, 2022 speech, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah warned the international bodies that, 'if they intend to operate [in South Lebanon] independently of the state and its army, which is responsible for the activity south of the Litani, they will create a situation not to their benefit.' His comments were preceded by statements made six days earlier by Sheikh Mohammad Yazbek [a founder of Hizbullah and Iranian leader Ali Khamenei's representative in Lebanon]…, who attacked the Security Council resolution and claimed that it turned UNIFIL into an 'occupying force.'
"On Wednesday night an Irish UNIFIL soldier was killed, in what could be seen as the first price [paid by UNIFIL] for the amendment of the international resolution. The explanation given for his death was that his vehicle strayed from the regular route, prompting angry 'locals' to shoot at him. This [Irish] soldier, who came [to Lebanon] from the north of the globe on a mission of peace, suffered the same fate as his comrade, the Lebanese officer and pilot Samer Hanna, who strayed from his route in the air above the mountains of South Lebanon and was killed by similar fire in his own homeland.[6] We are likely to witness similar tragic incidents in the future if the current situation persists, in which it is unclear who rules this part of the country [i.e. South Lebanon].
"Neither Samer Hanna nor the Irish soldier deserved such a death. Samer Hanna deserved a country that controls its own lands, and the Irish soldier deserved to live a quiet life in the land of his birth, as do the thousands of his comrades in the international [force], who came from across the world to carry out a noble mission in a country whose residents have not known peace for the past 50 years. No matter who killed the Irish soldier, it is safe to assume that the promised investigation will not reveal his identity. [One may also assume] that the question of the viability of leaving the UNIFIL forces in South Lebanon will be raised aggressively by the mothers of its soldiers and by the governments of their countries…"[7]

Lebanese Journalist, Ali Hamada The Killing Of The Irish Soldier Was Intentional; Hizbullah Uses South Lebanon As A Forward Operating Base For Iran Against Israel
MEMRI/December 22/2022
https://www.memri.org/reports/lebanese-journalists-hizbullah-responsible-death-irish-unifil-soldier
In his column in the Al-Nahar Lebanese daily, Lebanese journalist 'Ali Hamada wrote, "I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that the killing of a soldier from UNIFIL's Irish battalion and the wounding of others was a very serious incident, because it was neither accidental nor 'unintentional' as Hizbullah claimed in its statement. Nor was it a response on the part of 'the locals.' [That is just] a term that Hizbullah hides behind when it wants to clash with UNIFIL forces that are trying to fulfil their mission in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.
"This was an intentional attack. The shooting at the vehicle which was carrying the soldiers was deliberate, and couldn’t have occurred without an order from the organization's leadership. Even if the shooting wasn't intended to kill, but only to frighten the patrol and to convey a tougher message than usual, Hizbullah's disparaging response to the shooting on this force, which represents international legitimacy [i.e. the UN], was tantamount to 'vetoing' the recent UN resolution [of August 2022], which extended UNIFIL's mandate and asserted its right to hold patrols, enact surveillance, and conduct searches without need for permission from any element on the ground…
"[The fact that the Hizbullah] militia exercises this kind of 'veto' by taking up its weapons and shedding blood is clear evidence of the bitter reality that prevails in Lebanon. It proves that the state of Lebanon is nothing more than an illusion, for sovereignty is enforced in accordance with the law only among the sections of the Lebanese people who believe that national life should be conducted in accordance with the law, and not according to the rationale of force, which is currently espoused by the group [i.e. Hizbullah] that is committed to an external agenda [i.e. that of Iran]. Second, this reflects the weakness of the state, its institutions and its leaders, from the top of the pyramid to its base, when facing the oppressive force which actually holds the reins of power and of sovereign decision-making. Third, the official [Lebanese] decisions indicate that the cooperation between [Lebanon's state institutions] and Hizbullah in plotting conspiracies is much deeper and more extensive than people think…
"The investigation of the incident must go beyond the technical framework. We're sick of hearing the lie [that these attacks are a response by] 'locals.' The UN knows and understands that this euphemism, used by Hizbullah in UNIFIL's area of operation… is [just] a means… to prevent the international forces from thwarting Hizbullah's efforts to turn South Lebanon into a forward operating base on the border with Israel. The purpose of these efforts is not to 'liberate Jerusalem,' as is claimed in statements released by the Iranian regime and its local apparatuses in Lebanon and elsewhere. [The purpose is] to facilitate the promotion of Iranian policies and interests related to the broader struggle in the region. One can thus regard Lebanon, as well as Syria, Iraq, Gaza and Yemen, as buffer zones [protecting] the Iranian regime…
"We are not waiting for the findings of the Lebanese investigation… From what occurred we conclude that, while Ireland has lost soldiers, we Lebanese have suffered an [even] greater loss in terms of respect for the law and for the country's institutions…"[8]

Lebanese Journalist: As'ad Bechara:  It Is Hizbullah That Controls South Lebanon And Initiates Operations Against UNIFIL Forces
MEMRI/December 22/2022
https://www.memri.org/reports/lebanese-journalists-hizbullah-responsible-death-irish-unifil-soldier
Lebanese journalist As'ad Bechara wrote in a December 16 column in Nidaa Al-Watan titled "Who Remembers the Attack on the Spanish Battalion?": "…Several months after the inception of the UNIFIL mission following the 2006 war, there was an IED attack on [its] Spanish battalion that was operating in the south, in which five soldiers were killed and others were wounded… Despite the official [Lebanese] promises, the responsible element has not been identified to this day. This incident caused UNIFIL to completely change its mode of operation and focus all its efforts on protecting its soldiers and bases, instead of on implementing Resolution 1701. UNIFIL forces began traveling in armored vehicle and engaging in routine activities [and nothing more].
"[But] even in their routine activities UNIFIL forces encountered groups of 'locals' every time they attempted to carry out a raid or expose weapons south of the Litani. Groups of residents consistently attacked the forces and impeded them from carrying out their mission on the pretext that… UNIFIL may not enter any area without first informing the Lebanese Armed Forces and receiving their approval. This prevented UNIFIL from monitoring the implementation of Resolution 1701 and the UN published several reports holding Lebanon responsible for this. Moreover, Israel's exposure of the tunnels [excavated by Hizbullah from South Lebanon into northern Israel] conveyed to the international community that Lebanon was violating the international resolution and preventing the UNIFIL forces from carrying out their mission.
"The incident in Al-Aqbieh [in which an Irish UNIFIL soldier was shot and killed] once again focuses the spotlight on this difficult reality and points to Lebanon as the one responsible for it … It also indicates that the authority and control in the south [of Lebanon] are in the hands of Hizbullah, which has transformed the military and security presence [there] into a symbolic presence with no meaning or viability. The [Lebanese] government, for its part, has no tools to cope with this situation, which undercuts its presence there, except the weapon of condemnation.
"As a result, the incident at Al-Aqbieh will [also] be glossed over without an investigation, without us learning what happened and without the perpetrator, whose identity is known [i.e. Hizbullah], being held to account. The absurd [situation] in which Hizbullah, which orders these activities, is also the one which supports the agreement for delineating the [maritime] borders with Israel, will persist as well…"[9]

Lebanese Politician:, Charles Jabbour: The International Community And UNIFIL Are Capitulating To Hizbullah And Covering Up The Non-Implementation Of Resolution 1701
MEMRI/December 22/2022
https://www.memri.org/reports/lebanese-journalists-hizbullah-responsible-death-irish-unifil-soldier
Charles Jabbour, head of the Media and Communications Department in Samir Geagea's Lebanese Forces party, which is known for its opposition to Hizbullah, wrote in his column in the Lebanese daily Al-Jumhouriya: "…Resolution 1701 calls for 'the establishment between the Blue Line and the Litani River of an area free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL.' This significant clause of the resolution is not implemented… Everyone knows that this specific area is under the exclusive influence and control of Hizbullah, and that it is full of rocket stockpiles, combat equipment, and bases [disguised as centers that belong to] 'the locals,' which is code for Hizbullah… As long as UNIFIL does not operate in accordance with Resolution 1701, as long as Hizbullah's military infrastructure controls every single detail – contrary to what is explicitly stated in this resolution – and as long as the movements [of the UNIFIL forces] are so restricted that any deviation from their [usual] route results in their being blocked and fired on like a hostile patrol… we have no choice but to pose the following questions:
"Why does UNIFIL remain in Lebanon when it is not fulfilling its mandate in accordance with the relevant international resolutions? What obligates the international community to be subordinate to the forces on the ground [i.e. Hizbullah]? And why does it acquiesce to the conditions imposed by these forces? Why does the Security Council allow its resolutions to go unimplemented and agree to be regarded as a failed moral framework, devoid of any influence or ability to determine [events]? How does it tolerate this insult to its honor and its position? What prevents the international community from implementing its resolutions, or at least Resolution 1701, by force? Especially considering that there is a general impression that this resolution is being implemented, when the fact is that Hizbullah is preventing its implementation.
"Why doesn't the Security Council present the Lebanese government with two choices: either to commit itself to the content of Resolution 1701 and bear the responsibility [for its implementation] or [see] UNIFIL leave Lebanon?... Is it possible that the Security Council is behaving like the state of Lebanon [itself] and accepting the situation on the ground? Even if the state [of Lebanon] is helpless, which is understandable, what is the Security Council's rationale for becoming helpless? Why must the UNIFIL member-states treat Hizbullah with kid gloves for fear of their soldiers' [safety], instead of withdrawing their forces [from Lebanon] and refusing to bear false witness [to the supposed implementation] of the international resolution…? They should either ensure the strict implementation of the resolution or withdraw [their soldiers from the country]. The soldiers of these countries must not become 'hostages' and these countries must not be compelled to cover up the gross violation of Resolution 1701 for fear of endangering their soldiers' lives…
"The questions do not end here, but the deliberate attack on the Irish vehicle once again focuses the spotlight on three main facts. The first has to do with the tragic situation to which the international community has deteriorated, for it has become a body that does not make the decisions and which finds itself in a position of defeat and surrender… The second fact is that, if the murderers are not arrested and tried and UNIFIL continues its business as usual, this force will become completely submissive… and this, in turn, will mean that it has finished its role and can no longer be relied upon… The third fact is that, if the international community fails to take the requisite decisions regarding every aspect of the direct attack upon it, [the impression that] it can be relied upon in matters pertaining to the lives of the Lebanese is a mere illusion…
"The bitter, essential, and central truth is that the Lebanese constitution is not being implemented, the international resolutions are not being implemented, and the Lebanese people has been abandoned to its fate. No matter what the import of this deadly message [i.e., the attack on the Irish force] – whether it was intended to draw red lines for UNIFIL's movements… or was an Iranian [message of] protest against the ongoing policy of subjecting it to sanctions and leaving the nuclear issue dangling and stuck, or was [an attempt] by Tehran to distract attention from the popular uprising which is taking place on its soil and an attempt to incite wars [in other arenas] so as to quash this uprising – the result is the same: Lebanon is a forsaken arena and the international forces [i.e. UNIFIL] are just as helpless as the Lebanese state…"[10]
[1] Reuters.com, December 15, 2022.
[2] Alahednews.com.lb, December 17, 2022.
[3] Al-Akhbar, (Lebanon), December 16, 2022.
[4] Almodon.com, December 17, 2022.
[5] For more about this UN resolution and the responses to it from the Lebanese government and from Hizbullah, see MEMRI JTTM Report, Hizbullah Escalates Its Threats To UNIFIL Following UN Resolution To Extend Its Mandate For Another Year And Expand Its Authority, September 13, 2022.
[6] The reference is to an August 28, 2008 incident in which Hizbullah operatives fired at a Lebanese Armed Forces helicopter in Sujoud. The pilot, Samer Hanna, crash-landed the craft and he was killed. According to the "Now Lebanon" website, sources close to Hizbullah claimed that the helicopter was targeted because it entered what Hizbullah considers a sensitive area at the intersection of the organization's communications network lines. The sources added that Hizbullah had warned the Defense Ministry and the army not to enter this area.
[7] Nidaa Al-Watan, (Lebanon), December 17, 2022.
[8] Al-Nahar (Lebanon), December 17, 2022.
[9] Nidaa Al-Watan, (Lebanon), December 16, 2022.
[10] Al-Jumhouriya, (Lebanon), December 19, 2022.

Hezbollah’s UNIFIL ambush with impunity from the world breeds terror
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya/December 22/2022
Last Wednesday night, the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), who have been operating since 1978, were reminded of the scary reality of their deployment in a volatile area. Iran’s Lebanese proxies militia Hezbollah faces it, on the one hand, while on the other by Israel, which lurks in waiting and observes an area it considers a national security threat.
The tragic incident involved a contingent of the Irish regiment deployed with the UNIFIL. It was ambushed by the ‘people” of the southern village of Aqbieh near Sarfand in the south of Lebanon. It’s an area 15 kilometers outside the regiment’s sanctioned area of operation.
According to local sources - usually a cover name for Hezbollah - the UNIFIL patrol had allegedly got lost and swayed off course while driving to the capital Beirut. It traveled into the village of Aqbieh, where it got into a car accident and ran over a person from the village. It was an act that unleashed the wrath of the residents, who opened gunfire at the military convoy, leading to the death of 23-year-old Private Seán Rooney and the injury of three other Irish soldiers.
The UNIFIL statement was very much reserved and did not offer any justification or details about the incident. Nor did it contradict the metanarrative by Hezbollah, which denied any involvement of its members or supporters, dismissing this incident as personal.
The Aqbieh incident is not the first of its kind. Time and again, Hezbollah has used the villagers in different parts of the UNIFIL area of operation lying south of the Litani River to send messages or to warn it off. It was the first time Hezbollah resorted to using extreme violence.
The violence requires a deconstruction of the facts at hand and a re-examination of the way Hezbollah departed from its earlier bullying practices and the timing of the ambush: it fell before the holidays when most UNIFIL troops and administrators entered vacation.
The presence of the UNIFIL patrol 15 km from its area of operation refutes the “getting lost” tale. The Tyre-Sidon-Beirut road is straight and easy to navigate. Peacekeepers have used this pathway for years to drive to Beirut to resupply or for rest and recovery. Moreover, the UNIFIL vehicles are equipped with GPS and connected to a central command room they would have contacted if lost. In turn, UNIFIL would liaison with the Lebanese army and even Hezbollah to ensure their safe passage.
Above all, the video clip circulating of the UNIFIL vehicle coming under fire shows that the shooters were highly skilled in accurately hitting the car with more than one shot while withdrawing from the crowd. Second and more importantly, these so-called villagers who ambushed the UNIFIL were all of military age and were drawn from the youth. Very few women and children were around, as there usually are when village scuffles erupt. Notably, the pictures of the ambush clearly show Hezbollah’s intention to use lethal force and not only scare away the peacekeepers. It is hard to believe that villagers would shoot at a UN convoy with the intent to kill without explicit instructions from Hezbollah and assurances that whoever carries out this task is immune from justice. All crimes involving Hezbollah are never adequately investigated by the Lebanese state. It includes the assassination of my excellent friend and ardent voice for freedom of expression, Lokman Slim. He was murdered deep in the heart of the south on February 3, 2021, a few miles away from one of the biggest UNFIFL bases. It was a crime that a private citizen had committed and would have been apprehended within hours of the incident.
As UNIFIL chose to call it, this severe incident came almost ten days before a rumoured visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Lebanon. On Christmas Eve, he will likely visit French troops operating alongside several international forces in the south. It’s notable that one day before the incident, the former French defense minister Michel Alliot-Marie speaking to al-Arabiya TV, accused Hezbollah and the Syrian regime of assassinating former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It marked the first time the French had come out with this accusation towards Hezbollah.
The incident comes a few months after Hezbollah accused UNIFIL of expanding its mandate. This allegation was outwardly denied by the latter as it assured that its “freedom of movement has been reiterated in Security Council resolutions renewing UNIFIL’s mandate, including Resolution 1701 in 2006, and UNIFIL’s Status of Forces Agreement, signed in 1995.”
While all of the political speculations on the incident might be valid, the main underlining reason for the Hezbollah ambush on the UNIFIL is a security and a military motive. Al-Aqibiya and the coastal line is a critical line for Hezbollah and an important location for weapons depots as it lies outside the jurisdiction of UNSCR 1701. In the past few years, multiple explosions at Hezbollah arms depot occurred, which were never investigated by the Lebanese authorities and brushed aside by Hezbollah as accidents.
Consequently, Hezbollah has been actively transporting new weapons components such as intelligent missiles, drone technology and even chemical weapons into Lebanon. It’s something the Israelis will not sit idle about, and thus, the south of Lebanon, specifically the area where the ambush took place, would soon be the target of a routine airstrike by the Israeli air force. Hezbollah wants to remind the international community that it will not tolerate any oversight of its activity in the area or future aerial attacks against its depots. In its eyes, the 10,000 peacekeepers from 48 troop-contributing countries stationed in the south of Lebanon are merely hostages. The UNIFIL ambush is an affirmation of what Hezbollah does best, using terror and violence to remind everyone what’s at stake and bully nations within the UNIFIL to coincide with its demands. Many European states have done so this year. The UNFIFL peacekeepers and the innocent blood of Sean Rooney should act as an earnest reminder to apologists, chiefly amongst them French President Emmanuel Macron, that violence and impunity will never breed stability. Sitting down with the so-called political representatives of Iran’s Lebanon proxy Hezbollah, as he has done in the past, will only drive them to use terror more copiously.

What Christmas is all about!
Charlie Brown/December 22/2022.
During the making of the animated Christmas classic A Charlie Brown Christmas, Peanuts creator Charles Schulz had a meeting with Lee Mendelson, the show’s producer, and Bill Melendez, its lead animator. The discussion concerned Schulz’s insistence about including a New Testament scripture reading of the Christmas story from the Bible. The scripture reading was to be spoken by Peanuts character Linus Van Pelt in response to Charlie Brown’s lament, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” Mendelson and Melendez both voiced their concern about the reading, with Melendez telling Schulz, “It’s very dangerous for us to start talking about religion now.” Schulz answered him by saying, “Bill, if we don’t, who will?” In the end, the scripture reading was retained, and the CBS special was the second-most-watched show of the week when it debuted on December 9, 1965.
Linus’ King James version scripture reading from Luke 2: 8-14, read: And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were so afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.That’s what Christmas is all about.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 22-23/2022/
US hits more Iranian officials with human rights sanctions
Associated Press/December 22/2022
The Biden administration has slapped sanctions on Iran's chief prosecutor, four other Iranian officials and a company that supports the country's security forces for their roles in an ongoing violent crackdown on antigovernment protests.
The Treasury Department announced it is targeting the Prosecutor-General of Iran, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, two senior commanders in Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, and two members of the Basij, a paramilitary volunteer group that often enforces strict rules on dress and conduct. "We denounce the Iranian regime's intensifying use of violence against its own people who are advocating for their human rights," Treasury said in a statement, noting that Montazeri has presided over prosecutions of protesters some of whom have been executed or condemned to death. It identified the IRGC commanders as Hassan Hassanzadeh, the head of its forces in Tehran, and Seyed Sadegh Hosseini, who runs its Beit-al Moghadas Corps of Kurdistan province. The two Basij members are the group's deputy coordinator, Hossein Maroufi, and Moslem Moein, its cyberspace chief, it said. Treasury said it is also penalizing the Imen Sanat Zaman Fara Company, which produces armored vehicles and other equipment for the security forces. The sanctions freeze any assets that those targeted may have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from doing business with them. Iran has been rocked by protests since the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being detained by the morality police. The protests have since morphed into one of the most serious challenges to the theocracy installed by the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Security forces have violently cracked down on the protests, killing more than 500 protesters and arresting over 18,000, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that has been closely monitoring the unrest. More than 60 security forces have been killed, according to the group. "The United States continues to support the people of Iran in the face of this brutal repression, and we are rallying growing international consensus to hold the regime accountable," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. "Thousands of brave Iranians have risked their lives and their liberty to protest the regime's long record of oppression and violence," he said. "We again call on Iran's leadership to immediately cease its violent crackdown and to listen to its people."

Italian MPs approve resolution condemning Iran for death sentences
Agencis/Arab News/December 22, 2022
ROME: A resolution calling on Iran to immediately cease handing down death sentences to anti-government protestors, to withdraw all charges against them and free them from detention was unanimously approved by the Foreign and European Affairs Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies.
The text calls for the release of those “arrested solely for having peacefully exercised their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly in the context of the protests,” the speaker of the committee, Giulio Tremonti, told Arab News. Tremonti stressed that the resolution “was backed by all the parties, as a sign of the unity of Italy in the support to the Iranian population,” calling the cross-party agreement “really remarkable.”The resolution binds the Italian government to call for the annulment of the death sentences issued against demonstrators and to request their immediate and unconditional release. A few days ago the Italian Senate’s Foreign and Defense Committee approved a similar resolution. Andrea Orsini, a deputy with the Forza Italia party who presented the resolution at the committee, said in a press conference attended by Arab News at the Montecitorio Palace that “it is intolerable that Iran is so aggressive towards democracy and remains a factor of instability for the world and for the Middle East.”MP Federica Onori of the Five Star Movement stressed that “what is happening in Iran is seriously unbelievable,” while Ettore Rosato from the Italia Viva party called for the “need to politically isolate the regime in Tehran; that regime has nothing to do with the population.”In a conference speech to Italian ambassadors based around the world on Wednesday, Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella stated that he deplored the brutal crackdown against the protests that have swept Iran since the death of the 22-year-old Kurdish woman Masha Amini while in police custody in September, after she was detained for allegedly wearing her hijab incorrectly. Mattarella stressed that Iran “has exceeded all limits” in its bloody crackdown on protests. “This cannot, in any way, be set aside,” he added.

Iran used unlawful deadly force against protesters in ‘Bloody Friday’ massacre: HRW
Arab News/December 22, 2022
LONDON: Human Rights Watch has accused Iranian security forces of using “unlawful lethal force” in the city of Zahedan on Sept. 30, killing dozens of protesters during what the group dubbed “Bloody Friday.”The organization also called on the UN’s fact-finding mission in the country to focus on state acts of violence in “minority-dominant” regions such as Kurdistan, and Sistan and Baluchistan where the massacre took place in its provincial capital. And it urged the need for Iran to respect the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. The group noted that it had assessed 52 videos and images provided by Iranian human rights group Haalvsh, and collated witness testimony, to determine that at least 12 people were killed in Zahedan on Sept. 30, including a young boy. Thirty people were injured, and HRW said at least eight more had been killed in the city in the days afterwards, including a further three children. Balochi human rights groups in the area, meanwhile, put the death toll as high as 97 between Sept. 30 and Oct. 5, including nine children. The deaths center around security forces opening fire on protesters from rooftops surrounding the city’s Grand Mosalla prayer hall as a large group of demonstrators made its way toward a local police station, and later at the city’s largest Sunni mosque as the dead and injured were taken to it.
Protesters responded with stones and Molotov cocktails, and many bystanders were caught between the two sides, HRW added. At least four members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed by protesters responding to the attack. One witness told HRW: “As I came out (of the prayer hall) to look for my brother, I saw bodies on the ground, mostly young people. At first, I didn’t even realize the police were shooting but then I noticed that they were firing from the buildings.” Another witness, Ismael Shahbakhsh, told HRW he had gone to a local hospital searching for his nephew.
He said: “When I entered the emergency room, I saw a distressing scene that is impossible to describe. “The white ceramic tiles of the floor had turned red … I looked through three pages of 10 to 15 names of those injured and Farzad’s name was not there ... Afterward a nurse came to me with five or six pages, each with 18 to 20 names on it, and told me Farzad was among those who died.”
State-affiliated news agency Tasnim News later claimed armed organization Jaish Al-Adl was responsible for the violence, which it labeled “terror attacks.” The group has since denied the accusations. Prominent local imam, Mowlana Abdol Hamid Ismaeelzahi, told HRW: “It’s the police station that first starts shooting, shooting indiscriminately, and shooting military ammunition, not only toward the place where those youngsters were chanting and expressing their feelings, but also even toward inside the Grand Mosalla, where people were praying. “They shoot there and throw teargas inside, even the women’s section gets gassed and is shot at, and one of the women is killed, is martyred, as well.” On Oct. 28 local authorities announced that six members of the security forces had been killed in Zahedan during the clashes, as well as 35 protesters and members of the public, blaming “negligence” for the deaths of innocent worshippers and dismissing the local police chief. That same day, HRW said, authorities killed two children during protests in the city, a 13-year-old and 16-year-old, who were both shot in the head. Protests have engulfed Iran since the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini at the hands of the country’s morality police in September, after she was accused of wearing her hijab improperly. Hundreds of people have been killed throughout the country by government forces, and thousands more arrested, with some of those detained executed by the regime, and many more facing death or long, punitive prison sentences, as well as widespread reports of torture and other forms of mistreatment while in detention. As of Dec. 9, HRW said it had evidence for the deaths of at least 255 people, with another 226 under investigation. It added that it had further evidence of “handguns, shotguns, and military assault rifles” being used against protesters “during largely peaceful and often crowded demonstrations in at least 13 cities across the country,” with most of the lethal force reserved for the country’s ethnic minority-led regions. The events of Sept. 30 in Zahedan were the bloodiest in Iran this year, according to HRW’s senior Iran researcher, Tara Sepehri Far. She said: “The number of protesters and bystanders shot by Iran’s security forces on ‘Bloody Friday’ was the largest killed in a single day during the protests, but no one responsible has been arrested. “The government’s immense brutality has brought the struggles of long-neglected communities like Zahedan to the center of protests.”

Russia’s Wagner Group denies US claims it tried to buy weapons from North Korea for use in Ukraine
Andrew Buncombe/The Independent/December 22, 2022
Russia’s Wagner Group has denied a claim from the US that it has bought weapons from North Korea, a move that would be in breach of UN resolutions. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said this week that US intelligence had concluded the Wagner Group had obtained the equipment to help its forces as they fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. “We assess that the amount of material delivered to Wagner will not change battlefield dynamics in Ukraine,” Mr Kirby said. “But we’re certainly concerned that North Korea is planning to deliver more military equipment.”The Wagner Group rejected the claim as “gossip and speculation”.“Everyone knows that North Korea has not been supplying any weapons to Russia for a long time. And no such efforts have even been made,” Reuters quoted Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin as saying in a statement.
Neither Mr Kirkby or Mr Prigozhin offered any specific evidence to support their remarks. The military action in Ukraine have been accompanied by an attendant information war, involving various parties. Ten months after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, increased attention has been paid to the role of private mercenaries such as the Wager Group, in the way US-based organisations, such as Blackwater, received scrutiny during the so-called war on terror. Blackwater, founded in 1996 by former Navy SEAL Erik Prince, has been called Academi since 2011.
In 2007, Blackwater received widespread notoriety for the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad, when a group of its employees killed 17 Iraqi civilians. While several of the fighters were convicted in the US, they were later pardoned by Donald Trump.
The Wagner Group, also founded by former military officers, has also been accused of various misdeeds and atrocities, allegations it has routinely denied. Earlier this month, Mr Kirby claimed the Wagner Group had 50,000 fighters in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts. US officials briefing the media claimed that with the alleged arms sales to the private military group, North Korea was violating UN sanctions that ban Pyongyang from importing or exporting weapons. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US envoy to the United Nations, called it “despicable” that Russia, a permanent veto-wielding member of the UN Security Council, which imposed the sanctions, was now using weapons procured from North Korea and Iran “to pursue its war of aggression against Ukraine”. The British government also condemned Russia for Wagner alleged arm’s purchase. “The fact that President Putin is turning to North Korea for help is a sign of Russia’s desperation and isolation,” said Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. “We will work with our partners to ensure that North Korea pays a high price for supporting Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.” North Korea has sought to strengthen relations with Russia as much of Europe and the West has pulled away from Moscow.

Putin Hints Russian Army Is Struggling Amid Reports Of Belarusian Intervention
Kate Nicholson/HuffPost UK/December 22, 2022
Vladimir Putin appeared to confirm reports that all was not well within the Russian Army ranks in an unusual speech on Wednesday.
The Russian president, who has rarely acknowledged the problems his forces face in the Ukraine war, listed all the areas where his troops need to improve during a speech to the ministry of defence in Moscow. He said that drones have to communicate targeting information “in real time”, following claims from Kyiv that many Russian drones have been shot down before reaching their intended destinations. He also said the military needs to “improve the command and control system”, and its ability to hit back at enemy artillery. Throughout the war, there’s been speculation that senior commanders have been fired for their failings on the war front, while the freshly mobilised troops are being poorly trained and confused by their superiors’ instructions. Putin also asked officers to make sure soldiers have “medical kits, food, dry rations, uniforms, footwear, protective helmets and bulletproof vests” at the frontline too, following widespread reports that troops were without essential equipment and running low on morale. Despite this tacit acknowledgement that the invasion was not going to plan – after all, what was meant to be a 10-day battle has become a 10-month war – Putin indicated that there was still no plan to withdraw. “We have no limits in terms of financing,” he added: “The country and the government are providing everything that the army asks for – everything.”Putin also compared the Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine to the “heroes” who fought off Napoleon in 1812 and defeated Hitler in 1945. It comes as the UK ministry of defence’s latest update suggested that Russia was having to lean on military support from Belarus. It read: “Although Russia and Belarus prominently publicise Russian units’ deployment into Belarus, the armed forces of Belarus have likely recently taken on a significant, but more discreet role in training thousands of newly mobilised Russian reservists. “The likely use of Belarusian instructors is an attempt to partially remediate the lack of Russian military trainers, many of whom are deployed in Ukraine or have become casualties. “Although Russia and Belarus have an extensive background of military co-operation, the training of mobilised Russian personnel by Belarusians represents a role reversal. “Belarusian forces have traditionally been considered by Russia as inferior to Russian forces and their employment as trainers is an indication of overstretch within the Russian military system.” Meanwhile, Putin’s Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy has secured international headlines by making his first overseas trip since the invasion began and visiting the White House.

White House: Russia's Wagner received arms from North Korea
WASHINGTON (AP)/December 22, 2022
The White House said Thursday that the Wagner Group, a private Russian military company, has taken delivery of an arms shipment from North Korea to help bolster its forces as it fights side-by-side with Russian troops in Ukraine. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said U.S. intelligence officials determined that North Korea completed an initial arms shipment that included rockets and missiles last month. “We assess that the amount of material delivered to Wagner will not change battlefield dynamics in Ukraine,” Kirby said. “But we’re certainly concerned that North Korea is planning to deliver more military equipment." The White House has expressed alarm about Wagner's growing involvement in the war as it has been particularly active in the eastern Donbas region. Kirby said in certain instances Russian military officials have even been “subordinate to Wagner's command."
Biden administration officials said with the arms sales to the private military group North Korea is violating U.N. sanctions that ban Pyongyang from importing or exporting weapons. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, called it “despicable” that Russia, a permanent veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, which imposed the sanctions, is now using weapons procured from North Korea and Iran “to pursue its war of aggression against Ukraine.”Kirby said the U.S. now assesses that Wagner has some 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts that the company has recruited from prisons. The U.S. assesses that Wagner, owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is spending about $100 million a month in the fight, Kirby said.
Wagner Group mercenaries have also been accused by Western countries and UN experts of numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced he had de signated the Wagner Group as an “entity of particular concern” for its activities in the Central African Republic. Wagner has faced U.S. sanctions since 2017. The Commerce Department on Wednesday unveiled new export restrictions targeting Wagner in a bid to further restrict its access to technology and supplies. The White House has repeatedly sought to spotlight intelligence findings that show Russia — struggling to maintain a steady supply of arms for its war in Ukraine and pinched by sanctions that are limiting access to key components for weapons manufacturing — has limited options to help it resupply weapons.
Russia has also turned to Iran to provide drones to use against Ukraine, and the Biden administration has expressed concern that Russia may seek to acquire additional advanced conventional weapons from Iran. The White House has previously said that Moscow turn to North Korea for artillery.
The British government also condemned Russia for Wagner arm's purchase. “The fact that President Putin is turning to North Korea for help is a sign of Russia’s desperation and isolation," Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement. “We will work with our partners to ensure that North Korea pays a high price for supporting Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.”North Korea has sought to strengthen relations with Russia as much of Europe and the West has pulled away from Moscow. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have heightened because of concerns about North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The North has carried out a series of weapons demonstrations, while the U.S. and South Korea held stepped up joint defense exercises. Thomas-Greenfield said Wagner's purchase “contributes to instability on the Korean Peninsula by giving the DPRK funds it can use to further develop its prohibited weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.”“Russia is not only defending the DPRK as it engages in unlawful and threatening behavior, Russia is now a partner to such behavior," Thomas-Greenfield added.

Ukraine's 'cat and mouse' battle to keep Russian missiles at bay
Tom Balmforth/December 22, 2022
KYIV, Dec 22 (Reuters) - As Russian cruise missiles sped towards their target this month, a Ukrainian pilot gave chase in an old Soviet MiG-29 fighter jet and locked onto two of them, but could not take the shot: they were nearing a large town and it was too risky. He said he passed the targets on to Ukraine's ground-based air defences which shot them down, as they have done hundreds of missiles since October, blunting the impact of a Russian air campaign that aims to destroy the country's power grid. "Fortunately for us, they succeeded," the 29-year-old pilot, whose codename is Juice, told Reuters, describing the Dec. 5 incident. Such skirmishes are common in the skies over Ukraine, and their outcomes have a direct bearing on the lives of millions of people who are left without heat, power or running water during the freezing winter if defences fail. Ukraine calls the attacks a war crime, aimed at cowing innocent civilians. Russia says the electricity grid is a legitimate military target in its "special operation". The Pentagon has said Russia's missile strikes are partly designed to exhaust Kyiv's supplies of air defences and finally achieve dominance of the skies above the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy travelled to Washington on Wednesday to seek "weapons, weapons and more weapons", including a Patriot missile battery that would shore up the country's defences against incoming missiles and drones. The attacks on energy targets disrupt everyday life, including vital services like hospitals and schools, and threaten to further cripple the economy. It is already set to shrink by at least a third this year, as shops and heavy industry struggle to keep the lights on. Russia has launched nine, large-scale air attacks - usually firing more than 70 missiles at a time - since Oct. 10, knocking out power, running water, mobile signals and heating. Ukraine's record of downing missiles has ranged from around 50% to as much as 85%, with more recent attacks coming closer to the higher end, according to Reuters calculations based on Ukrainian data. After the most recent attack on Friday it said it had shot down 60 out of 76 incoming missiles.
Still, those which come through inflict serious damage. Ukraine was forced to implement emergency blackouts nationwide, and much of Kyiv region has been without power and water for several days.
'CAT AND MOUSE'
Spread thinly across a country double the size of Italy, air defence units are deployed mostly near cities and key infrastructure, while fighter pilots like Juice cover the expansive gaps in between.It is a tall order. Juice says he has not shot down a single drone or missile in his MiG-29, which came off the assembly line before Ukraine won independence from Soviet Moscow in 1991. "Our jets are not capable enough to do that efficiently," said the pilot, who is in a constant high state of readiness at a location in central Ukraine that he would not disclose. He said it was hard spotting incoming targets with old radars, especially in the case of low-flying, slow-moving Shahed drones that look like moving trucks on the radar screen. On occasions, like Dec. 5, Juice was unable to fire at targets because he was too close to densely populated areas. It is ground-based air defence units that shoot down the vast majority of missiles and drones, not ageing warplanes, Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said. "Both missiles and drones fly along the course of rivers to be as low as possible and disappear from radars. If they are low enough, they just disappear ... Then they pop up again; it's a game of cat and mouse," said Ihnat. After major missile barrages, a days-long pause tends to follow as Russian intelligence assesses what was hit and what was missed, tracks the repositioning of Ukrainian air defences and looks for weak spots to exploit, Ukrainian officials told Reuters. "Air defences don't remain in one place: we can't cover the whole country..." Ihnat said. For Ukraine, intelligence gathering by both domestic and Western spy agencies plays a major role in preparing for Russian air strikes, Denys Smazhnyi, a senior air defence training official, told Reuters.
"So we usually know what objects are under attack, we can build around those objects some kind of air defence," he said.
DWINDLING MISSILE STOCKS
Ukraine's military intelligence chief has estimated that Russia may only have enough high-precision weapons for few more major air strikes.But Ukrainian officials also acknowledge that their own stocks of defensive weapons are dwindling as the invasion nears the 10-month mark.
Despite Western supplies of air defence systems to Ukraine including the sophisticated U.S. NASAMS and German IRIS-T systems, Soviet-era systems make up the core of Ukrainian air defences, said Ihnat. "Our Soviet air defence system is being depleted - that is the S-300 and the BUK, which are the foundation. We cannot maintain that indefinitely because all the unique spare parts of those systems are made in Russia," he added. Western air defence systems supplied to Ukraine have performed well, but supplies are far short of what is needed, according to both air force officials. "The Russian equipment is getting older; we are losing missiles. I'm not (saying) they will run out in a few days or a few weeks ... It will still depend on the intensity of the Russian attacks," said Smazhnyi.By Dec. 7, Russia launched more than 1,000 missiles and rockets at Ukraine's power grid, its operator said. On Wednesday, the United States announced $1.85 billion in additional military assistance for Ukraine, including a transfer of the Patriot Air Defense System, Smazhnyi said such systems would provide protection against ballistic missiles that Ukraine is now exposed to. Ihnat said IRIS-T production was already at maximum capacity and that Ukraine should therefore focus on obtaining as many NASAMS supplies as it could. "We're almost through one month of winter, we have one more and then February, which is short. I think we'll survive. But it's better to supply missiles than generators," he said. Juice, who speaks fluent English, said many of his peers in the Air Force were taking English lessons in their free time in anticipation that Ukraine would one day receive Western aircraft such as the U.S. F-16 multi-role fighter jet. There has been no sign that any delivery of F-16 was imminent or agreed, and Ihnat said the pilots were acting on their own. "Everyone understands that sooner or later we will switch to F-16s or some other type of plane and English knowledge will be needed." (Reporting by Tom Balmforth; editing by Mike Collett-White and Tomasz Janowski)

Russia scrubs Mariupol's Ukraine identity, builds on death
Associated Press/December 22, 2022
Throughout Mariupol, Russian workers are tearing down bombed-out buildings at a rate of at least one a day, hauling away shattered bodies with the debris. Russian military convoys are rumbling down the broad avenues of what is swiftly becoming a garrison city, and Russian soldiers, builders, administrators and doctors are replacing the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have died or left. Many of the city’s Ukrainian street names are reverting to Soviet ones, with the Avenue of Peace that cuts through Mariupol to be labeled Lenin Avenue. Even the large sign that announces the name of the city at its entrance has been Russified, repainted with the red, white and blue of the Russian flag and the Russian spelling. Eight months after Mariupol fell into Russian hands, Russia is eradicating all vestiges of Ukraine from it – along with the evidence of war crimes buried in its buildings, such as the famed Drama Theater where demolition started Thursday. The few open schools teach a Russian curriculum, phone and television networks are Russian, the Ukrainian currency is dying out, and Mariupol is now in the Moscow time zone. On the ruins of the old Mariupol, a new Russian city is rising, with materials from at least one European company, The Associated Press found. But the AP investigation into life in occupied Mariupol also underlines what its residents already know all too well: No matter what the Russians do, they are building upon a city of death. More than 10,000 new graves now scar Mariupol, the AP found, and the death toll might run three times higher than an early estimate of at least 25,000. The former Ukrainian city has also hollowed out, with Russian plans to demolish well over 50,000 homes, the AP calculated. Associated Press journalists were the last international media in Mariupol to escape heavy shelling in March, before Russian forces took the city over. This is the story of what has happened since. AP reconnected with many people whose tragedies were captured in photos and video during the deadliest days of the Russian siege.
Death surrounds Mariupol in the rapidly growing cemeteries on its outskirts, and its stench lingered over the city into the autumn. It haunts the memories of survivors, both in Mariupol and in exile.
Every one of the dozens of residents the AP spoke with knew someone killed during the siege of Mariupol, which began with the Feb. 24 invasion. As many as 30 people arrive at the morgue each day in hopes of tracking down a loved one.
Lydya Erashova watched her 5-year-old son Artem and her 7-year-old niece Angelina die after a Russian shelling in March. The family hastily buried the young cousins in a makeshift grave in a yard and fled Mariupol. They returned in July to rebury the children, only to learn while on the road that the bodies had already been dug up and taken to a warehouse. As they approached the city center, each block was bleaker than the last. “It is horror. Wherever you look, whichever way you look,” said Erashova. “Everything is black, is destroyed.”
Neither she nor her sister-in-law could bear to go inside the warehouse to identify the bodies of their children. Their husbands, who are brothers, chose the tiny coffins – one pink and one blue – to be placed together in a single grave. Erashova, who is now in Canada, said no Russian rebuilding plan could possibly bring back what Mariupol lost. “Our lives have been taken from us. Our child was taken from us,” she said. “It’s so ridiculous and stupid. How do you restore a dead city where people were killed at every turn?”
RECKONING WITH DEATH
The AP investigation drew on interviews with 30 residents from Mariupol, including 13 living under Russian occupation; satellite imagery; hundreds of videos gathered from inside the city, and Russian documents showing a master plan. Taken together, they chronicle a comprehensive effort to suppress Mariupol’s collective history and memory as a Ukrainian city. Mariupol was in the crosshairs of the Kremlin from the first day of the invasion. Just 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border, the city is a port on the Sea of Azov and crucial for Russian supply lines. The city was hit relentlessly with airstrikes and artillery, its communications severed, its food and water cut off. Yet Mariupol refused to give in for 86 days. By the time the last Ukrainian fighters holed up in the Azovstal steel mill surrendered in May, Mariupol had become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. That resistance came at a high price. The thoroughness of Russia’s destruction of Mariupol can still be seen today. Videos taken across the city and satellite images show that munitions have left their mark on nearly every building across its 166 square kilometers (64 square miles). Large swaths of the city are devoid of color and life, with fire-blackened walls, grey demolition dust and dead trees with shredded foliage. But the worst destruction Mariupol suffered may be measured in its death toll, which will never be fully known. An AP analysis of satellite imagery taken over the past eight months of occupation shows 8,500 new graves in the outlying Staryi Krym cemetery alone, with possibly multiple bodies beneath each mound. There are at least three other trench gravesites around the city, including one created by Ukrainians themselves at the beginning of the siege. In all, a total at least 10,300 new graves are scattered around Mariupol, according to AP’s methodology, confirmed by three forensic pathologists with expertise in mass graves. Thousands more bodies likely never even made it to the graveyard. Back in May, when the city finally fell, the municipal government in exile estimated 25,000 people at a minimum had died. But at least three people in the city since June say the number killed is triple that or more, based on conversations with workers documenting body collection from the streets for the Russian occupation authorities. Svitlana Chebotareva, a Mariupol resident who fled in March, said her neighbor died in a flat nearby, and the body is still there. Chebotareva returned home this autumn for just long enough to retrieve her belongings, since residents are free to come and go so long as they pass checkpoints. She said the Russians expect gratitude with their offer of a few new apartments. “I don’t know how it’s possible now to give us ‘candies’ in exchange for destroyed homes and killed people,” she said in Kyiv. “And they still believe it anyway.”
ERASING A UKRAINIAN CITY
The notices are taped to peeling, pockmarked walls by the entry, and addressed to “DEAR RESIDENTS.”This is how those who remained in Mariupol learn their buildings are scheduled for imminent demolition. Often, despite shattered windows, frozen pipes and no electricity, they are still living inside because they have nowhere else to go. In a review of hundreds of photos and video clips along with documents from occupation authorities, the AP found that more than 300 buildings in Mariupol have been or are about to be demolished. Some are individual homes, but most are multistory apartment blocks in the khrushchyovka style, launched by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev in a housing crisis in the 1960s. With around 180 apartments inside or more, each building was designed to house as many families as possible. That means in all, the demolitions will remove well over 50,000 homes, according to AP calculations. “There is no discussion, people aren’t prepared,” said an activist in Mariupol, who like all inside Mariupol requested anonymity for fear of retribution. “People still live in the basements. Where they can go is unclear.” Only Russians handle the debris itself, according to another resident still in the city who works on the sites. The stated reason is to avoid accidents, he said. But Petro Andryushchenko, an aide to Mariupol’s mayor who is exiled in Dnipro, believes the real reason is to ensure that people don’t see the rotting corpses being hauled away. He said many of the buildings, especially in the neighborhood around Azovstal , contain 50 to 100 bodies each that will never get a decent burial. Those deaths will go unrecorded.
110 Mytropolytska is one of the buildings on Russia’s demolition list, scheduled to come down any day.
The smell of fresh-baked bread still brings Inna Nepomnyshaya, a doctor, back to her last night in March in her sixth-floor apartment there. When she saw the street price of bread in her besieged city, she decided to bake her own. The smell warmed the air the next morning when her son-in-law arrived. It was time to leave, he insisted. Russian forces were closing in. Nepomnyshaya was at her daughter’s building when Russian tanks rolled up to her own at dusk on March 11. As AP journalists watched and recorded from the upper floor of nearby Hospital No. 2, one tank raised its gun at 110 Mytropolytska and fired. The shell shattered the walls of Nepomnyshaya’s apartment and obliterated those of the neighbors above, below and behind her. Most of the neighbors were huddled in the basement, but two elderly women, Lydya and Nataliya, couldn’t make the trip up and down the stairs. Their bodies would be buried in the courtyard soon after. Weeks later, AP video showed the rough graves still there. With communications to the city cut, Nepomnyshaya did not learn of the fate of her apartment until her family had escaped to Ukrainian-held territory. Like many who left Mariupol, she still speaks of the city in the present tense.
“I live in Mariupol, this is my home,” she said, speaking by candlelight in a café in Dnipro, another city that had lost power. “This house was my fortress, and they took it away from me.”Also on the demolition list are the buildings on either side. One was hit by at least one airstrike on March 11; the walls of another are in ruins. Russia is now moving into the historic city center. Russian authorities in October dismantled Mariupol’s memorial to victims of the Holodomor, the Soviet-engineered famine in the 1930s that killed millions of Ukrainians, according to video posted on Russian television. They also painted over two murals commemorating victims of Russia’s 2014 attack on Ukraine, images obtained by the AP show. “They spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on things like erasing demonstrations of Ukrainian identity and very little time tending to the needs of the Mariupol people,” said Michael Carpenter, U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which for years monitored eastern Ukraine. “It’s really a very brutal inhuman colonial experiment unfolding before our eyes.”
BUILDING A RUSSIAN CITY
As it tries to raze the remains of Ukraine, Russia has laid out a plan for a new city with a new population. At its heart will lie the historic Mariupol theater, according to the master plan first reported by the Russian site The Village in August and seen by The Associated Press. The majestic Drama Theater became the city’s main bomb shelter until twin Russian airstrikes hit on March 16. Hundreds died, an AP investigation found, and residents said the site reeked of bodies all summer. To mask the ruins, Russian authorities put up a screen so tall it can be seen from space, etching the theater’s outline on the paneling in a ghostly reminder of its previous life. On Thursday, the theater itself fell victim to the demolition campaign, according to video from the city seen by The Associated Press. Also in the Russian documents are plans to restore the ruins of the obliterated Azovstal steel mill, the last Ukrainian holdout. The site is slated to be transformed into an industrial park by the end of next year, though there are no signs that any work has begun. But a Russian military compound went up in record time, according to satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies that showed the vast U-shaped building with the Russian Army slogan emblazoned on the rooftop. Russia already has constructed at least 14 new apartment buildings — a small fraction of the number coming down — and is repairing at least two of the hospitals it damaged by shelling. Video obtained by The Associated Press showed rows of pallets stacked with insulation from the Danish company Rockwool, which maintains its division in Russia despite criticism. Construction materials are not subject to sanctions. In a statement, Rockwool’s Vice President of Communications Michael Zarin said the insulation panels were distributed without the company’s “knowledge or consent,” and that he hopes its products help restore health care, warmth and shelter to Ukrainians. Videos show no furniture visible in the windows of the new apartments and few people on the sidewalks outside. Only pensioners, the disabled and those affiliated with the occupation seem to be getting them, according to multiple people still in Mariupol. One man applied to the list in September and found himself in 11,700th place. He has friends in the 2,000 range who are still waiting, like him. And an old man he knows, whose number was in the 9,000s has already moved into one of the new buildings.
“I don’t know how it happens. I won’t speculate,” he said.
However, the man said he has no issue with the demolition of buildings that aren’t fit to live in. He is cautiously relaunching his own company in the new city. But the plans for a Russian Mariupol depend on a population that simply no longer exists. Thousands of Mariupol’s former residents were sent to Russia with little or no choice, and thousands more fled into other areas of Ukraine. Of Mariupol’s former population of around 425,000, just over a quarter stayed, according to estimates from Andryushchenko. The Russian master plan for Mariupol calls for a population of 212,000 in 2022, and back to 425,000 by 2030. Right now, about 15,000 of the people in Mariupol people are Russian troops, said Andryushchenko, who drew his estimate from information about the soldiers taking over homes and public buildings. He said Russian riot police have begun patrolling the city to head off protests over the lack of heat, electricity and water. Videos seen by the AP showed military convoys, along with construction trucks, clogging the streets. The activist the AP spoke with also confirmed an increase in the number of soldiers since Russian forces retreated from the Kharkiv and Kherson regions.
Construction workers from Russia show no signs of leaving, and tents were visible outside the Port City mall until the winter. Doctors and city administrators also have come in from Russia, according to Russian government announcements and physicians who left the city after refusing to work for the occupation authorities. “There is no more Russian city now than Mariupol,” Dmitry Sablin, a Russian lawmaker born in Mariupol, said in an interview with Russian media in June after visiting the city. The Kremlin is moving as swiftly as it can to ensure that those Ukrainians who stay see their future as Russians. On Nov. 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded Mariupol the title of “City of Military Glory” for the heroism of people he described as its defenders. On Dec. 7, Putin said his war against Ukraine had turned the Sea of Azov into “Russia’s internal sea.” This suits many of those who remained behind just fine. Mariupol has always had some residents who considered themselves Russian. “Whoever doesn’t like it, doesn’t come back,” one woman said.
NO FUTURE IN SIGHT
Russia’s occupation of Mariupol has divided families and friends into two categories: Those who stayed and those who fled. Both grapple with what Mariupol once was and will be. When Ivan Kalinin escaped, he left behind the body of his wife Iryna and their unborn first child, both killed in the March 9 Russian airstrike on the maternity hospital. His parents and hers stayed in Mariupol. He last saw his wife that morning when her labor began, and she sent him to fetch clothes and diapers. He learned about the airstrike at a military blockade on the way to the hospital. He and his father found her body the next day at another hospital. “I do not even know how I survived it,” he said quietly. “I was drinking every day to fall asleep.” Kalinin, who now lives in Wales, cannot imagine going home. Nor can he imagine life anywhere else. “It is too painful for me to be there. I might return at some point — it is my hometown, after all,” he said. “I fall asleep every day hoping this is a dream. And I wake up with understanding that it is a reality.”Mariupol is now torn between Russia and Ukraine. Some people who stayed are waiting for Russian citizenship just to get on with their lives. Yet the Ukrainian letter ï , which is not found in Russian, is appearing as graffiti around the city — a small act of defiance in a place many described as full of fear. Nepomnyshaya, whose apartment was struck by a Russian shell, dreamed recently that she’d returned home and smelled bread. But she is not sure if she ever can or will go back. “I believe that Mariupol will be rebuilt, that it will be Ukraine after all,” she said. “But I know that this smell is just a memory.”
*Hinnant and Stepanenko reported from Dnipro, Ukraine. El Deeb reported from Beirut. Tilna reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Marshall Ritzel in New York, Michael Biesecker in Washington, and Mstyslav Chernov, Jamey Keaten, Evgeniy Maloletka and Inna Varenytsia in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.

Netanyahu Informs President He Has Formed a Government
Zen Read/Haaretz/December 22/2022
Likud chair Benjamin Netanyahu notified Israeli President Isaac Herzog that he has been able to form a new government, to be sworn in within a few days, barring any delays
Benjamin Netanyahu officially informed Israel's President that he has successfully formed a new government, some six weeks after the Knesset elections. The Likud chairman spoke with President Herzog, telling him he has enough seats to build a majority in the 120-member legislature. The parties that will make up the coalition will be Netanyahu's Likud, the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism, and the far-right factions Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism and Noam.  Outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid reacted to Netanyahu's announcement, saying that "Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have formed the most extreme government in Israel's history," envoking the names of the leaders of Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism. The next step in the process will occur when Knesset speaker Yariv Levin officially informs the lawmakers that a new government has been formed. That move would trigger the Basic Law on the Government, which states that the cabinet must be sworn in no more than seven days afterwards. However, because of the Hanukkah holiday, the Knesset is not expected to meet on Wednesday, and will convene again only on the following Monday, December 26. Therefore, the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet will take place no later than Monday, January 2. Netanyahu and Levin would like to try to hold the swearing-in ceremony before the deadline. Sources close to the two say that Wednesday or Thursday of next week, December 27 or 28, is a likely date, barring any delays. The Knesset's legislative blitz proves no one trusts Netanyahu. Whether the event takes place this week or next week is not considered very important, because Likud believes the coalition laws will all be passed by Wednesday of next week. The goal of moving up the date before the deadline is symbolic, so as not to wait until the new year for the swearing-in ceremony. On Monday, the Knesset is expected to vote on the final version of the so-called “Dery bill,” which would enable Dery to become a minister despite being given a suspended sentence following a plea deal for tax offenses in January 2022. Immediately after, discussion is to begin on the so-called “Ben-Gvir bill,” an amendment to the Police Ordinance subordinating the police chief to the far-right National Security Minister-designate Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Chile president says planning to open embassy in Palestine
Agence France Presse/December 22/2022
President Gabriel Boric of Chile, whose country has the largest Palestinian population outside of the Middle East, said Wednesday that he planned to open an embassy "in Palestine".
The announcement by the leftist president, who began his four-year term in March 2022, came at a Christmas ceremony for Chile's Palestinian community, estimated to be more than 300,000 strong.
"One of the decisions we have taken as a government, I think we have not yet made it public... is that we will raise the level of our official representation in Palestine," Boric said. "We will open an embassy under our government." Chile in 1998 opened a representative office to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, and in 2011 recognized Palestine as a state and supported its entrance to UNESCO. Palestinians began immigrating to Chile in large numbers during the 20th century, when the area was still part of the Ottoman Empire. The large community is prominent in Chile's textile industry and also involved in the country's politics.

Netanyahu regime under US pressure to contain far-right tactics in West Bank
Arab News/December 22, 2022
RAMALLAH: Washington has informed Tel Aviv that it will not grant entry visas to the US for Israeli security personnel or settlers who engage in violence in the West Bank, according to Israeli sources. The US also indicated it may reduce its military aid to Israel, or may not grant annual guarantees for $33 billion in assistance for the next 10 years, if used against Palestinians in the West Bank. This development coincided with incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing success in forming a new government. Washington has sent warning messages to Netanyahu through its ambassador to Israel, Tom Nides, in the wake of the success of right-wing Israeli parties in elections in early November. The US identified red lines that President Joe Biden will not allow to be crossed, including Israel taking unilateral steps to undermine the two-state solution, and changing the status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israeli political analyst Yoni Ben Menachem told Arab News that the Netanyahu government is obliged to abide by the US requests because it needs weapons from Washington for military operations in Iran. Netanyahu “will not enter into a confrontation with Biden because he needs to obtain this American weapon, and he informed both (coalition partners Itamar) Ben-Gvir and (Bezalel) Smotrich of this,” Ben Menachem told Arab News. The analyst indicated that Biden does not want a confrontation with Netanyahu as it would strengthen extremists in the incoming government, undermine the Palestinian Authority and the two-state solution
Palestinian political analyst Ghassan Al-Khatib told Arab News that the composition of the new Israeli government constituted a challenge and embarrassment to the Biden administration.  He said the president would pressure Netanyahu to curb those far-right elements in his coalition, which, Al-Khatib said, would also be in the interests of the new prime minister, so as to lessen their influence over him. Netanyahu has for some time pursued a strategy of exaggerating the Iranian threat to the region in order to entice more Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel and to obtain advanced American weapons, as well as using that threat domestically to imply an existential threat against Israel. But he is struggling to promote the idea whilst simultaneously claiming the Palestinian Authority poses an equally existential threat. The PA, meanwhile, may benefit from US pressure on Israel and the presence of extreme right-wing elements in government to revitalize its own efforts to improve relations with international organizations and European countries. In another development, Palestinians sources say the Jewish shrine of Joseph’s Tomb, located in the center of Nablus beside the Balata refugee camp, has become a hotbed of tension and violence.
The frequent storming of the site by dozens of religious settlers, protected by the Israel Defense Force, often leads to stone-thowing or armed confrontations between Palestinians, settlers and the IDF. The number of Palestinians killed at the site since the beginning of the year is estimated at 20, the latest of whom was soccer player Ahmed Daraghmeh, who died on Wednesday night in an incident that saw 22 others injured when Palestinian militants exchanged fire with Israeli troops escorting Jewish worshippers to the tomb in the Palestinian city. Palestinian sources say incursions increased after Netanyahu and his allies performed well in the polls in November, and that settlers stoke tensions by posting photos and videos upon their arrival at the shrine on social media. A high-ranking Palestinian security officer in Nablus, who preferred not to be named, told Arab News that the IDF and settlers’ repeated incursions into the area often occurred without prior official coordination with the Palestinian security services, instead making announcements in advance through Israeli social media and official settler webpages. Loud music, dancing, screaming and partying are common when they arrive, said the Palestinian officer, adding that settlers often set up tables laden with food at the shrine. “This is a provocative act, not a prayer,” he added. The official said that before, visits were limited to once a month during daylight hours, when Palestinians in the area tended to be at work or school, but that they now take place more often and usually at night, with increasingly provocative, far-right overtones. The visits cause an increase in the security burden and widespread embarrassment for the Palestinian security services, as every visit to the shrine ends with violence and, increasingly, the killing and wounding of Palestinians. “Palestinian citizens are wondering where the Palestinian security is to protect us from the oppression of the army and the storming settlers. But, according to the agreements with the Israeli side, we cannot engage in armed clashes with the Israeli army, which harms the image and prestige of the Palestinian security forces in the eyes of its people,” the source told Arab News. He described the shrine as having become one of the most bloody and tense points between the Palestinians, the IDF and the Israeli settlers in the West Bank, second only to Al-Aqsa Mosque. Palestinian police guard the tomb around the clock, but withdraw when the IDF and settlers arrive to visit the site. An Israeli source told Arab News that the clashes at Joseph’s Tomb were due to the weakness of the Palestinian security services in Nablus, which no longer control the city.

Palestinian militant killed in Israel West Bank incursion
Agence France Presse/December 22/2022
Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian militant during an incursion into the West Bank city of Nablus early Thursday, Palestinian sources said. The exchange of fire came just hours after veteran Israeli hawk Benjamin Netanyahu announced he had formed a new government, returning to power as the head of the most right-wing coalition in Israel's history. The Palestinian health ministry said Ahmed Atef Daraghmeh, 23, a footballer from the nearby town of Tulkarem, sustained bullet wounds to the back and foot. Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, said Daraghmeh was a member of its military wing who "was killed by occupation bullets during clashes at dawn on Thursday". The Israeli army said its troops had entered Nablus to "secure the coordinated entrance of Israeli civilians to Joseph's Tomb," a contested religious site that Muslims believe houses the grave of a local sheikh, but many Jews revere as the burial place of the Biblical patriarch Joseph. "Armed Palestinians hurled explosive devices and fired toward the soldiers, endangering their lives," the army said. "The soldiers responded with live fire. Hits were identified." Joseph's Tomb lies within the built up area of Nablus, and Jewish pilgrims can visit only in groups escorted by the Israeli army. Their entry often sparks clashes with Palestinian residents. Nablus has seen frequent clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants in recent months, as the army has stepped up its incursions into Palestinian towns and cities in response to a wave of deadly attacks on Israeli targets earlier this year. The flare-up has seen the rise to prominence of a new armed group, dubbed the "Lions' Den", that has brought together fighters from established Palestinian factions united in their opposition to the longstanding security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli army. The army killed some of the group's top leaders in early October, but its militants said on Telegram that they had taken part in Thursday's clashes. Members of the new governing coalition announced by Netanyahu late Wednesday have called for an even tougher crackdown on Palestinians. The prospective national security minister in the new government, Itamar Ben Gvir of the far-right Jewish Power party, has repeatedly urged Israeli security personnel to use more force when countering Palestinian unrest. At least 150 Palestinians and 26 Israelis have been killed this year across Israel and the West Bank, including Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. A further 49 Palestinians were killed during three days of fighting between Gaza militants and Israel in August.

Gaza Christians say travel curbs separate families at Christmas
Reuters/December 22, 2022
GAZA: As pilgrims from around the world flock to Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Nazareth for Christmas, members of Gaza’s Christian community wait to hear whether Israel will grant them a travel permit. This year, Israeli authorities have approved travel for nearly 600 Palestinian Christians in Gaza, according to COGAT, a unit in Israel’s defense ministry that coordinates civilian issues with Palestinians. But Palestinians say Israel’s permit allocations deny many families a rare opportunity to leave the strip and travel together because permits are not always granted to all family members. “It is a tragedy when the mother or the father gets a permit and not the children or the opposite. That means there is no travel and there is no celebration,” Suhail Tarazi, director of Gaza’s Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).n“Such suffering happens to many families and it is repeated every year,” Tarazi told Reuters during a tree-lighting celebration in Gaza City on Dec 10. COGAT said the accusations were an “absolute lie” and that it had denied about 200 applications from Christians this year on security grounds. Gaza’s 2.3 million population comprises an estimated 1,000 Christians, most of whom are Greek Orthodox who celebrate Christmas in January. Gaza is run by the Islamist Hamas group. Citing security concerns, Israel restricts the movement of people and goods and maintains a naval blockade of the densely-populated coastal strip, where unemployment and poverty are high. Egypt also maintains some restrictions along its frontier with the territory. “I got a permit, but neither my wife nor my son did, therefore, I won’t be able to travel and enjoy Christmas in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus,” Majed Tarazi said. He is not related to Suhail, the YMCA director. For journalist Samer Hanna, the situation is reversed. He has been denied permits for the last 15 years on security grounds, while his wife and two children can travel.“They get upset when they go and I am not with them, and if they stay here because of me, they still wish they could go to the West Bank or Jerusalem,” Hanna said. Even though Bethlehem is only a 90-minute drive away, the travel ban has prevented him from reconnecting with extended family and friends in the West Bank. “It is a big problem when I see people from all over the world going to Bethlehem easily and I can’t travel with my family,” he said.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia decry Taliban university ban for women
Associated Press/December 22/2022
Turkey and Saudi Arabia became the latest Muslim-majority countries to condemn a decision by Taliban authorities to bar women from universities, while about two dozen women staged a protest in the streets of Kabul on Thursday. In another sign of domestic opposition, several Afghan cricketers condemned the university ban. Cricket is a hugely popular sport in Afghanistan, and players have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. The country's Taliban rulers earlier this week ordered women nationwide to stop attending private and public universities effective immediately and until further notice.They have yet to publicly speak about the ban or react to the global backlash against it, although a spokesman for the Ministry of Higher Education, Ziaullah Hashmi, said in a tweet Thursday that a news conference would be held this week to explain the move. Despite initially promising a more moderate rule respecting rights for women and minorities, the Taliban have widely implemented their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, since they seized power in August 2021. They have banned girls from middle school and high school, barred women from most fields of employment and ordered them to wear head-to-toe clothing in public. Women are also banned from parks and gyms. At the same time, Afghan society, while largely traditional, has increasingly embraced the education of girls and women over the past two decades. The latest condemnations of the university ban came from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday that the ban was "neither Islamic nor humane." Speaking at a joint news conference with his Yemeni counterpart, Cavusoglu called on the Taliban to reverse their decision. "What harm is there in women's education? What harm does it to do Afghanistan?" Cavusoglu said. "Is there an Islamic explanation? On the contrary, our religion, Islam, is not against education, on the contrary, it encourages education and science." Saudi Arabia, which until 2019 enforced sweeping restrictions on women's travel, employment and other crucial aspects of their daily life including driving, also urged the Taliban to change course. The Saudi foreign ministry expressed "astonishment and regret" at Afghan women being denied a university education. In a statement late Wednesday, the ministry said the decision was "astonishing in all Islamic countries." Previously, Qatar, which has engaged with the Taliban authorities, also condemned the decision. In the capital of Kabul, about two dozen women marched in the streets Thursday, chanting in Dari for freedom and equality. "All or none. Don't be afraid. We are together," they chanted. In video obtained by The Associated Press, one woman said Taliban security forces used violence to disperse the group. "The girls were beaten and whipped," she said. "They also brought military women with them, whipping the girls. We ran away, some girls were arrested. I don't know what will happen." Several Afghan cricketers called for the ban to be lifted. Player Rahmanullah Garbaz said in a tweet that every day of education wasted was a day wasted in the country's future. Another cricketer, Rashid Khan, tweeted that women are the foundation of society. "A society that leaves its children in the hands of ignorant and illiterate women cannot expect its members to serve and work hard," he wrote. Another show of support for female university students came at Nangarhar Medical University. Local media reported that male students walked out in solidarity and refused to sit exams until women's university access was reinstated.

Explosion in northern Iraq kills two soldiers, injures three
Associated Press/December 22, 2022
Two soldiers were killed and three were injured in an explosion in northern Iraq, Iraqi state news said Thursday. The soldiers were traveling in an army vehicle a day earlier in the Makhmour district when an explosive device detonated, the state Iraqi News Agency reported. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. It was the latest in a string of similar incidents in recent days. Eight people were killed and three injured Monday in an attack by gunmen on the village of Albu Bali northwest of Fallujah, previously held by the Islamic State extremist group. On Sunday, an explosive device went off in northern Iraq, killing at least nine members of the Iraqi federal police force who were on patrol in the village of Ali al-Sultan in the Riyadh district of the province of Kirkuk. On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had convened a meeting of security officials to discuss the "terrorist attacks" and the army's plans to respond, according to an official statement. Iraqi officials declared victory over the Islamic State extremist group five years ago, but the group has continued to carry out sporadic attacks, amid fears of a resurgence.

The Latest LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 22-23/2022/
Saudi Arabia Welcomes China's Xi as US Snubs Allies, Courts Enemies
Lawrence A. Franklin/Gatestone Institute/December 22, 2022
China is fully exploiting the cooling of US-Saudi relations engineered by the Biden administration's repeated public personal attacks on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) as well as perceived decreased support for the Saudi-led coalition's efforts to blunt Iranian expansionism in Yemen.
The Saudis had most likely hoped that the US would finally scuttle the Iran nuclear deal for good, which did not take place.
Just a few weeks into the Biden administration, on February 12, 2021, Secretary of State Antony Blinken removed the Houthis from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. A few months later, the Houthis expressed their appreciation by raining rockets and missiles down on Saudi Arabia's "critical energy facilities" and the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi leaders therefore seem to be seeking to diversify their commercial and security links by improving relations with China, as superficially symbolized by the pomp and ceremony associated with Xi's welcome to Riyadh. If so, this Saudi initiative plays well with Xi's concept of an emerging multi-polar world.
Xi has agreed to buy more oil from Gulf Cooperation Council states but suggested that the purchases be paid for in Chinese yuan rather than US dollars. If the oil-exporting states agree to Xi's request, it will further reinforce the notion that US influence with Saudi Arabia is on the decline.
As evidence of this negative trend in US prestige, the Saudi crown prince ignored US warnings not to sign deals with the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. Saudi Arabia inked Huawei-associated contracts on data centers and cloud computing.
The Saudis seem to be welcoming China as a potential strategic partner -- one that will not, unlike the US, interfere in what the Kingdom undoubtedly considers its most urgent existential need.
China is fully exploiting the cooling of US-Saudi relations engineered by the Biden administration's repeated public personal attacks on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as well as perceived decreased support for the Saudi-led coalition's efforts to blunt Iranian expansionism in Yemen. Pictured: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on February 22, 2019. (Photo by How Hwee Young/AFP via Getty Images)
China is fully exploiting the cooling of US-Saudi relations engineered by the Biden administration's repeated public personal attacks on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) as well as perceived decreased support for the Saudi-led coalition's efforts to blunt Iranian expansionism in Yemen.
China's first summit with Arab state leaders in Saudi Arabia occurs at a propitious time for both Chinese President Xi Jinping and MBS. Xi is at the height of his power, having been approved in November by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee for an unprecedented third term as party General Secretary. MBS, already Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, was just appointed as the Prime Minister by his father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
MBS's recent meeting with US President Joe Biden further added to the crown prince's reputation as a decisive leader. During their October meeting in Riyadh, it was Biden who appeared to be the junior partner. During the sessions, MBS dashed any US hopes that Riyadh would grant the American leader's request to increase its oil production, which Biden had hoped would continue throughout December. Such an increase, if implemented, could have helped reduce US domestic gasoline prices at the pump in the run-up to US mid-term elections and during the holiday shopping and travel season. Biden administration officials were reportedly disappointed by an unexpected OPEC's Saudi-led decision to reduce oil production by two million barrels per day. The Saudis had most likely hoped that the US would finally scuttle the Iran nuclear deal for good, which did not take place.
The Saudi chill toward the US president reflects the political reality that the decades-long US-Saudi strategic partnership is at a nadir. Relations soured following the murder of the Muslim Brotherhood-aligned US-resident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's Consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, although Washington never showed any signs of pique toward Iran for the abduction and apparent murder of the retired FBI agent and CIA contractor Robert Levenson. Allegations that MBS ordered the murder of Khashoggi were embraced by Biden, who went on to publicly condemn the crown prince. Subsequently, Biden's position was further weakened as he was forced to climb down from his pledge to punish MBS, by admitting that MBS, as Saudi Arabia's prime minister, is immune from prosecution.
The Kingdom also continues to absorb bizarre US criticism that Saudi airstrikes hit 72 Yemeni targets whereas the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen bombed only 52 Saudi facilities Yemen is indeed suffering a profound humanitarian crisis but the responsibility for this disaster lies wholly with Iran, which has been arming, training and supplying its Shiite Houthi tribal ally to take over Yemen, thereby threatening Sunni Saudi Arabia and its oil facilities. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah continue to aid the Houthis, who have launched missiles and weaponized drones against targets in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Just a few weeks into the Biden administration, on February 12, 2021, Secretary of State Antony Blinken removed the Houthis from the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. A few months later, the Houthis expressed their appreciation by raining rockets and missiles down on Saudi Arabia's "critical energy facilities" and the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi leaders therefore seem to be seeking to diversify their commercial and security links by improving relations with China, as superficially symbolized by the pomp and ceremony associated with Xi's welcome to Riyadh. If so, this Saudi initiative plays well with Xi's concept of an emerging multi-polar world.
Riyadh choreographed a colorful and festive salute to the Chinese leader with ceremonies equivalent to the elaborate welcome extended then President Trump in his visit to Saudi Arabia in 2017. There is little doubt that MBS was sending a message to the Biden Administration that Saudi Arabia and Gulf States will be looking to expand relations with other geopolitical powers, despite the White House's warnings about deepening ties to Communist China.
Xi has agreed to buy more oil from Gulf Cooperation Council states but suggested that the purchases be paid for in Chinese yuan rather than US dollars. If the oil-exporting states agree to Xi's request, it will further reinforce the notion that US influence with Saudi Arabia is on the decline. As evidence of this negative trend in US prestige, the Saudi crown prince ignored US warnings not to sign deals with the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. Saudi Arabia inked Huawei-associated contracts on data centers and cloud computing.
China now imports about 18% of its crude oil from Saudi Arabia, slightly less from Russia, and substantial quantities from other Middle East states such as Iraq, Kuwait and Oman. China, as the world's largest importer of oil, may be seeking to continue to diversify its sources of energy, as it already imports petroleum products from 44 countries.
The Saudis seem to be welcoming China as a potential strategic partner -- one that will not, unlike the US, interfere in what the Kingdom undoubtedly considers its most urgent existential need.
*Dr. Lawrence A. Franklin was the Iran Desk Officer for Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. He also served on active duty with the U.S. Army and as a Colonel in the Air Force Reserve.
© 2022 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Designate the Iranian regime’s paramilitary group as a terror organization
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arabg News/December 23, 2022
Protests across Iran have entered their fourth month while the Iranian authorities appear to be resorting to every possible mode of repression to suppress the demonstrators.
Some violent modes of repression include shooting at protesters, injuring and killing people, executing protesters, thousands of arrests, physical and mental torture, and sexual violence, including rape.
One of the important steps that the international community ought to take to hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable is to impose crippling sanctions on one of the leading forces behind the crackdown, the IRGC’s violent paramilitary group, the Basij. In 1981, two years after its creation, the Basij became an official part of the IRGC and it established centers across the country.
This paramilitary group acts with impunity. It was granted extensive powers by the IRGC that allowed its members to act as religious and moral police, to enforce the regime’s revolutionary laws, monitor people’s daily activities, suppress anti-regime protests, operate in foreign countries, organize religious events throughout Iran, and recruit and train child soldiers for the IRGC. Basij centers can be seen in almost every city, town, school and university across Iran. In return, the Basij has significantly empowered and emboldened the Iranian regime. As the US Treasury Department pointed out: “In addition to its involvement in violent crackdowns and serious human rights abuses in Iran, the Basij recruits and trains fighters . . . including Iranian children, who then deploy to Syria to support the brutal Assad regime.”
In every wave of protests, including the latest one, the Basij has played a critical role in cracking down on demonstrators and those who dare to criticize the Islamic Republic and the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Many videos on social media have revealed how the Basij officers are shooting and beating up protesters. The Basij members appear in plain clothes (lebas shakhsi) in public, which makes it extremely difficult for ordinary people to identify them before being attacked. Iran International news agency reported that “According to Rouydad24 news website in Tehran, when people produce evidence that they were beaten or arrested by plainclothes individuals or even when videos of plainclothes officers arresting, beating or shooting at protesters emerge, the government always claims that they were “rogue elements.’”
As long as all law enforcement officers in Iran do not wear uniforms, the government can get away with the criminal acts committed by them. Since 1999, when plainclothes officers violently suppressed a student uprising in Tehran killing several students, some regime insiders have been trying to convince the security forces to issue uniforms to all law enforcers, to no avail. Security forces are under the command of Khamenei, who needs plainclothes agents to save the regime from the people.
Although the Iranian regime claims that the Basij is a voluntary resistance group, many of its members are paid. In fact, the regime designates a large budget to the group every year. The Basij has become an important player in both the private and public sectors, and is reportedly one the largest investors in the Iranian stock exchange. Those who join the group are given financial and non-monetary incentives such as easier entry to universities, access to bank loans, grants and employment.
While the theocratic establishment of Iran denies that the Basij are involved in the crackdown, a member of Basij surprisingly revealed to France 24 International in a rare interview: “In our unit, we have shotguns, tear gas, batons, paintball guns and stun guns. We had a few hours of introduction and training on ‘non-combat’ weapons like these . . . I try not to hit protesters . . . The others in my unit aim at people to hit them, to hit them in the chest or head, to kill them. And if you kill someone, you won’t get in trouble. So hotheads or officers who do not care shoot at people’s heads. That can be deadly. We have some Kalashnikovs in our arsenal too, but we have not used them yet. Kalashnikovs are now being used by IRGC members and the police. As far as I know, the Basij arsenal is the same in all the big cities. As Basij, we have not yet been ordered to use Kalashnikovs, but our unit used them in 2019. We will use Kalashnikovs again when the orders come.” It is imperative that the UN take action to hold the Iranian regime accountable. The IRGC’s paramilitary group is a leading force in the brutal crackdown on protesters. The international community must impose severe sanctions on this group. One of the most effective ways to weaken it is to cut off the flow of funds, to the IRGC and its mercenary group, the Basij.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. Twitter: @Dr_Rafizadeh

After 300 days of war in Ukraine, what next?
Andrew Hammond/Arab News/December 23, 2022
Tuesday marked the 300th day of the Ukraine war, with as much uncertainty remaining over the course of the conflict as there was during most of 2022.
While there remain many key unknowns, there are also fundamentals that are most likely to continue to hold true during much of the first quarter of 2023, before which time the war is likely to be conducted at a subdued level owing to the freezing weather on the battlefield. These forces will shape the landscape in the coming weeks prior to what may be a full resumption of battlefield hostilities in the spring.
One fundamental is that it seems neither side will win a decisive victory imminently. Historically, wars have tended to end in one of two ways: When one side imposes its will on the other on the battlefield, then at the negotiating table; or when both sides embrace a compromise they deem preferable to fighting. Unless something big changes early in 2023, neither of these outcomes is likely in Ukraine for now, especially as both sides are prepared to expend massive resources in the conflict.
The US alone has already committed well over $50 billion to Ukraine, which is more than the entire annual Australian defense budget. Meanwhile, Western intelligence estimates that more than 100,000 Russian soldiers have already either died or been injured on the battlefield.
What is largely unknown in the West is what the impact of these losses is in terms of the unpopularity of the conflict in Russia. One intriguing signal came last month from Meduza, a website reporting Russian news from Latvia, which says it obtained a confidential opinion survey conducted by the Federal Protection Service, the organization in charge of guarding the Kremlin and providing security to top government officials. The survey, apparently commissioned by the Kremlin, found that 55 percent of respondents backed peace talks with Ukraine, while only 25 percent wanted the war to go on. Therefore, unless Russia achieves major battlefield successes early in the new year, maintaining even tacit approval of the war among the population may be increasingly difficult for the Kremlin.
Nonetheless, the most likely scenario in the coming weeks is probably a continued war of attrition. Indeed, it is possible that the conflict will last well into 2023 and potentially beyond, barring significant changes.
A second fundamental is that, even if the war continues at a subdued level during the cold winter months, the level and range of risks remain exceptionally high and this is why the outcome remains so unpredictable. In part, this is because President Vladimir Putin’s exit strategy remains unclear and he may yet miscalculate, including the possibility of chemical or nuclear weapons being used by pro-Russian forces if Ukraine continues to chalk up conventional battlefield wins.
Moreover, it is also important to highlight that the announced strategy of the Western alliance led by the US is to try to inflict a defeat on Russia. In the history of NATO in the post-Second World War era, this is a very important difference from before and raises the stakes if Western resolve is maintained.
On the latter issue, while there will probably be further intra-Western tensions over the strategy toward Russia in 2023, the most likely scenario is that the alliance will stick together over the difficult winter to come. In part, this is because of US leadership, which will corral the partners together, including the disparate EU27. US President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party in November defied US pollsters to retain control of the Senate and minimize losses in the House of Representatives. This means that Biden, while far from sure of reelection himself in 2024, currently has more political capital than expected.
Pessimistic as this central scenario of a continued war of attrition may seem, with the human cost — including for millions of refugees — largest of all, it is not the worst-case outcome. That future is most likely to be realized if the conflict escalates beyond Ukraine to involve NATO countries, as remains a significant possibility. While this still seems highly unlikely to many, it cannot be dismissed, such is the volatility of the situation. Although NATO is doing what it can to support Ukraine without getting itself entangled in a direct military confrontation with Russia, a miscalculation by one or both sides is a real concern.
This could be a genuine catastrophe for many and the use of nuclear or chemical weapons could not be ruled out. Moreover, not only would the regime of sanctions and counter-sanctions grow, but there would also be a wider economic collapse, expediting the impulse toward deglobalization.
*Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.

Democracy in Israel
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/December 22, 2022
Israel's democratic system is based on a unicameral parliament, the Knesset, the members of which are chosen in an election based on nationwide proportional representation. Because no one single political party has ever in the country's history won a majority of 61 out of 120 Knesset seats, multiple parties -- including small ones -- need to group together in a coalition to form the government.
It is often necessary to make significant compromises among the parties in order to make up a governing coalition. That is what is happening now with Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who .... promises to continue to oppose [bigotries] in the new government he is working to form under himself as Prime Minister. Israel, however, presents a very different face through the persona of its President Isaac Herzog. In Israel, the presidency is a non-partisan ceremonial role, without executive powers. Herzog... in 2015 ran unsuccessfully for prime minister as leader of the left-wing Labor Party. Today, as president, he represents all the citizens of Israel. His face is that of a centrist patriot with a long history of supporting human rights for all....
Herzog can remind the world that no country in history has contributed more to the world -- medically, scientifically, technologically, agriculturally, culturally, in human rights and in other ways -- during its first 75 years of existence than Israel. This, despite having to devote so much of its resources to defending itself against genocidal threats from Iran and other nations and terror groups committed to its destruction. Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt, Jordan and other Arab nations, and is seeking peace and normalization with still others.
Netanyahu, who was Israel's longest-serving prime minister, has played an extremely positive role in many of these developments, as well as in creating a peace that few thought possible with four Arab countries -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco -- after decades of hostility – all while countering deadly threats from Iran and leading Israel's economy away from socialism into the high-tech wonder that it is. There is much for Israel to be proud of, even as it faces challenges both from without and within. No nation is subjected to more unfounded and disproportionate condemnation -- from the United Nations, from international tribunals, from NGOs, from campus radicals, from many in the media -- than the nation-state of the Jewish people.
A recent visit to Israel revealed matters different from previous visits -- and similar to what is happening in the United States.
Today's Israel, like the US, is a deeply divided nation. Israel's democratic system is based on a unicameral parliament, the Knesset, the members of which are chosen in an election based on nationwide proportional representation. Because no one single political party has ever in the country's history won a majority of 61 out of 120 Knesset seats, multiple parties -- including small ones -- need to group together in a coalition to form the government.
It is often necessary to make significant compromises among the parties that make up the governing coalition. That is what is happening now with Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who is by nature a center-right moderate, and who had to join forces with some parties considerably to the right of him. These include individuals who unfortunately have histories of racism and homophobia -- bigotries that Netanyahu has always opposed and promises to continue to oppose in the new government he is working to form under himself as Prime Minister. These partners also include potential ministers who want to curtail the powers of Israel's Supreme Court, which many believe favors the left.
Israel, however, presents a very different face through the persona of its President Isaac Herzog. In Israel, the presidency is a non-partisan ceremonial role, without executive powers. Herzog is a career politician who in 2015 ran unsuccessfully for prime minister as leader of the left-wing Labor Party. Today, as president, he represents all the citizens of Israel. His face is that of a centrist patriot with a long history of supporting human rights for all. Although the Israeli president's role and power is limited, just as the role of king or queen is limited in Great Britain and other parliamentary monarchies, he can do a great deal to represent the best of Israel , especially as it approaches its 75th birthday in late April 2023. Herzog can remind the world that no country in history has contributed more to the world -- medically, scientifically, technologically, agriculturally, culturally, in human rights and in other ways -- during its first 75 years of existence than Israel. This, despite having to devote so much of its resources to defending itself against genocidal threats from Iran and other nations and terror groups committed to its destruction. Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt, Jordan and other Arab nations, and is seeking peace and normalization with still others. It has revived an ancient language, turned malaria-infested swamps into productive agricultural land, brought its great medical and agricultural discoveries to other nations, and provided refuge to millions of Jews and others facing persecution.
Netanyahu, who was Israel's longest-serving prime minister, has played an extremely positive role in many of these developments, as well as in creating a peace that few thought possible with four Arab countries -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco -- after decades of hostility – all while countering deadly threats from Iran and leading Israel's economy away from socialism into the high-tech wonder that it is.
There is much for Israel to be proud of, even as it faces challenges both from without and within. No nation is subjected to more unfounded and disproportionate condemnation -- from the United Nations, from international tribunals, from NGOs, from campus radicals, from many in the media -- than the nation-state of the Jewish people.
Together, Netanyahu and Herzog present what is best about Israel as well as complications that can arise in any democracy. I am proud to be their friend and a defender of the great country they represent -- Israel.
*Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus at Harvard Law School, and the author most recently of The Price of Principle: Why Integrity Is Worth The Consequences. He is the Jack Roth Charitable Foundation Fellow at Gatestone Institute, and is also the host of "The Dershow" podcast.
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