Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 01-02/2023
Hezbollah and Israeli troops exchange fire along the border as 2 civilians are killed in Lebanon
UNIFIL Spokesperson addresses calls for amending UN Security Council Resolution 1701
US: Restoring calm along Israel-Lebanon border of utmost importance
Tensions high in south Lebanon in anticipation of Hezbollah’s next move
Border clashes resume as Hezbollah targets soldiers, Israel shells south
Le Drian Pushes for Extending LAF Commander’s Term, Clashes with Bassil
Report: Le Drian urges pressing Hezbollah on 1701 as Israel seeks 'buffer zone'
Paris says war may go beyond south Lebanon if 'miscalculation' occurs
Tragedy strikes: Mother and son killed in Israeli shelling in southern Lebanon, LBCI sources
Friday clashes: Hezbollah strikes soldiers; Israeli artillery hits Labbouneh and Aita al-Shaab
Yassin to LBCI: The Lebanese delegation is the largest in Lebanon's participation history in climate summits
Southern villages are in a state of anticipation and caution after the end of the truce
Lebanon is offered 'Israeli pullout' in return for 'Hezbollah pullback'
Slim rejects extension as he meets al-Rahi over army chief crisis
In tense talks with Bassil, Le Drian says Gen. Aoun guarantee for 'Europe security'
Geagea has proposed that ministers should cover compensations for the south using their personal funds
Mikati partakes in COP28 in Dubai, holds series of meetings with heads of Arab and foreign delegations
Berri follows up on current situation with Ain El-Tineh's visitors, meets MPs Fadlallah and Chehayeb, receives Independence congratulatory cable
Army intercepts 110 people on migrant boat off Tripoli
Army chief's term will likely be extended by parliament
Lebanese trap shooter Ray Bassil triumphed at the Asian Shooting Championship, earning a gold medal for her outstanding performance
Lebanese karting star Stephanie Hobeika recently made a significant impact by finishing among the top 10 competitors in a karting event in France

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 01-02/2023
Renewed Gaza combat thrusts Palestinians between mortal danger and mass displacement
More than 100 killed in Gaza in first hours after truce expired
Israeli army says it has confirmed death of 5 hostages in Gaza
Israel dismissed advance warning of Hamas attack: NYT
Israeli army says it has confirmed death of 5 hostages in Gaza
Gaza war makes environmental threats even more severe: Jordan king
Sanchez says Israel 'friend' of Spain, but maintains his stances on Gaza
South Korea prepares to launch its first spy satellite
Truce breakdown brings ‘nightmare’ back to Gaza Strip, says ICRC chief
Israeli military issues Gaza evacuation zone map
Biden and UAE president discuss hostage deal, Gaza truce during call
Inaction on Gaza amounts to ‘approval’ of killing children: UNICEF
Close this content, you can also use the Escape key at anytime
What happens after the Israel-Hamas war ends? Two-state solution faces strong head winds
U.S. to impose visa bans soon on Israeli extremist settlers for West Bank violence
NATO chief tells Turkey's Erdogan that 'the time has come' to let Sweden join the alliance
Europe unprepared for war with Russia and could be dismantled like the Holy Roman Empire
11 civilians dead in eastern Iraq attack blamed on Daesh
Putin issues decree to boost troop numbers by 15 percent
UN Security Council puts end to mission in Sudan
Navigating COP28: Fossil fuel impact on Climate Change

Titles For The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 01-02/2023
Behind the Human Rights Watch Curtain: Hate and Corruption/Gerald M. Steinberg/Gatestone Institute/December 01, 2023
Turkiye, Iran navigate complex dynamics amid Gaza war/Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/December 01/2023
Not too late for Biden to regain the trust of his Gaza war critics/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/December 01/2023
Exploring the rich cultural tapestries of Arab cities/Sara Al-Mulla/Arab News/December 01, 2023
Ukraine: The Decimation Point/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/December 01/2023
Question: “How can I take control of my thoughts?/GotQuestions.org/December 01/2023

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 01-02/2023
Hezbollah and Israeli troops exchange fire along the border as 2 civilians are killed in Lebanon
BEIRUT (AP)/December 01, 2023
Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group attacked several Israeli army posts along the two countries' border and Israel shelled a village in southern Lebanon on Friday, killing two civilians, officials said. It was the first time Hezbollah launched attacks on Israeli troops along the Lebanon-Israel border since the start of a seven-day truce between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, an ally of Hezbollah. That cease-fire collapsed on Friday, plunging the Israel-Hamas conflict back into open combat. Israel's military said it hit the sources of the fire directed at the military. Lebanese security officials, meanwhile, said a woman and her son died when Israeli shells hit their home in the southern village of Houla. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Lebanon’s state news agency identified the woman and her son as Nasifa Mazraani and Mohammed. Their deaths raise to at least 16 the number of civilians killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon over the past eight weeks. The Iran-backed Hezbollah meanwhile, said it carried out four attacks on Israeli border posts. The Shiite militant group has been attacking Israeli posts since a day after the unprecedented Oct. 7 Hamas incursion into southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and set off the latest Israeli-Hamas war. Since the war began, more than 13,300 Palestinians have died, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
In attacks over the past weeks, Hezbollah has used suicide drones and rockets with heavy warheads known as Burkan, to target Israeli posts along the tense frontier. The Israeli military said it struck Friday “a terrorist cell” that was operating in southern Lebanon near the Zarit area. The army said it identified projectiles from Lebanon fired toward Israeli posts in the area of Rosh HaNikra and Margaliot, as well as toward the northern city of Kiryat Shmona. The Israeli Aerial Defense Array — which includes the Iron Dome anti-rocket system as well as David’s Sling, which intercepts medium-range missiles such as those of Lebanon's Hezbollah — successfully intercepted two launches in the area of Kiryat Shmona, the army said. Earlier Friday, sirens went off in northern Israel and the military said the Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.
Israel and Hezbollah are bitter enemies that fought a monthlong war in the summer of 2006. Israel considers the Iran-backed Shiite militant group its most serious immediate threat, estimating that Hezbollah has around 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel.

UNIFIL Spokesperson addresses calls for amending UN Security Council Resolution 1701
NNA/December 01, 2023
Andrea Tenenti, the spokesperson for UNIFIL, on Friday spoke to “Voice of All Lebanon” radio station regarding the growing discussions about the necessity of amending UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and establishing a buffer zone.
"The Security Council is the entity that issued the resolution, hence any discussions regarding its future cannot commence except through the Security Council and its member states,” said Tenenti, emphasizing that "the pillars of Resolution 1701 remain valid. He further stressed that "the priority remains in preventing escalation, protecting civilian lives, and ensuring the security of peacekeepers."Responding to a question about the possibility of an imminent tripartite meeting in Naqoura, he said, "So far, there are no indications of upcoming meetings. However, UNIFIL, led by General Stefano Del Col, actively engages in efforts to reduce tensions, avoiding the risk of broader conflict. All these efforts have been carried out through bilateral communication with the parties, without convening a trilateral meeting."

US: Restoring calm along Israel-Lebanon border of utmost importance
Naharnet/December 01, 2023
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said her country continues to be “concerned by the possibility of a further spillover of (the Israel-Hamas) conflict.”“In particular, the United States does not want to see conflict in Lebanon, where escalation would have grave implications for regional peace and security, and for the well-being of the Lebanese people,” Thomas-Greenfield said at a U.N. Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East. “Restoring calm along the Israel-Lebanon border is of utmost importance, and fully implementing Security Council Resolution 1701 is a key component of this effort. UNIFIL plays a vital role along the Blue Line, and we expect all parties will ensure the safety of peacekeepers,” the U.S. diplomat added. Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops have clashed along the border since Oct. 8, stoking fears that the Hamas-Israel war in the Gaza Strip will spill over into the rest of the region. Though the clashes have been intense, with both combatants and civilians killed on both sides, they have remained largely contained to areas near the border. Hezbollah was not officially a party to a seven-day truce between Hamas and Israel that took effect last Friday and ended today, but calm has largely prevailed on the Lebanon-Israel border since then.

Tensions high in south Lebanon in anticipation of Hezbollah’s next move
Arab News/December 01, 2023
BEIRUT: Hezbollah’s next move in southern Lebanon remained a key concern on Friday as the Israeli army resumed military operations in Gaza. Lebanon’s National News Agency said that two people were killed in the town of Hula after their house was targeted by Israel, identifying the victims as Nasifa Mazraani and her son Mohammed. Army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun is set to leave office in 40 days amid fears of new escalations on the southern border with Israel. The caretaker Lebanese Cabinet is concerned that it might not be able to reach a solution for the coming vacuum in military leadership.
Defense Minister Maurice Slim explicitly rejected the extension of Aoun’s term as an exception to the rule after his meeting with Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi on Friday. The Maronite Patriarchate and various political factions support extending Aoun’s term as a temporary measure until a new president is elected.
Slim is affiliated with the Free Patriotic Movement, which rejects the extension of Aoun’s mandate. He said: “The law does not permit the extension of the army commander’s term after reaching the retirement age. “The exceptional cases provided for by the law do not apply to the present situation, and it’s impossible to disregard them whatever the reasons.”Al-Rahi responded, saying that “the region is on fire, and we don’t have a president,” according to remarks cited by the Patriarchate. Residents of border areas, who returned to their homes last week after the truce took effect, are worried that the situation might deteriorate in south Lebanon. Many people fled to safer areas on Friday. According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, around 55,000 people have been displaced from south Lebanon due to tensions there.
About 52 percent of the displaced are females. According to local statistics, hostilities on the southern front have led to the closure of around 52 private and public schools in border villages, where 6,000 students receive their education. Moreover, Israel’s use of phosphorus bombs burned around 460 hectares of forests and over 20,000 olive trees.
The Israeli forces announced on Friday afternoon that their defense system intercepted a “suspicious flying object that crossed the border from the direction of Lebanon.”According to security reports, Israeli reconnaissance aircraft continued to fly in the southern skies, especially over villages and towns closer to the border. The Israeli army carried out a sweeping operation with medium machine guns around the Israeli Al-Raheb site opposite the Lebanese town of Aita Al-Shaab. Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, said the pillars of UN Resolution 1701, adopted 17 years ago to resolve the 2006 war between Israel and Hamas, remained valid. Tenenti spoke as UNIFIL personnel continued carrying out their routine tasks. He said that preventing escalation, protecting civilian lives, and ensuring the security of peacekeepers remained a priority. Tenenti stressed that UNIFIL — led by Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro — was actively working to reduce tension and prevent the risk of broader conflict through talks with both Israel and Lebanon. The meetings are attended by officers from the Lebanese and Israeli sides under the supervision of the UN, represented by UNIFIL.Hezbollah opened a second front in southern Lebanon on Oct. 8 in support of the resistance in the Gaza Strip. The move constitutes a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which prohibits the presence of any armed entity in the area except for the Lebanese army and UNIFIL. MP Pierre Bou Assi from the Lebanese Forces said that Resolution 1701 was issued after all parties, including Hezbollah, approved it. He stated that its implementation should be natural and intuitive and that adherence to it is necessary to prevent war in Lebanon.

Border clashes resume as Hezbollah targets soldiers, Israel shells south
Naharnet/December 01, 2023
Border skirmishes resumed Friday after a weeklong truce in Gaza brought a temporary halt to the daily exchanges of rockets, artillery shelling and airstrikes between Hezbollah and Israel in south Lebanon. While Lebanon and Hezbollah weren't officially parties to the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, a cautious calm prevailed over the border area in south Lebanon during Gaza's weeklong truce. As war resumed in Gaza, Hezbollah targeted a group of soldiers near the Israeli post of Jal al-Alam and fired anti-tanks missiles towards the Manara settlement. Israel bombed in response the al-Labbouneh, Hamoul and Rwaisat areas near Lebanon's Naqoura with artillery shells, and al-Qawzah forests with a guided missile. The shelling followed the explosion of an Israeli interception missile over the town of al-Khiam, as the Israeli army said its air defenses had "successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon".The calm in the past week was interrupted by occasional Israeli violations and a constant buzz of Israeli surveillance drones. On Friday, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati arrived in Dubai to attend a COP28 climate summit shadowed by the resumption of war in Gaza. World leaders brought up the war while Iranian delegates walked out of the talks in protest over the presence of Israeli representatives and Palestinian climate change expert Hadeel Ikhmais asked "We're negotiating for what in the middle of a genocide?"Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the frontier between Lebanon and Israel has seen intensifying exchanges of fire, mainly between Israel and Hezbollah, but also Palestinian groups, raising fears of a broader conflagration. The cross-border exchanges have killed 109 people in Lebanon, at least 77 of them Hezbollah fighters and 14 civilians. More than 55,000 people have fled their homes. Six Israeli soldiers and three civilians have been killed on the Israeli side. Lebanese who had fled their border villages after the cross-border skirmishes began timidly to return, once the truce was announced last week.

Le Drian Pushes for Extending LAF Commander’s Term, Clashes with Bassil
Asharq Al-Awsat/December 01/2023
French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian continued his meetings with Lebanese politicians on Thursday, focusing on the necessity of maintaining calm in the South, avoiding sliding into a wide war, and extending the tenure of the Lebanese Army commander. Local media said that the Lebanese Army talks led to a clash between the French diplomat and the head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) MP Gebran Bassil.According to informed sources, Le Drian emphasized the need to avoid vacuum in the position of army command, proposing an extension of the term of General Joseph Aoun. The majority of the political blocs favor this option, with the exception of the FPM, which is pushing for the appointment of a new commander. This conflict with the FPM contributed to tension with Bassil, as the meeting between the two officials did not last more than 10 minutes. Local channel LBC reported that Le Drian’s meeting with Bassil “ended in a dispute over the extension of the army commander’s term,” and that the FPM leader “rejected French intervention in this matter, being an internal issue.”Meanwhile, Le Drian stressed the need to avoid such vacuum, especially under the current regional developments. The French envoy started his tour on Thursday by meeting with the head of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Discussions touched on the presidential issue, the border developments, and the army commander’s tenure extension. He then met with Bassil, and left without making any statement. Le Drian also held a lengthy meeting with the head of the Kataeb Party, MP Sami Gemayel, which the latter described as positive, pointing to a qualitative development in the French position. Gemayel expressed concerns over Lebanon’s security, saying: “We are in a state of war, and we need a comprehensive national military institution that can protect Lebanon, and is capable of playing an important role in implementing Resolution 1701 and establishing Lebanon’s sovereignty over all its lands, and for this military institution to be strong and stable...”The French envoy also met with MPs Michel Mouawad, Fouad Makhzoumi, Marc Daou, Michel Douaihy and Waddah Al-Sadiq, and members of the National Moderation bloc. On Thursday evening, Le Drian hosted a dinner at the headquarters of the French Embassy in Beirut, attended by ambassadors of the member states of the Group of Five for Lebanon, which includes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and France, to brief them on the discussions he had in Lebanon.

Report: Le Drian urges pressing Hezbollah on 1701 as Israel seeks 'buffer zone'
Naharnet/December 01, 2023
French Special Presidential Envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian, who is currently visiting Lebanon, has expressed Western desire to “press Hezbollah to commit to the implementation of Resolution 1701,” a media report said. “A Lebanese political leader has been informed by Western sides that the Israeli enemy is facing the dilemma of the refusal of the residents of the northern settlements to return to them, and that Israel has discussed with Western and Arab countries the possibility of pressing Lebanon to establish a buffer zone inside its border, which would allow for the return of settlers,” informed sources told al-Akhbar newspaper in remarks published Thursday. “The Western countries that responded to the Israeli desire modified the suggestion, considering that the buffer zone should be on the two sides of the border, something that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far refused,” the sources added. “Nevertheless, talk has started with the Lebanese political forces, topped by the government, to work on establishing a buffer zone south of the Litani River and pushing Hezbollah’s elite force away from it, while Hezbollah’s local rivals have been asked to launch a political and media campaign in this regard,” the sources went on to say.

Paris says war may go beyond south Lebanon if 'miscalculation' occurs
Naharnet/December 01, 2023
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has warned against “miscalculation” and “escalation” on the Lebanese-Israeli border, as the war resumed in full force between Israel and Hamas in Gaza following a seven-day truce. “The situation between Lebanon and Israel is more dangerous than in 2006,” Colonna said, in remarks to Al-Arabiya television. “Any miscalculation might drag Lebanon into an escalation that might spread beyond its south,” Colonna warned. Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops have clashed along the border since Oct. 8, stoking fears that the Hamas-Israel war in the Gaza Strip will spill over into the rest of the region. Though the clashes have been intense, with both combatants and civilians killed on both sides, they have remained largely contained to areas near the border. Hezbollah was not officially a party to a seven-day truce between Hamas and Israel that took effect last Friday and ended today, but calm has largely prevailed on the Lebanon-Israel border since then.

Tragedy strikes: Mother and son killed in Israeli shelling in southern Lebanon, LBCI sources
LBCI/December 01/2023
LBCI sources confirmed that a mother and her son were killed after Israeli shelling targeted a house in the town of Houla.

Friday clashes: Hezbollah strikes soldiers; Israeli artillery hits Labbouneh and Aita al-Shaab
LBCI/December 01/2023
Hezbollah announced on Friday: "We targeted a gathering of enemy soldiers in the vicinity of the Jal al-Alam site with appropriate weapons."In turn, the National News Agency reported that Israeli artillery shelling targeted the Labbouneh area and the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab.

Yassin to LBCI: The Lebanese delegation is the largest in Lebanon's participation history in climate summits
LBCI/December 01/2023
Environment Minister Nasser Yassin clarified from the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28, that the Lebanese delegation is the largest in the history of Lebanon's participation in climate summits and conferences related to climate change.
In an interview with LBCI, he pointed out that, as a ministry, they play their role in raising awareness about climate change issues. He stated, "As a small country, our emissions are minimal compared to industrial and major countries, but we are affected by climate change."

Southern villages are in a state of anticipation and caution after the end of the truce
LBCI/December 01/2023
The Israeli army combed the southern borders with medium machine guns around the Raheb site, next to the town of Aita al-Shaab. Meanwhile, the southern border areas and villages are experiencing a state of anticipation and caution, accompanied by intensive reconnaissance aircraft flights. Geagea has proposed that ministers should cover compensations for the south using their personal funds. Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces, voiced criticism on Thursday regarding the government’s decision to allocate $10 million as compensation to residents in southern Lebanon affected by the Israeli bombardment.
In a statement on the X platform, previously known as Twitter, Geagea argued that the ministers who supported this compensation decision should be responsible for funding it from their own finances. He questioned the justification for rocket and artillery exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel, suggesting that these actions were not authorized by a majority of the Lebanese populace, who prioritize avoiding regional conflicts. Further, Geagea highlighted that these exchanges do not genuinely support Gaza, as evidenced by the ongoing aggression there. He raised concerns about the impact of such conflicts on Gaza and suggested that Hezbollah’s actions in the south are primarily intended to maintain Iran’s involvement in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Lebanon is offered 'Israeli pullout' in return for 'Hezbollah pullback'
Naharnet/December 01, 2023
French Special Presidential Envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian has called on Lebanon to “implement” U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 by “ending the presence of armed appearances within a 30-kilometer-deep area so that it serves as a buffer zone,” a media report said on Friday. If Lebanon does not comply, Le Drian has warned that the resolution would be amended so that the U.N. forces become “more effective in their military jurisdiction” and that the international community might resort to Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter to implement the resolution “by force,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported. “The international pressure for the implementation of the resolution has reached Lebanese officials from several international sides, not only from Le Drian, and it is something expected to happen, especially that the settlers of the Israeli north are refusing to return to their homes without security guarantees starting by the withdrawal of armed appearances from the area south of the Litani River,” diplomatic sources told the daily. “International pressure on Lebanon will intensify as time passes with the aim of rearranging the situations in the border area, seeing as it will be difficult to return to the pre-October 7 situation,” the sources added. “That’s why the stances of the Lebanese forces are being explored regarding the issue of delineating the land border after Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied areas and the 13 contested points while halting its violations, in return for pulling back armed appearances from the area south of the Litani River,” the sources said.

Slim rejects extension as he meets al-Rahi over army chief crisis
Naharnet/December 01, 2023
As cabinet failed to convene to resolve a looming crisis in the army chief command, caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim met Friday with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi to discuss the steps that must be taken to avoid vacancy after army chief General Joseph Aoun's planned retirement in January.
Slim, who is loyal to the Free Patriotic Movement, unsurprisingly said after the meeting that extending Aoun's term does not fall under his jurisdiction. "Extending Aoun's term needs to be discussed and passed in parliament," he said, as he supported the appointment of a new army chief. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri had hoped for the extension to take place in Cabinet, but vowed to discuss Aoun's term extension in parliament if Cabinet fails to take this step before the end of November. "I have told al-Rahi that appointing an army chief would not infringe on the next president's role," Slim said, adding that the next president can, when appointed, reverse the decision. Al-Rahi, who supports the extension of Aoun's term, told Slim that he prefers the appointment of a new army chief to take place when a president is elected. Aoun's retirement would add another gap to crisis-hit Lebanon's withering and paralyzed institutions as the tiny Mediterranean country has been without a president, while its government has been running in a limited caretaker capacity. Lebanon has also been without a top spy chief to head its General Security Directorate since March, and without a central bank governor.

In tense talks with Bassil, Le Drian says Gen. Aoun guarantee for 'Europe security'
Naharnet/December 01, 2023
French Special Presidential Envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian walked out angrily of a 10-minute meeting with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Thursday after “heated” discussions, media reports said. “The French envoy was swift in moving from the discussion of the presidential file, which is supposed to be the core of his mission, to the issue of extending the term of General (Joseph) Aoun, asking Bassil about his stance on extension and telling him that he is the only figure who opposes the matter,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday. “Le Drian stressed that vacuum in the army command would harm Lebanon’s security and the security of France and Europe,” the daily said. Bassil for his part voiced surprise over “France’s interference in the appointment of an army chief in Lebanon, asking the French guest about the logic behind his call for violating the law and the constitution,” the newspaper added.
“You are saying that you want us to carry out reforms and establish a state of law,” Bassil reportedly exclaimed, emphasizing that “the FPM’s stance on extension for Aoun has nothing to do with the army chief as a person.”“This was our stance on the extension of MPs’ term in 2009 and on the extension of the term of former General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim. We might have had another stance if there were not legal exits, but amid the presence of these exits, no one will force us to change our stance, even if we remain alone,” Bassil added. “If we are truly alone, go and extend his term and do not wait for us!” Bassil went on to say. Informed sources meanwhile told the newspaper that Le Drian’s stance represents the stance of the five-nation group for Lebanon and not only Paris.

Geagea has proposed that ministers should cover compensations for the south using their personal funds
Daily Star/December 01/2023
Samir Geagea, the leader of the Lebanese Forces, voiced criticism on Thursday regarding the government’s decision to allocate $10 million as compensation to residents in southern Lebanon affected by the Israeli bombardment. In a statement on the X platform, previously known as Twitter, Geagea argued that the ministers who supported this compensation decision should be responsible for funding it from their own finances. He questioned the justification for rocket and artillery exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel, suggesting that these actions were not authorized by a majority of the Lebanese populace, who prioritize avoiding regional conflicts. Further, Geagea highlighted that these exchanges do not genuinely support Gaza, as evidenced by the ongoing aggression there. He raised concerns about the impact of such conflicts on Gaza and suggested that Hezbollah’s actions in the south are primarily intended to maintain Iran’s involvement in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Mikati partakes in COP28 in Dubai, holds series of meetings with heads of Arab and foreign delegations
NNA/December 01, 2023
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Friday partook in the opening ceremony of the 'Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 28),' which officially commenced today in the UAE, Dubai. Premier Mikati is leading Lebanon’s delegation to the Conference, which includes Minister of Environment Nasser Yassin, Minister of Energy Walid Fayad, Lebanon's Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Fouad Dandan, and the Prime Minister’s advisor, former Minister, Nicolas Nahas. Mikati held a series of meetings on the sidelines of his participation in the Conference, with a number of heads of participating Arab and foreign delegations. In this context, Mikati met with the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, during which they discussed the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries and ways to develop them. Both also exchanged views on the most prominent topics on the summit’s agenda. Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani participated in the meeting. The Prime Minister later held a meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, with talks reportedly touching on the Israeli aggression against Gaza and the situation in Lebanon. Talks also touched on the importance of commitment to implementing UN Resolution 1701 and its clauses and stopping the Israeli aggression against southern Lebanon. Mikati also had audience with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, with whom he discussed the Lebanese-British relations and the situation in the region. The Prime Minister also met respectively with the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva.

Berri follows up on current situation with Ain El-Tineh's visitors, meets MPs Fadlallah and Chehayeb, receives Independence congratulatory cable
NNA/December 01, 2023
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Friday met, at the Second Presidency in Ain-el-Tineh, with “Loyalty to the Resistance” bloc MP Hassan Fadlallah. Discussions reportedly touched on the current general situation, political developments, and field developments in the border region, in addition to legislative affairs. MP Fadlallah stressed that the supreme national interest in Lebanon requires working in every way to prevent the enemy from achieving its goals. Speaker Berri also followed up on political developments, the current situation, and legislative affairs, during his meeting with “Democratic Gathering” MP Akram Chehayeb.Among Ain el-Tineh’s itinerant visitors for today had been Chief of the Judicial Police, Brigadier General Ziad Qaid Bey. On the other hand, Berri received a congratulatory tcable on the occasion of Lebanon’s Independence Day, from his Tunisian counterpart, Ibrahim Bou Derbala.

Army intercepts 110 people on migrant boat off Tripoli
Agence France Presse
Lebanon's army said it disrupted a smuggling operation on Friday that saw more than 100 migrants from neighbouring Syria attempting to leave the country by sea. Naval forces thwarted "a people-smuggling operation on a boat carrying 110 people", two of them Lebanese and the rest Syrian nationals, an army statement said. The boat was intercepted off the northern city of Tripoli, it added, without saying where the vessel was headed. Migrants, asylum seekers and refugees leaving by boat from Lebanon are generally seeking a better life in Europe, and often head for the east Mediterranean island of Cyprus, less than 200 kilometers away. Authorities in Lebanon say the country hosts around two million Syrians, while some 800,000 are registered with the United Nations -- the world's highest number of refugees per capita. Syria's civil war erupted in 2011 after the government repressed peaceful pro-democracy protests. Lebanon's economy collapsed in late 2019, turning the country into a launchpad for migrants, and authorities often announce they have thwarted smuggling operations by sea, or the arrest of both smugglers and would-be migrants. The interception comes amid weeks of conflict between Israel and militants from the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza, with exchanges of fire and skirmishes also across the Lebanon-Israel border, mainly between the Israeli army and Lebanon's Hezbollah group, an ally of Hamas.

Army chief's term will likely be extended by parliament
Naharnet/December 01, 2023
The choice of extending the army chief’s term is advancing amid U.S., Qatari and French pressure in this regard and support from Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, parliamentary sources said. “The extension will be passed through a parliamentary law raising the retirement age of officers of the ranks of general and major general, because postponing the retirement of the army chief (by the government) would require the defense minister’s signature, and any bypassing of him would subject Cabinet’s decision to an appeal before the State Shoura Council,” the sources added, in remarks to a-Binaa newspaper published Friday. “Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri intends to schedule a session for next month (December) after holding a meeting of parliament’s bureau in order to set the session’s agenda, which will include raising the retirement age as per draft laws proposed by several blocs,” the sources added.The sources also noted that “the session’s quorum is 65 MPs” and that “33 votes” would be sufficient for any draft law to be passed.

Lebanese trap shooter Ray Bassil triumphed at the Asian Shooting Championship, earning a gold medal for her outstanding performance
Daily Star/December 01/2023
On her X platform account, Lebanese trap shooter Ray Bassil recently posted about her successful campaign at the Asian Shooting Championship 2023. Clinching a gold medal, Bassil outperformed competitors from South Korea and China. This remarkable achievement has not only highlighted her skill but also earned her a spot in the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, providing her with an opportunity to showcase her talent on a global level.

Lebanese karting star Stephanie Hobeika recently made a significant impact by finishing among the top 10 competitors in a karting event in France
Daily Star/December 01/2023
Having demonstrated exceptional performance in karting championships in Lebanon and the UAE, Stephanie Hobeika recently took part in the Iame Ladies Cup, a prestigious women’s racing event in France. Her participation came as a direct result of an invitation from a prominent British race organizer, recognizing her impressive racing skills and speed. In this global competition, Stephanie distinguished herself as the first and only athlete from Lebanon to participate. Competing against 24 racers from various countries, she achieved a notable ninth-place finish.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 01-02/2023
Renewed Gaza combat thrusts Palestinians between mortal danger and mass displacement
Arab News/December 01, 2023
LONDON: A weeklong humanitarian pause in Gaza provided some respite for Palestinians in the beleaguered enclave. But the situation remains overwhelmingly bleak and, after the resumption of combat on Friday, potentially catastrophic. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israel on Thursday it must account for the safety of Palestinian civilians before resuming any military operations in Gaza, where the temporary truce allowed the exchange of captives held by Hamas for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. However, with Israeli officials vowing to continue total war against Hamas, presumably both in Gaza and the West Bank, hope for any recovery has been offset by the imminent threat of further violence in the absence of a permanent ceasefire. Since Oct. 7, when Israel launched a military offensive in retaliation for a deadly attack by Hamas, Gaza has endured destruction, displacement, and suffering on an unprecedented scale. Relentless Israeli airstrikes have reduced entire buildings to rubble, flattening more than 46,000 homes and damaging at least another 234,000, according to UN figures. The onslaught has forced nearly three-quarters of Gaza’s 2.2 million population from their homes, including the vast majority of the north’s residents. Close to 15,000 Palestinians across the enclave have been killed, 40 percent of whom are children. A further 6,500 are believed to be missing or trapped under the destroyed buildings. “Northern Gaza is a disaster zone where people feel it was a miracle to survive,” Ahmed Bayram, media adviser for the Middle East at the Norwegian Refugee Council, told Arab News. “The sheer level of destruction and personal loss stretches beyond anything we have seen in Gaza. More people were killed in the first two weeks of this round of hostilities compared with the most recent large-scale conflict in 2014.”
INNUMBERS
• 1.7m Palestinians displaced inside Gaza as of Nov. 23.
• 7 Days of the duration of truce before combat resumed on Friday.
• 110 Hostages freed by Hamas from captivity.
• 240 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel.
Bayram said an estimated “1.7 million people have been displaced,” adding that “the few hundreds of thousands who remained in northern Gaza have done so because there is simply nowhere for them to go.”Despite the seven-day suspension of hostilities, official Palestinian bodies and humanitarian organizations have been unable to pin down precise casualty figures, much less the number of people who could not leave northern Gaza. “It has been very difficult to understand the numbers that remain in the north,” Oxfam’s policy lead Bushra Khalidi told Arab News. “From what we hear, it is between 200,000 and half-a-million still.”She said an estimated 1.8 million people had been displaced to the south, “and they’re all crammed in this … what we could say, half the size of the original Gaza Strip.”Following seven weeks of Israeli bombardment and Hamas rocket attacks, the two sides agreed on a four-day truce — which was later extended. The initial Qatar-mediated deal entailed the release of 50 Israeli hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. On Oct. 13, the Israeli military ordered the residents of northern Gaza to relocate immediately to the south, claiming it was for their safety.
Local media and NGOs operating in Gaza reported that nowhere in the besieged Palestinian enclave was safe — not even the “humanitarian passages” identified by the Israeli military or Israel Defense Forces. Families crammed their most necessary possessions into small cars and pickup trucks and traveled south in a rush. Others who could not secure vehicles made the journey on foot, shielding their children’s eyes from bodies in the street and hiding from Israeli gunfire as battles raged around them. The only exit route for civilians escaping Gaza City was Salah Al-Din Road, the area’s main north-south highway that stretches across the entire Gaza Strip. Israel agreed on Nov. 10 to pause its bombardment for four hours every day, allowing Palestinians in northern Gaza to flee through dedicated corridors. Consequently, tens of thousands sought refuge in UN-run schools and makeshift tents in eastern Khan Younis, the biggest city in southern Gaza. Many voiced fears they would never return home. Gaza’s older residents may see history repeat itself as they recall the Nakba, the Arabic term for the expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians — the ancestors of 1.6 million of Gaza’s residents — during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. Khan Younis already had a population exceeding 400,000. As displaced families flocked there the already severe humanitarian crisis worsened, as the Gaza Strip has been under Israeli blockade for 16 years. Khalidi said these evacuation orders should be rescinded, as they represented “a grave violation under international law because it amounts to forcible displacement, and forcible displacement may amount to war crimes.”In November, in what the chief of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described as a “recipe for disaster,” Israel proposed the establishment of a safe zone in Al-Mawasi camp on Gaza’s southern coast. Al-Mawasi camp, according to Khalidi, is a 14-square-kilometer area “the size of London Heathrow Airport, where they (Israeli officials) want to cram 1 million people and call it a humanitarian safe zone.”Dismissing the proposal as “absolutely inhumane,” she said: “But there’s no such thing as a safe zone. Historically, safe zones have been used to actually harm people.”She noted that attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to some 1 million people in such a small area would be “a logistical nightmare.”“Another thing about the safe zone is that you are talking about 30,000 to 50,000 injured people, some of whom have severe wounds,” Khalidi added. She pointed out that other major concerns included the lack of a functioning water, sanitation, and hygiene system, which would accelerate the spread of infectious diseases such as gastroenteritis and diarrhea. This could “kill more people than bombs have.” The WHO reported that, since mid-October, there had been more than 44,000 cases of diarrhea in Gaza, a particular risk for young children amid a shortage of clean water. Conditions in places where Palestinians have taken shelter, such as Khan Younis and Rafah, have been no better — especially as winter weather sets in.

More than 100 killed in Gaza in first hours after truce expired
Agence France Presse/December 01/2023
The Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip said 109 people had been killed in the Palestinian territory on Friday after a truce between Israel and Hamas expired and fighting resumed. Spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement that the military had also tallied "hundreds of wounded in the Israeli aggression". The Israeli military said it had hit over 200 targets in the Gaza Strip. "Over the last few hours, ground, air and naval forces struck terror targets in the north and south of the Gaza Strip, including in Khan Yunis and Rafah," it said in a statement. An Israeli government spokesman said Friday that Hamas "will now take the mother of all thumpings". "Unfortunately, Hamas decided to terminate the pause by failing to release all the kidnapped women," government spokesman Eylon Levy told a briefing. "Having chosen to hold onto our women, Hamas will now take the mother of all thumpings."

Israeli army says it has confirmed death of 5 hostages in Gaza
LBCI/December 01/2023
The Israeli army announced that it has confirmed the death of five hostages who were held in the Gaza Strip and has informed their families. Furthermore, Israel has recovered the body of one of them.

Israel dismissed advance warning of Hamas attack: NYT
AFP/December 01, 2023
NEW YORK: Israeli officials had intelligence that Palestinian militant group Hamas was preparing a wide-ranging attack before its October 7 assault but dismissed the reports, The New York Times reported Thursday. The newspaper said a document obtained by Israeli authorities “outlined, point by point, exactly the kind of devastating invasion that led to the deaths of about 1,200 people.”The document, which was reviewed by the newspaper, did not specify when the attack might happen, but provided a blueprint that Hamas appears to have followed: an initial rocket barrage, efforts to knock out surveillance, and waves of gunmen crossing into Israel by land and air. The Times said the document, which included sensitive security information about Israeli military capacity and locations, circulated widely among the country’s military and intelligence leaders, though it was not clear if it was reviewed by senior politicians. But a military assessment last year determined it was too soon to say the plan had been approved by Hamas, and when an analyst with the country’s signals intelligence warned the group had carried out a training exercise in line with the plan, she was dismissed. She warned it was a “plan designed to start a war,” the newspaper said, but a colonel reviewing her assessment suggested: “let’s wait patiently.” The warnings did not suggest that Hamas was likely to carry out the plan imminently, and the intelligence community continued to believe that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was not pursuing war with Israel, the Times said, likening the intelligence failure to those in the United States before the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Hamas attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 240 people taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.
Israel’s retaliatory ground and air offensive in Gaza has killed more than 15,000 people, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas authorities.

Israeli army says it has confirmed death of 5 hostages in Gaza
LBCI//December 02, 2023
The Israeli army announced that it has confirmed the death of five hostages who were held in the Gaza Strip and has informed their families. Furthermore, Israel has recovered the body of one of them.

Gaza war makes environmental threats even more severe: Jordan king
AFP/December 01, 2023
DUBAI: Jordan’s king said on Friday that war was making the threats from climate change even worse in the Gaza Strip.King Abdullah II told the UN’s COP28 climate talks in Dubai that “we cannot talk about climate change in isolation from the humanitarian tragedies unfolding around us.”He said: “In Gaza, over 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced from their homes. Tens of thousands have been injured or killed in a region already on the front lines of climate change.”The massive destruction of war makes the environmental threats of water scarcity and food insecurity even more severe,the king told a gathering of world leaders. “In Gaza, our people are living with little clean water and the bare minimum of food supplies, as climate threats magnify the devastation of war.”The Gaza war has been a major talking point at COP28. Iran’s delegation walked out of the COP28 talks on Friday in protest at Israel’s presence, which delegation chief Ali Akbar Mehrabian said was “contrary to the goals and guidelines of the conference,” according to the official IRNA news agency. Israeli President Isaac Herzog is conducting talks on hostage releases on the sidelines of the conference, while his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas canceled a planned visit. Iran has warned of “severe consequences” as the deadly conflict resumed on Friday. “The continuation of the Washington and Tel Aviv war means a new genocide in Gaza and the West Bank,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Friday in post on X, formerly Twitter. “It appears that they do not think about the severe consequences of returning to war,” he added.

Sanchez says Israel 'friend' of Spain, but maintains his stances on Gaza
LBCI/December 02, 2023
The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez affirmed on Friday that Israel is a 'friend of Spain,' a day after Israel recalled its ambassador in Madrid due to statements by Sanchez that were deemed 'vile,' casting doubt on the legitimacy of the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

South Korea prepares to launch its first spy satellite
LBCI/December 02, 2023
South Korea is set to launch on Friday its first military surveillance satellite from the United States, aboard a rocket from SpaceX. This launch operation comes less than two weeks after North Korea launched a satellite for espionage purposes.

Truce breakdown brings ‘nightmare’ back to Gaza Strip, says ICRC chief
AFP/December 02, 2023
DUBAI: Renewed fighting in Gaza after a week-long truce has brought back a “nightmarish situation” for the Palestinian territory, the head of the Red Cross said. Speaking on the sidelines of the UN’s COP28 climate talks in Dubai, Robert Mardini said “people are at a breaking point, hospitals are at a breaking point, the whole Gaza Strip is in a very precarious state.”Resumption of fighting brings the people of Gaza “back to the nightmarish situation they were in before the truce took place,” said Mardini, director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross. He noted their “suffering, destruction, fear, anxiety, and precarious living conditions.” Israel’s military said fighter jets were striking Hamas targets in Gaza on Friday, as journalists reported air attacks in the north and south of the territory. Combat resumed shortly after Israel’s army said it had intercepted a rocket fired from Gaza, the first from the territory since a missile launched minutes into the start of the truce on Nov. 24. “There is nowhere safe to go for civilians,” Mardini said, stressing the challenges hospitals and humanitarian organizations face.“We have seen in the hospitals where our teams have been working that over the past days, hundreds of severely injured people have arrived,” he said. “The influx of severely wounded outpaced the real capacity of hospitals to absorb and treat the wounded, so there is a massive challenge.” During the seven-day truce, 80 Israeli hostages and 240 Palestinian prisoners were released after negotiations mediated by Qatar with support from Egypt and the US. ICRC vehicles brought out both hostages and prisoners. “We have seen so far that releases only happened when there was a truce because you need certain conditions to be met to do this,” Mardini said. “We stand ready as the ICRC to facilitate those releases.”Renewed fighting also threatens the entry of aid to Gaza, where about 80 percent of the population is displaced and grappling with shortages of food, water, and other essentials. “With the resumption of hostilities, the likelihood will be that less aid will get in,” Mardini said. “More importantly, humanitarian organizations, like the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, and others such as the ICRC and UN agencies, will have reduced capacities to deliver aid to the people,” he added. “Even people will have reduced capacities to get to places where they could receive aid.”

Israeli military issues Gaza evacuation zone map
AFP/December 01, 2023
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military has published a map of what it called “evacuation zones” in the Gaza Strip, after international demands to create safe areas where civilians can shelter from devastating bombardments. A truce pausing fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian territory expired on Friday, and hostilities resumed immediately, with Israeli forces bombarding several areas. The map, which is in Arabic and zoomable on the military’s website, divides the Gaza Strip into hundreds of numbered sectors. The military said it was intended to enable residents to “evacuate from specific places for their safety if required.”Residents in multiple numbered areas were sent SMS warnings on Friday. The Israeli forces “will begin a crushing military attack on your area of residence to eliminate the terrorist organization Hamas,” the warnings said, urging people to seek some shelter.
FASTFACT
The map, which is in Arabic and zoomable on the military’s website, divides the Gaza Strip into hundreds of numbered sectors. “Stay away from all military activity of every kind,” they added. Around 10 minutes later the explosions started. Mobile networks in the Gaza Strip can be slow, with SMS deliveries sometimes taking several minutes. In its announcement, the military said Hamas “turns civilian sites into military targets while using civilians and civilian facilities as a human shield.”The map was intended to enable residents “to orient themselves and understand the instructions, and to evacuate from specific places for their safety if required,” it added. The military did not immediately respond when asked by AFP how much notice was given to residents before an assault. During the first phase of the war, Israel urged civilians in the northern Gaza Strip to relocate to the southern part of the territory, but UN reports indicate that a third of those killed died south of the boundary line.

Biden and UAE president discuss hostage deal, Gaza truce during call
Arab News/December 01/2023
LONDON: US President Joe Biden spoke with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on Wednesday to discuss the situation in the Middle East region, the White House said in a statement. The two leaders “welcomed the recent hostage deal and humanitarian pause, which has enabled a surge in assistance to the people of Gaza,” it added. “President Biden reiterated the steadfast US commitment to peace and security in the Middle East region,” the statement also said. Biden and Sheikh Mohammed also affirmed the strong bilateral ties between their two countries, and the US president expressed appreciation to the Emirates for organizing the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. Biden asked Vice President Kamala Harris to attend the COP28 Leaders Summit on his behalf “to showcase US global leadership on climate at home and abroad and to help galvanize increased global ambition at this critical event.”The American delegation will also include Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and dozens of senior US officials representing more than 20 departments and agencies. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to discuss “the pause in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has allowed for the release of hostages and an increase in the delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza,” the State Department said on Wednesday. Blinken reiterated the US “commitment to working with Kuwait and regional partners toward the formation of viable, prosperous Palestinian state” and “reaffirmed the friendship and strategic partnership between Kuwait and the United States.”

Inaction on Gaza amounts to ‘approval’ of killing children: UNICEF
Reuters/December 02, 2023
GENEVA: UNICEF has appealed for a lasting ceasefire to be implemented in Gaza, describing inaction as “an approval of the killing of children” after a week-old truce between Israel and Hamas collapsed. “A lasting ceasefire must be implemented,” James Elder, spokesperson for UNICEF, told reporters via video link from Gaza. “Inaction at its core is an approval of the killing of children.”The UN described the hostilities as “catastrophic” and urged parties to bring about a lasting ceasefire. Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office in Geneva, said the resumption of hostilities meant “hell on Earth has returned to Gaza.”Israeli warplanes resumed bombing Gaza, sending Palestinian civilians fleeing for shelter, after a week-old truce ran out with no deal to extend it. “The resumption of hostilities in Gaza is catastrophic,” said Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “I urge all parties and states with influence over them to redouble efforts, immediately, to ensure a ceasefire – on humanitarian and human rights grounds.” In a post on X social media platform, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he regretted the resumption of hostilities and hoped a new pause could be established. “The return to hostilities only shows how important it is to have a true humanitarian ceasefire,” he said. Laerke said that the week-long truce had seen significantly larger humanitarian convoys entering densely populated Gaza, even reaching north of Wadi Gaza, which prior to the pause had received almost no supplies. “With the resumption of war, we fear that the continuation of this (aid) is now in doubt,” he said. “The Rafah crossing is closed as of now. We need a resumption of a humanitarian pause, not a return to war.”

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Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber/GENEVA (Reuters)/December 1, 2023
The United Nations deplored the resumption of conflict in Gaza on Friday, describing the hostilities as "catastrophic" and urging parties to bring about a lasting ceasefire. Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations humanitarian office in Geneva, said the resumption of hostilities meant "hell on Earth has returned to Gaza".Israeli warplanes resumed bombing Gaza, sending Palestinian civilians fleeing for shelter, after a week-old truce ran out with no deal to extend it. "The resumption of hostilities in Gaza is catastrophic," said Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. "I urge all parties and states with influence over them to redouble efforts, immediately, to ensure a ceasefire – on humanitarian and human rights grounds." In a post on X social media platform, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he regretted the resumption of hostilities and hoped a new pause could be established. "The return to hostilities only shows how important it is to have a true humanitarian ceasefire," he said. Laerke said that the week-long truce had seen significantly larger humanitarian convoys entering densely populated Gaza, even reaching north of Wadi Gaza, which prior to the pause had received almost no supplies. "With the resumption of war, we fear that the continuation of this (aid) is now in doubt," he said. "The Rafah crossing is closed as of now. We need a resumption of a humanitarian pause, not a return to war."Appealing for a lasting ceasefire, UNICEF called inaction on Gaza "an approval of the killing of children". "A lasting ceasefire must be implemented," James Elder, spokesperon for UNICEF, told reporters via video link from Gaza. "Inaction at its core is an approval of the killing of children.... It is reckless to think more attacks on the people of Gaza will lead to anything other than carnage."

What happens after the Israel-Hamas war ends? Two-state solution faces strong head winds
Tracy Wilkinson, Laura King/Los Angeles Times./December 1, 2023
Palestinian conflict will remain festering, and, in the opinion of many, essential to resolve unless the cycle of death and destruction is to be repeated eternally. Within the Biden administration, and among European allies and throughout the Arab world, the answer is straightforward. They view the two-state solution — the creation of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, ending Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands — as the only way to stop generations of violence that have stalked the region and killed tens of thousands of people to this day.
But straightforward it’s not. The number of Palestinians who have lost hope in achieving statehood is growing, according to opinion polls, especially as right-wing Jewish settlers have taken over swaths of Palestinian land. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his country’s longest serving leader, adamantly opposes establishment of a Palestinian state. President Biden said the militant organization Hamas, whose massacre of Israelis on Oct. 7 triggered the current conflict, essentially shares Netanyahu’s goal — preventing the two-state solution. “Hamas unleashed a terrorist attack because they fear nothing more than Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace,” Biden said. “To continue down the path of terror, violence, killing and war is to give Hamas what they seek. We can’t do that.”Those are mighty head winds. Shunning entreaties from the U.S., Netanyahu has announced that Israel will continue to press its military barrage on the Gaza Strip until Hamas is destroyed, whatever the cost, including the deaths of thousands of Palestinian civilians. At that point, Netanyahu says, Israel will take over the coastal enclave that's home to more than 2 million Palestinians for the foreseeable future.
The U.S. government has rejected that plan. On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, in Israel to meet with Netanyahu and others, urged the Israelis to take more precautions to protect civilian life. Israel is expected to launch an offensive on the southern half of Gaza Strip after laying waste to most of the north. But Israel also told Palestinians to flee to the south for safety, so their plight would be exceedingly precarious. "We made clear the imperative that before any operations go forward in southern Gaza, that there be a clear plan in place that puts a premium on protecting civilians, as well as sustaining and building on the humanitarian assistance that’s getting into Gaza," Blinken said, speaking to reporters after his day of meetings Thursday.
"So this is an imperative," he added. "It’s an imperative because it’s the right thing to do; it’s an imperative because it’s the necessary thing to do."
The toughest question about Gaza after the war is who would govern, assuming Hamas is gone, apart from an Israeli reoccupation. One possibility, the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, is reluctant to be seen as having been brought into Gaza by Israel. In addition, it is seen as weak and corrupt, and has been largely discredited among the Palestinian population. The United Nations or other Arab nations might be persuaded to oversee a temporary transition, but few candidates seem keen. A real solution, several analysts said, will require a substantial change in leadership on both the Israeli side — Netanyahu and his far-right government — and the Palestinian faction — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is 87 years old and has long overstayed his term in office.“The current leadership is not a leadership that will produce a resolution,” said Gerald Feierstein, a former U.S. diplomat who served throughout the Middle East and is now a fellow at the Middle East Institute, a think tank in Washington. Biden recently spoke of a "revitalized" Palestinian Authority, but other U.S. officials have declined to elaborate on what putting it in charge of Gaza would look like.
"It's obviously delicate," Blinken nsaid. Today’s dilemma is largely a product of Netanyahu’s own actions. For years, his government boosted Hamas as a way to weaken the Palestinian Authority, the entity that was eager to make peace with Israel and establish an independent state. Israeli governments allowed Hamas to receive aid from Qatar and other countries, while it denied tax revenue owed to the Palestinian Authority. Now, Netanyahu has something of a Frankenstein's monster on his hands, Israeli analysts say. "Netanyahu’s theory was that the result that had to be avoided the most was a political process with the Palestinians that might lead to a two-state outcome," said Michael Koplow, policy officer for the Israel Policy Forum, an advocacy organization in Washington. "Aside from the fact that nobody could reasonably expect Israel to negotiate with a terrorist organization openly dedicated to its destruction [Hamas], Israel could avoid any real negotiations with the Palestinians if the West Bank and Gaza were divided and controlled by separate entities." In his conversations with Israeli officials, Blinken took a tough line, according to Israeli media. "You cannot operate in southern Gaza the way you did in the north," Blinken was quoted as saying by Israel's Channel 12 news. He was referring to vast destruction of apartment blocks and other civilian infrastructure that Israel claims Hamas uses as hideouts but that also house huge numbers of civilian families.
From Hamas’ point of view, there’s little desire to return to the status quo ante, even if that were possible, said Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. In that respect, Oct. 7 represented an irretrievable break with the past, he said. “I don’t think it wants to go back to governing Gaza on Israel’s behalf,” Lovatt said. “The hardliners in the military wing do not want a governmental role under any circumstances, though it’s almost irrelevant at this time given the extreme scope of destruction.”Yaakov Amidror, a former Israeli major general and ex-national security advisor, said an Israeli attempt to corral Gaza’s population into a fast-shrinking zone of relative safety would exacerbate the existing humanitarian catastrophe inside the tiny enclave, increasing international pressure on Israel to desist. “There is no infrastructure there to accommodate 2 million people — is it reasonable to expect the entire civilian population can go there?” he said.
In the longer term, the war’s profound upheaval could open the way to new Israeli leadership to, in effect, stand against the rest of the world — or cause a still-shaken public to rally around a leader who has shown his willingness to shrug off international calls for restraint. Despite Netanyahu’s historic unpopularity, some longtime observers point to what in the past has been something of a political superpower: presenting himself as a savior figure when people are feeling frightened and anxious. Netanyahu “will try to change the perception of the Israeli public vis-à-vis the war,” said political analyst Attila Somfalvi. “He will try to convince Israelis that he is the right leader to continue to hold power and rehabilitate the state after this.” Nearly two months into the war, there is growing acknowledgment inside Israel that a long-term strategy for Gaza must be developed soon. “Israel must engage with day-after strategic thinking,” said Eyal Hulata, a former Israeli national security advisor who is now an analyst with the Washington-based Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. He said he did not see a role for the Palestinian Authority, but insisted there were Palestinians unaffiliated with either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority who could form the backbone of a new administration, with the assistance of Arab countries including Egypt. “There could emerge civilian leadership in Gaza,” he said. Wilkinson reported from Tel Aviv and King from Berlin. Get the best of the Los Angeles Times’ politics coverage with the Essential Politics newsletter.

U.S. to impose visa bans soon on Israeli extremist settlers for West Bank violence
By Humeyra Pamuk/DUBAI (Reuters)/December 1, 2023
-The Biden administration has informed Israel that Washington will impose visa bans in the next few weeks on Israeli extremist settlers engaged in violence against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, a senior State Department official said. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet have let them know that the United States will take its own action against an undisclosed number of individuals. The West Bank, among the territories where Palestinians seek statehood, has experienced a surge of violence in recent months amid expanding Jewish settlements and a nearly decade-old impasse in U.S.-sponsored peacemaking. The violence, at a more-than-15-year high this year, surged further after Israel hurtled into a new war in the separate enclave of Gaza in response to Palestinian militant group Hamas unleashing the deadliest day in Israel's history on Oct. 7. Asked for a response, Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy said he had no comment on the matter but said that Israel firmly condemned any vigilantism or hooliganism or attempts by individuals to take the law into their own hands. The United States has repeatedly expressed its concern over the rising violence in the West Bank, saying it must stop. U.S. President Joe Biden, in a Nov. 18 Washington Post opinion piece threatened to take action against the perpetrators. "I have been emphatic with Israel’s leaders that extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and that those committing the violence must be held accountable. The United States is prepared to take our own steps, including issuing visa bans against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank," Biden wrote. The State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said Washington wanted Israel to prosecute perpetrators but had yet to see such a step. The bans could come in the next few weeks, the official said. Daily settler attacks have more than doubled, U.N. figures show, since Hamas, which controls the coastal enclave of Gaza to Israel's southwest, killed 1,200 Israelis and took about 240 hostage. Israel has since bombed and invaded Gaza, killing more than 15,000 people.

NATO chief tells Turkey's Erdogan that 'the time has come' to let Sweden join the alliance
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)/December 1, 2023
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says he has told Turkey’s president that “the time has come” to let Sweden become a member of the military alliance. Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO countries that have not yet formally approved Sweden’s accession bid. Stoltenberg told The Associated Press that he urged Turkey to finalize the process as he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. “I met with President Erdogan this morning and I reiterated my message that the time has come to finalize the accession process for Sweden,” he said. Turkey has delayed ratification for more than a year, accusing Sweden of not taking Turkey’s security concerns seriously enough, including its fight against Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara considers to be security threats. An apparent breakthrough happened at a NATO summit in July when Erdogan said he would submit accession documents to Parliament, but a debate on the matter in the foreign affairs committee was adjourned last month without a decision. Stoltenberg couldn’t say when he expected the ratification process to be completed. “I’m not able to give an exact date, but I welcome the fact that just a few weeks ago President Erdogan submitted the papers for ratification to the Turkish Parliament,” the NATO leader said. “My message in the meeting today was, of course, that now the time has come to ensure that the Parliament finalizes its deliberations and concludes the ratification of Sweden as a formal NATO member.” Sweden and neighboring Finland decided to drop their long-standing policy of non-alignment and apply for NATO membership following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Finland joined NATO in April. New members must be approved by all existing members of the alliance.

Europe unprepared for war with Russia and could be dismantled like the Holy Roman Empire
The Times/Fri, December 1, 2023
Europe is not ready for war with an aggressive Russia and risks being “washed away” in a conflict, like how Napoleon dismantled the Holy Roman Empire, warns Germany’s pre-eminent military historian Sönke Neitzel, The Times reported on Nov. 30.
Several German generals also suggested during a high-level defense conference in Berlin that NATO might be unable to win the “first battle” in a defensive war on its eastern flank because it would struggle to quickly deploy enough troops and equipment to the front line, the article states. Neitzel described logistics as a 'nightmare' and said that neither the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) nor the German economy is prepared for war with Russia. The necessary preparations could take at least 15 years, he said. NATO countries called Russia the biggest security threat in their communiqué following the Vilnius summit in July but stressed the alliance "does not seek confrontation." We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

 11 civilians dead in eastern Iraq attack blamed on Daesh
AFP/December 02, 2023
BAGHDAD: A blast and gunfire killed at least 11 civilians in eastern Iraq, two security officials said on Friday, an attack that the provincial governor blamed on Daesh extremists. The violence in Diyala province occurred on Thursday evening.
It targeted a minibus returning the civilians from an electoral meeting organized by a candidate from their tribe, said an Interior Ministry official. Muthana Al-Tamimi, the governor of Diyala, which is just outside Baghdad, denounced “a cowardly operation” by Daesh. On his Facebook page, he called on the security forces to “intensify vigilance against dormant cells” of the extremists.IS did not immediately claim the attack in Diyala, an area where its cells remain active.
BACKGROUND
Muthana Al-Tamimi, the governor of Diyala, which is just outside Baghdad, denounced ‘a cowardly operation’ by Daesh. After rapidly taking over large swaths of territory in Iraq and neighboring Syria, Daesh saw its brutal “caliphate,” self-proclaimed in 2014, collapse under successive offensives in both countries. Iraqi authorities declared “victory” over the extremist group at the end of 2017, but jihadist cells continue to sporadically launch attacks, particularly on military and police personnel in remote areas of central and northern Iraq. In the Diyala unrest, at least “11 people were killed and 17 wounded in an attack carried out by an explosive device then gunfire targeting the gathering” provoked by the initial blast in Al-Omraniya village, said a second security source in Baghdad. The Interior Ministry source said the minibus was targeted “by two homemade bombs on its return from an electoral meeting.” Sniper fire followed, according to this source, who gave a toll of 12 civilians dead and 13 wounded. The attack came ahead of the election on Dec. 18 of provincial councils, which in turn elect the governors. Iraq is trying to move past four decades of war and unrest, including the overthrow 20 years ago of the dictator Saddam Hussein in a US-led invasion. About 2,500 US troops remain in Iraq as part of international efforts to prevent a resurgence of IS. A UN report published in July said Daesh has “between 5,000 and 7,000 members across Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic, most of whom are fighters.”

Putin issues decree to boost troop numbers by 15 percent
LBCI/December 01, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree to increase the number of military forces by 15 percent in a move the army says is due to 'threats' associated with the situation in Ukraine. The army statement mentioned that 'the increase in the permanent strength of the army is due to the growing threats to our country, associated with the special military operation and the continuous expansion of the NATO alliance.’

UN Security Council puts end to mission in Sudan
Arab News/December 01, 2023
NEW YORK CITY: At the request of Sudanese authorities, the UN Security Council on Friday ended the world body’s political mission in the African country ravaged by more than seven months of fighting between two rival generals. Taking note of a letter from Khartoum demanding an immediate end to the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), the Security Council adopted a resolution terminating its mandate as of Sunday. Starting Monday, a three-month transition period would begin to allow for the departure of UNITAMS personnel and the transfer of its tasks to other UN agencies “where appropriate and to the extent feasible.”The UN mission in Sudan employs 245 people, including 88 in Port Sudan, as well as others in Nairobi and Addis Ababa, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed last month. Fourteen of the council’s 15 members adopted the resolution, while Russia abstained. “Let me be clear. The United Kingdom would not have chosen to close UNITAMS at this moment,” said Britain’s deputy UN envoy James Kariuki, whose country drafted the text. “The need for the UN and international community to support the Sudanese people has not reduced.”In the text, the council expressed “alarm at the continued violence and humanitarian situation, in particular violations of international humanitarian law and grave human rights violations and abuses” in Sudan. It called on all parties to “immediately cease hostilities, facilitate humanitarian access... and seek a negotiated solution to the conflict.”UNITAMS was put in place in 2020 to help support a democratic transition in Sudan following the fall the previous year of veteran Islamist autocrat Omar Al-Bashir, who faced pressure from both the military and mass protests. But in October 2021, the difficult path to civilian government was cut short, when army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan assumed full powers in a coup. On April 15, before a deal on resuming the transition to democracy could be signed, fighting erupted between the Sudanese army led by Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. A few weeks later, Burhan demanded that UNITAMS chief Volker Perthes be sacked, placing blame for the violence on his shoulders.
The German diplomat, who was barred from returning to Sudan, ultimately stepped down in September, and has not been replaced. Last month, saying the mission had been “disappointing,” the government in Khartoum demanded its immediate end, leaving the Security Council with virtually no choice but to withdraw, as the UN must operate with the host nation’s consent. Just days ago, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres rejected all accusations made against the world body, pointing a finger at Burhan and Daglo, “two generals that completely disregard the interests of their population.”
“I think it’s time to call a spade a spade. This is the fault of those that sacrificed the interests of their people for a pure struggle for power,” Guterres said, also highlighting financial and weapons aid granted by unnamed parties. The forced departure of UNITAMS is a new setback for the United Nations, which is facing a certain amount of hostility, notably in Africa, about the efficiency of its political and security missions. Under pressure from Mali’s ruling junta, the Security Council ended its peacekeeping mission in that country (MINUSMA) in June, and its blue helmets should be full withdrawn by year’s end. Despite the end of UNITAMS, “what is clear and what should be clear to everyone is that the United Nations is not leaving Sudan,” Dujarric said Thursday, saying the world body would pursue its humanitarian programs and some political initiatives. Guterres has named Algerian diplomat Ramtane Lamamra as his personal envoy for Sudan. The UN has a significant number of humanitarian workers who assist those in need of aid “despite the funding shortages we speak about all the time and despite the fighting that continues,” Dujarric said. The civil war has left more than 10,000 dead since April, according to an estimate by the non-governmental organization Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Acled), a figure that is widely considered an underestimate. Six million people have been displaced, and much infrastructure destroyed, the UN says.

Navigating COP28: Fossil fuel impact on Climate Change
LBCI/December 02, 2023
Approximately 80% of our daily energy consumption, including cooking, lighting, transportation, and heavy industries, comes from oil, gas, and coal—fossil fuels. This is a problem because these energy sources are responsible for 75% of toxic gas emissions into the atmosphere, making them the primary cause of global warming and climate change. Simon Stiell, the United Nations climate official, stated, "If we do not signal the terminal decline of the fossil fuel era as we know it, we welcome our own terminal decline." However, addressing the impact of fossil fuels on the planet has become a crucial agenda item in the draft agreement being discussed by leaders from around 200 countries at the Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. The final decision on this matter will be issued in two weeks. But the question arises: Will there be a reduction in the use of these energy sources, or will there be a complete abandonment, as activists claim? Sources explained that the second option is not feasible for political reasons and is expected to face fierce opposition from significant countries that rely on fuel in their economies. For instance, the OPEC group, which produces one-third of the world's oil, has deemed abandoning oil to be an impractical solution. In addition, the United States, a significant oil producer, announced through its climate envoy, John Kerry, that it supports a gradual phase-out of fuel only in factories that do not use modern pollution-reducing technologies in energy extraction. Moreover, China, the largest oil consumer, argued that completely eliminating this fuel is an unrealistic goal. However, COP28 President Sultan Al-Jaber urged all parties to collaborate to reach a consensus. Regardless, according to experts, simply bringing the issue of fossil fuels to the discussion table at the climate conference is an unprecedented step and signifies significant progress.

Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 01-02/2023
Behind the Human Rights Watch Curtain: Hate and Corruption
Gerald M. Steinberg/Gatestone Institute/December 01, 2023
Dedicated to the memory of Robert Bernstein, founder of Human Rights Watch
Two major revelations have ripped away the curtain from HRW's moral facade, and revealed a thoroughly corrupt organization.
A week later, a second earthquake ripped through HRW's carefully manicured curtain of secrecy.
In 2009, Roth and HRW started hiding the full list of donors – an early red flag for an NGO claiming a moral agenda.
[A]n independent investigation of all financial activities covering the past 25 years is required, accompanied by the examination of possible violations by Roth, Whitson and others of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The damage done to the moral core of human rights and to Israeli victims of Hamas terrorism is incalculable and irreversible. But an internship or work experience at HRW is no longer an asset, and being listed as a donor in HRW's glossy PR publications is worse than embarrassing.
Two recent major revelations have ripped away the curtain from Human Rights Watch's moral facade, and revealed a thoroughly corrupt organization. In 2009, then Executive Director Ken Roth and HRW started hiding the full list of donors – an early red flag for an NGO claiming a moral agenda. Pictured: Roth at a press conference at the United Nations on January 14, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)
On October 7, the Palestinian Hamas terror group slaughtered 1,200 Israelis and foreign visitors in a carefully planned massacre that included the brutal torture and disfigurement of victims. Hamas abducted more than 240 other people, including more than 30 children, and took them to the Gaza Strip, holding them as hostages.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), ostensibly one of the world's "most respected" moral organizations, waited more than two days to issue a statement. When this occurred, the text was not a clear and direct condemnation of this monstrous war crime. Instead, Omar Shakir (HRW's Israel and Palestine Director) framed the unfathomably evil terror attack as a justified reaction to Israeli policies, which, in HRW's list of slogans, include war crimes, unprecedented repression, unlawful closure of Gaza, inhumane acts, "domination by Jewish Israelis over Palestinians," and "crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution."
After Israel's military entered Gaza to destroy the massive terror infrastructure, Shakir and Program Director Sari Bashi repeated the slogans and added other accusations, such as "deliberate, indiscriminate, or disproportionate attacks" in numerous media appearances and social media posts. The Israeli victims were mostly erased. For those who have closely followed HRW's role as one of the leaders in the campaign to single out and demonize the Jewish state as the world's worst violator of human rights and international humanitarian law, this is not surprising. In 2009, HRW founder Robert Bernstein, writing in the New York Times, condemned his own organization for "turning Israel into a pariah state".
Credit for exploiting moral principles adopted after the Holocaust, and weaponizing them to target Israel, goes to HRW Executive Director Ken Roth (1993-2022), who launched this strategy more than 20 years ago. Roth and his acolytes created an aura of moral authority, that, with the assistance of a massive budget (over $100 million in 2022), was instantly echoed and adopted by many journalists, UN officials, and academics. Until now. Two major revelations have ripped away the curtain from HRW's moral facade, and revealed a thoroughly corrupt organization. The first was in the form of an email sent to all 600 staff members by senior editor turned whistleblower Danielle Haas on her last day on the job (November 14), which condemned the deep hostility to Israel that permeates every aspect of HRW. The second revelation was the publication by the authoritative Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) of a secret January 2018 letter allegedly authorizing the transfer of 3 million Euros (about US $3.75 million at the time) from Qatar to HRW.
Haas's email provided confirmation and examples of the "years of politicization" that stained all of HRW's activities related to Israel, violating "basic editorial standards related to rigor, balance, and collegiality." She noted that HRW's response to the October 7 Hamas massacre invoked "the 'context' of 'apartheid' and 'occupation' before blood was even dry on bedroom walls" and "could easily be construed as blaming the victim." Blaming Israel and its Jewish supporters for terrorism and antisemitism has been one of HRW's frequent themes. Although Haas did not mention Roth's name, his 29 year obsession with Israel was apparent in her depiction of the "shattered professionalism, abandoned principles of accuracy and fairness," and the ways that HRW "surrendered its duty to stand for the human rights of all."
HRW's moral decay is also reflected in the malicious campaign to label Israel as the world's only "apartheid state" – that, as in the case of South Africa, has no right to exist. In launching a 2021 campaign on this theme, HRW sent advanced copies of a 217-page pseudo-research report filled with legal-sounding jargon and propaganda to allied journalists as part of its standard media manipulation strategy. Haas notes that HRW's leaders (i.e. Roth and acolytes) knew the text "would rarely be read in full. And there is little doubt it has not been by those—including Hamas supporters—who now bandy about the term with appalling ease." For those who worked hard to avoid seeing the extensive rot at the core of HRW, the evidence is now inescapable.
A week later, a second earthquake ripped through HRW's carefully manicured curtain of secrecy. On November 22, 2023, MEMRI posted a letter in Arabic apparently showing that Qatar – the petroleum-rich Gulf kingdom that supports Hamas, runs Al Jazeera's propaganda, and buys influence through multi-million dollar donations to universities, the prestigious Brookings Institution and elsewhere -- secretly funds HRW. The letter, dated January 15, 2018, refers to a payment in the amount of 3 million euros made to the Human Rights Watch organization, signed by Abdullah Bin Khalaf Hattab Al Ka'bi, director of Qatar's Office of the Prime Minister and addressed to Finance Minister Ali Sharif Al-Emadi.
The Qatari funding (the 2018 letter refers to an "additional" donation) to HRW is entirely consistent with the organization's promotion of Palestinian and Hamas propaganda, and demonization of Israel under the façades of human rights and international law. In 2009, Roth and HRW started hiding the organization's full list of donors – an early red flag for an NGO claiming a moral agenda. In parallel, Roth sent Sarah Leah Whitson, head of the Middle East division and a career Israel-hater, to raise money from Arab regimes (another red flag), including Gaddafi's Libya.
Most details of this effort remain hidden, but in 2020, an internal leak was published revealing a $470,000 "donation" from a corrupt Saudi billionaire. Whitson, who suddenly left HRW at the time that this was leaked and is now at a propaganda NGO with mostly secret donors called DAWN, has other links to Qatar-funded platforms, so that the funding for HRW fits the pattern.
The combination of the whistleblower email and the funding scandals means that HRW's future is very precarious. According to Haas, there are others among the staff who agree with her "but are fearful to speak out." However, the financial and moral corruption combined with the culture of hate and fear could lead others to follow. Roth retired in 2022 (and bullied his way into a brief Harvard fellowship), but retains control through his hand-picked senior staff and board members who rubber-stamped this corruption. They should be pressured into resigning immediately. In addition, an independent investigation of all financial activities covering the past 25 years is required, accompanied by the examination of possible violations by Roth, Whitson and others of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The damage done to the moral core of human rights and to Israeli victims of Hamas terrorism is incalculable and irreversible. But an internship or work experience at HRW is no longer an asset, and being listed as a donor in HRW's glossy PR publications is worse than embarrassing. After 30 years of impunity, Human Rights Watch will need a total rebuilding with an entirely new leadership if it is to survive and return to the agenda for which it was created.
*Gerald M Steinberg is the founder and president of NGO Monitor.
© 2023 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.

Turkiye, Iran navigate complex dynamics amid Gaza war
Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/December 01/2023
The Gaza war has shaken a fragile regional order in the Middle East, where regional powers Turkiye and Iran have historically vied for influence. Ankara and Tehran have a complex history of ups and downs in their relations and the two states often stand on opposing sides in regional conflicts, such as in Syria and the Caucasus. The Gaza war serves as a crucial context in which to examine the stances of these two powers. Although the war might, depending on its longevity, bring Turkiye and Iran on to the same page, given their common stance toward Israel, it still might not be enough to foster cooperation between them due to their differing regional visions. One example is that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was expected to attend a summit in Ankara on Tuesday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier announced to reporters. However, he did not show up. Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency reported that Raisi’s visit to Turkiye had “been postponed,” but it did not provide any reason or any other details. The visit was announced amid Erdogan’s call for Iran to join Turkiye in forging a joint response to the Israel-Hamas war.
The controversy about Raisi’s visit seemingly indicates that, despite their common stance on the Gaza war, there are still lingering differences between Turkiye and Iran on several issues. It is understood that Turkiye’s condemnation of Israel’s war on Gaza falls short for Tehran, which expects Ankara to go beyond words and sever its commercial and political ties with Tel Aviv. This dramatic new wave of war erupted following a prolonged period of regional-led de-escalation and reconciliation efforts. Within this climate, Turkiye and Israel were moving toward normalizing their relations.
Regarding the Gaza war, Turkiye has adopted a diplomatic stance and has offered to play the role of mediator. As Turkiye has close relations with Hamas and was in the process of reconciling with Israel, it sees itself as an ideal mediator. It has also proposed a guarantor system and suggested that it could be one of the guarantors. This was a clear reflection of Ankara’s policy of separating political and commercial issues.
Despite their common stance on Gaza, there are still lingering differences between Turkiye and Iran on several issues
Many analysts read the postponed visit of Raisi as a reaction that aimed to push Ankara toward more stringent measures. However, such Iranian expectations do not provide a solution, nor are they realistic at this stage. One prominent retired Turkish diplomat this week said: “No regional country has the will to engage in this war militarily, so why should Turkiye?” He was right, because even Iran recently stated that it is not willing to directly enter any regional conflicts, including Gaza. Although their stance against Israel’s actions toward Hamas may be aligned, Turkiye and Iran have different relations with the Palestinian factions and different policies regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both Ankara and Tehran have ties with Hamas, albeit of a different nature. Unlike its Western allies, Turkiye does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization. While Erdogan branded Israel a “terrorist state,” he described Hamas as a “liberation group” that is part of the Palestinian resistance. On the other hand, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei did not even mention Hamas’ name in his latest speech, but he did reiterate Iran’s moral support for the Palestinians.
Although Iran has politically and militarily supported Hamas, they had major disagreements during the Syrian war. Hamas stood by Turkiye in Syria and against the Assad regime, which is backed by Iran. It sees itself as politically and ideologically closer to Ankara than Tehran. Although Iran tried to keep the dialogue channels with Hamas open in order to be seen as a supporter of the Palestinian cause, the relationship also faced challenges in 2015, when Hamas expressed its support for the Arab coalition’s military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen. Since then, Iran has alternately reduced and suspended its aid to Gaza. But even if there has been a reduction in the scope of cooperation, Iran has tried to maintain a degree of closeness with Hamas. Although Iran has politically and militarily supported Hamas, they had major disagreements during the Syrian war
Turkiye’s support is more political in nature, as it has tried to maintain ties with both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Turkiye is part of a group formed at this month’s summit of Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation states in Riyadh that comprises foreign ministers and other representatives from Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and the PA, as well as the OIC secretary-general. However, Iran, despite being a member of the OIC and a country that constantly underlines the unity among Muslims, is not part of the group that is calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza.
Although Tehran’s policy on the Gaza war is derived from its desire for regional hegemony and its consistent drive to assist every regional party opposed to Israel, the conflict still offers more advantages to Iran than to any other actor, including Turkiye. The war halted the Saudi-Israeli normalization process, strained Turkish-Israeli relations after their recent rapprochement and raised anti-Israeli sentiment in the Muslim world. Whereas the prolonging and even spreading of the war to Syria and beyond poses disquieting risks for Ankara.
Although Turkiye and Iran seem to be on the same page regarding the Gaza war, they are actually walking on different paths. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has visited Turkiye during the Gaza war and regularly engaged in phone conversations with his Turkish counterpart on this issue. Despite such engagements, these two states’ historical competition for strategic dominance in areas like Iraq and Syria and the postponed visit of the Iranian president to Turkiye indicate that any unified Turkish-Iranian cooperation on Gaza will likely be limited.
*Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s relations with the Middle East. X: @SinemCngz

Not too late for Biden to regain the trust of his Gaza war critics
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/December 01/2023
There are many reasons for the US to act as an honest broker and help to bring about a peaceful end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It would be in America’s interest to remove from the regional agenda an issue that is a source of instability in an area of immense importance for Washington. Additionally, a one-sided American approach to the conflict compromises its image as a credible leader of the democratic world and an arbiter in other conflicts. It is not Washington’s support of Israel as such that is damaging its reputation, but its doing so despite its own objections to Israel’s oppressive occupation of Palestinian land and people, its depriving Palestinians of their political and human rights and the expansion of settlements in the West Bank. On many occasions, this has left the US isolated in the wider international arena, including the UN, for defending the indefensible when it comes to Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians.
However, there is also a growing movement that has been neglected by consecutive administrations — of changing attitudes toward the Israeli-Palestinian issue among the American electorate that are increasingly dividing domestic politics and might well affect election results.
In an NBC News poll last week, President Joe Biden’s approval rating slumped to 40 percent, the lowest level of his presidency. The most notable dip in approval of the current incumbent was on his handling of foreign policy and, more specifically, the Israel-Hamas war. What should worry Biden is that his support is hemorrhaging among Democrats, especially among the younger generation, who disapprove of the president for not doing enough to ensure that Israel’s military actions in Gaza do not result in an excessive loss of civilian lives.
What should worry Biden is that his support is hemorrhaging among Democrats, especially among the younger generation
Biden’s long-standing friendship with Israel began five decades ago, when he was a young senator, and continued when he was vice president to President Obama. He is a product of a generation that rarely expressed a critical view when it came to relations with Israel, even when it disagreed with its actions. Biden is something of an admirer of Israel. He has strong religious links as well as the historical-emotive sentiment of the post-Second World War generation.
Nevertheless, what he fails to realize is that, among the younger generation of mainly Democrat voters, support for Israel is less instinctive. And they have a strong sense of universal justice, which makes them more inclined to support the underdog in conflicts; hence they sympathize with the plight of the Palestinians rather than Israel, the latter being the stronger side in this conflict.
Although the identity of the Republican candidate is yet to be confirmed, next year Biden is most likely to face former President Donald Trump, as he did in the 2020 presidential election. At this early stage, the polls have Biden trailing Trump in some key battleground states, such as Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania. It is obviously not only the war in Gaza that upsets his supporters. Among other issues that divide the country are concerns held by many voters that the country is generally heading in the wrong direction — they worry about the state of the economy and also about Biden’s age. But the policy toward the war in Gaza now has a strong presence in the country’s current political discourse.
Since announcing his third run for the White House in November last year, it is still baffling for many, especially outside the US, how on earth Trump is allowed to run for any office, let alone the highest in the land, considering that he has been charged with 91 felony counts across four jurisdictions, not to mention his divisive and vitriolic rhetoric that is based mainly on figments of his own imagination. Yet, this is the reality of today’s US politics and, for Biden to win the 2024 presidential election, he at least needs to retain the Democrats’ traditional support base, much of which is young and ethnically diverse.
The dilemma of those who are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause is that Trump is hardly an attractive alternative
Biden’s support for Israel immediately after the Hamas attack of Oct. 7 was understandable and justified, but his administration’s staunch support for continuing the war when Israel’s offensive has already killed more than 14,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including an estimated 5,000 children, is attracting criticism from the left wing of his party and from many American Muslims.
It was Biden himself who, from the very early days of the war, warned Israel that democracies need to conduct their war efforts within internationally acceptable rules of war, but there has since been hardly any effort to persuade Israel to change its tactics in going after Hamas, despite the unacceptable and tragic death toll among Gazans. Alabas Farhat, a Democratic Michigan state representative whose district includes Dearborn, home to one of the largest Muslim and Arab American communities in the country, warned that “Joe Biden has single-handedly alienated almost every Arab American and Muslim American voter in Michigan.”The Muslim community in the US is relatively small — 3.45 million, or about 1 percent of the general population — but with the support of young, liberal-minded voters, it could make a big difference in the next presidential election. However, the dilemma of those who are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause is that Trump is hardly an attractive alternative, with his anti-Muslim rhetoric and campaigning to reinstate the travel ban on Muslims. However, in what is expected to be a close race, if a considerable number of those disenchanted voters decide to stay at home on polling day, Trump could be handed victory. That might prove to be an own goal, but it would represent the level of criticism of Biden’s approach to the war in Gaza.
It is not too late for Biden to regain the trust of Muslim voters and others who criticize his current stand on the war in Gaza. To do so, he must work to promote extended humanitarian ceasefires and eventually a permanent one, as well as, more generally, by changing America’s policies toward the Palestinians. This could start with the opening of a US consulate in Jerusalem and, when the war is over, recognizing the state of Palestine, followed by embarking on a peace initiative with the clear objective of establishing a Palestinian state whose capital is in East Jerusalem, while leaning on Israel to stop the expansion of settlements and the settler violence. By doing so, not only might Biden win over those who oppose him for allowing the killing of so many thousands of civilians in Gaza, but such actions could also guarantee the long-term security and prosperity of both Israelis and Palestinians, while improving his chances for a second term in office.
*Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg

Exploring the rich cultural tapestries of Arab cities
Sara Al-Mulla/Arab News/December 01, 2023
The historical, cultural and social richness found within Arab cities is a treasure that must be documented and shared with a broader audience.
To illustrate this notion, luxury book publisher Assouline this year published a set of coffee table books that survey the cultural heritage of the Arab region. For example, “Saudi Coffee: The Culture of Hospitality” is a captivating exploration of the region’s cultural fabric woven through the narrative of coffee. This book takes readers on a visual odyssey, immersing them in the time-honored customs of hospitality that span millennia, while highlighting the meticulous care and regional roasting methods that produce the diverse flavors of coffee beans.
Another equally captivating book, “Saudi Dates: A Portrait of the Sacred Fruit,” delves into the cultural significance and beauty of dates, using original photography and illustrations to offer readers a glimpse of the many varieties of dates harvested by skilled artisans. In fact, Al-Ahsa Oasis in Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest date palm oasis, comprising about 3 million palm trees, and it has garnered the prestigious status of being a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Other publications highlighting the cultural beauty of the region include “Al’Madinah: The City of the Prophet,” which discusses the profound historical and religious significance of Madinah and its greatest landmarks, and “AlUla Ever,” which celebrates the Saudi Arabian oasis that blends ancient sites with modern luxury. AlUla features the UNESCO-listed Hegra among its diverse attractions, alongside desert landscapes, polo tournaments, cultural performances and stargazing tours.
That said, embarking on a project to capture the social and cultural histories of Arab cities is important for several reasons. It helps preserve the rich heritage of the region, ensuring that important historical events and traditions are not lost. It also allows current and future generations to connect with their roots and understand the factors that have shaped their communities, while fostering a sense of belonging, pride and collective identity.
A number of themes could be considered as part of a comprehensive survey of the cultural legacies of Arab cities
Arab cities have long been characterized by a rich melting pot of diverse cultures. Shedding light on this helps showcase the variety of traditions, languages and practices that have coexisted and enriched the cultural fabric of the region. This becomes a valuable tool for cultural diplomacy, as it provides a shared platform where positive interactions between Arab cities and the international community are nurtured. At the same time, sharing the fascinating cultural identity of Arab cities can attract tourists.
A number of themes could be considered as part of a comprehensive survey of the cultural legacies of Arab cities. The origins and establishment of these cities should be the starting point of the narratives, piquing interest regarding their presence, which has spanned millennia, and their interconnectedness with other civilizations. The intersection of trade and commerce is another theme that explains these cities’ pivotal role as hubs on strategic trade routes within regional and global economies. Moreover, the role of religious and ethnic diversity collectively narrates the story of tolerance and progress.
Cultural flourishes, manifested through contributions to the vast spectrum of the arts — from gastronomy, fashion and fine arts to music, literature and performance — demonstrate Arab cities’ impact on the global cultural landscape. Highlighting architectural marvels allows the acknowledgement of the ingenuity of regional engineers and creatives who have left behind impressive, long-standing monuments. The preservation of cultural heritage sites and the celebration of local festivals contribute to the vibrancy of cities. Finally, it is important to understand the environmental history of the region in order to devise robust sustainability efforts that secure its resilience in the face of climate change.
The preservation of cultural heritage sites and the celebration of local festivals contribute to the vibrancy of cities
Publishing the cultural history of Arab cities can use various formats, each offering an explorative journey that caters to different audiences. For instance, a coffee table book offers a blend of gorgeous visuals and engaging narratives, featuring many beautiful settings. For a more dynamic and immersive experience, a documentary film or series can bring cultural history to life. In the context of an exhibition, a catalog serves as a valuable companion, offering additional context, insights and visuals to enhance visitors’ understanding of priceless artifacts. Collaborating with artists to create artistic installations that represent the region’s culture can also captivate audiences.
Publishing guidebooks for heritage trails in Arab cities encourages physical exploration and learning about cultural history. Meanwhile, podcast series and online articles provide diverse avenues for audiences to delve into the rich cultural tapestry of the region. Furthermore, crafting a series of historical fiction novels set in Arab cities can weave historical facts into a compelling storyline, making cultural history accessible and enjoyable for literary enthusiasts.
On the scholarly end, an academic monograph provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis, supporting those seeking in-depth research and a thorough exploration of the intricate layers of cultural history. Complementing this with a digital archive that houses documents, photographs and multimedia elements is a fantastic way to facilitate the access that is sought by global academic communities.
Whether exploring the history of a city, delving into the world of fashion or celebrating the beauty of art and design, cultural history books provide wonderful escapes for those who appreciate the intersection of cultures, histories and social narratives.
*Sara Al-Mulla is an Emirati civil servant with an interest in human development policy and children’s literature. She can be contacted at www.amorelicious.com.

Ukraine: The Decimation Point
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/December 01/2023
Thirsting for a bit of good news in these bad times of war, Ukraine media headlined what it saw as a victory: The return to Kiev of a haul of artefacts from Crimea that had been on exhibit in European cities before Russia annexed the peninsula in 2014.
The return came after a 10 year legal battle in which Russia claimed that it should receive the artefacts because they were made before the 1950s when the then Soviet ruler Nikita Khrushchev “handed Crimea over to Ukraine.” Ukraine counter-argued that the artefacts were loaned to a Dutch museum before Vladimir Putin’s troops annexed Crimea.
Well, in every war even the tiniest bit of good news could help divert attention, even momentarily, from bigger bad news.
Though actual and sustained fighting started in February 2022, Russia’s war against Ukraine started almost a decade ago when Crimea was annexed. Since then, the fratricidal war has offered no good news for either side. Putin called the war “special operations”, implying it would be over in a matter of weeks if not days. Hough not as starry-eyed, Ukraine President Wolodymyr Zelensky also dreamed that thanks to support from NATO, the biggest military machine in history, his side would quickly emerge victorious.
The bad news that didn’t get the headlines either in Moscow or Kyiv is that both Russia and Ukraine have passed what military theoreticians call “ the decimation point” when you see that you have lost at least 10 per cent of your fighting manpower.
When that point comes, those who run a war are advised to review the position, adopt different tactics, change some goals and, best of all if possible, and look for ways to end the war.
According to the most conservative estimates available Russia has sustained over 300,000 casualties, including 120,000 killed in action. Since total Russian fighting manpower is estimated at 1.3 million men including Wagner paramilitaries, the decimation point has already passed.
Having suffered over 200,000 casualties, including 70,000 killed out of a total force of 500,000, Ukraine is an even worse position.
At decimation point, alarm bells begin to ring. This is because you are forced to dig into your reserves and launch a recruitment drive that would take months if not years to produce the technical as well as fighting and command capacities needed
At any given time, the commander is able to send a third of his total forces into battle as one third are either on furlough, wounded, or getting retrained, while another third is kept in reserve at short notice to join the battle at short notice. The larger the pool of potential recruits the better the chances of sailing through the dreaded decimation point.
But here, too, both Russia and Ukraine face growing difficulties. Since the latest phase of the war started in February 2022, almost a million young Russians have left the country to avoid recruitment. Although the federation still enjoys a demographic advantage over Ukraine, the hemorrhage may well intensify.
For its part Ukraine has witnessed the flight of over 50,000 men of recruitment age, almost half of them since President Zelensky launched his much advertised “Spring Offensive.” That campaign is reported to have claimed the lives of over 22,000 fighters, almost a third of total Ukrainian deaths since 2022.
In exchange, Ukraine managed to recapture some 28,000 square miles of the 370,000 square miles of territory lost to Russia- a huge cost by any standards. By that standard, President Zelensky’s promise of “total liberation of all occupied territories” could cost over 100,000 Ukrainian lives.
Thus both sides face a dire choice: sacrifice a whole generation of young men in a war that seems stalemated by any standards. The situation is worse for Russia because it has to cope with growing opposition from people in the occupied territories, including Crimea where the Tatar community has suffered a massive crackdown. Attempts to have some locals shanghaied in Lohansk and Donetsk have provoked growing opposition to the point that Russia has had to transfer thousands of people to Russian territory.
The war is also taking a heavy toll on the economies of both Russia and Ukraine. Putin started his war with a war-chest estimated at $600 million, now down to around $400 by most estimates. With sanctions and boycotts growing all the time, Russian foreign earnings are on a downward curve while imports, including some materiel from China, Islamic Republic in Iran and North Korea, have to be paid in hard currency.
On that score, Ukraine is in a better position because it gets the weapons it needs on a buy-now-pay later basis while its foreign earnings through growing exports of wheat and other farm products cover the cost of its other imports. Bu how long will Western public opinion tolerate the cost of the war which compounds the hurt it has caused by fueling inflation?
Ukraine has another point of weakness: the loss of millions of juts citizens forced into immigration which means a shrinking economy which, in turn, causes more immigration.
While Ukraine is certainly losing some support in Western democracies, word-is-cheap principle notwithstanding, Russia is also losing support and sympathy in the so-called Global South.
Even worse news for both belligerents comes on the home front. Anti-war demos, including by women, are taking place in several parts of the Russian federation while draft-dodging spread, especially in what is supposed to be the Russian heartland.
In Ukraine, too, the initial nationalistic fervor is beginning to ebb, albeit at as yet not worrying tempo. But the prospect of an endless war, stalemated on the frontline while civilians are killed by missiles and drones, is unlikely to keep the flame of patriotism alive for ever.
At decimation point, one other factor merits attention. This war which started by being popular on both sides, on the Russian side because it was dished out as a restoration Russian of global status and on the Ukrainian side as defense of the fatherland, is losing its initial appeal. In the West , public opinion saw the war as a means of keeping the Russian giant in chain while anti-West forces admired Putin for challenging the American big—bad-wolf. But those opinions, or illusions, have also lost whatever luster they may have had.
At decimation point, everyone needs a serious re-think.

Question: “How can I take control of my thoughts?”
GotQuestions.org/December 01/2023
Answer: Taking control of our thoughts is essential. Proverbs 4:23 states, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." The “heart” includes the mind and all that proceeds from it. Someone said that every sin we commit, we commit twice, once in our thoughts and again when we act upon those thoughts. It is easier to rid our lives of sin if we attack it at this fundamental thought level rather than waiting for it to become rooted in our lives by our actions and then try to pull it out.
There is also a difference between being tempted (a thought entering into the mind) and sinning (dwelling upon an evil thought and wallowing in it). It is important to understand that when a thought enters our mind, we examine it based upon God’s Word and determine if we should continue down that path or reject the thought and replace it with another thought. If we have already allowed a habit to form in our thought lives, it becomes more difficult to change the path of our thoughts, even as it is hard to get a car out of a deep rut and onto a new track. Here are some biblical suggestions for taking control of our thoughts and getting rid of wrong thoughts:
1. Be in God’s Word so that when a sinful thought enters our mind (a temptation), we will be able to recognize it for what it is and know what course to take. Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4) responded to each of Satan’s temptations with Scripture that applied to the direction He knew His mind should take instead of beginning down the path of the sinful thought. When tempted to meet His physical need (turn stone into bread), He recited the passage about the importance of relying upon God. When tempted to serve Satan in order to obtain the glory of the world, He brought up the passage that says we are to serve and worship God alone and speak of the glory that belongs to Him and those who are His. When tempted to test God (to see if God was really there and would keep His promises), Jesus responded with passages that stress the importance of believing God without having to see Him demonstrate His presence.
Quoting Scripture in a time of temptation is not a talisman, but rather serves the purpose of getting our minds onto a biblical track, but we need to know the Word of God AHEAD of time in order to accomplish this. Thus, a daily habit of being in the Word in a meaningful way is essential. If we are aware of a certain area of constant temptation (worry, lust, anger, etc.), we need to study and memorize key passages that deal with those issues. Looking for both what we are to avoid (negative) and how we are to properly respond (positive) to tempting thoughts and situations—before they are upon us—will go a long way to giving us victory over them.
2. Live in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, chiefly through seeking His strength through prayer (Matthew 26:41). If we rely upon our own strength, we will fail (Proverbs 28:26;Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 26:33).
3. We are not to feed our minds with that which will promote sinful thoughts. This is the idea of Proverbs 4:23. We are to guard our hearts—what we allow into them and what we allow them to dwell on. Job 31:1 states, "I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman" (NKJV). Romans 13:14 states, "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." Thus, we are to avoid periodicals, videos, websites, conversations, and situations that will set us up for a fall. We should also avoid spending time with those who would encourage us down these wrong paths.
4. We are to pursue hard after God, replacing sinful thoughts with godly pursuits and mindsets. This is the principle of replacement. When tempted to hate someone, we replace those hateful thoughts with godly actions: we do good to them, speak well of them, and pray for them (Matthew 5:44). Instead of stealing, we should work hard to earn money so we can look for opportunities to give to others in need (Ephesians 4:28). When tempted to lust after a woman, we turn our gaze, praise God for the way He has made us—male and female—and pray for the woman (for example: "Lord, help this young woman to come to know you if she does not, and to know the joy of walking with you"), then think of her as a sister (1 Timothy 5:2). The Bible often speaks of "putting off" wrong actions and thoughts but then "putting on” godly actions and thoughts (Ephesians 4:22-32). Merely seeking to put off sinful thoughts without replacing those thoughts with godly ones leaves an empty field for Satan to come along and sow his weeds (Matthew 12:43-45).
5. We can use fellowship with other Christians the way God intended. Hebrews 10:24-25 states, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Fellow Christians who will encourage us in the changes we desire (best if of the same gender), who will pray for and with us, who will ask us in love how we are doing, and who will hold us accountable in avoiding the old ways, are valuable friends indeed.
Last and most important, these methods will be of no value unless we have placed our faith in Christ as Savior from our sin. This is where we absolutely must start! Without this, there can be no victory over sinful thoughts and temptations, and God’s promises for His children are not for us, nor is the Holy Spirit’s power available to us!
God will bless those who seek to honor Him with what matters most to Him: who we are inside and not just what we appear to be to others. May God make Jesus’ description of Nathanael true also of us—a man [or woman] in whom there is no guile (John 1:47).