Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 06-07/2023
Reports: Israel says ready for 'political step' with Lebanon
Israel-Hezbollah border skirmishes: Latest developments
Report: US exploring possibility of Lebanon-Israel land border deal
Israel says Lebanese Army not a target after killing soldier 'by mistake'
Hezbollah mourns the martyr Ali Hassan Al-Atat "Rouh Allah" from Haret Hreik
Hezbollah's series of attacks: Overview of Wednesday's offensive
Lebanon's army targeted: Concerns rise amid Israeli attacks and political messages
Hezbollah has agreed to Aoun's term extension, says MP
Geagea slams Hezbollah for never keeping word, govt. for inaction after Hamas statement/December 06/2023
Foreign Minister files complaint to UNSC on Israeli violations
Banks ask state to pay its BDL debt to allow them to pay depositors
Dialogue resumes between Bkerki and Hezbollah
Al-Rahi to visit South on Thursday
Michel Moawad’s dinner diplomacy: Addressing internal issues and regional challenges
Jumblatt Meets Hezbollah Delegation in Clemenceau

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 06-07/2023
In dramatic invocation of Article 99 of UN Charter, Guterres calls on Security Council to declare ceasefire in Gaza
Heavy fighting across Gaza halts aid, shrinks safe places for civilians
Gallant vows to drive Hezbollah beyond Litani River
Putin lands in Abu Dhabi on Middle East visit
Top China, US diplomats discuss Israel-Hamas war
Camp sheltering displaced Palestinians who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, in Rafah
Netanyahu says Israeli forces are encircling house of Hamas' Gaza leader Sinwar
7 Things to Know About Campus Support for Hamas and Antisemitism
In rare action against Israel, US says extremist settlers will be barred from America
Turkey rejects 'buffer zone' plan for Gaza, Erdogan says
Russian president Putin meets Saudi crown prince in Riyadh
Russian forces are killing their own wounded with drones to stop them from surrendering, Ukrainian officials say
Russia attacks Ukraine with 48 drones overnight
Ukrainian military makes headway through two of three Russian defense lines
Zelensky Warns G7 Leaders: Putin Banking on Western Support Collapse for Ukraine
Erdogan tends to strained relationship with EU with 'win-win' trip to neighbor Greece
Top US and Chinese diplomats agree to build on recent progress in ties
Iran sends capsule with animals into orbit as it prepares for human missions
Bank of Canada holds its benchmark interest rate, says data show economy 'no longer in excess demand'
UNLV shooting: Police say three dead in University of Nevada shooting

Titles For The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 06-07/2023
Why Are Islamists Claiming Non-Muslim Land?/Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/December 6, 2023
How a Few Billionaires Manipulated the World/Raymond Ibrahim/December 6, 2023
Hamas Remains Intact, Yet Blinken Hedges on Support for Israeli War Effort/Enia Krivine/The Messenger/December 06/2023
Erdogan Does Not Care About the Palestinians/Sinan Ciddi/The National Interest/December 06/2023
Leaving no one behind in our quest for net zero and nature positive/Badr Jafar/Arab News/December 06/2023
World must act to prevent another genocide in Darfur/Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Arab News/December 06/2023
How Europe can restore its credibility in the Middle East/Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/December 06/2023

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 06-07/2023
Reports: Israel says ready for 'political step' with Lebanon
Naharnet/December 06/2023
A French delegation comprising diplomats and senior French army officials arrived in Israel this week and Paris is trying to reach a diplomatic solution regarding Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, Israeli media reports said. Israel’s Channel 13 said that the delegation will meet with officials from Israel’s foreign and defense ministries and that Israeli officials have told France and the U.S. that they are willing to “carry out a political step that would negate the need for launching a military campaign in the north soon.”The Israelis have however warned that “the chances are running out and we don’t have all the time in the world.”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. More than 110 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, mostly Hezbollah fighters and more than a dozen civilians, according to an AFP tally, since fighting began in October. On the Israeli side, six soldiers and three civilians have been killed, Israeli authorities have said.Hezbollah has not had a visible military presence on Lebanon's southern border since the end of a 2006 conflict with Israel, but says it resumed activities in support of Hamas following the Palestinian group’s surprise attack on Israel on October 7.U.N. peacekeepers are present on the border as part of the U.N. Security Council Resolution which ended the 2006 war.

Israel-Hezbollah border skirmishes: Latest developments
Naharnet/December 06/2023
Israel shelled and carried out air strikes on southern border towns Wednesday, including Yaroun, Maroun el-Ras, Halta, Kfarhamam, al-Naqoura, Aita al-Shaab, Blida, Mhaibib and Aitaroun. Hezbollah for its part attacked the Israeli al-Radar post in the occupied Shebaa Farms. The southern town of Mays al-Jabal was heavily targeted overnight by shells and phosphorus bombs, as clashes intensified between Hezbollah and northern Israel. On Tuesday, Hezbollah claimed 13 attacks on Israeli positions and Jamaa Islamiya's al-Fajr Forces said it fired rockets from south Lebanon at Kiryat Shmona, while Israeli shelling killed a Lebanese soldier on a military post and a Syrian labourer in a farm. More than 110 people have been killed on the Lebanese side since October, mostly Hezbollah fighters and more than a dozen civilians. Israel says six of its soldiers and three Israeli civilians have been killed.

Report: US exploring possibility of Lebanon-Israel land border deal
Naharnet/December 06/2023
The U.S. is examining the possibility of an agreement between Israel and Lebanon on the land border between them, similar to the maritime border agreement signed in 2022, Israeli officials have said. The same sources told Israel’s Yedioth Aharonot newspaper that a senior White House official, Amos Hochstein, who was a key mediator in the maritime border deal and has been working on reducing the chance of escalation on the border since October 7, is examining the possibility of devising a similar mechanism to reach an agreement on the land border disputes between Lebanon and Israel.
These disputes refer, among other things, to the Shebaa Farms area, which Lebanon says is Lebanese territory occupied by Israel. The formal purpose of such an agreement would be to regulate the border issues, which are the official argument that Hezbollah makes against Israel in the domestic Lebanese arena. But senior Israeli officials said that, in fact, the goal is to permanently remove Hezbollah from the border by "powerful" diplomatic means, so that Israel is “not forced to be dragged into a military campaign on the northern border.”The Biden administration has made it clear to Israel that it would not support an Israeli pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah, and President Joe Biden went out of his way to launch a credible threat aimed at detering Hezbollah from expanding the war it is already waging against Israel. This evening Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant held a tense meeting with the heads of the Israeli communities that lie on and near the frontline with Lebanon. The minister promised them that Hezbollah would be driven beyond the Litani River, either by political or military means. Only after Hezbollah is removed from the border will the residents of the Israeli north be returned to their homes, he said. Last week Minister Gallant infuriated the residents of the north when he said that they will soon be able to return to their homes since Hezbollah is “deterred and removed from the border.” Now he made it clear that the war “will not end without the removal of Hezbollah,” Yedioth Aharonot said.

Israel says Lebanese Army not a target after killing soldier 'by mistake'
Agence France Presse/December 06/2023
The Israeli army has said that it regrets having killed a Lebanese soldier on a military post near the southern border town of Odaisseh. Israel's army acknowledged the incident, saying in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that it had targeted Tuesday a Hezbollah position in an effort "to eliminate an imminent threat". "The Lebanese Armed Forces were not the target of the strike," the Israel Defense Forces said, adding it regretted the incident. The Lebanon-Israel border has seen intensifying exchanges of fire since the war broke out between Hamas and Israel, mainly involving Hezbollah, raising fears of a broader conflagration. On Tuesday, Israeli shelling also killed a Syrian labourer when it hit the chicken farm where he worked, according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) and a local official. More than 110 people have been killed on the Lebanese side since October, mostly Hezbollah fighters and more than a dozen civilians, according to an AFP tally. Israel says six of its soldiers and three Israeli civilians have been killed. The United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) says its headquarters in southern Lebanon has been hit by shelling several times. Commenting on the Lebanese soldier's death, UNIFIL said in a statement: "The Lebanese Armed Forces have not engaged in conflict with Israel. "During the last days, we have seen a rapid and alarming increase in violence," UNIFIL added, urging an end to "the cycle of violence, which could lead to devastating consequences for people on both sides."
Hezbollah has not had a visible military presence on Lebanon's southern border since the end of a 2006 conflict with Israel, but says it resumed activities in support of Hamas after its October 7 attack on Israel. Lebanese peacekeepers have a presence on the border as part of the U.N. Security Council Resolution which ended the 2006 war. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in a statement Tuesday that U.N.-sponsored talks were planned in the coming months, aimed at "reaching an agreement, via the U.N., about contested points along the border with the Israeli enemy".
"We hope that in the next three months we will reach a stage of total stability on our borders," Mikati added.

Hezbollah mourns the martyr Ali Hassan Al-Atat "Rouh Allah" from Haret Hreik
LBCI/December 06/2023
On Wednesday, Hezbollah mourned the martyr, Ali Hassan al-Atat, “Rouh Allah,” from the Haret Hreik area in the southern suburb of Beirut.

Hezbollah's series of attacks: Overview of Wednesday's offensive
LBCI/December 06/2023
On Wednesday, Hezbollah announced a series of attacks as it targeted the Ramim barracks with appropriate weapons, resulting in "direct casualties."In Wednesday's announcements, it added that its fighters hit the al-Malkiyya site with appropriate weapons, achieving "direct hits there."Hezbollah added about the targeting of a gathering of Israeli army soldiers at the Jal al-Alam site, in Karam al-Tuffah near the Mitat barracks, and in Tal Shaar opposite the town of Aita al-Shaab, with appropriate weapons. It also announced the targeting of the Dhayra site, Hadab Al-Bustan, and the site of Ruwaisat al-Qarn in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms with guided missiles. In Addition, it also hit the al-Rahib site with appropriate weapons.

Lebanon's army targeted: Concerns rise amid Israeli attacks and political messages
LBCI/December 06/2023
Sergeant Abdel Karim Mokdad was the first martyr of the Lebanese Army that fell since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation. His three comrades are the first wounded from the Army in an Israeli attack. Before this targeting and over the past two months, the "occupation" targeted empty army towers on the border. Israeli shell fragments reached military centers and sites in fifty-five locations without causing injuries. Despite the claims by the "occupation" that its shelling did not target elements of the Lebanese Army and was a response to a threat near Nabi Aweida, LBCI sources raised the following points: The Lebanese Army Center is established and very old in the area, and like all army centers and sites, it is well known to the Israeli side, opposing the Misgav Am site. As for the members, the sources say they were "exposed" in the center, working naturally when they were targeted, not with a single shell, but with four shells fired directly from a Merkava tank facing them. This is noteworthy, considering that the available capabilities of the Israelis prevent them from missing a target they intended to strike. These facts, at their timing, raised concerns about Israel's attempt to turn the Lebanese Army into a "mailbox" amid the political messages carried by European and American envoys to Lebanon for the implementation of Resolution 1701 and holding the Lebanese authorities responsible. UNIFIL forces, on the other hand, stated that the Israeli Army targeted the Lebanese Army center, which has not engaged in the conflict with Israel. The targeting of the Lebanese Army by the "Israeli occupation" came in a "bloody message," aligning with the timing of political messages and escalating concerns of new attacks.

Hezbollah has agreed to Aoun's term extension, says MP
Naharnet/December 06/2023
Hezbollah has agreed to the extension of the term of Army chief General Joseph Aoun, MP Sajih Atiyeh said on Wednesday. “But we are still waiting for the mechanism to carry out the extension amid consultations with Hezbollah’s MPs,” Atiyeh told al-Jadeed TV. “The likely scenario is raising the retirement age should the extension take place through parliament, and therefore it will include the biggest number of officers, including (Internal Security Forces chief) Maj. Gen. Imad Othman,” Atiyeh added. “So far, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati does not prefer that the extension take place through Cabinet, because this would need unanimity from all its components,” the MP went on to say.

Geagea slams Hezbollah for never keeping word, govt. for inaction after Hamas statement/December 06/2023
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea rejected Wednesday a Hamas statement that announced the establishment in Lebanon of a division called al-Aqsa Flood Vanguards and called on Palestinian youths to join it. "This statement is unacceptable and it violates Lebanon's sovereignty," Geagea said. After Hamas' statement sparked a storm of outrage in Lebanon, the group said it was misinterpreted and that the new division is a popular and not a military organization. Geagea accused Hezbollah of approving Hamas' move and of never keeping its promises. "It is evident that Hamas is under the command of Hezbollah and it wouldn't carry out any military movements without its knowledge and approval," he said, adding that Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had agreed during the 2006 Lebanese dialogue to disarm Palestinians outside camps and to organize the use of arms inside camps. Geagea also slammed the government and the caretaker ministers of Defense and Interior for not taking practical measures nor taking a firm position regarding what's happening. "The government is required to put pressure on Hezbollah to stop this farce."

Foreign Minister files complaint to UNSC on Israeli violations
LBCI/December 06/2023
Lebanon's Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister in the caretaker government, Abdallah Bou Habib, announced that he has instructed "the Lebanese mission to the United Nations to submit a new complaint to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in response to the targeting of the Lebanese army, resulting in the death of a martyr and the injury of military personnel."This complaint is also in response to the messages of the Israeli representative to the United Nations. The complaint stated that "Israel targeted a Lebanese army center in the Odaisseh area on Tuesday, resulting in the death of a soldier and the injury of three others who were subsequently taken to the hospital for treatment."In addition, the complaint emphasized that "Lebanon deeply believes in the importance of adherence to international law and the respect for resolutions issued by the Security Council, while Israel persists in violating Lebanon's sovereignty and attacking it by land, sea, and air, refusing to implement international decisions, especially Resolution 425.”"Regarding Resolution 1701 issued by the UNSC in 2006, Israel has not fully complied with its content. While the ultimate goal of the resolution is a permanent ceasefire, which Israel deliberately undermines, it continues to daily violate its provisions by assaulting Lebanon's sovereignty by land, sea, and air, consolidating its occupation by annexing Lebanese territories," the complaint added. Moreover, Minister Bou Habib mentioned in the complaint that "Israeli airstrikes have resulted in casualties and injuries to a large number of civilians, journalists, paramedics, and children, leading to the displacement of more than thirty thousand Lebanese citizens from their homes.”“The use of internationally prohibited white phosphorus shells by the Israeli army has also caused significant environmental and material damage to civilian areas, in addition to Israel threatening the safety of civil aviation by using Lebanese airspace to attack the sovereignty of a neighboring state," he continued. Furthermore, Minister Bou Habib emphasized in the complaint that "Lebanon reaffirms its commitment to the full implementation of Resolution 1701 and demands Israel's full compliance with it, which has not been achieved to date.” He also said: “Lebanon is committed to de-escalation and restoring calm along the Blue Line, condemning the targeting of UNIFIL headquarters and personnel."He pointed out that "the repeated threats of Israeli officials to launch a preemptive war on Lebanon and return it to the Stone Age, in addition to Israel's continuous violation of Resolution 1701 and Lebanese sovereignty, and its refusal since 1948 to implement relevant United Nations resolutions, are all factors that constitute provocations that fuel the conflict and undermine efforts to achieve security and stability."

Banks ask state to pay its BDL debt to allow them to pay depositors
Naharnet/December 06/2023
Eleven Lebanese banks on Wednesday submitted a memo to the Finance Ministry demanding that the Lebanese state pay its debts and obligations to the Central Bank (BDL) to allow it to pay its obligations to the Lebanese banks, to allow them in turn to return the trapped funds to depositors, the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) said. “The memo is based on the budgets of the Central Bank, on the results of the forensic audit issued by Alvarez & Marsal, and on the audit carried out by Oliver Wyman at a request from the Lebanese state,” ABL added. The memo also threatens to “resort to the administrative judiciary to compel the Lebanese state to fulfill its legal obligations towards the Central Bank should it not heed these demands.”

Dialogue resumes between Bkerki and Hezbollah
Naharnet/December 06/2023
Dialogue has resumed between Bkerki and Hezbollah, Head of the Lebanese Catholic Media Center Father Abdo Abou Kassem said. The committee led by Bkerki spokesman Walid Ghayyad and Hezbollah official Mohammed Saeed al-Khansa is positively discussing points of national and political disagreements. "The aim is to reconcile viewpoints," Abou Kassem told al-Jadeed.

Al-Rahi to visit South on Thursday
Naharnet/December 06/2023
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi will make a solidarity visit to the South on Thursday at the head of a delegation from the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops, the Catholic Media Center said. The patriarch is seeking to “express his solidarity with southerners and the displaced,” the Center added. Al-Rahi will begin his visit at 10am at the Maronite Archbishopric of Tyre and will then move to the Greek Catholic Archbishopric. The visit will involve a meeting with the representatives of Muslim and Christian communities in the region. In a radio interview, Catholic Media Center Director Abdo Abou Kassem said the patriarch will not visit any border towns and that the visit will be limited to the city of Tyre. Since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, the southern frontier between Lebanon and Israel has seen intensifying exchanges of fire, mainly between Israel and Hezbollah, but also Palestinian groups.
More than 110 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, mostly Hezbollah fighters and more than a dozen civilians, according to an AFP tally, since fighting began in October. On the Israeli side, six soldiers and three civilians have been killed, Israeli authorities have said.

Michel Moawad’s dinner diplomacy: Addressing internal issues and regional challenges
LBCI/December 06/2023
Progressive Socialist Party leader and Member of Parliament Taymour Jumblatt, accompanied by MP Wael Abou Faour, met with MPs Michel Moawad, Fouad Makhzoumi, and Ashraf Rifi at Moawad's residence in Hazmieh, where he hosted them for dinner. During the meeting, the internal situation and developments in the region were discussed, given the atrocities and destruction faced by the Palestinian people. In addition, there was a reaffirmation of condemnation of the war crimes committed by Israel and support for the just cause of the Palestinian people in determining their fate and establishing their independent state based on the two-state solution outlined in the Arab Peace Initiative from Beirut in 2002. They also emphasized the necessity of protecting Lebanon and its people from the dangers of war by adhering to the Constitution and international legitimacy, particularly UN Security Council Resolution 1701. In this context, there was an agreement on the need to exert pressure to prevent a leadership vacuum in the military by delaying the retirement of Chief of Staff General Joseph Aoun. This is seen as a guarantee for the cohesion of the military institution, enabling it to continue bearing the responsibility for stability and civil peace in this critical phase. Furthermore, there was an agreement to continue coordinating efforts to restore the functioning of institutions, complete constitutional obligations, notably the election of a president, and form a new government. This is considered a preamble to restoring the state's authority and sovereignty and launching a political and economic reform workshop to lift Lebanon from its crisis.

Jumblatt Meets Hezbollah Delegation in Clemenceau
LBCI/December 06/2023
Former head of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt received on Wednesday Hussein Khaleel, the political aide to Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, and the head of the party's Liaison and Coordination Unit, Wafiq Safa, in Clemenceau. The meeting took place in the presence of the head of the Progressive Socialist Party, MP Taymour Jumblatt, MP Wael Abou Faour, former minister Ghazi Aridi, and the General Secretary of the Progressive Socialist Party, Zafar Nasser. During the meeting, various developments and general situations were discussed.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 06-07/2023
In dramatic invocation of Article 99 of UN Charter, Guterres calls on Security Council to declare ceasefire in Gaza
Arab News/December 07, 2023
Humanitarian catastrophe could have ‘potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region’WFP: Resumption of hostilities ‘will only intensify the catastrophic hunger crisis that already threatens to overwhelm the civilian population’
NEW YORK: In a dramatic constitutional move, the UN secretary-general has invoked one of the few powers that the Charter gives him, to call on the Security Council to declare a ceasefire to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza that could have “potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region.”He cautioned that such an outcome should be avoided “at all cost.” In a letter to the Security Council seen by Arab News, Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, which says the secretary-general “may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion, may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said this was the first time Guterres had felt compelled to invoke the article since taking office in 2017. In his letter, Guterres said the more than eight weeks of fighting had “created appalling human suffering, physical destruction and collective trauma across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”He added: “Since the start of Israel’s military operation, more than 15,000 people have reportedly been killed, over 40 per cent of whom were children. Thousands of others have been injured. More than half of all homes have been destroyed.”He said: “Some 80 per cent of the population of 2.2 million has been forcibly displaced, into increasingly smaller areas. More than 1.1 million people have sought refuge in UNRWA facilities across Gaza, creating overcrowded, undignified and unhygienic conditions. Others have nowhere to shelter and find themselves on the streets.”Guterres also said “the health care system in Gaza is collapsing. Hospitals have turned into battlegrounds. Nowhere is safe in Gaza.”
He warned that amid the constant bombardment across the enclave “and without shelter or the essentials to survive, I expect public order to completely break down soon.”Guterres reiterated his plea for a “humanitarian ceasefire to be declared,” adding: “This is urgent. The civilian population must be spared from greater harm.” Dujarric called it a “very powerful move” on behalf of the secretary-general, and expressed hope that the 15-member Security Council “will be moved to push and put in place a humanitarian ceasefire.”The spokesman said: “I think we’re getting to a point of near paralysis of our humanitarian operations where 15,000 people have reportedly already died, where 130 of our (UNRWA) colleagues have died. (The secretary-general) doesn’t use the word catastrophe lightly.”Asked by Arab News what took Guterres so long to invoke Article 99 given that “catastrophe” was used from the first week to describe Gaza’s plight, Dujarric said the secretary-general has been “extremely clear, has been involved. Everything is done, in a sense, in a methodical way.
“One doesn’t invoke this article lightly … Given the situation on the ground and the risk of complete collapse not only of our humanitarian operations but of civil order, it’s something that he felt needed to be done now.”Meanwhile, the World Food Programme sounded the alarm that “the resumption of hostilities in Gaza will only intensify the catastrophic hunger crisis that already threatens to overwhelm the civilian population.”In a statement, the UN agency said: “The renewed fighting makes the distribution of aid almost impossible and endangers the lives of humanitarian workers.”The UAE and Russia have called for a Security Council meeting on Friday “in the light of the deteriorating situation on the ground and given today’s appeal of the secretary-general for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire.”The two council members have said they want the talks to focus on “the resumption of hostilities in Gaza and the inconsistency of the plans announced by Israel to its obligations under International Humanitarian Law.”

Heavy fighting across Gaza halts aid, shrinks safe places for civilians
Associated Press/December 6, 2023
Israeli forces battled Hamas militants across Gaza on Wednesday after expanding their ground offensive to its second-largest city, further shrinking the area where Palestinians can seek safety and halting the distribution of vital aid across most of the territory.
The assault on the south threatens further mass displacement within the besieged coastal enclave, where the U.N. says some 1.87 million people — over 80% of the population — have already fled their homes. Much of the north, including large parts of Gaza City, has been completely destroyed, and Palestinians fear the rest of Gaza could suffer a similar fate as Israel tries to dismantle Hamas, which has deep roots in the territory it has ruled for 16 years. Israel says it can no longer accept a Hamas military presence in Gaza after the Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will maintain open-ended security control over the territory, something opposed by the United States and much of the international community. The Israeli military said Tuesday that its troops were "in the heart" of the southern city of Khan Younis after what it described as "the most intense day" of fighting since the start of the ground operation five weeks ago, with heavy battles in the north as well.
PUSHED TO THE EDGE
For the past three days, aid distribution — mainly just supplies of flour and water — has been possible only in and around Rafah, on the southern border with Egypt, because of fighting and road closures by Israeli forces, the U.N.'s humanitarian aid office said. The aid group Doctors Without Borders said fuel and medical supplies have reached "critically low levels" at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central town of Deir al-Balah, north of Khan Younis. Up to 200 wounded people have been brought in every day since Dec. 1, when a weeklong truce expired, it said. "Without electricity, ventilators would cease to function, blood donations would have to stop, the sterilization of surgical instruments would be impossible," said Marie-Aure Perreaut Revial, the aid group's emergency coordinator in Gaza. She said they are also running low on surgical supplies and external fixators for broken bones.
Gaza has been without electricity since the first week of the war, and Israel has severely limited fuel imports, forcing several hospitals to shut down because they cannot operate emergency generators. Thousands of people have fled to the Rafah since Israel resumed its offensive after the cease-fire, including many from the north who have been displaced multiple times. Hamza Abu Mustafa, a teacher who lives near a school-turned-shelter and is hosting three families himself, said "the situation is extremely dire.""You find displaced people in the streets, in schools, in mosques, in hospitals … everywhere." A Palestinian woman who identified herself as Umm Ahmed said the harsh conditions and limited access to toilets are especially difficult for women who are pregnant or menstruating. "For women and girls, the suffering is double," she said. "It's more humiliation." Palestinian women have recently taken to social media to request menstrual pads, which are increasingly hard to find. "I apologize for raising such a matter," one user wrote on X, adding that there were 15 girls staying in her house. "What are we supposed to do?"
HUNDREDS KILLED SINCE CEASE-FIRE
The war has killed more than 16,200 people in Gaza — 70% of them women and children — and wounded more than 42,000, according to the territory's Health Ministry, which released new figures late Tuesday. The ministry does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths, but its overall tally tracks with a figure released by the Israeli military this week. The ministry says hundreds more have been killed since the cease-fire ended Friday, and many still are trapped under rubble. The military accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields when the militants operate in residential areas. But Israel has not given detailed accounts of individual strikes, some of which have leveled entire city blocks. Military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said militants keep weapons in homes and other buildings so fighters in civilian clothes can use them to fire on troops. "Striking them requires significant use of fire, both to target the enemy but also to, of course, protect our forces," he said Tuesday. Israel says it must remove Hamas from power to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 attack, when Hamas and other militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took captive some 240 men, women and children after bursting through Israel's vaunted defenses. More than 100 hostages were released during last week's cease-fire, along with 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. But an estimated 138 hostages remain in Gaza, mostly soldiers and civilian men, and accounts of widespread rape and other atrocities committed during the rampage have deepened Israel's outrage and further galvanized support for the war.
NO END IN SIGHT
Hamas' continuing ability to fight in the north, where Israel entered with overwhelming force weeks ago, signals that eradicating the group without causing further mass casualties and displacement — as Israel's top ally, the U.S., has requested — could prove elusive. The military says 88 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza offensive. A military official said this week that at least 15,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 5,000 militants, but did not explain how the army arrived at those figures. Even after weeks of bombardment, Hamas' top leader in Gaza, Yehya Sinwar — whose location is unknown — was able to conduct complex cease-fire negotiations and orchestrate the release of scores of hostages last week. Palestinian militants have also kept up their rocket fire into Israel. The war has been an unprecedented catastrophe for Palestinians civilians, eclipsing all four previous wars between Israel and Hamas, and their suffering is set to worsen as the offensive grinds on. After the full-scale evacuation of northern Gaza ordered by Israel early in the war, most of Gaza's population was squeezed into 230 square kilometers (90 square miles) of central and southern Gaza. Since moving into the south, the Israeli military has ordered people out of nearly two dozen neighborhoods in and around Khan Younis, further reducing the area where civilians can seek refuge by more than a quarter. It was not clear how many people heeded the evacuation orders, as many Palestinians say they don't feel safe anywhere in Gaza and fear that if they leave their homes they will not be allowed to return.

Gallant vows to drive Hezbollah beyond Litani River
Naharnet/December 6, 2023
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday evening vowed to drive Hezbollah away from the border with Israel beyond the Litani River. After concluding a highly tense meeting with the heads of frontline communities along the Lebanon border, Gallant assured them that the approximately 80,000 residents living within 9 kilometers of the border will not return to their homes until security in the area is restored. Gallant emphasized the preference for an international political agreement to ensure Hezbollah is pushed beyond the Litani River, based on U.N. Resolution 1701, which ended the war with Hezbollah in 2006.However, he noted, if this primary option fails, Israel will use all available means, including military action, to remove Hezbollah from that area.

Putin lands in Abu Dhabi on Middle East visit
Associated Press/December 6, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin began a trip Wednesday to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, hoping to shore up support in the Mideast from two major oil producers allied to the U.S. as his war on Ukraine grinds on. Putin landed in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms now hosting the United Nations' COP28 climate talks. It marked his first trip to the region since before the coronavirus pandemic and the war — and as he faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over the war in Ukraine. Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE has signed the ICC founding treaty, meaning they don't face any obligation to detain Putin over the warrant accusing him of being personally responsible for the abductions of children from Ukraine during his war on the country. Putin skipped a summit in South Africa over concerns he could be arrested on arrival there. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's foreign minister, met a smiling Putin after he bounded down the stairs of his presidential plane. As he arrived at Abu Dhabi's Qasr al-Watan palace to meet Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the country's ruler, the UAE's military acrobatics team flew in formation with red, white and blue smoke trailing them in the colors of the Russian flag. "I'm happy to meet you again," Sheikh Mohammed said as he sat with Putin in the palace. Soldiers on horseback and with camels lined his arrival route, Russian and Emirati flags also hanging from lampposts. Four Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets accompanied Putin's plane on the flight to the Emirates, Russian state-run media reported. The pageantry in the Emirates, which relies on the U.S. as its major security partner, highlights the UAE's expansive business ties to Russia that have exploded since grinding Western sanctions targeted Moscow.
Ukrainians on hand for the event expressed outrage over Putin being in the country at the same time they described him as committing environmental crimes in their country. "It is extremely upsetting to see how the world treats war criminals, because that's what he is, in my opinion," said Marharyta Bohdanova, a worker at the Ukrainian pavilion at the COP28 climate summit, wiping away tears. "Seeing how people let people like him in the big events, ... treating him like a dear guest, is just so hypocritical in my opinion." Officials at Russia's pavilion at the talks declined to speak to The Associated Press. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry and U.S. Agency for International Development administrator Samantha Power made a point to tour Ukraine's pavilion at COP28 before being scheduled to address a news conference later Wednesday afternoon. Putin last visited the UAE in 2019, receiving a warm welcome from Sheikh Mohammed, then the crown prince of Abu Dhabi. In the time since, however, the world has greatly changed. The Russian president isolated himself during the coronavirus pandemic. He launched an invasion targeting Ukraine in February 2022, a grinding war that continues today and has been a topic for Ukrainian diplomats at the COP28 talks. Meanwhile, the Israel-Hamas war remains a major concern for the Mideast, particularly the UAE, which reached a diplomatic recognition with Israel in 2020. Recent attacks by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels also threatens commercial shipping in the Red Sea as Iran's nuclear program continues its rapid advances since the collapse of the 2016 nuclear deal. Putin is scheduled to meet with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday for what Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov has described as "a rather lengthy conversation." The two countries have been discussing ways to get around the Western sanctions targeting them. Putin will travel to Saudi Arabia and meet with powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the one-day trip, Ushakov said. Those discussions likely will focus on Moscow's other major concern in the Middle East — oil.
Russia is part of OPEC+, which is a group of cartel members and other nations that have managed production to try and boost crude oil prices. Last week, the group expanded some output cuts into next year and brought up-and-coming oil supplier Brazil into the fold. Benchmark Brent crude traded Wednesday around $77 a barrel, down from nearly $100 in September, over concerns about a weakening economy worldwide. The visit comes after a parade of Western leaders including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and others backing Ukraine spoke at COP28. So did Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, long a Putin ally. A readout on Putin's trip from the state-run Tass news agency published early Wednesday offered no suggestion he might come to the COP28 site, instead quoting Ushakov saying he'd land and have a "meeting at the palace" and one-on-one talks with Sheikh Mohammed. Still, some reports suggest Putin could make an appearance at the climate talks. The U.N.'s Framework Convention on Climate Change's spokesperson Alexander Saier told a news conference Monday morning that he was "not aware that Mr. Putin will come to the conference, but I would also need to check the host country with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." He declined to answer whether U.N. police would be obligated to make an arrest. The Emirati organization committee for COP28 referred questions to the UAE's Foreign Ministry, which did not respond. The UAE repeatedly feted the now-deposed Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir in the past despite an ICC warrant seeking his arrest on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur. "I'm talking about his crimes and this person is literally right now here, somewhere near me," said Alina Abramenko, another worker at the Ukrainian pavilion that highlights the environmental damage wrought by the war. "You know, it's really strange."

Top China, US diplomats discuss Israel-Hamas war
Agence France Presse/December 6, 2023
The top diplomats from China and the United States discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict in a call on Wednesday, Beijing and Washington said, agreeing on the need to de-escalate the war.Secretary of State Antony Blinken "reiterated the imperative of all parties working to prevent the conflict from spreading", according to the U.S. State Department. Beijing said Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed in turn that, regarding the conflict between Israel and Hamas, "the top priority is to cease fire and end the war as soon as possible.""Major countries must adhere to fairness and justice, uphold objectivity and impartiality, demonstrate calm and rationality, and make every effort to cool down the situation and prevent larger-scale humanitarian disasters," Wang said, according to the foreign ministry. He reiterated Beijing's calls for a two-state solution to the conflict, stressing that "any arrangement involving the future of Palestine must reflect the will of the Palestinian people". "China is willing to work with all parties to make efforts to this end," he said. Blinken has made several visits to the Middle East in recent months as Israel pursues its campaign on the besieged Gaza Strip to destroy the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. China has good relations with Iran, whose clerical leadership supports both Hamas, which carried out deadly attacks on Israel on October 7, and Hezbollah, the Lebanese group that could open a second front against Israel. Washington has been pressing Beijing to use its influence to push for calm in the region. Blinken also told Wang on Wednesday that recent attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi rebels posed an "unacceptable threat" to maritime security, State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said. The two sides also agreed to build on "progress made on key issues" during a summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last month in California, which led to military communications between the two countries being restored. But Wang also warned Blinken against US support for the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and has vowed to seize one day. The top Chinese diplomat "emphasized China's solemn stance on the Taiwan issue, demanding that the United States does not interfere in China's internal affairs," the foreign ministry said. The United States must not "support or indulge any 'Taiwan independence' forces," Wang said.

Camp sheltering displaced Palestinians who fled their houses due to Israeli strikes, in Rafah
CAIRO/BEIRUT (Reuters)/December 6, 2023
Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have crammed into the Rafah area on Gaza's border with Egypt to escape Israeli bombardments, the United Nations said on Wednesday, despite their fears that they will also not be safe there.The U.N. humanitarian office said in a report that most of the displaced people in Rafah were sleeping rough because of a lack of tents although the U.N. had managed to distribute a few hundred. Civilians have been arriving following evacuation orders by the Israeli military that covered areas in and around the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had already fled from northern Gaza to the south during the two-month-old conflict between Israel and the Hamas militants it is trying to eliminate.The latest exodus leaves many displaced Palestinians increasingly cornered near the Egyptian border, in an area deemed safe by Israel's military. The Israelis are lying. No place in Gaza is safe and tomorrow they are going to come after us in Rafah," Samir Abu Ali, a 45-year-old father of five, told Reuters by telephone from Rafah. "They want another Nakba but I will not leave. Rafah is the 'end-of' destination for me," he said.He was referring to the "Nakba", or "catastrophe", when many Palestinians fled or were forced from their homes during the 1948 war that accompanied Israel's creation. Other Gazans echoed his concerns. "Israel is now pushing us towards Rafah and then they will invade there," another displaced person who gave her name as Zinaib said by telephone from Khan Younis.
AID DISTRIBUTION HAMPERED
Israel's military, which wants to wipe out Hamas after the militant group's killing spree in southern Israel on Oct. 7, says it has been telling civilians in advance to evacuate areas where it plans to operate, using phone messages, online statements and leaflets. The U.N. says about 80% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have fled their homes during the war, and that many of them have moved repeatedly, and under aerial bombardment. Rafah city is about 13 km (8 miles) from Khan Younis, which is under fierce attack. It sits on the border with Egypt, and the Rafah Crossing is the sole crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.The U.N. report issued on Wednesday said that although some aid had entered Gaza from Egypt through the crossing, its distribution by the U.N. had been hampered by a shortage of trucks and because staff could not report to Rafah because of the surge in hostilities since a truce collapsed last week

Netanyahu says Israeli forces are encircling house of Hamas' Gaza leader Sinwar
Reuters/December 06/2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces were encircling the Gaza house of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Wednesday."Yesterday I said that our forces could reach anywhere in the Gaza Strip. Today they are encircling Sinwar's house. His house may not be his fortress and he can escape but it's only a matter of time before we get him," Netanyahu said in a recorded video statement.

7 Things to Know About Campus Support for Hamas and Antisemitism
FDD/06 December/2023
College campuses across America have devolved into open displays of support for terrorism and antisemitism since October 7. The barbaric attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians and soldiers has resulted in widespread intimidation of Jewish students and energized groups like Students for Justice in Palestine, which openly sympathizes with Hamas. For example, federal agents arrested a Cornell junior who threatened to massacre and rape Jewish students at his school’s kosher dining hall in late October. Earlier that month, a Cornell history professor described Hamas’s deadly assault on Israel as “exhilarating” and “energizing.” Some of the antisemitism on American campuses emerges from an ideological climate in which terrorism is rebranded as “resistance.”
1. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) leads most anti-Israel campaign on campus
Berkeley professor Hatem Bazian launched Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) in 1992. The group became increasingly active around 2002, during the Second Intifada, and now boasts around 200 chapters, making it the largest Palestinian activism group on American campuses. Under the guidance of American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), another organization chaired by Bazian, SJP formed National SJP, an umbrella organization, in 2010 to coordinate activity across the nation. AMP staff have since helped guide SJP’s pro-Palestinian campus activism. AMP and two SJP chapters cohosted an event in May 2023 featuring Mohammad el-Mezain, one of five individuals arrested and convicted as part of the federal case against the Holy Land Foundation for funding Hamas.
2. SJP supports and glorifies Hamas’s October 7 massacre
On October 12, five days after Hamas butchered 1,200 people and kidnapped 240 more, National SJP published a toolkit to help its chapters organize a “national day of resistance” against Israel. The toolkit praised Hamas’s massacre, crowing that “the Palestinian resistance stormed the illegitimate border fence” and reentered “1948 Palestine,” and calling it a “historic win.” SJP groups have decorated event fliers with images of hang gliders, referring to the method by which some Hamas fighters crossed the border and murdered 1,200 men, women and children. The toolkit also claims that “the existence of Israel is not peaceful; there is no ‘maintaining the peace’ with a violent settler state,” and that civilians are legitimate targets: “Settlers are not ‘civilians’ in the sense of international law, because they are military assets used to ensure continued control over stolen Palestinian land.” George Mason University SJP declared its “support [for] all forms of resistance,” which includes the atrocities of October 7.
3. SJP has a history of antisemitism and violence
A 2016 Brandeis University study concluded, “One of the strongest predictors of perceiving a hostile climate toward Israel and Jews is the presence of an active SJP group on campus.” The study included an anecdote from Rutgers University in which the SJP club spattered fake blood on their clothes with a sign reading “this is what the Jews did to us.” At Stony Brook University in 2018, the SJP chapter campaigned to expel the Jewish student group Hillel, posing a serious threat to Jewish life on campus. SJP activists have also used violence and intimidation against other students, Jewish ones in particular. In 2002, 79 members of SJP at Berkeley were arrested for disrupting a Holocaust memorial event. In 2010, the head of Berkeley’s SJP chapter allegedly rammed a Jewish student with a shopping cart. In 2014, an alleged SJP member directed antisemitic slurs at a Jewish student and punched him in the face, though the chapter claims he was only a friend of other SJP members. And in May 2021, several individuals participating in a protest organized by an SJP offshoot brutally assaulted a Jewish man in New York City near Times Square.
4. SJP promotes genocidal chants
SJP activists frequently chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” at their rallies and profess their support for this objective. Hamas has endorsed this message, calling for the “full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea.” The practical effect of this would be the annihilation of the Jewish State of Israel and genocide against Israel’s 7 million Jews.
5. Pro-Palestinian campus activism features violence and intimidation SJP’s activism contributes to a campus climate of violence, intimidation, and glorification of terrorism, endangering Jewish students. An anti-Israel protest at Tulane University, where nearly half the student population is Jewish, devolved into violence. Jewish students at Columbia University and University of Massachusetts were physically assaulted. At Harvard, protesters surrounded a pro-Israel student, shouted at him, and forcefully redirected him from a public space.
6. An SJP offshoot also engages in and supports violence
NYC Students for Justice in Palestine rebranded in 2018 as Within Our Lifetime (WOL). In 2021, WOL launched a campaign to “Globalize the Intifada,” which “comes from the urgent need to defend our lands, resist our oppressors, and break free from the genocidal grip of U.S. imperialism and Zionism.” WOL activist Saadah Masoud repeatedly attacked Jews in New York City between 2021 and 2022, leading to an 18-month prison sentence. Following Hamas’s attack, WOL published a map of New York City with specific targets for its “Globalize the Intifada” campaign without specifying why these locations were on the list. Just after the October 7 attack, WOL posted a message on its Instagram account to “Support Palestinian Resistance,” in line with its call to use “any means necessary” to attack Israel. In its toolkit for protesters, WOL included the less palatable version of the “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” chant, saying, “From the water to the water, Palestine is Arab.
”7. Universities have responded by suspending SJP chapters.Amid the heightened activism and antisemitism since October 7, several universities have suspended their SJP chapters. In late October, the State of Florida deactivated SJP chapters at its public universities; however, the state modified the ban to focus on getting its SJP chapters to renounce Hamas. Brandeis University banned SJP on November 6 due to National SJP’s support for “Hamas in its call for the violent elimination of Israel and the Jewish people.” After Columbia University’s SJP ignored warnings not to hold unsanctioned demonstrations shutting down academic buildings and interfering with students’ learning, the university suspended SJP for the remainder of the semester. After George Washington University students projected “glory to our martyrs,” presumably including those who raped, murdered, and beheaded Jews and others on October 7, and other incendiary slogans on the library building, the university served SJP a 90-day suspension.

In rare action against Israel, US says extremist settlers will be barred from America
Associated Press/December 6, 2023
In a rare punitive move against Israel, the State Department said it will impose travel bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in a rash of recent attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the step after warning Israel last week that President Joe Biden's administration would be taking action over the attacks. Blinken did not announce individual visa bans, but department spokesman Matthew Miller said the bans would be implemented starting Tuesday and would cover "dozens" of settlers and their families, with more to come if the settler violence continued. He wouldn't give a number and refused to identify any of those targeted due to confidentiality reasons. The decision comes at a sensitive moment in U.S.-Israeli relations. The Biden administration has firmly backed Israel since it was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, even as international criticism of Israel has mounted.
The Israeli Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the development. In recent weeks, the administration has stepped up calls on Israel to do more to limit civilian casualties as the Israelis expand their offensive and target densely populated southern Gaza. The U.S. has refrained from outright criticism of that offensive. It has been increasingly outspoken, however, about settler violence in the West Bank and Israel's failure to respond to U.S. calls to stop it. "We have underscored to the Israeli government the need to do more to hold accountable extremist settlers who have committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank," Blinken said in a statement. "As President Biden has repeatedly said, those attacks are unacceptable." The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Monday that since Oct. 7 at least eight Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by settlers. The U.N. agency said it has recorded 314 attacks by settlers that have resulted in Palestinian casualties, damage to Palestinian-owned property or both. One-third of the attacks included threats with firearms, including shootings, and in nearly half of the attacks the settlers were accompanied or actively supported by Israeli forces. "Today, the State Department is implementing a new visa restriction policy targeting individuals believed to have been involved in undermining peace, security or stability in the West Bank, including through committing acts of violence or taking other actions that unduly restrict civilians' access to essential services and basic necessities," Blinken said. He said the U.S. would continue to seek accountability for settler violence against Palestinians as well as Palestinian attacks against Israelis in the West Bank and Israel, particularly as tensions are extremely high due to the conflict in Gaza. "Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority have the responsibility to uphold stability in the West Bank," Blinken said. "Instability in the West Bank both harms the Israeli and Palestinian people and threatens Israel's national security interests."Tuesday's move comes just a month after Israel was granted entry into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which allows its citizens visa-free entry into the U.S. Those targeted by the action will not be eligible for the program, and those who hold current U.S. visas will have them revoked.

Turkey rejects 'buffer zone' plan for Gaza, Erdogan says
ANKARA (Reuters)/December 6, 2023
Turkey rejects plans to establish a post-war buffer zone in Gaza because it would be disrespectful to Palestinians, President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Wednesday. Reuters reported last week that Israel had conveyed plans for the buffer zone to several Arab states and Turkey. Speaking to reporters on a flight from Doha, Erdogan said Gaza's governance and future after the war would be decided by Palestinians alone. "I consider even the debating of this (buffer-zone) plan as disrespectful to my Palestinian siblings. For us, this is not a plan that can be debated, considered, or discussed," Erdogan's office quoted him as saying. Calling for Israel to hand back territories it occupies and end settlements in those territories, he said: "Israel must remove the terrorists - which it markets to the world as settlers - from those houses and those lands, and think about how it can build a peaceful future with Palestinians."Ankara has sharply criticised Israel's military campaign in Gaza, supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and hosts some members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Unlike most of its NATO allies and some Arab states, it does not view Hamas as a terrorist group. Erdogan said Israel had become "the West's spoiled child", and blamed Western support for Israel for the situation in the region. Asked about reports that Israeli officials want to hunt down Hamas members in other countries, Erdogan said carrying out such a operation in Turkey would have "very serious" consequences. "In the event they carry out such a mistake, they should know that they will pay the price for this very, very heavily," he said. Erdogan said Turkey and Qatar wanted to rebuild Gaza and that Turkey was ready to act as a guarantor or host a peace conference.

Russian president Putin meets Saudi crown prince in Riyadh
Arab News/December 06, 2023
RIYADH: Russian president Vladimir Putin arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday, Saudi Press Agency reported. Putin met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on arrival at Yamamah Palace in the Saudi capital. Prince Mohammed praised joint coordination between the two countries “that helped remove tensions in Middle East,” Saudi Press Agency said. “We share many interests and many files that we are working on together for the benefit of Russia, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and the world as well,” SPA quoted the crown prince as saying.
Putin said ties with Saudi Arabia were at an “unprecedented level” during the meeting. Putin traveled to the UAE earlier on Wednesday, where he was received by President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan at Qasr Al-Watan Palace in Abu Dhabi.

Russian forces are killing their own wounded with drones to stop them from surrendering, Ukrainian officials say
Business Insider/December 6, 2023
Russia is using drones to kill its own soldiers to stop them from surrendering, Ukraine says. A military spokesman said there have been "cases when Russian drones have killed their own wounded." Russia has previously been accused of using deadly force against troops retreating or surrendering. Russian forces are killing their own injured soldiers to stop them from surrendering to Ukrainian troops, officials in Ukraine's defense forces and military intelligence service said. "The fact is that the Russians do not allow their soldiers to surrender," Oleksandr Stupun, a spokesman for Ukraine's Tauride Defense Forces, said during a television interview on Monday. "There have even been cases when Russian drones have killed their own wounded," he said, according to the Kyiv Post. Andriy Yusov, a representative for Ukraine's military intelligence agency, the HUR, told the Kyiv Post that incidents of this kind have been recorded multiple times, including in footage captured by Ukraine's own drones. Russia has killed its own soldiers as "a reaction to the fact that there are quite a few people willing to surrender to Ukrainian captivity," he said. Russia has been accused of using deadly threats and tactics to stop its troops from retreating or surrendering since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A Ukrainian unit said in September that Russian troops who were surrendering were shot at and killed by their own artillery, an incident they filmed with a drone. Western intelligence and Russian soldiers say Russia is also using barrier units: troops that stand behind other soldiers to stop them from withdrawing, including by threatening to shoot them. The UK Ministry of Defence said last year that Russia had started using barrier troops and that Russian generals likely wanted their soldiers to defend positions in Ukraine "to the death."A group of Russian soldiers said earlier this year that one of the units was placed behind them and threatened to shoot them if they did not move forward. Yusov, from Ukraine's military intelligence, also said this was happening. "Barrier units and killing their own soldiers is what the Russian army is really using against its own," he said. Ukraine has reported many incidents of Russian soldiers surrendering to it over the course of the invasion, including soldiers who surrendered to Ukrainian drones. Ukraine has also set up a hotline that Russian soldiers can call if they want to surrender. Ukraine said Russian soldiers are calling it and are also offering to give equipment and heavy armored vehicles to Ukraine.

Russia attacks Ukraine with 48 drones overnight
Agence France Presse/December 6, 2023
Kyiv said Wednesday that Moscow had launched dozens of Iranian-designed attack drones towards Ukraine overnight from southern Russia and the annexed Crimean peninsula, in its latest aerial barrage."A total of 48 Shahed-136/131 strike UAVs were launched," the Ukrainian air force said in a statement, adding that defensive systems had downed 41 of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Ukrainian military makes headway through two of three Russian defense lines
The New Voice of Ukraine/December 6, 2023
Ukraine’s Armed Forces have broken through two of the three Russian defense lines, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov stated in an interview U.S. entertainment channel Fox News on Dec. 5. He also added that Ukraine has a comprehensive plan for 2024. "We've successfully breached the initial two defense lines and currently find ourselves positioned between the second and third lines," he said. Umerov noted that Ukraine has already recaptured 50% of the territories occupied by Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion. In response to questions regarding perceived slow progress in the counteroffensive since June, Umerov invited critics to visit the combat zone and decide for themselves. He stressed that Ukraine's primary goal is the restoration of Ukraine’s borders to their 1991 configuration and outlined Ukraine’s military objectives for 2024. "We are well-prepared," Umerov stated. Underlining that a victory for Ukraine entails the return of all internationally recognized territories, including the Crimean Peninsula, and Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, Umerov dismissed the possibility of a negotiated resolution. He argued that such an outcome would be a "shame for the civilized world," allowing authoritarian regimes to regard democratic countries as incapable of self-defense. "Their goal is to cease the existence of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, and we are defending against that," Umerov said. He added that combating authoritarian regimes aligns with the national interest of the United States. We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Zelensky Warns G7 Leaders: Putin Banking on Western Support Collapse for Ukraine
AFP/December 6, 2023
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky affirmed on Wednesday to leaders of the G7 member states that Russian President Vladimir Putin is counting on the "collapse" of Western support for Ukraine. He pointed out that the Russian army has "significantly increased pressure" on the front lines. Zelensky stated during a virtual conference with the G7 leaders: "Russia hopes for one thing only: the collapse of the unity of the free world next year. Russia believes that the United States and Europe will show weakness and limit their support for Ukraine to an appropriate level."

Erdogan tends to strained relationship with EU with 'win-win' trip to neighbor Greece
Associated Press/December 6, 2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will fly to Greece on Thursday on a visit designed to set the historically uneasy neighbors on a more constructive path. Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will oversee joint Cabinet talks and trade consultations. A series of cooperation deals will be signed as part of a so-called "positive agenda," aimed at bypassing long-standing and often volatile disputes. After years of tension and a looming risk of military confrontation, the NATO allies are seeking to rebuild trust and deliver a timely message of cooperation in the troubled eastern Mediterranean.
WHY ARE THE TALKS HAPPENING NOW?
Erdogan and Mitsotakis, both reelected this year, are respectively focused on the economy, with Greece on a growth spurt after a decade of financial turmoil and Turkey battling crippling inflation and shaky international investment."Of course, we have differences of opinion and there are deep issues that cannot be resolved at once. But there are chapters that can be solved immediately and can expand the basis for cooperation," Erdogan said. "We will head to Athens with a win-win approach."Improved ties with Greece will also help Turkey repair strained relationships with the European Union and other Western allies.
AGREEMENT STARTS WITH MIGRATION
Mending fences with the EU will hinge on Turkey helping Europe fight illegal migration.
Ten members of Mitsotakis' Cabinet will attend the bilateral meetings, most of them tasked to sign declarations and agreements of cooperation with their traveling Turkish counterparts. Top of that list is a migration accord, establishing lines of communication between the coast guard agencies of the two countries, which operate in waters between the Turkish mainland and nearby Greek islands on favored routes for illegal migration into the EU. The issue remains a political priority in Europe as it heads toward EU-wide elections in June without major asylum reforms finalized. Turkey wants to relax travel restrictions for its citizens in Europe, including for holidays to Greek islands, and Athens has promised to help. Turkey is the world's leading host of refugees, with some 4 million.
WHY ARE GREECE AND TURKEY AT ODDS?
Turkey argues that Athens is using Greek islands that surround its coastline to claim an unfair share of maritime space and mineral rights, while Greece accuses its neighbor of trampling on international law — in what has been described as a frozen conflict. The issue has brought the countries close to war on several occasions, the most recent flareup occurring in 2020, and could eventually end up in international court. On Erdogan's previous visit to Athens in 2017, the two sides aired their long list of grievances during an awkward encounter on live television: the treatment of ethnic minorities and their religious freedoms, whether international treaties should be updated, and how to bring resolution to the war-divided island of Cyprus. Since then, the list has grown. Greece said its neighbor was "weaponizing" migration and Ankara ominously claimed the sovereignty of eastern Greek islands could be disputed if they continued to militarize them.
DAY TRIP TO ATHENS
Erdogan has been harshly critical of the Israeli government over the war in Gaza, in contrast to Mitsotakis, who has repeatedly emphasized Greece's friendship with Israel. But the Turkish president's trip Thursday — only expected to last several hours — will be kept on a tight schedule. And Greek officials have already acknowledged signs of improved cooperation. Dimitris Kairidis, the Greek minister for migration, said late Wednesday that the number of migrants arriving on Greece's islands illegally had dropped by about 60% over the past two months thanks in large part to better coordination with Turkey's coast guard. "There was a time when the Turkish authorities did not react and let the boats through. Now the cooperation is much better," Kairidis told state television. "This is a working visit by (Erdogan) and I hope that over time, they will lose their extraordinary character and just become an ordinary exchange between two leaders," he added.

Top US and Chinese diplomats agree to build on recent progress in ties
Associated Press/December 6, 2023
The top U.S. and Chinese diplomats agreed Wednesday to keep building on recent progress in bilateral ties and work together to keep the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza from spreading. Both Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred in a telephone call to last month's closely watched meeting between the two countries' leaders in San Francisco following years of frigid ties. "The important task for both sides at present is to continue the positive impact of the San Francisco meeting, implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, and consolidate the momentum of stabilizing Sino-U.S. relations," Wang said, according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Blinken also emphasized that the two sides should build on progress at the summit, according to the U.S. State Department. President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping agreed at their meeting to keep channels of communication open and resume military-to-military talks. Yet, major political differences between the countries remain far from resolved. Wang and Blinken also discussed the Israel-Hamas war, where China has been trying to play a role in negotiations, and agreed to maintain communications on the situation. Last Wednesday, China presented a four-point peace plan to the United Nations on ending the conflict, although the plan lacked detail. Blinken also raised recent attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthi rebels, an escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Gaza war, and said it was important to keep the conflict from spreading. Wang said any solution to the crisis in Gaza requires a two-state arrangement that reflects the will of the Palestinian people. "China believes that the core of the solution is to respect Palestine's right to statehood and self-determination," he said, according to the ministry. Wang paid respects to former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who died last month. Kissinger, who traveled to China in July, contributed to the normalization of U.S.-China relations while serving under President Richard Nixon.
"The diplomatic legacy he left behind is worthy of promotion and development by future generations," Wang said.

Iran sends capsule with animals into orbit as it prepares for human missions
Associated Press/December 6, 2023
Iran said Wednesday it sent a capsule into orbit carrying animals as it prepares for human missions in coming years. A report by the official IRNA news agency quoted Telecommunications Minister Isa Zarepour as saying the capsule was launched 130 kilometers (80 miles) into orbit. Zarepour said the launch of the 500-kilogram (1,000-pound) capsule is aimed at sending Iranian astronauts to space in coming years. He did not say what kind of animals were in the capsule. State TV showed footage of a rocket named Salman carrying the capsule into space. Iran occasionally announces successful launches of satellites and other space crafts. In September, Iran said it sent a data-collecting satellite into space. In 2013, Iran said it sent a monkey into space and returned it successfully. It says its satellite program is for scientific research and other civilian applications. The U.S. and other Western countries have long been suspicious of the program because the same technology can be used to develop long-range missiles.

Bank of Canada holds its benchmark interest rate, says data show economy 'no longer in excess demand'
Alicja Siekierska/Reuters/December 6, 2023
The Bank of Canada left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 5 per cent on Wednesday, marking the third consecutive hold as the economy continues to show signs of weakening. Wednesday's decision is in line with what economists expected. In its statement-only decision, the central bank highlighted that data indicate the economy "is no longer in excess demand" while reiterating that the central bank is "still concerned about risks to the outlook for inflation and remains prepared to raise the policy rate further if needed.""With further signs that monetary policy is moderating spending and relieving price pressures, Governing Council decided to hold the policy rate at 5 per cent," the Bank of Canada said in a release. Still, the bank added that "Governing Council wants to see further and sustained easing in core inflation, and continues to focus on the balance between demand and supply in the economy, inflation expectations, wage growth, and corporate pricing behaviour."The Bank of Canada has left rates on hold since it made a quarter-point hike in July, amid increasing signs that the economy is weakening. The Canadian economy contracted in the third quarter, shrinking 1.1 per cent year-over-year. Canada’s annual inflation rate also slowed to 3.1 per cent in October, more than what economists had expected. "Higher interest rates are clearly restraining spending," the central bank said in its statement. It also flagged that business investment has been flat in the last year, and that the labour market continues to ease. Economists had been watching for signs of a shift in the central bank's communications, in the wake of a weakening economy and in anticipation of an end to the bank's tightening campaign. "It wasn’t yet willing to drop its warning that it could raise rates again if needed, which would definitively mark a turning point. But it deemed that the economy 'is no longer in excess demand', a change from the prior statement which had it 'approaching balance'," CIBC economist Avery Shenfeld wrote in a research note. Royce Mendes, Desjardins' managing director and head of macro strategy, said the Bank of Canada's statement was "broadly neutral" and that the central bank's communications won't take a more dovish turn until it releases a fresh set of forecasts in the new year. "Canadian central bankers covered all the bases today," he wrote in a research note on Wednesday. BMO chief economist Douglas Porter says that "given the Bank's goal of restoring its inflation-fighting credibility among the broader public, the BoC could very well wait as long as possible before shifting to a dovish bias and then to cuts." "We suspect that while the underlying trend in inflation will improve in 2024, there will be bumps along the way, keeping the Bank on hold a bit longer than the market currently anticipates," Porter wrote in a research note. "But it is safe to say that the countdown clock to rate cuts has begun, even if the Bank isn't saying so." Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @alicjawithaj.

UNLV shooting: Police say three dead in University of Nevada shooting
Nadine Yousif - BBC News/December 6, 2023
Police say three people have been killed in a shooting at the Las Vegas campus of the University of Nevada (UNLV) on Wednesday morning. Officers said the suspect, who remains unnamed, was found dead at the scene. One other victim remains in a critical condition at a local hospital, police said in a statement. UNLV and all other southern Nevada System of Higher Education institutions across the state will be closed for the rest of Wednesday. The university first tweeted at around 11:53 local time (19:53 GMT) that police were responding to reports of shots fired on campus. About 20 minutes later, the university said campus police were responding to an additional report of shots near the Student Union building. It warned students at Beam Hall to "evacuate to a safe area" and to "RUN-HIDE-FIGHT", which is a common active shooter protocol in the US. Law enforcement said they immediately responded and engaged the suspect, who is now dead. Kevin McMahill, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department sheriff, said at a press conference that they have "no idea on the motive" as of now. "There are a number of victims that have been transported to area hospitals," he told reporters. Shortly after the press conference ended, the sheriff said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "there are three victims", but the extent of their injuries are unknown. But on Wednesday evening police said in a statement that the victims had died from their injuries. "One additional victim in critical condition at a local hospital," the statement added. One student who was on campus told a local ABC station that it seemed like police were on campus right away. Describing the scene to the reporter he said: "You don't know what to do. You're calling your family, texting your friends like 'I love you guys' because he [the shooter] could burst through the door at any minute." A ground stop was issued at Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport, with authorities citing security reasons. The airport is near the site of the reported shooting. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House was monitoring the situation. Carolyn Goodman, mayor of Las Vegas, called it "tragic and heart-breaking news" and said she was "praying for everyone on campus".Shortly before 13:00 local time, the university said police were "evacuating buildings one at a time".Nevada's Governor Joe Lombardo said his office was in "constant communication" with Las Vegas police, the university and emergency responders. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are assisting local police with the investigation. The Clark County Fire Department has established a family reunification centre at the Las Vegas Convention Center,

Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 06-07/2023
Why Are Islamists Claiming Non-Muslim Land?
Uzay Bulut/Gatestone Institute/December 6, 2023
The government of Turkey has threatened to invade and annex Greek islands in the Aegean Sea for at least the past five years.
[T]he Turkish media continues to falsely and repeatedly to claim that "152 Greek islands and islets in the Aegean belong to Turkey". These islands historically and legally... belong to Greece.
Since its inception in Arabia in the seventh century, Islam has been spread throughout the world by means of the sword. According to the Islamic law, the entire world is divided into the "dar al-Islam" (territory of submission to Allah -- the word "Islam" is Arabic for "submission"), which denotes regions where Islam prevails, and the "dar al-harb" (territory of war), which refers to non-Muslim lands, yet to be conquered.
Islamists believe that once a land has come under Islamic occupation and colonialism, the land conquered is forever Islamic... Islamic supremacists such as Erdogan believe that because Thessaloniki was once under the occupation of the Islamic Ottoman Empire, it is a Muslim land eternally and must be returned to its rightful owner.
Jerusalem was under Ottoman occupation for four centuries (1517-1917). The Jewish people, however, reversing that pattern of Islamic colonialism and imperialism, re-established their homeland, now Israel, in 1948. Islamic supremacists still have not healed from the perceived affront by Israel's indigenous Jewish people to Islamic conquest.
Islamists therefore say they want to reconquer Jerusalem and the rest of Israel. According to doctrine, the only religion that should rule over these lands -- or any lands, for that matter -- is Islam. Christians and Jews could be only dhimmis, second-class, tolerated subjects of an Islamic state where they are only allowed to stay alive on sufferance by paying a high "protection" tax, the jizya.
Theologically, according to Islamic scriptures, Judaism and Christianity are merely distorted versions of Islam. In the Islamic view, originally there was only Islam, which the Jews and Christians later distorted into Judaism and Christianity. All history, in this mindset, is therefore originally Islamic history and all major figures of Biblical history, from Adam and Eve, are therefore Muslim. According to Islam, Abraham, David, Moses and Jesus are also Muslim. So, any place related to them, in that view, is Muslim territory.
Many others see these events as the Jews, who were the indigenous population of what is now Israel, having had their land "stolen" by the Ottomans, similarly to how the Turkish military invaded the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus in 1974, or how the Christian Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire was "stolen" by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and his troops on May 29, 1453 when they stormed Constantinople and triumphantly entered the Cathedral of the Hagia Sophia, after besieging the city for 55 days.
Many Islamists are therefore obsessed with conquering Israel, Spain and Portugal (Muslim-occupied al-Andalus), Greece, Cyprus and India for Allah -- then the rest of the non-Muslim world.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan keeps increasingly referring to places outside Turkey as "our lands." The government of Turkey has threatened to invade and annex Greek islands in the Aegean Sea for at least the past five years. Pictured: Erdogan speaks at the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara on November 29, 2023. (Photo by Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan keeps increasingly referring to places outside Turkey as "our lands." In his statement following the presidential cabinet meeting on November 20, Erdogan said:
"Karabakh [in the South Caucasus] has the same place in our hearts as Gaza. Just as we do not distinguish between Bosnia and Aleppo [in Syria]; Tripoli [in Libya]; Balkh [in Afghanistan]; Thessaloniki [in Greece] and Mosul [in Iraq], we see our own ancient cities and Jerusalem as the same."
"Karabakh" is the Armenian Republic of Artsakh, currently occupied by Azerbaijan after it – with the help of Turkey – seized it in September after a genocide against the indigenous Armenians there, that lasted from 2020-2023.
On November 17, Erdogan once again announced his government's expansionist goals. "Whoever says 'We do not care about Syria, Iraq, Karabakh, Libya, Bosnia, and Jerusalem' is either intentionally or unintentionally impeding Turkey's great march," he stated.
On October 28, at a demonstration condemning Israel's war against Hamas, he also said that a century ago, Gaza was what Adana [a city in Turkey] was for Turks:
"Edirne [in Turkey] was the same [to us] as Skopje [a city in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia]; Kırklareli [in Turkey] was the same as Thessaloniki [in Greece]; Mardin [in Turkey] was the same as Mosul [in Iraq]; and Gaziantep [in Turkey] as Aleppo [in Syria]. Just like Gaza, they were all part of our homeland that we thought was inseparable from us. Look what we have become now...
"They [the West] unfortunately separated the Turkish nation from all these lands that belong to [Turks] as much as their blood, life and love. They not only separated us [from those cities] physically; they also used all kinds of tricks to remove them from our hearts and minds."
The cities in Turkey that Erdogan referred to (such as Edirne, Adana, Kirklareli, Mardin, and Antep) were built and enriched by Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians and other indigenous peoples thousands of years ago. These cities were later wiped of their indigenous Christian residents as a result of centuries-long Islamic oppression that culminated in the 1913-23 genocide in Ottoman Turkey.
Meanwhile, the Turkish media continues to falsely and repeatedly to claim that "152 Greek islands and islets in the Aegean belong to Turkey". These islands historically and legally (mainly through the 1924 Treaty of Lausanne, 1932 Turkish-Italian Agreements and 1947 Paris Treaty) belong to Greece.
In October, Greek media reported that Turkey annexed an Aegean Greek islet rock (Zourafa, or Ladoxera).
According to the Turkish media, Turkey sent a "notam" [notice to airmen] that "the region [waters surrounding Zourafa] where the Turkish Army recently started a drill is under Turkey's sovereignty".
The government of Turkey has threatened to invade and annex Greek islands in the Aegean Sea for at least the past five years.
Meanwhile, Turkish troops continue to violate the UN-controlled buffer zone in the Republic of Cyprus, 36% of which the Turkish army has illegally occupied since 1974. The Cypriot media reported that on November 27, "around 40 Turkish soldiers entered a two-story residence [in the buffer zone]... The mayor of Agios Dometios, Kostas Petrou, said that 'there has been intense activity in the area by the Turkish Army for about 1.5 months...."
Territorial expansionism is apparently a major part of Erdogan's government's foreign policy agenda. Unfortunately, political Islam is an ideology of conquest and dominance.
Since its inception in Arabia in the seventh century, Islam has been spread throughout the world by means of the sword. According to the Islamic law, the entire world is divided into the "dar al-Islam" (territory of submission to Allah -- the word "Islam" is Arabic for "submission"), which denotes regions where Islam prevails, and the "dar al-harb" (territory of war), which refers to non-Muslim lands, yet to be conquered.
Islamists believe that once a land has come under Islamic occupation and colonialism, the land conquered is forever Islamic. The Greek city of Thessaloniki, for instance, was once under Ottoman Muslim occupation. According to the official website of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, while it was under Ottoman rule (1430-1912), almost all Christian churches, parishes and monasteries were converted into mosques. Thessaloniki was liberated from the Ottoman Empire in 1912.
Islamic supremacists such as Erdogan believe that because Thessaloniki was once under the occupation of the Islamic Ottoman Empire, it is a Muslim land eternally and must be returned to its rightful owner.
From the mid-15th century until the proclamation of the first Hellenic Republic in 1822, the territory constituting modern Greece was occupied by the Ottoman Empire. Erdogan has been open about his goal of resurrecting the Ottoman Empire, which would include expanding Turkish territory considerably. In 2016, he said:
"There are physical borders and there are borders in our hearts.
"Some people ask us: 'Why do you take an interest in Iraq, Syria, Georgia, Crimea, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, the Balkans, and North Africa?'... None of these lands is foreign to us. Is it possible to divide Rize [in Turkey] from Batumi [in Georgia]? How can we consider Edirne [in Turkey] to be separate from Thessaloniki [in Greece]? How can we think that Gaziantep [in Turkey] has nothing to do with Aleppo [in Syria]; Mardin [in Turkey] with Al-Hasakah [in Syria]; or Siirt [in Turkey] with Mosul [in Iraq]?
"From Thrace to Eastern Europe, with every step you take, you will see traces of our ancestors... We would need to deny our true selves for us to think Gaza, with whom we speak the same language and share the same culture, is separate from us, as far away as Siberia. To take an interest in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Crimea, Karabakh, Bosnia and other brotherly regions is both the duty and the right of Turkey. Turkey is not just Turkey. The day we give up on these things will be the day we give up on our freedom and future."
Erdogan also referred to the Misak-ı Milli ("National Pact"), a set of decisions made by the Ottoman Parliament in 1920 concerning the borders of the future Turkish state. The National Pact is commonly referenced by Turks when calling for Turkish territorial expansion.
The Turkish newspaper Hürriyet wrote in 2016:
"Some historians say that according to the National Pact, the Turkish borders include -- in addition to the current borders of Turkey -- Cyprus, Aleppo [in Syria], Mosul, Erbil, Kirkuk [in Iraq], Batumi [in Georgia], Thessaloniki [in Greece], Kardzhali, Varna [in Bulgaria], and the Aegean islands."
In the 13th century, the Turkic tribe known as Ottomans formed a state in western Anatolia, on land they invaded and captured from the Greek-speaking Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. They conquered Constantinople (Istanbul) in the 15th century, bringing an end to the Byzantine Empire.
For more than 600 years, from its founding in 1299 in Anatolia (present-day Turkey) to its end in 1922, the Ottoman Turks invaded and occupied nations across three continents. These nations included, among others, most of the Balkans, (such as Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania and Romania), Hungary, Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan and Israel (then called Palestine), Lebanon, Syria, some of Arabia and a considerable amount of North Africa. During this period, many crimes were systematically committed against non-Muslims, including:
The ghulam system: the enslavement, conversion, and training of non-Muslims to become warriors and statesmen;
The devshirme system: the forced recruitment of Christian boys who were taken from their families, converted to Islam and enslaved for service to the sultan in his palace and to join his janissaries ("new corps");
Compulsory and voluntary Islamization: the latter resulting from social, religious and economic pressure;
The sexual slavery of women and children, deportations and massacres.
Jerusalem was under Ottoman occupation for four centuries (1517-1917). The Jewish people, however, reversing that pattern of Islamic colonialism and imperialism, re-established their homeland, now Israel, in 1948. Islamic supremacists still have not healed from the perceived affront by Israel's indigenous Jewish people to Islamic conquest.
Islamists therefore say they want to reconquer Jerusalem and the rest of Israel. According to doctrine, the only religion that should rule over these lands -- or any lands, for that matter -- is Islam. Christians and Jews could be only dhimmis, second-class, tolerated subjects of an Islamic state where they are only allowed to stay alive on sufferance by paying a high "protection" tax, the jizya.
In 2018, during a rally, Erdogan said, "For us, Jerusalem is what Çanakkale is." (Also, where Troy was.)
In 2020, Erdogan opened the Turkish parliament's legislative session with a long speech that again addressed Jerusalem: "Jerusalem is our city, a city from us."
Theologically, according to Islamic scriptures, Judaism and Christianity are merely distorted versions of Islam. In the Islamic view, originally there was only Islam, which the Jews and Christians later distorted into Judaism and Christianity. All history, in this mindset, is therefore originally Islamic history and all major figures of Biblical history, from Adam and Eve, are therefore Muslim. According to Islam, Abraham, David, Moses and Jesus are also Muslim. So, any place related to them, in that view, is Muslim territory.
Moshe Sharon, Professor Emeritus of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, calls these views the "Islamization of history" and "Islamization of geography".
Philip Carl Salzman, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at McGill University, noted:
"Israel exists on territory once governed and dominated by Arab and later Turkish Muslims. The Arab invasions in the 7th century displaced and replaced the Jews who were the majority population, those who survived the wars of the Romans against the Jews. Almost a thousand years later, the Ottoman Turks became the rulers of the Holy Land. According to Islamic law, land once governed by Muslims is owned by Muslims forevermore. Notwithstanding the Jews' prior occupation of the Holy Land, Muslims regard the region as theirs and theirs alone and Israel as having stolen their land."
Many others see these events as the Jews, who were the indigenous population of what is now Israel, having had their land "stolen" by the Ottomans, similarly to how the Turkish military invaded the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus in 1974, or how the Christian Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire was "stolen" by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and his troops on May 29, 1453 when they stormed Constantinople and triumphantly entered the Cathedral of the Hagia Sophia, after besieging the city for 55 days.
Many Islamists are therefore obsessed with conquering Israel, Spain and Portugal (Muslim-occupied al-Andalus), Greece, Cyprus and India for Allah -- then the rest of the non-Muslim world.
*Uzay Bulut, a Turkish journalist, a research fellow for the Philos Project, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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How a Few Billionaires Manipulated the World
Raymond Ibrahim/December 6, 2023
What is ultimately behind so many of the (manufactured) ills currently plaguing the West, from leftist lunacy and gender insanity, to unnecessary lockdowns and wars?
In a word, the ultra-rich—the billionaire elite. So argues bestselling author Hanne Nabintu Herland, in her latest book, The Billionaire World: How Marxism Serves the Elite.
In a series of brisk chapters, Herland—an African-born historian of religions and founder of The Herland Report in Scandinavia—traces all of the world’s major problems back to the billionaire elite and their use of Marxist repression and social engineering.
While this may seem counterintuitive, Herland makes—and documents—several powerful arguments.
The fact that a tiny elite control much can be seen in that even seemingly opposing and competing brands, such as Coke and Pepsi, are usually owned by the same company, says Herland. The same applies to supposedly opposing “leftist” and “rightist” media. A paltry six corporations control 90% of all U.S. media. As for the political arena, the “richest 0.01% have accounted for 40% of all campaign contributions through corporate donations.”
In short, “These mastodonte private companies completely dominate our way of life, what we eat, drink, watch on TV, what we wear, and who we vote for.”
Little wonder that, no matter what happens in the world, and no matter how such developments are detrimental to the average person, the ultra-rich tend only to get richer. According to Herland, “82% of all wealth generated in 2017 went to the richest 1% among us, while the poorest world population of 3.7 billion saw no increase in wealth.”
But it’s worse than that; there seems to be a direct correlation between how much poorer the average man gets and how much richer the billionaires get. Writes Herland,
[T]he richest among us made billions of dollars on the COVID-19 world tragedy, while the world’s poor plunged into unimaginable poverty… The shutdown strategy made the billionaires’ profit soar. In the span of just a few months in 2020, Bill Gates made $75 billion, Jeff Bezos $67.9 billion, Mark Zuckerberg $37.8 billion, and Elon Musk $33.6 billion.
Meanwhile, 48% of small business owners in America experienced severe economic turmoil—with fully one-third of them going bankrupt, and with black owned businesses suffering disproportionately—due to this lockdown that otherwise profited the billionaires.
From a macro-historic perspective, the West is slowly regressing, and the ultra-rich are becoming “the globalist version of feudal lords, as the new Western slave class emerges beneath them.”
But how did this lamentable state of affairs comes to pass in the first place? Marxism—in its myriad forms and iterations—is Herland’s answer. Since the 1960s, beginning with the “free sex and drugs” movement, Marxism, especially in the guise of godless materialism, has wormed its way into Western culture, poisoning, corrupting and destroying everything that originally made the West great, and therefore making it ripe for the most powerful—meaning the richest—to manipulate and control. Writes Herland,
The Marxist attack on historic Western values has weakened the very core of our culture, destroyed social stability and the family, quenched free speech and silenced the people—and thereby removed the obstacles for the billionaire class to gain centralized control.… The combination of strong private corporations coupled with political socialist ideologies has pushed for a radical groupthink model in which the population is expected to agree with the consensus—not unlike that which we witnessed during the National Socialism in Germany before and during World War II.
Environments where freedom and liberty erode and are replaced with groupthink are especially ripe for Marxist exploitation. As Vladimir Lenin, who admired Marx, once wrote:
We must be ready to employ trickery, deceit, law-breaking, withholding and concealing truth …. We can and must write in a language which sows among the masses hate, revulsion and scorn towards those who disagree with us.
Surely it needs no great expounding to say that these tactics now dominate Western discourse and politics—more than a century after they were first written down.
There is much more to recommend Herland’s Billionaire World. Almost every pressing topic—including the politicization of science, the rise of (openly Marxist) groups such as Black Lives Matter, the global persecution of Christians, the stoking of racial tensions, and the rewriting of history—is connected to the overlooked role of the billionaire elites and their self-serving agendas.

Hamas Remains Intact, Yet Blinken Hedges on Support for Israeli War Effort
Enia Krivine/The Messenger/December 06/2023 |
Fighting between Israel and Hamas, the Iran-backed terror group, resumed on Dec. 1. The pause ended after Hamas failed to provide a list of hostages it was prepared to exchange with Israel and began firing rockets at Israeli communities shortly before the deadline to extend the pause. As Israel resumes the war, new messaging from Washington indicates that Israel may have to defy its greatest ally in order to destroy the Iran-backed regime in Gaza.
Hostilities began only hours after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel, where he suggested that future American support was conditional on how Israel prosecuted the war against Hamas. Echoing U.S. President Biden’s words to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported on Nov. 26, Blinken said it was “imperative to the United States” that Israeli operations in southern Gaza prove less destructive than the first phase of the war in Gaza’s north.
Blinken insisted that Israel could still achieve its number one priority in this war — to destroy Hamas — while still satisfying Washington’s demands. If only it were so.
As Blinken himself acknowledges, any effort to fight the war responsibly is “complicated by the fact that Hamas intentionally embeds itself with civilians, within and below hospitals, schools, apartment buildings, refugee camps.”
That is precisely why Blinken’s message is misguided. It only encourages Hamas to continue doing precisely those things, such as using human shields, that increase the destructiveness of the war while blaming all casualties on Israel.
If Washington persists with attempts to constrain Israel, the Jewish State will have to resist the United States in order to win the war.
The Israeli people demand victory against Hamas, because their lives are on the line, and Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to do so.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operation in Gaza has thus far largely focused on Hamas’ strongholds in the northern part of the coastal strip. The operations have been successful, but, according to a well-placed national security expert I spoke with, at least half of Hamas’s fighters remain standing — mostly in southern Gaza — and the terrorists maintain at least 50% of their rocket arsenal. Hamas used the pause in fighting to regroup in preparation for continuing the war.
Given that Hamas remains a threat to Israelis, particularly those within close rocket range in Israel’s south, tens of thousands of Israelis from dozens of communities remain displaced. Israel’s Emergency Management Authority has come to the aid of evacuees fleeing the over 10,000 rockets fired from Gaza since October, housing them in hotels and guesthouses all over Israel.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced earlier this month that residents of the Gaza periphery may be able to return to their homes, communities, and farms as soon as January. But Israelis will only do so if the government can ensure they will be safe in their homes. That is impossible if half of Hamas’ fighters and arsenal are intact, with no indications the terror organization plans to surrender.
To bring any sense of normalcy to the residents of Israel’s south, and to revive an economy hugely impacted by the war, the IDF must operate in southern Gaza with the same determination and resolve with which they operated in the north. Israel’s leadership also has the obligation to Israeli families to take every measure possible to prevent unnecessary IDF casualties on the battlefield.
Beyond rocket attacks, no one in Israel can tolerate a regime with genocidal intentions on their border, allowing it to rest and rearm until it is ready for the next massacre.
The White House seems to have forgotten that Israel is already fighting this war in a manner consistent with the values our two countries share. The Israeli targeting process is much like the American process, with lawyers carefully evaluating whether the civilian damage from any strike might be excessive. Even if the pause had lasted a bit longer, Israel had no choice but to return to the war. Jerusalem will likely do its best to keep Washington on its side by continuing to allow humanitarian aid and brief pauses in fighting.
President Biden would make a serious mistake by tying Israel’s hands. It would only drag out the war and weaken our greatest ally in the Middle East’s ability to deal with the Iran-backed terrorists on its borders. Waning U.S. support will also embolden Israel’s other enemies in the region and increase the chances of a regional war, which Washington has worked hard to prevent.
As Blinken explained, “Hamas has choices, too. Hamas could immediately release all of the hostages it holds. It could stop using civilians as human shields and stop using civilian infrastructure to stage and launch terrorist attacks.” The administration needs to see the contradiction between imposing conditions on Israel when Hamas is the one that has made the war so bloody.
Until that changes, the right thing to do is for the United States to stand firmly behind one of its greatest allies in a time of need.
*Enia Krivine is the senior director of the Israel Program and the FDD National Security Network at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow her on X at @EKrivine.

Erdogan Does Not Care About the Palestinians
Sinan Ciddi/The National Interest/December 06/2023
Under Erdogan’s leadership, Ankara has demonstrated the extent of its moral and ethical failure.
James Carville coined one of the most quoted phrases in political discourse when he stated, “it’s the economy, stupid”—a reference to George Bush’s loss of the 1992 U.S. presidential election against his rival Bill Clinton. This also happens to be the very same reason why Erdogan is not serious about economically boycotting Israel. Since Hamas carried out the October 7 terror attacks, Erdogan has attempted to position himself as Israel’s premier critic in the Muslim world with rhetorical outbursts, equating Israel’s counterterrorism mission in Gaza as a clear demonstration of the Jewish state’s “genocidal” intentions towards the Palestinian people. Other than rhetoric, what has Erdogan done to advocate for Palestinians?
At the direction of Erdogan, Turkey is preparing to refer Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC). In material terms, Turkish Airlines—the country’s flag carrier, announced that it would stop serving Coca-Cola products on domestic routes. At the same time, various government personalities urged the general Turkish public to boycott Starbucks, Burger King, and McDonald’s, as all these American brands support Israel. If all these “measures” appear to be petty and nonsensical, it is because they are. Additionally, they also represent the extent to which Erdogan is willing to go to punish Israel economically. He is too afraid to take any substantive measures that would economically target Israel.
Turkey’s total volume of trade with Israel is presently just over $7 billion annually. If you look at the volume over a twenty-five-year timeframe, you will see that with very few exceptions (most likely attributable to economic downturns), bilateral trade between the two countries has grown year on year. The economic relationship is sophisticated and mature, covering a wide range of goods and services exported by Turkey. Among the varied items included are $1 billion worth of iron and steel, around $560 million worth of vehicles, and $360 million in machinery. Even from this brief perspective, it is clear that Turkey’s private sector has robust linkages with its Israeli counterparts. These have survived previous diplomatic crises, including the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident, ultimately leading to both capitals removing their ambassadors. Suffice it to say that substantive economic ties constrain any meaningful boycott of Israel by Turkey’s leadership.
This economic picture presents us with several key takeaways. Most importantly, Erdogan is not serious about economically boycotting Israel. His frequent anti-Israeli rhetoric, which has prompted the Israeli foreign ministry to “re-evaluate its diplomatic ties” with Ankara, is more than likely just limited to rhetorical grandstanding. While Turkish Airlines has halted its flights between Istanbul and Tel Aviv since October 7, it is important to note that, on average, Turkish carriers operated no less than eighty weekly flights between the two countries. These are likely to resume in the near future to continue facilitating access to business travelers, as well as the high number of Israeli tourists who visit Turkey annually.
Turkey’s duplicitous and insincere stance towards Israel is better demonstrated by some of its businessmen. Take the case of Mustafa Semerci, a Turkish businessman who, in 2018, ran to become a member of the Turkish parliament as a candidate for a far-right party with an anti-Israeli platform. During campaign season, his local party chairman declared that “whoever does business with Israel is my enemy.” This was an interesting declaration, which completely overlooked the fact that Semerci himself owned a cable company that exported its product directly to Israel!
None of this should come as a surprise. Turkey’s political Islamists and hardline nationalists want to have their cake and eat it, too. Publicly, as demonstrated by Erdogan’s vehemently anti-Israeli language at pro-Hamas rallies, they take delight in vilifying Israel. However, when it comes to actually matching words with action, they fall short. Turkey is not likely to cut economic ties with Israel in any real way. Why is this the case? It’s relatively easy to explain.
The anti-Israel rhetoric provides Erdogan with a useful distraction. At home, Turks are suffering one of the worst economic downturns in the history of the republic, with consumer inflation, unemployment, and poverty levels running at record levels. It is hard for Erdogan to address citizens and convince them that the country’s economy is in capable hands, while the vast majority of them are dismayed with their socio-economic situation. In 2016, inflation stood at just over 6 percent versus a whopping 126 percent at present. In 2016, the value of $1 was three-and-a-half TL versus twenty-nine TL now. Finally, in 2016, a person earning the minimum wage could afford to purchase between forty and forty-five kg of meat versus twenty-eight and thirty kg today.
In short, Erdogan distracts the public’s attention away from the dire economic situation at home while his pro-Hamas rhetoric props up his false image of being allegedly pro-Palestinian. In the short term, this may help him succeed in the country’s upcoming local elections in 2024, where Erdogan hopes to recapture control of key cities away from the opposition, most notably Istanbul and Ankara.
None of his rhetoric, however, distracts from Turkey’s ongoing and actual material support of Hamas. Ankara does not need to boycott Israel to continue supporting the region’s most notorious terrorist organization. As an entity, “Hamas established a presence in Turkey in 2011 at the direct invitation of the Turkish government…[and] maintains offices in Turkey, …In 2012, the Turkish government reportedly donated $300 million to Hamas as the group set up shop in Turkey.” On many occasions, “Erdogan openly takes meetings with senior Hamas leadership, most recently in July 2023, when he hosted Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh. Ankara granted Haniyeh Turkish citizenship in 2020. His deputy, Saleh al-Arouri, also received a Turkish passport.”
All told, the merging picture is clear. Erdogan does not intend to upend his country’s substantive trade ties with Israel, but he wants the right to attempt to publicly humiliate it while providing support to Hamas, an organization that denies Israel’s basic right to exist and resorts to terrorism to achieve this goal. Under Erdogan’s leadership, Ankara has clearly demonstrated the extent of its moral and ethical failure. If Turkey is truly intent on supporting Hamas and providing it sanctuary, Israeli businesses should take note of this and opt to find alternative partners. Turkey’s treaty allies, on the other hand, should recognize Erdogan’s duplicitous stance and not be afraid to call him out for his moral failures. Across the entire Muslim world, there is no leader who is as disingenuous in their stance towards the Arab-Israeli conflict as Turkey’s Erdogan. The facts speak for themselves.
*Sinan Ciddi is a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on Turkish domestic politics and foreign policy. He is also an Associate Professor of National Security Studies at Marine Corps University (MCU).

Leaving no one behind in our quest for net zero and nature positive
Badr Jafar/Arab News/December 06/2023
As we approach the midway point of COP28, tens of thousands of delegates from around the world continue to explore the intersection of climate with other global goals. Issues as diverse as health, gender, youth, education and a just transition are being discussed across the dozens of pavilions and hubs that make up Expo City Dubai. This is not a coincidence. The omnipresent nature of climate change and the interconnectedness of the challenges that the world faces demand a holistic and coordinated response from government, business and civil society.
One of the most pertinent examples of this is the incontrovertible nexus between efforts to decarbonize the global atmosphere through massive emissions reductions, preserve and enhance natural carbon sinks and biodiversity, and produce equitable growth opportunities for the billions of people who are yet to be afforded them. These three great missions are so closely intertwined that they must be pursued in a coordinated way. Otherwise, there is a major risk that well-intentioned progress in any one of these domains could thwart progress in the others.
It is clear that we can no longer afford to decouple the human development agenda from the climate and nature agenda
This dynamic is particularly pertinent across the Global South, which is home to 75 percent of the world’s population and which is already bearing the brunt of climate change, with issues like extreme heat, water scarcity and poor air quality creating systemic challenges. This is despite the fact that the richest 10 percent of the world have per capita carbon footprints 11 times higher than the poorest 50 percent of the global population. Which is why the COP28 presidency has placed such emphasis on facilitating the authentic inclusion and engagement of nations and businesses across emerging markets and developing economies, where decision-makers are far too often being asked to make impossible choices between climate action and human development.
Against this backdrop, it is clear that we can no longer afford to decouple the human development agenda — which encompasses 12 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals — from the climate and nature agenda. They are two sides of the same coin and the edge of that coin is conducive and inclusive climate policy that embraces a greener evolution of all of our systems, while ensuring all lives and livelihoods are positively impacted. This is not just a lofty ambition. It is our only realistic option if we are serious about addressing climate change and nature loss in a way that leaves no one behind.
What does this mean in practice?
Above all, it is essential that decarbonization and biodiversity protection strategies are designed and implemented in a manner that upholds, rather than undermines, the UN’s central goals on ending poverty and enhancing quality of life for all 8 billion of our fellow citizens across the world today, as well as future generations. This must be the foundation of a just transition.
We must embrace the reality that nature is fundamental in our collective quest for a net-zero and prosperous existence
After all, the extraordinary increase in access to affordable and reliable energy, closely linked to affordable food supplies, has been the foundation for the transformation of billions of people’s lives, access to healthcare and life expectancy over decades. It is absurdly immoral to expect that billions of people around the world, including the 800 million without access to electricity today and the 2.3 billion with no access to clean cooking fuels, will not seek to improve the quality and longevity of their own lives in the same way. Inhibiting economic and human development, which is undeniably underpinned by affordable and accessible energy and which has seen global poverty rates fall by over 75 percent since the 1990s, is simply not an option.
Finally, we can no longer see nature as ornamental and must instead embrace the reality that it is fundamental in our collective quest for a net-zero and prosperous existence. Which is why we need to see a massive scale-up in global investments in nature and biodiversity, recognizing that they are integral to the pursuit of our climate and human development goals. This is an especially vital opportunity, with the potential for nature-based solutions to generate a third of the emissions reductions pathway required to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Perhaps the one thing that everyone, everywhere can agree on is that the approach thus far has not worked. Global emissions are 50 percent higher today than they were at the first COP meeting in 1995. Global poverty reduction rates are slowing. Biodiversity is under greater threat today than at any time in recorded history. As the second week of the already transformative COP28 conference begins, it is upon us all, across all sectors, to continue to bridge the trust divide. We can do this by providing much-needed confidence to all communities of the world that climate change and nature loss is being addressed in a way that advances, rather than threatens, the ongoing march out of poverty for billions of people.
• Badr Jafar is the COP28 Special Representative for Business and Philanthropy.

World must act to prevent another genocide in Darfur
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim/Arab News/December 06/2023
As the world grapples with a myriad of challenges, it is crucial to cast a discerning eye on regions that continue to bear the brunt of conflict and human suffering. Darfur, a region in western Sudan, stands as a stark reminder of the international community’s failure to prevent genocide in the not-so-distant past. Despite efforts to bring about peace, there are ominous signs that another catastrophe may be on the horizon, demanding our immediate attention and action.
The scars of the Darfur genocide, which unfolded between 2003 and 2008, are still fresh in our collective memory. The conflict, driven by ethnic and tribal tensions, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and the displacement of millions. International outcry and promises of “never again” echoed through diplomatic corridors, yet the situation in Darfur remains precarious.
The Sudanese government’s attempts to control the region through a brutal campaign against rebels and perceived dissidents have left a power vacuum, exacerbating existing ethnic and tribal fault lines. Despite the ousting of former President Omar Bashir, who was indicted by the International Criminal Court for his role in the Darfur genocide, the underlying issues persist, simmering beneath the surface and threatening to erupt once again. The international community must recognize the signs pointing toward a potential recurrence of genocide in Darfur. The first ominous signal is the lack of meaningful progress in achieving lasting peace and stability. Despite multiple peace agreements and negotiations, the region remains mired in violence, with clashes between government forces, rebels and various armed groups persisting. This ongoing instability creates an environment conducive to mass atrocities.
Secondly, the humanitarian situation in Darfur is dire, with millions of people in need of assistance. The displacement of populations, coupled with a lack of access to basic resources such as food, water and healthcare, creates an environment ripe for exploitation and abuse. History has shown that desperate circumstances can lead to increased vulnerability and heightened tensions, providing the perfect breeding ground for the seeds of genocide to take root.
Moreover, the world cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the alarming rise in hate speech and incitement to violence in Darfur. Inflammatory rhetoric, fueled by deep-seated ethnic and tribal animosities, is spreading like wildfire, sowing the seeds of discord and deepening divisions within the population. The international community must recognize the power of words in shaping public perception and act swiftly to counteract the dangerous narratives that can escalate into widespread violence.
A critical factor contributing to the potential for genocide in Darfur is the insufficient international response. The UN and other key players have been slow to react, bogged down by diplomatic hurdles and a lack of consensus on how to address the complex web of issues at play. It is imperative that the global community overcomes these challenges and acts decisively to prevent another humanitarian catastrophe.
To avert the looming crisis, a multifaceted approach is required. First and foremost, there must be a concerted effort to address the root causes of the conflict in Darfur. This includes tackling long-standing issues of marginalization, discrimination and unequal distribution of resources. The international community, working through diplomatic channels, should pressure the Sudanese government to address these structural issues and work toward inclusive governance.
Humanitarian aid must be ramped up to alleviate the suffering of the people in Darfur. The international community should provide the necessary resources to ensure that those affected by the conflict have access to food, clean water and medical care. This not only addresses the immediate needs of the population but also serves as a crucial step in preventing the escalation of violence.
Additionally, the UN and other relevant bodies must strengthen their peacekeeping efforts in Darfur. This includes deploying more troops and ensuring that they have the resources and mandate to effectively protect civilians. The international community must be resolute in holding those responsible for human rights abuses accountable, sending a clear message that impunity will not be tolerated.
Despite the ousting of Bashir, the underlying issues persist, simmering beneath the surface and threatening to erupt once again.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has a unique role to play, as it holds significant influence in Sudan. It should urgently engage in diplomatic efforts to promote dialogue and reconciliation among the conflicting parties, emphasizing the principles of peace and tolerance. Second, the OIC can mobilize humanitarian aid to address the urgent needs of the affected population, fostering stability. Third, by leveraging its diplomatic network, the OIC can encourage regional cooperation and support for peacebuilding initiatives in Darfur. Through these concerted efforts, the OIC can play a crucial role in preventing the recurrence of genocide in this troubled region.
The world cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past by allowing another genocide to unfold in Darfur. The signs are ominous and the international community must act with urgency, determination and a collective sense of responsibility. By addressing the root causes, providing humanitarian aid, strengthening peacekeeping efforts and applying diplomatic pressure, we can work toward a more stable and secure future for the people of Darfur. The echoes of “never again” must ring true and we must stand united to prevent another tragedy on the scale of the Darfur genocide.
*Dr. Azeem Ibrahim is the director of special initiatives at the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy in Washington DC. X: @AzeemIbrahim

How Europe can restore its credibility in the Middle East
Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg/Arab News/December 06/2023
As Israel has now resumed its massive bombardment of the defenseless Gaza Strip, Europe is once again paralyzed by divisions on how to react to the massive loss of life and Israel’s gross violations of international humanitarian law. While it is important to sort out its internal differences, the EU needs to move quickly to address at least some of the most pressing aspects of this devastating conflict.
When the UN General Assembly voted on Oct. 27 on a mild resolution calling for a humanitarian truce, the protection of civilians, the upholding of legal and humanitarian obligations and unhindered aid delivery, only about a dozen European countries, including some EU members, supported it. Four even opposed it (Austria, Czechia, Croatia and Hungary), while the majority abstained, including Europe’s largest countries, such as Germany, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the Scandinavian countries (except Norway, which voted for the resolution).
Outside of the UN, Europe is also divided between principled, duplicitous and complicit countries. A number of European countries, such as Belgium, France, Ireland and Spain, have staked out neutral positions, taking steps to help mediate the conflict and provide humanitarian assistance. Many have remained aloof to the suffering of Gaza’s civilians, even when hospitals were attacked and premature babies were pulled out of incubators and left to die. Worse still, a small minority of European countries have continued to provide material and active political support for Israel to continue its war of aggression against Gaza’s civilians.
European support for Israel is at odds with the global consensus against the Gaza war and the desperate calls by UN officials and humanitarian organizations working in the Strip to stop the war. It is also clearly inconsistent with the European position on the Ukraine war and the continent’s advocacy of peace and human rights and its championing of international law, including humanitarian laws, all of which have been brazenly violated by Israel’s sadistic destruction of Gaza and its killing of thousands of civilians, the majority being women and children.
While Ukraine in 2022 united the EU beyond expectations, the Gaza war redivided the bloc in 2023. In the EU’s responses to Israel’s war against Gaza, senior officials have struck different tones, reflecting the divisions between member states. They were unequivocal in their condemnation of Hamas’ attack, but were divided on Israel’s response. While most members insisted on prioritizing the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, many focused only on “unconditional” hostage release and Israel’s “right to defend itself.”
Most of the disagreement, however, was on a ceasefire, with only a minority of EU states demanding one. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, for example, called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to allow aid into Gaza, echoing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. He was joined by only a few others, such as Belgium and Ireland. German officials, on the other hand, backed Israel unconditionally and expressed concern that a ceasefire would limit Israel’s “right” to self-defense. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he had “no doubt” the Israeli army would follow international law. His deputy evoked the Holocaust as implicit justification for Israel’s excesses, as if Gaza’s children have to atone for Germany’s crimes. Germany’s Green foreign minister also defended Israel. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer went as far as saying that “all the fantasies of ceasefires and the cessation of hostilities led to the strengthening of Hamas.”Reflecting this disarray among its key members, the EU’s collective response has been difficult to discern. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, herself a German center-right politician, promptly traveled to Israel in a show of solidarity and expressed near-total support for Tel Aviv. By contrast, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell expressed a more nuanced position on the conflict.
In the past, the EU had a more or less even-handed approach, with a slight pro-Israel bias, and tried to act as an honest broker. The impression in the Arab world now is that the EU has been overboard pro-Israeli, especially at the start of the conflict, and has not done much to dispel that impression since. Queen Rania of Jordan has accused Western leaders of applying a “glaring double standard,” reflecting the views of many in the region.
While Europe quickly projected a unified position on Ukraine last year, its messaging on Gaza has been muddled. This division chips away at Europe’s credibility and lowers expectations from EU institutions.
Chafing at such criticism, European Council President Charles Michel said: “We do not have double standards. We have a fundamental standard, that we believe in international law.” He added that some were “attacking” the EU and “instilling doubts” about its credibility, but that “our unity will be our best argument when we are engaging with the Global South.” However, those reassuring words were lost in the actions on the ground and the disparate statements from individual member states and EU officials.
As Gaza is relentlessly bombed by Israel, hundreds of EU officials are reported to have written to Von der Leyen, criticizing what they described as her “uncontrolled” support of Israel. They said they “hardly recognize the values of the EU,” claiming that there was a “seeming indifference demonstrated over the past few days by our institution toward the ongoing massacre of civilians in the Gaza Strip, in disregard for human rights and international humanitarian law.”
They said they were saddened by the European Commission’s “double standards,” since it considers the blockade of Ukraine by Russia as an act of terror, while Israel’s blockade of Gaza is “completely ignored.” The EU’s ambiguous positions, they said, “seem to give a free hand to the acceleration and the legitimacy of a war crime in the Gaza Strip.”
While a unified position by the EU and Europe in general would be extremely helpful in terms of mediating the conflict in Gaza, it would also restore Brussels’ credibility and its diplomatic weight, which has taken a hit since this crisis started.
While Ukraine in 2022 united the EU beyond expectations, the Gaza war redivided the bloc in 2023.
Until such a unified stand is achieved, a division of labor may be helpful so as to avoid totally eclipsing Europe’s role in this vital region. This could be achieved by deconstructing the conflict into its main components and assigning responsibility for each to a particular state willing to take it up or to the EU bureaucracy. There are at least six different issues that could be handled separately. First and most urgent is a call for a ceasefire, which some European countries have already championed.
Second, respect for international humanitarian law and accountability for all parties who have violated it.
Third, better access to humanitarian assistance, unhindered by logistics or Israeli restrictions. For example, Cyprus, supported by others in Europe, has proposed a maritime aid corridor from Larnaca to Gaza.
Fourth, a resumption of negotiations for the release of civilian hostages and detainees.
Fifth, containment of the conflict to avoid it further spreading into the West Bank or neighboring countries.
Sixth, reenergizing talks on the wider Palestine question. In September, the EU joined Saudi Arabia and the Arab League in launching a new initiative to revitalize peace efforts. The current bloody conflict makes it imperative to redouble those efforts.
By engaging on these six issues, the EU and Europe can reclaim their rightful roles as significant actors in mediating this conflict and contribute to restoring international peace and security.
*Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the Gulf Cooperation Council assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation. The views expressed here are personal and do not necessarily represent the GCC. X: @abuhamad1