English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 07/2023
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For
today
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with
the saints and also members of the household of God
Letter to the Ephesians o2/17-22: “Jesus came and proclaimed
peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through
him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no
longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also
members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole
structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in
whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.
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.
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
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