Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on December 21-22/2023
Video/Embracing the True Spirit of Christmas: A Call for Forgiveness and Reconciliation/مع روحية الميلاد دعوة للغفران والمسامحة
Video & Text/Embracing the True Spirit of Christmas: A Call for Forgiveness and Reconciliation/مع روحية الميلاد دعوة للغفران والمسامحة
Israel's escalating response: State of emergency along northern border amid rising tensions with Lebanon
Airstrikes on Kfarkela: Two strikes hit, 'artillery attack' targets village house
Border clashes renew after Israel airstrikes hit deep in Lebanon
Elderly woman killed in Israeli strike on Maroun al-Ras
Geagea ready for presidential consensus only through 'bilateral talks'
Gaza war to throw Lebanon back into recession, World Bank says
Slim holds reconciliation meeting with Mikati
Mikati and cabinet members discuss Chief of Staff appointment in comprehensive Serail meeting
Central Bank's roadmap: Navigating financial stability with unified dollar exchange rate
World Bank report: Lebanon 'In the grip of a new crisis'
Efforts to intensify as Berri warns against further delay in president vote
Shea bids Lebanese leaders farewell as embassy staff return
U.S. charges 'Hezbollah member' over deadly 1994 Buenos Aires bombing
Rahi meets Qatari Ambassador, Maronite Institutions' General Coordinator
Mikati visits Archbishop Audi, offers holiday season well-wishes
Geagea meets US Ambassador on farewell visit
Lebanon dodges a bullet as army chief stays on/Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib /Arab News/December 21, 2023

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 21-22/2023
‘Not there yet’: UN Security Council Gaza resolution stalled
US confirms working on resolution in UN Security Council regarding Gaza war
US has serious concerns over UN vote on suspending fighting between Israel and Hamas, humanitarian aid to Gaza
UN report says more than 570,000 people in Gaza 'starving' due to fallout from war
Israel uncovers 'major Hamas command center' in Gaza as truce talks gain momentum
Report: KSA, France mull plan to send Hamas leaders to Algeria
Israeli Embassy attacks BBC and Eurovision contestant Olly Alexander after ‘zionist propaganda’ comments
Palestinians support Hamas decision to go to war with Israel, survey suggests, with no political solution on horizon
Liberals echo Hamas condemnation after militant leader hails Canada ceasefire stance
Israeli army says killed over two thousand fighters in Gaza since December
Israel strike kills head of Gaza side of border crossing
Cameron sets out commitment to do everything possible to get aid into Gaza
Russia has fired 7,400 missiles, 3,700 Shahed drones in war so far, Kyiv says
UN says up to 300,000 Sudanese fled their homes after a notorious group seized their safe haven
Russian wives accuse the country's security service of forcing their husbands to lie about war conditions, calling Putin a 'coward' and 'our rat king,' report says
Macron considers Houthi attacks in Red Sea 'an unacceptable threat'
More than 20 countries join coalition to protect Red Sea shipping
Houthi rebels threaten to strike US warships if Yemen is attacked
US grants political asylum to widow of Saudi journalist Khashoggi
Number of displaced persons due to war in Sudan exceeds seven million: United Nations

Titles For The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 21-22/2023
It’s not just Zelensky’s war ...The Ukrainian leader is right to say that if Putin wins, America loses/Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/December 21/2023 |
The Red Sea’s muddled landscape/Haitham El-Zobaidi/The Arab Weekly/December 21/2023
Greece’s growing role in the Eastern Mediterranean/Alkman Granitsas/The Arab Weekly/December 21/2023
Biden’s foreign policy woes/Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/December 21, 2023
Nuclear disarmament should be a worldwide priority/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/December 21, 2023
How Much Is Biden’s Support of Israel Hurting Him With Young Voters?/Nate Cohn/Asharq Al-Awsat/December 21/2023

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published oon December 21-22/2023
Christmas and Ingratitude Towards Parents: Honoring Parents Intertwines with Honoring God, The Father Himself.
Video/Embracing the True Spirit of Christmas: A Call for Forgiveness and Reconciliation/مع روحية الميلاد دعوة للغفران والمسامحة
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9L3K1BI8PQ&t=1s

Video & Text/Embracing the True Spirit of Christmas: A Call for Forgiveness and Reconciliation/مع روحية الميلاد دعوة للغفران والمسامحة
Elias Bejjani/December 19/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/125288/125288/
As we approach the commemoration of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, the divine God who was incarnated for our sake, taking what is ours and giving us what is His, it is not only our duty but a profound obligation to extend our hands to those with whom we are at odds. Specifically, within our families, it becomes imperative to reconcile, forgive, and seek forgiveness from those we may be estranged from. The true essence of celebrating Christmas remains elusive unless we forgive, reconcile, and extend forgiveness to those with whom we have disagreements, particularly within our families.
Celebrating Christmas cannot be genuine unless we forgive, reconcile, and extend forgiveness to those with whom we have any form of discord. It is a call to action, mirroring the spirit of the season, and a reflection of the teachings of the Lord, whose birth we commemorate. Just as He embraced humanity with love and forgiveness, let us emulate His example by reaching out to those we may be in conflict with, especially within our own families, to foster unity, understanding, and the true spirit of Christmas.”
As the festive season envelops us in a warm embrace of twinkling lights, festive tunes, and the tantalizing aroma of holiday treats, it is imperative that we take a moment to reflect on the essence of Christmas beyond the glittering façade of festivities. Beyond the gifts and the feasts lies a profound spirit—one of love, caring, and most importantly, forgiveness.
In a world often marred by discord and strife, Christmas serves as a poignant reminder of the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. It is a time to mend fractured relationships, heal old wounds, and extend the hand of forgiveness to those who may have wronged us. Yet, in the midst of the jingling bells and joyful carols, it is disheartening to witness a paradox—a hypocrisy that threatens to undermine the very essence of this joyous season.
Celebrating Christmas without embracing the spirit of forgiveness is akin to adorning a festive garb while wearing a mask of indifference. The lights may sparkle, the carols may resonate, but the true meaning of Christmas remains elusive without a genuine commitment to fostering love and reconciliation. It is a call to action, a challenge to peel away the layers of resentment and pride that separate us from those we hold dear.
One of the most poignant scenarios that demand our attention is the estrangement within families. How often do fathers remain distant from children, siblings harbor grudges, and fractures persist in the very foundation of what should be a sanctuary of love? The season of Christmas beckons fathers to approach their estranged family members, to bridge the gaps that time and bitterness have forged. It is an opportunity to extend the olive branch, to rebuild the bonds that may have been strained by misunderstandings and grievances.
Similarly, the call extends to the younger generation—children who may find themselves distanced from their parents. The spirit of forgiveness is not a one-way street; it requires both parties to be willing to let go of past hurts and open their hearts to reconciliation. Children, too, must find the courage to approach their parents, to initiate conversations that transcend grievances and foster understanding. It is a chance to rediscover the warmth of familial love and the joy that comes from rebuilding connections.
Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness; it is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. It is a gift we give ourselves and others, a balm that soothes the wounds of the past and paves the way for a brighter, more harmonious future. As we gather around the Christmas tree, let us remember that the true ornament of this season is not the tinsel or baubles but the bonds of love and forgiveness that weave a tapestry of warmth and unity.
In this Christmas season of giving, let us give the invaluable gift of forgiveness—to our family members, friends, and even to ourselves. Let the spirit of Christmas be a catalyst for reconciliation, a force that transcends differences and fosters a renewed sense of togetherness. In doing so, we honor the true essence of Christmas and create a legacy of love and forgiveness that will resonate far beyond the twinkling lights and festive melodies.

Israel's escalating response: State of emergency along northern border amid rising tensions with Lebanon
LBCI/December 21/ 2023
The Israeli army has raised its state of emergency to the highest level along the northern border with Lebanon, deploying reinforced forces equipped with large quantities of military vehicles. Military officials have announced that the air force is on high alert in case the scope of the shelling expands on both sides of the border between Hezbollah and Lebanon. Following the intensive rocket attacks on northern towns since Thursday morning, causing injuries to at least three people and significant damage to properties, the army has closed the entrances to most northern towns, declaring them military zones and stating that Hezbollah has crossed red lines. At the same time, security and military officials dismiss the possibility of ensuring the security of the border region with Lebanon and its residents through a diplomatic solution adhered to by Hezbollah. The residents of the north refuse to return to their homes without removing Hezbollah elements from the borders, making this issue a focal point of Israeli discussions. This sentiment was reflected in a meeting between military units in the north and the Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, who reassured them that the army would take all measures to prevent returning to the previous situation in the north before the war. With the release of a report by the Alma Research and Education Center in the Galilee claiming that Hezbollah has established a more advanced tunnel network than those uncovered for Hamas in the Gaza Strip, residents have intensified their protests, affirming their reluctance to return to their towns for fear of a recurrence of the October 7th scenario.

Airstrikes on Kfarkela: Two strikes hit, 'artillery attack' targets village house
LBCI/December 21/ 2023
Two aerial strikes by warplanes targeted Kfarkela, accompanied by an "artillery attack" on one of the houses in the village.

Border clashes renew after Israel airstrikes hit deep in Lebanon
Associated Press/December 21/ 2023
The Israeli army struck Thursday the outskirts of several border towns including Yaroun, Aita al-Shaab, Aitaroun, Maroun al-Rass and Kfarkila, killing a woman in her eighties in Maroun al-Rass. Israeli warplanes had carried out airstrikes deep inside Lebanon late Wednesday evening, hitting a forested area near the town of Bouslaya, more than 20 kilometers from the border, Lebanese state media reported. Hezbollah and Israeli forces have clashed near-daily since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza. In recent days, officials from the U.S. and France visiting the region have sought to head off an escalation on the Lebanese front. Earlier Wednesday, Hezbollah announced it had launched surface-to-air missiles at Israeli military helicopters, and the Israeli army said it had hit a “military compound, launch posts, a command center, and a weapons depot” belonging to Hezbollah. Also on Wednesday, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that an Israeli sniper had shot and killed a man in his car near the Lebanese border town of Kfarkila. Hezbollah, which normally announces the deaths of its fighters, did not claim the man as a member. The group later announced that one of its fighters had been killed in an Israeli strike on a house in the town of Markaba on Wednesday evening. More than 110 Hezbollah fighters and at least 16 civilians have been killed on the Lebanese side of the border, while at least nine soldiers and five civilians have been killed on the Israeli side.

Elderly woman killed in Israeli strike on Maroun al-Ras
Agence France Presse/December 21/ 2023
Israeli strikes killed a woman in her eighties in a south Lebanon village early Thursday morning, Lebanese state media said, with rescuers confirming the death to AFP. "Hostile bombing on the town of Maroun al-Ras this morning killed a woman and wounded her husband," Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said. Israeli artillery shells struck "residential neighborhoods" in the town, hitting the house of the couple in their eighties, the agency added.Rescuers who transported the pair to hospital confirmed her death to AFP, also blaming Israel for the strike. Hezbollah for its part attacked Israeli posts in the occupied Shebaa Farms with three attack drones after it also fired rockets and shells on a group of soldiers there. Hezbollah also targeted al-Jerdah and the Israeli posts of Dovev and Avivim in retaliation for Israeli attacks on civilians and the killing of Nohad Mehanna in Maroun al-Ras. Israeli media said that three soldiers were injured in the Avivim attack. The frontier between Lebanon and Israel has seen regular exchanges of fire, mainly between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, since the conflict in the Gaza Strip began on October 7. The Israeli army also bombed the outskirts of Yaroun, Aita al-Shaab, Aitaroun, Rashaya al Fokhar, al-Mari, Ebl al-Saqi, al-Arqoub and Kfarkila. On Monday, Hezbollah had vowed that any Israeli attacks on civilians "will be reciprocated". The group said it launched a series of attacks, including "incendiary rockets", on forested areas of northern Israel early Thursday in retaliation for Israeli assaults on Lebanese groves. Israeli warplanes had carried out airstrikes deep inside Lebanon late Wednesday evening, hitting a forested area near the town of Bouslaya, more than 20 kilometers from the border. Rights groups and Lebanese officials have repeatedly accused Israel of white phosphorus attacks -- an incendiary weapon that can cause serious burns if it hits people. More than 140 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters but also a Lebanese soldier and 19 civilians, including three journalists, according to an AFP tally. On the Israeli side, four civilians and seven soldiers have been killed, according to Israeli officials. The hostilities have raised fears of a regional conflagration. On Monday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna met senior officials in Beirut, a day after visiting Israel and the occupied West Bank, as part of efforts to de-escalate border tensions. The Gaza war began with the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. Israel's retaliatory ground and air offensive has killed at least 20,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children. Hezbollah says it is acting in support of Gaza.

Geagea ready for presidential consensus only through 'bilateral talks'
Naharnet/December 21/ 2023
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea is ready for consensus on a new president through bilateral talks. Geagea said Thursday in a statement, in response to remarks by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri about the urgent need to elect a president, that consensus can be reached through "calm bilateral consultations" and not through a "theatrical" dialogue table. Berri had warned against a further delay in electing a president, in remarks published Thursday in al-Joumhouria newspaper."A president must be elected within the next few weeks," he said. "The longer it takes us to reach the needed consensus, the more complications and damages will increase."

Gaza war to throw Lebanon back into recession, World Bank says
Agence France Presse/December 21/ 2023
The impacts of the Israel-Hamas war are set to push crisis-hit Lebanon's economy back into recession, the World Bank said Thursday, blaming mainly a "shock to tourism spending".Lebanon's southern border has seen regular exchanges of fire, mainly between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, since the Gaza conflict erupted on October 7. The impact of the conflict had reversed a slight recovery for Lebanon, which has battled a deep economic crisis for years, the Washington-based bank said in a report. "Prior to October 2023, economic growth was projected -- for the first time since 2018 -- to slightly expand in 2023," by 0.2 percent, the World Bank said. It attributed the positive pre-war expectations mainly to summer tourism and remittances from the large Lebanese diaspora. But, it added, "the current conflict and its spillovers into Lebanon are expected to quickly reverse the tepid growth projected for 2023, as the economy returns to a recession". The economy will contract "primarily due to the shock to tourism spending", the report said. More than half of travel reservations to Lebanon have been cancelled for winter holidays, the World Bank said, warning that "tourism cannot, on its own, serve as the basis for an economic recovery".Real gross domestic product is expected to decline "to between minus 0.6 percent to minus 0.9 percent depending on the extent of the tourism shock," it added. Lebanon's economy collapsed in late 2019, plunging most of the population into poverty, according to the United Nations. Bickering politicians, widely accused of corruption, have been unable to agree on measures to save the economy, or even on selecting a new head of state. Lebanon has been governed by a caretaker government with limited powers and without a president for more than a year as lawmakers have repeatedly failed to elect a new leader.

Slim holds reconciliation meeting with Mikati
Naharnet/December 21/ 2023
Caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim was meeting Thursday with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in talks aimed at healing the rift between the two officials, al-Jadeed TV said. The meeting was behind held in the presence of Culture Minister Mohammad Murtada. Slim had on Wednesday met with Murtada and caretaker Minister of the Displaced Issam Sharafeddine. According to media reports, Murtada and Sharafeddine have been seeking a reconciliation between Mikati and Slim. “The defense minister is responsive and he said that he is willing to hold a personal meeting with PM Mikati. He is awaiting the outcome of the contacts with his political party (Free Patriotic Movement) and I hope MP Jebran Bassil will not impede the issue,” Sharafeddine had said on Wednesday. Tensions had surged between Mikati and Slim due to disputes over military appointments, including the extension of the term of Army chief Joseph Aoun, which ultimately took place last week. A new army chief of staff and two members of the military council are yet to be appointed. Mikati has in recent days sent a new memo to Slim, asking him to submit proposals for filling the vacant military posts. Slim responded by saying that he was awaiting the result of the appeal filed by the FPM against the law that extended Aoun’s term. In the beginning of Tuesday’s Cabinet session, Mikati had informed ministers of the memo that he had sent to Slim two days earlier.“After Mikati recited the memo that he sent to Defense Minister Maurice Slim, one of the ministers suggested that a direct contact take place between Mikati and Minister Slim,” al-Liwaa said. “Mikati responded that the premiership cannot be insulted,” the daily added. “The moment Maurice Slim came to the Grand Serail and started shouting, I considered that he was finished to me and that from that moment dealing with him would become formal and through memos,” al-Liwaa newspaper quoted Mikati as telling ministers.

Mikati and cabinet members discuss Chief of Staff appointment in comprehensive Serail meeting
LBCI/December 21/ 2023
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with the Minister of Defense, Maurice Sleem, and the Minister of Culture, Mohammad Mortada, at the Grand Serail. The meeting was held at the request of Mortada, who was accompanied by Minister Sleem. Sleem expressed regret for the previous misunderstanding. He affirmed his respect for the position of the Prime Minister. They discussed the general situation, especially in the south, emphasizing the necessity of cooperation to strengthen the internal situation and ensure the regular functioning of the military institution in accordance with laws, regulations, and norms. Sleem noted that he and Mikati agreed that this approach would continue to address anything that would strengthen the military institution and serve the nation and its security. In response to whether he would attend a government session to appoint the Chief of Staff, he said, "The approach, unfortunately, is always truncated in the media because the story is not about the Chief of Staff." "Rather, there are two institutions, and this matter is not known to public opinion. The Ministry of National Defense includes four main institutions, and the Army institution is one of them, and it is the main and largest institution."He added: "There are also two vacant institutions: the General Directorate of Administration and the General Inspectorate. These two institutions are directly linked to the Minister of Defense, and there is the Military Council, which constitutes the fourth institution."He pointed out that when the issue of the Chief of Staff is raised, it is presented in a "truncated" manner regarding the vacancy situation in the military institutions. "This is a matter that I have been addressing for more than three months, but various circumstances have prevented the completion of these matters."

Central Bank's roadmap: Navigating financial stability with unified dollar exchange rate
LBCI/December 21/ 2023
Central Bank of Lebanon's sources confirmed that there is now a unified exchange rate for the US dollar in Lebanon, which is 89,000 Lebanese lira. The Central Bank will work to maintain stability at this rate, primarily relying on limiting the supply of Lebanese lira in the market, which is currently estimated at 55 trillion. The first to be affected by this unified rate were public sector employees who incurred a slight loss, as they received their salaries this month at the rate of LBP 89,000 instead of the previous LBP 85,500 per dollar, known as the Sayrafa rate, which the Central Bank has canceled. Despite the confirmed increase in the public sector salaries in the last government session, it did not materialize. Adopting a unified exchange rate for the dollar and incorporating it into the 2024 budget has placed the Central Bank of Lebanon in a resolution regarding Circular 151. This circular allowed depositors to withdraw $1,600 at a rate of LBP 15,000 per dollar, equivalent to LBP 24 million. Consequently, this circular is no longer applicable. Central Bank sources confirmed no plans to issue further circulars specifying the dollar exchange rate and withdrawal limits. This matter is now within the jurisdiction of the executive and legislative authorities.

World Bank report: Lebanon 'In the grip of a new crisis'
LBCI/December 21/ 2023
Lebanon has been suffering from an economic and financial crisis for more than four years, a political crisis, a presidential vacancy, and many institutional vacancies. Additionally, the Israel-Gaza war has exacerbated the situation. According to the new report by the World Bank titled "In the Grip of a New Crisis," Lebanon is facing a challenging situation. According to the bank, if we go back before the outbreak of the war on October 7th, Lebanon's economy in 2023, for the first time in five years, was expected to show growth instead of deterioration, albeit modestly at +0.2%.Furthermore, this was attributed to two main sectors: tourism, which grew by more than 25% in the first nine months of 2023, and transfers from expatriates, exceeding $6 billion annually. However, this trajectory is unlikely to happen due to the war and developments in the south of Lebanon. The bank predicts that the economy will diminish by the end of 2023 instead of growing, declining to below zero percent (between -0.6% and -0.9%).Thus, there are concerns about Lebanon's economy, not only from the scenario of the war expanding but also from its continuation for an extended period.
Moreover, the state is not taking reform measures or planning to save the country from its crisis.

Efforts to intensify as Berri warns against further delay in president vote
Naharnet/December 21/ 2023
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has warned against a further delay in electing a president."A president must be elected within the next few weeks," Berri told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Thursday. Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term ended in October last year, while its government has been running in a limited caretaker capacity. "The longer it takes us to reach the needed consensus, the more complications and damages will increase," Berri said, stressing that obstructing the presidential vote is no longer acceptable amid the difficult situation in the region. Political sources meanwhile told the daily that France is determined to intensify its efforts in 2024 to help Lebanon reach a presidential consensus and that Qatar will also resume its presidential initiative in Beirut. "France and the five-nation group no longer see the presidential juncture as an internal necessity but as a regional necessity," a diplomatic source said, adding that French President Emmanuel Macron has called off his scheduled Christmas visit to Lebanon because of the presidential vacuum.

Shea bids Lebanese leaders farewell as embassy staff return
Naharnet/December 21/ 2023
Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea has met with a number of Lebanese leaders on the occasion of the end of her diplomatic service in Lebanon. On Wednesday, the ambassador met with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi. And on Thursday, Shea met with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in Maarab. According to reports, Shea will depart Lebanon on December 29 and will be replaced by the newly-appointed ambassador, Lisa Johnson, who will act as charge d’affaires pending the election of a new Lebanese president to whom she can submit her credentials. The U.S. Embassy had on Tuesday announced a return to “normal staffing and presence,” which stands for a return of “U.S. government employees and their family members” to Lebanon after they were allowed to leave with the escalation of clashes on Lebanon’s border and in the Gaza Strip. The embassy however noted that “the Travel Advisory level for Lebanon remains at Level 4, recommending that U.S. citizens do not travel to Lebanon.”Moreover, “American Citizen Services has resumed issuing full-validity passports and is offering all routine services,” the embassy said. It also resumed “regular nonimmigrant and immigrant visa processing.”

U.S. charges 'Hezbollah member' over deadly 1994 Buenos Aires bombing
Associated Press/December 21/ 2023
A high-ranking member of Hezbollah's Islamic Jihad Organization was charged with terrorism offenses, including the bombing of a building in Argentina in 1994 that killed 85 people, in an indictment unsealed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court. Samuel Salman El Reda, 58, who remains at large and is believed to be in Lebanon, was described by federal authorities as the leader of terrorist activity carried out by Hezbollah since at least 1993. From 1993 to 2015, he conspired to support terrorists in Lebanon, Argentina, Panama, Thailand and elsewhere, the indictment said as it listed six aliases for El Reda, including "Salman Ramal," "Sulayman Rammal," "Salman Raouf Salman" and "Hajj."He faces conspiracy charges and a count alleging he provided material support to a terrorist organization. Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said in a release that El Reda nearly three decades ago "helped plan and execute the heinous attack on a Buenos Aires Jewish community center that murdered 85 innocent people and injured countless others."The attack occurred on July 18, 1994, when the Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina building in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was bombed, killing 85 people and injuring hundreds more. El Reda allegedly relayed information to Islamic Jihad Organization operatives that was used to plan and execute the bombing. In the decades afterward, he recruited, trained and managed the organization's operatives around the world, deploying them in Thailand, Panama and Peru, among other places, authorities said. They said that in May 2009, he directed an operative to go to Thailand to destroy a cache of ammonium nitrate and other explosive materials that the organization believed was under law enforcement surveillance.
And, in February 2011 and in January 2012, he told an operative to go to Panama to surveil the Panama Canal and embassies maintained by the U.S. and Israel, authorities said. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the Argentina attack was part of the terrorist operations that El Reda has led for decades on behalf of the Islamic Jihad Organization, the segment of Hezbollah that focuses on terrorism and intelligence-gathering activities outside of Lebanon. New York Police Department Commissioner Edward A. Caban said El Reda was the "on-the-ground coordinator" of the Argentina attack. Caban said he has since been "involved in plots all across the world." The U.S. Department of Treasury designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 2001 and officials noted that the State Department in 2010 described it as the most technically capable terrorist group in the world and a continuing security threat to the United States.

Rahi meets Qatari Ambassador, Maronite Institutions' General Coordinator
NNA/December 21/ 2023
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Rahi, on Thursday welcomed, in Bkerke, Qatari Ambassador to Lebanon, Sheikh Saud bin Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Thani, who conveyed to the Patriarch the greetings of the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on the blessed holiday season. The Ambassador also stressed Qatar’s support for the positions of the Patriarch and the Lebanese people. On the other hand, Patriarch Rahi also received in Bkerke, the General Coordinator of Maronite Institutions, Engineer Antoine Azour.

Mikati visits Archbishop Audi, offers holiday season well-wishes
NNA/December 21/ 2023
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Thursday visited Beirut Greek Orthodox Archbishop Elias Audi, to whom he offered Christmas and New Year well-wishes. On emerging, Premier Mikati said: “Today’s visit comes on the occasion of the blessed holidays, and I wished His Eminence a merry Christmas, and a happy year full of contentment and health for all the Lebanese.”Mikati said that they tackled during the meeting the current situation in the country. Regarding the appointment of the Chief of Staff and the Military Council, Premier Mikati said: “Throughout all this stage, I have tried hard to stay away from any media debate, and I do not want to enter into any debate on this issue because the lessons are in their conclusions and the conclusions are so far good. I will maintain my principle of not engaging in any media debate with anyone, despite everything that is said. I reiterate that there is a matter related to the powers and position of the Prime Minister, and I do not accept that they be undermined in any way.”

Geagea meets US Ambassador on farewell visit
NNA/December 21/ 2023
Lebanese Forces Party leader, Samir Geagea, on Thursday met in Maarab, with US Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, who paid him a farewell visit upon the end of her diplomatic mission in the country. Ambassador Shea was accompanied by the Embassy’s Political Advisor, Megan Soller. The meeting took place in the presence of the Party’s Foreign Relations Chief, former minister Richard Kouyoumjian, and LF Central Council member, Mark Saad. Geagea thanked Ambassador Shea for her efforts and that of the United States in supporting the Lebanese institutions. Geagea stressed: “Lebanon faced a critical test last week, which could have led to an unforeseen outcome, but thank God it succeeded in not failing this test, thanks to efforts made within the Parliament, which averted a vacuum at the level of the military institution leadership and also restored confidence in its main role in protecting the sovereignty of Lebanon and its independence." The LF leader also wished Ambassador Shea success in her new mission, and expressed hope that the United States will continue its support for Lebanon and its institutions, especially the military institutions.

Lebanon dodges a bullet as army chief stays on
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib /Arab News/December 21, 2023
The Lebanese parliament last week extended the tenure of army commander Gen. Joseph Aoun, delaying his retirement for a year. With this decision, one can safely say that Lebanon dodged a bullet. Aoun’s retirement, which was due in mid-January, would have been disastrous for Lebanon. The country has no president and no prime minister. Key positions in state institutions, such as the governorship of the central bank and the directorship of the General Security, are also vacant. Today, the only institution holding the country together is the Lebanese Armed Forces. It is the only institution that still has the respect of the international community. This is mainly due to the persona of the commander, who has been able to keep the army together and maintain a certain level of security against all odds. The extension was suggested by Environment Minister Nasser Yassin, who is currently in charge of putting together an emergency plan. He pushed for the extension as an urgent step to prevent the breakdown of the country, as its southern front is in direct confrontation with Israel. Unfortunately, in Lebanon, everything is politicized and the different actors look for personal gain.
The extension was opposed by Free Patriotic Movement head Gebran Bassil, who did not want Aoun to stay in the game. By remaining in his position, Aoun will keep his eligibility for the presidency. Hence, Bassil tried to block the renewal and to pressure Hezbollah into toeing the line. However, this time the group did not abide by the whim of its Christian ally. The stakes were too high. With the various state institutions floating about with no guidance, no one could afford for the army commander’s post to be left vacant. Hezbollah knows that the disintegration of the army would mean internal unrest. At this moment, this is the last thing it wants. Because Lebanon could face an attack from Israel, domestic security and cohesion is of paramount importance. Commander Aoun has been able to keep the army together and maintain a certain level of security against all odds
Domestic cohesion is essential. Hezbollah did not directly confront its ally, the Free Patriotic Movement, as it did not vote for the extension. Instead, its parliamentarians left the assembly when the article was put to the floor. Hezbollah walks a fine line in terms of catering to its Christian ally’s demands. The group knows that it cannot afford additional popular discontent. People are blaming Hezbollah for the presidential void. It is being accused of holding the country hostage in order to serve Iran’s interests. If it had followed Bassil and blocked the extension of Aoun’s mandate, this would have cost them dearly and would have been skillfully used by their opponents.
However, the significance of the extension goes beyond these issues — it is also a test of trust in Aoun. The general emerged from the parliamentary session as the strongest contender for any future presidential election. The extension was a big loss for Bassil but a big win for Lebanon. It actually saved the country from disintegration. Given that Lebanon is bankrupt, the army’s expenditure, including salaries, were last year paid for entirely by Qatar. According to sources, the Qataris made it clear that they would not pay again unless they had a credible and trustworthy counterpart. They are right. Gulf states have for years endowed Lebanon with donations that have found their way into the pockets of corrupt politicians. Not anymore. Despite the fact that the political class hates Aoun, they do not want the country to collapse. They would not want to manage the mess that would result from the breakdown of the armed forces.
The extension was a big loss for Bassil but a big win for Lebanon. It actually saved the country from disintegration. The international community also could not take the risk of seeing the leadership of the army left vacant. Everyone needs a credible interlocutor. And there is a consensus not to let Lebanon collapse. Does Europe want to see a wave of refugees leaving Lebanese shores? Does anyone want to see Lebanon become a launchpad for terrorist attacks?
However, the extension of the commander’s remit will not really save the country; it will only prevent it from totally collapsing. But given the miserable situation the country is witnessing, the Lebanese have set the bar so low that even something as tactical as the one-year extension of the tenure of the commander of the army is seen as an achievement. What was interesting about last Friday’s session was seeing how politicians, when pressured, do take action. Maybe the international community should exert some more pressure and push them to elect a president and a credible government that will conduct reforms, as well as follow up on whatever security arrangement is agreed to prevent a war on Lebanon. The politicians know that the country might be attacked by Israel at any time. Despite the fact that the Americans want to keep the conflict in Gaza contained, nothing can guarantee that this will be the case. It is in the interest of the political class to have a credible leadership that the US can trust and for which Washington is willing to use its leverage to pressure Israel into restraining itself. This is why the international community should capitalize on the “achievement” of last week’s session and push for the election of a president and a government. This might be the right moment to do so. It might be the moment to explain to the political class that, at this difficult time, no one is willing to talk to Lebanon unless it has a credible president, prime minister and government.
*Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on December 21-22/2023
‘Not there yet’: UN Security Council Gaza resolution stalled
AFP/December 22, 2023
UNITED NATIONS, US: The UN Security Council on Thursday will try once again to pass a resolution calling for a halt in fighting between Israel and Hamas after previous efforts to win Washington’s backing fell short.
Diplomatic wrangling at United Nations headquarters in Manhattan — causing the vote to be postponed several times this week — has come against the backdrop of deteriorating conditions in Gaza and a mounting death toll. The United Arab Emirates is sponsoring a draft resolution on the conflict which has already been watered down to secure compromise, according to a draft version seen by AFP. It calls for “the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access, and for urgent steps toward a sustainable cessation of hostilities.”But Washington’s deputy ambassador to the UN Robert Wood indicated Thursday that the United States, a veto-wielding permanent Security Council member, was still not satisfied with the latest draft. “We are still working it, still hoping to get to... be able to support it — we’re not there yet,” Wood told reporters. Some diplomats indicated to AFP they were still hopeful a vote would be held Thursday. The UAE’s ambassador to the UN Lana Zaki Nusseibeh said Thursday that “the gap is narrowing” as she headed into a closed door consultation — but gave no indication of a timeline.Members of the 15-member council have been grappling for days to find common ground on the resolution, a vote on which was pushed back several times since Monday. Israel, backed by its ally the United States, has opposed the term “cease-fire,” and Washington has used its veto twice to thwart resolutions opposed by Israel since the start of the war. The latest delay was at the request of the United States, a diplomatic source said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday there would be no cease-fire in Gaza until the “elimination” of Hamas. The draft text also calls for all sides to enable unhindered deliveries of aid by land, sea and air — as well as the creation of a monitoring mechanism overseen “exclusively” by the UN. Diplomatic sources say negotiations are now centered on this mechanism, with Israel insisting it retain full control of supplies that enter the blockaded Palestinian territory. “Israel has had, understandably so, a role in the inspection regime — a key role, a pivotal role — and we understand and respect that,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. The diplomatic tussle came as the UN’s hunger monitoring system warned that “every single person in war-torn Gaza is expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity in the next six weeks.” “The World Food Programme has been calling the situation desperate, and no one in Gaza is safe from starvation, they say. That’s why we have all been calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire,” said the UN secretary-general’s spokesman, Stephane Dujarric. Hamas infiltrated Israel on October 7 and killed around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Israel responded with a relentless air and ground campaign. The Hamas government’s media office in the Gaza Strip said Wednesday at least 20,000 people have been killed, among them 8,000 children and 6,200 women.

US confirms working on resolution in UN Security Council regarding Gaza war
AFP/December 21, 2023
On Thursday, the United States announced that it continues to work on a resolution in the Security Council regarding the war in the Gaza Strip, following repeated postponements of voting on a draft in this regard due to Israeli objections to the proposed text. John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesperson, stated, "We are still actively working with our partners at the United Nations on the resolution and the adopted language."

US has serious concerns over UN vote on suspending fighting between Israel and Hamas, humanitarian aid to Gaza
Arlette Saenz and Michael Williams, CNN/December 21, 2023
The US is expressing concerns over a draft resolution calling for a suspension in fighting and an increase in humanitarian assistance for Gaza, arguing that the proposal of a UN-created monitoring mechanism for aid going into the Gaza strip could slow down the delivery of critical assistance. Those concerns, if unresolved, could put the thrice-delayed resolution in continued limbo. As one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, a US veto means the resolution will not pass. “The goal of this Resolution is to facilitate and help expand humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza, and we cannot lose sight of that purpose,” said Nate Evans, a spokesperson for the US Mission to the UN. “There are still serious and widespread concerns that this Resolution as drafted could actually slow down delivery of humanitarian aid by directing the UN to create an unworkable monitoring mechanism. We must ensure any Resolution helps and doesn’t hurt the situation on the ground.”Timing for a possible vote on the resolution on Thursday has yet to be announced. A diplomatic source previously told CNN that key issues with the negotiations over the draft are the “cessation of hostilities” language and the call for the UN to “establish a monitoring mechanism in the Gaza Strip with the necessary personnel and equipment, under the authority of the United Nations Secretary-General.”President Joe Biden has been in touch with members of his national security team and officials representing the US and the UN on discussions surrounding the resolution, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday.
Kirby declined to weigh in on how a possible veto from the US would reflect on the Biden administration on the international stage. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves – there isn’t a resolution to vote on right now, we’re still working with our partners up there about what that language ought to be,” he said. “It is important to us, of course, that the humanitarian situation in Gaza gets addressed. We are working harder than any other nation to actually address those concerns.”Still, he acknowledged, proposed language tasking the UN with exclusive responsibility for inspecting the delivery of aid could be a sticking point. “I’m not going to negotiate this language here from this podium– we’re still actively working with our UN partners about the resolution and the language itself,” he said. “Israel has had– and understandably so– has had a role in the inspection regime, a key role, a pivotal role, and we understand and respect that, and I think I’ll leave it at that.”Previous delays this week centered on the reticence of the United States to sign onto a resolution that could be seen as a rebuke to Israel’s continuing military campaign in Gaza. Diplomats were hopeful that changing some language could gain American support, or at least an abstention from voting, which would allow the resolution to pass. But while the US, Israel’s strongest ally, has repeatedly condemned the Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 people October 7, the mounting civilian death toll in Gaza from Israel’s response has prompted top US officials – including Biden – to urge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take more meaningful steps to protect innocent lives while waging his war against Hamas. About 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. During a Security Council meeting earlier this week, Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood said civilians and journalists must still be protected and vital humanitarian aid needs to reach civilians. Wood, who also expressed concerns about Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, did not imply how the United States would vote on the resolution.
The US has vetoed previous measures at the UN Security Council and voted against a call for a ceasefire in the larger UN General Assembly. Last week, the wider United Nations General Assembly voted to demand an immediate ceasefire in war-torn Gaza, in a rebuke to the United States, which has repeatedly blocked ceasefire calls in the Security Council. While the General Assembly vote is politically significant and seen as wielding moral weight, it is nonbinding, unlike a Security Council resolution.

UN report says more than 570,000 people in Gaza 'starving' due to fallout from war
Associated Press/December 22, 2023
More than half a million people in Gaza — a quarter of the population — are starving due to "woefully insufficient" quantities of food entering the territory ever since Israel's military responded to Hamas' October 7 attack, according to a report released by the United Nations and other agencies.
Thursday's (Friday AEDT) report highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Gaza after more than 10 weeks of relentless bombardment and fighting. The extent of the population's hunger eclipsed even the near-famines in Afghanistan and Yemen of recent years, according to figures in the report.
"It doesn't get any worse,'' said Arif Husain, chief economist for the UN's World Food Program. "I have never seen something at the scale that is happening in Gaza. And at this speed. How quickly it has happened, in just a matter of two months."
Israel says it is in the final stages of clearing out Hamas militants from northern Gaza, but that months of fighting lie ahead in the south. The war sparked by Hamas' deadly October 7 rampage and hostage-taking in Israel has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians.
Some 1.9 million Gaza residents — more than 80 per cent of the population — have been driven from their homes, with more than a million now cramming into UN shelters. The war has also pushed Gaza's health sector into collapse. Only nine of its 36 health facilities are still partially functioning — and all are located in the south, the World Health Organisation said. WHO relief workers on Thursday reported "unbearable" scenes in two hospitals they visited in northern Gaza: bedridden patients with untreated wounds cry out for water, the few remaining doctors and nurses have no supplies, and bodies are lined up in the courtyard. Bombardment and fighting continued on Thursday, but with Gaza's internet and other communications cut off for a second straight day, details on the latest violence could largely not be confirmed.
UN Security Council members are negotiating an Arab-sponsored resolution to halt the fighting in some way to allow for an increase in desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. A vote on the resolution, first scheduled for Monday, was pushed back again on Wednesday in the hopes of getting the US to support it or allow it to pass after it vetoed an earlier cease-fire call. Thursday's report from the UN underscored the failure of weeks of US efforts to ensure greater aid reaches Palestinians. At the start of the war, Israel stopped all deliveries of food, water, medicine and fuel into the territory. After US pressure, it began allowing a trickle of aid in through Egypt, but UN agencies say it fell far short of enough. This week, Israel began allowing aid to be delivered through its Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. But a blast on Thursday morning hit the Palestinian side of the crossing, forcing the UN to stop its pickups of aid there, according to Juliette Touma, spokesperson of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. At least four people were killed, the nearby hospital reported. Palestinian authorities blamed Israel for the blast, but its cause could not immediately be confirmed.
Delivery of aid to much of the Gaza Strip has become difficult or impossible due to continued fighting, UN officials have said. The report released Thursday by 23 UN and nongovernmental agencies found that the entire population in Gaza is in a food crisis, with 576,600 at catastrophic — or starvation — levels.
"It is a situation where pretty much everybody in Gaza is hungry," Husain, the World Food Program economist, said. The lack of food and water weakens immune systems, making the population more vulnerable to disease, Husain said.
"People are very, very close to large outbreaks of disease because their immune systems have become so weak because they don't have enough nourishment," he said. Husain said border crossings need to be operational to get in essential supplies, including food and water. And he said that humanitarian groups need safe access to the entire Gaza strip. Israel has vowed to continue the offensive until it destroys Hamas' military capabilities and returns scores of hostages captured by Palestinian militants during their October 7 rampage. Hamas and other militants killed some 1200 people that day, mostly civilians, and captured around 240 others.

Israel uncovers 'major Hamas command center' in Gaza as truce talks gain momentum
Associated Press/December 21, 2023
The Israeli military says it has uncovered a major Hamas command center in the heart of Gaza City, inflicting what it described as a serious blow to the Islamic militant group as pressure grows on Israel to scale back its devastating military offensive in the coastal enclave.The army said it had exposed the center of a vast underground network used by Hamas to move weapons, militants and supplies throughout the Gaza Strip. Israel has said destroying the tunnels is a major objective of the offensive. The announcement came as Hamas' top leader arrived in Egypt for talks aimed at brokering a temporary cease-fire and a new deal for Hamas to swap Israeli hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Israeli leaders have vowed to press ahead with the two-month-old offensive, launched in response to a bloody cross-border attack by Hamas in October that allegedly killed some 1,200 people and saw 240 others taken hostage. The offensive has devastated much of northern Gaza, killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, and driven some 1.9 million people — nearly 85% of the population — from their homes. The widespread destruction and heavy civilian death toll has drawn increasing international calls for a cease-fire. Hamas militants have put up stiff resistance lately against Israeli ground troops, and its forces appear to remain largely intact in southern Gaza. It also continues to fire rockets into Israel every day. The United States, Israel's closest ally, has continued to support Israel's right to defend itself while also urging greater effort to protect Gaza's civilians. But in some of the toughest American language yet, Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday called on Israel to scale back its operation. "It's clear that the conflict will move and needs to move to a lower intensity phase," Blinken said. He said the U.S. wants to see "more targeted operations" with smaller levels of forces focused on specific targets, such as Hamas' leaders and the group's tunnel network. "As that happens, I think you'll see as well, the harm done to civilians also decrease significantly," he said. His comments were more pointed than statements by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who in a visit to Israel this week said the U.S. would not dictate any timeframes to its ally.
TUNNEL NETWORK
The Israeli military escorted Israeli reporters into Palestine Square in the heart of Gaza City to show off what it described as the center of Hamas' tunnel network. Military commanders boasted that they had uncovered offices, tunnels and elevators used by Hamas' top leaders. The military released videos of underground offices and claimed to have found a wheelchair belonging to Hamas' shadowy military commander, Mohammed Deif, who has not been seen in public in years. The army's chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the army had located a vast underground complex. "They all used this infrastructure routinely, during emergencies and also at the beginning of the war on Oct. 7," he said. He said the tunnels stretched across Gaza and into major hospitals. The claims could not be independently verified. Hagari also indicated that Israel was winding down its operations in northern Gaza, including Gaza City, where it has been battling Hamas militants for weeks. He said the army had moved into a final remaining Hamas stronghold, the Gaza City neighborhood of Tufah. But the army also acknowledged a significant misstep. An investigation into its soldiers' mistaken shooting of three Israelis held hostage in Gaza found that, five days before the shooting, a military search dog with a body camera had captured audio of them shouting for help in Hebrew.Hagari said the recording was not reviewed until after the hostages were killed while trying to make themselves known to Israeli forces. The incident has sparked an uproar in Israel and put pressure on the government to reach a new deal with Hamas. The military chief has said the shooting was against its rules of engagement. The Israeli military campaign now is largely focused on southern Gaza, where it says Hamas' leaders are hiding. "We will continue the war until the end. It will continue until Hamas is destroyed, until victory," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement. "Whoever thinks we will stop is detached from reality."
CEASE-FIRE TALKS GAIN MOMENTUM
As Netanyahu vowed to continue the war, there were new signs of progress in cease-fire talks. Hamas' top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, traveled to Cairo for talks on the war, part of a flurry of diplomacy. In recent days, top Israeli, American and Qatari officials have also held cease-fire talks. "These are very serious discussions and negotiations, and we hope that they lead somewhere," the White House's national security spokesman, John Kirby, said aboard Air Force One while traveling with President Joe Biden to Wisconsin. Biden, however, indicated a deal was still a ways off. "There's no expectation at this point, but we are pushing," he said. Asked about the rising death toll in Gaza, Biden said: It's tragic."Hamas says no more hostages will be released until the war ends. It is insisting on the release of large numbers of Palestinian prisoners, including high-level militants convicted in deadly attacks, for remaining captives. Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official in Beirut, said the efforts right now are focused on how to "stop this aggression, especially that our enemy now knows that it cannot achieve any of its goals."Israel has rejected Hamas' demands for a mass prisoner release so far. But it has a history of lopsided exchanges for captive Israelis, and the government is under heavy public pressure to bring the hostages home safely.Egypt, along with Qatar and the U.S., helped mediate a weeklong cease-fire in November in which Hamas freed over 100 hostages in exchange for Israel's release of 240 Palestinian prisoners. Hamas and other militants are still holding an estimated 129 captives, though roughly 20 are believed to have died in captivity. U.N. Security Council members are negotiating an Arab-sponsored resolution to halt the fighting in some way to allow for an increase in desperately needed humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. A vote on the resolution, first scheduled for Monday, was pushed back again on Wednesday in the hopes of getting the U.S. to support it or allow it to pass after it vetoed an earlier cease-fire call.
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
Mobile phone and internet service was down across Gaza again on Wednesday. The outage could complicate efforts to communicate with Hamas leaders inside the territory who went into hiding after Oct. 7. The war has led to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people are crammed into shelters and tent camps amid shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies. Israel's foreign minister traveled to Cyprus to discuss the possibility of establishing a maritime corridor that would allow the delivery of large amounts of humanitarian aid to Gaza. At least 46 people were killed and more than 100 wounded early Wednesday after Israel bombarded the urban Jabaliya refugee camp near Gaza City, according to Munir al-Bursh, a senior Health Ministry official. At least five people were killed and dozens injured in another strike that hit three residential homes and a mosque in Gaza's southern city of Rafah Wednesday, health officials said. The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Tuesday the death toll since the start of the war had risen to more than 19,600. It does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths. Israel's military says 134 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza ground offensive. Israel says it has killed some 7,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas, saying it uses them as human shields when it fights in residential areas.

Report: KSA, France mull plan to send Hamas leaders to Algeria
Naharnet/December 21, 2023
A confidential document, developed by a think tank in Riyadh, outlines a plan to end the crisis in Gaza, French newspaper Le Monde has reported. In addition to the transfer of Hamas’ military leaders to Algeria, the plan suggests deploying an Arab peacekeeping force in the Palestinian enclave, the French daily said. Le Monde said the confidential document which it has obtained is devised by Abdelaziz al-Saqer, the director of the Gulf Research Center, a Saudi think tank. “The text was developed following a meeting on November 19 in Riyadh between Mr. al-Saqer and Anne Grillo, the director of the North Africa and the Middle East Department at the Quai d'Orsay (French Foreign Ministry),” Le Monde added. The document suggests ways to stop hostilities in Gaza and stabilize the enclave. Its most significant mentioned step is the evacuation to Algiers of "the military and security leaders of Hamas," a phrase likely referring to Mohammed Deif, the commander of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, and possibly also Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, who is very close to the military wing. Algeria is cited as a possible destination of exile for these men because of its good relations with Qatar and Iran, "the main supporters of the Hamas movement," and its "security capacity," which would allow it to “control the activities of these leaders.”The idea is reminiscent of the evacuation by boat, in 1982, of Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian fighters from Beirut, then besieged by the Israeli army. The leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization and his fighters reached Athens, under escort of the French navy, before settling in Tunis. Other points in al-Saqer's draft plan include the deployment of Arab peacekeeping forces to Gaza, under a United Nations mandate, and the creation of a "joint transition council," bringing together the main parties in Gaza -- Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah. They would be “responsible for managing the enclave for four years and organizing presidential and parliamentary elections,” the document says.

Israeli Embassy attacks BBC and Eurovision contestant Olly Alexander after ‘zionist propaganda’ comments
Dominic Penna/The Telegraph/December 21, 2023
Israel has accused the BBC of shirking its “moral responsibility” after The Telegraph revealed its choice of Eurovision entrant branded the country an “apartheid regime”. Olly Alexander, who the Corporation has selected to represent Britain in the song contest in Sweden in May, put his name to a letter that also accused the Middle East nation of genocide. Anti-Semitism campaigners have demanded that the corporation cut ties with the pop star but it is understood the national broadcaster does not plan to take any action. The letter signed by Alexander, which attacked the Israeli military response to the October 7 terror attacks, was published just under two weeks after the massacre, in which Hamas began its war against Israel by killing more than 1,300 people. Sharing a link to this newspaper’s report on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Embassy of Israel in London said: “Clearly, Olly Alexander graduated from the Middle Eastern School of TikTok. “We would be happy to arrange a trip for you to visit the Oct 7 massacre sites in Israel, where the rights of LGBTQ+ [people] are celebrated, protected and cherished. Unfortunately, our neighbours can’t guarantee the same.”
TikTok has been accused of failing to do enough to stop the spread of pro-Hamas propaganda and anti-Semitic content during the conflict. The company has said that its algorithm does not influence impressionable users, and that it has removed hundreds of thousands of videos related to the war.
Same-sex activity between men is illegal in Palestine and carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years, while Israel is seen as the most gay-friendly country in the Middle East, hosting annual pride parades in big cities.
It came as the Israeli government joined criticism of Alexander, labelling his arguments “absurd” and accusing those who signed the letter of anti-Israel bias.
‘Absurd obsession’
An Israeli official told The Telegraph: “Few things are more absurd than the queer community standing with a radical Islamist society in its obsession to destroy the only country in the Middle East where queer people can simply be themselves. “It warrants serious research to figure out where it is coming from, if not from pure anti-Semitism. As for genocide – it is defined as ‘acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group’.“It is clear to any unbiased person that the only genocide in this country took place on October 7, and the victims were Israelis.”
An Israeli Embassy spokesman told The Telegraph: “Yet again, the BBC has fallen well short of its moral responsibility to adhere to the standard of due impartiality. “Particularly at this time, the decision of the BBC to send an entrant to Eurovision who espouses such partial views of Israel and promotes such dehumanising language of Israelis is a major cause for concern.”The letter that was signed by Alexander, and coordinated by LGBT group Voices4London, labelled solidarity with Palestine a “queer issue” and railed against “Zionist propaganda” and “unthinking philosemitism”.On Thursday, the broadcaster Angela Epstein, who is Jewish, joined calls for the BBC to drop Alexander from the contest and accused it of a “pathetic” response to the letter. “It’s a bit of a dog ate my homework excuse that he signed it before he was appointed,” Epstein told LBC Radio. “With profile comes responsibility, so he’s propagating lies which are anti-Israel which therefore contribute to spiralling anti-Semitism… It’s a bit like [Gary] Lineker, with profile comes responsibility. A lot of people listen to you and it’s a privilege that they listen to you, so you have to be accurate. “The BBC, which is already being accused of bias in its reporting of Israel … They are grasping at straws to justify their position. If they really want to do something for the Jewish community or anyone who believes in humanity or equality they should make him stand down.”Since the Oct 7 attacks, the BBC has faced heavy criticism of its coverage of fighting between Israeli troops and Hamas, a group it refuses to refer to as “terrorists”.The BBC declined to comment on Alexander’s comments. A representative for the pop star and Voices4London were contacted for comment.

Palestinians support Hamas decision to go to war with Israel, survey suggests, with no political solution on horizon
Andrew Carey and Abeer Salman, CNN/December 21, 2023
If Ramallah has a center, it is Al-Manara Square. Six roads meet here, and pedestrians weave their way confidently across the tight roundabout, forcing cars to make way. It is always busy. Demonstrators will rally here to protest, but when CNN visited on a Sunday morning, people were going about their business. All the same, photos from the war in Gaza posted in the square and hung on banners and fences remind anyone who needs reminding of the horrors unfolding not far away. “This destruction resembles the conscience of the world,” reads one poster, under a picture of rescue workers clearing rubble.
Another photograph shows ambulances outside a hospital with the text, “Medical Heroes demand action: Stop the Massacre in Gaza!”At his office about a mile away, where desks and shelves groan under piles of paperwork, Khalil Shikaki is thinking about the conflict.
Palestinians, he says, overwhelmingly support the Hamas decision to go to war with Israel. His research company, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR), has just published the findings of its latest survey into Palestinian attitudes.
Seven hundred and fifty adults were interviewed face to face in the West Bank, and 481 were interviewed in Gaza, also in person. The Gaza data collection was done during the recent truce, when it was safer for researchers to move about.
The survey, which has a four-point margin of error (rather than the usual three-point), found that almost three-quarters (72%) of all respondents believe Hamas’s decision to launch its attack on Israel on October 7 was “correct.”Less than a quarter (22%) said it was “incorrect.”But that doesn’t mean support for atrocities, he adds. “No one should see this as support for any atrocities that might have been committed by Hamas on that day.”“Palestinians believe that diplomacy and negotiations are not an option available to them, that only violence and armed struggle is the means to end the siege and blockade over Gaza, and in general to end the Israeli occupation,” Shikaki said. This important distinction is teased out by three of the poll’s data points. Almost 80% of respondents told PCPSR researchers that killing women and children in their homes is a war crime. An even higher number (85%) of respondents said they had not watched videos shown by international news outlets of acts committed by Hamas on October 7 – a figure which may hint at why only 10% of those surveyed said they believed Hamas had committed war crimes that day. To a considerable extent, Palestinians, just like Israelis, are getting a skewed perspective from their media. In addition to this bubble effect, Shikaki says, there might also be a desire to avoid other sources to maintain deniability. Denial, as he says, is useful during periods of stress and pain.
Polling in a war zone comes with difficulties even in the lulls. Interviewing people in the center and south of the enclave was relatively straightforward as most were still at home, but surveying people from the north of Gaza was partially compromised because so many had been displaced to shelters.
Separated territories, divergent attitudes
Gaza and the West Bank, what are now called the Palestinian territories, have been geographically separated since 1948. Recent decades have seen that separation take root between the two populations, not least because it has become harder and harder for Palestinians to move between the territories.
Since 2005, when Israel moved its soldiers and settlers out of Gaza and essentially sealed off the territory with help from Egypt, the day-to-day experiences of Palestinians in Gaza have diverged even further from those of Palestinians in the West Bank. Politically, the territories are split. The Palestinian Authority under aging President Mahmoud Abbas has partial control over the West Bank, while Hamas controls what goes on inside Gaza – or it did until Israel invaded. These differences are reflected across the attitudes surveyed, in particular, on the use of violence. In Gaza, support for armed struggle has risen only slightly from 50% in September 2022 (a year before the current war) to 56% in December 2023. In the West Bank, however, support has been rising dramatically from 35% in September 2022 to 54% in September 2023 (a month before the war). This month, polled support for armed struggle reached 68% in the West Bank. Shikaki says these divergences reflect the rise in attacks by violent Jewish settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank, which have drawn condemnation from the US and Europe, along with the pervasive sense that Israel’s current hard-right government is not overly perturbed by that state of affairs.
Hamas, unsurprisingly perhaps, finds growing support, especially among West Bank Palestinians. Backing for the militant group as a political party has increased there nearly four-fold (from 12% to 44%) in the three months between September 2023 and December 2023. In besieged Gaza, by contrast, support has remained relatively stable with 38% support in September and 42% in December. Fatah, the secular-nationalist party of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Abbas, which led the Palestine Liberation Organization to its historic agreements with Israel in the 1990s — which created the PA but crucially did not get around to solving some of the conflict’s most fundamental issues — has seen its support fall across the territories from 26% three months ago to 17% now.
Support for Abbas himself is even lower – so low, in fact, that he is seen as almost entirely discredited.
Out of denial, towards a reckoning?
But Shikaki cautions that higher support for Hamas should not be over-stated, at least not yet. As more Palestinians come to terms with the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, so attitudes could change — though that is unlikely to be the case so long as Gaza remains under massive attack.
Important again is how many people have watched videos from October 7 and the differences between the territories. In Gaza, 25% of those asked said they had viewed such videos; and 16% of all respondents told researchers Hamas had committed war crimes. In the West Bank, the corresponding numbers were just 7% and 1%. Gaza is moving out of denial more quickly than the West Bank, Shikaki says, and that means a reckoning for Hamas. Already, only 38% of Gazans want to see the militant group return to governance after the war.
But it is not just greater awareness of events on a single day that matter. It is also what happens when politics resumes when the war is over, and whether Palestinians see any sort of political horizon. At a time when people believe the only way to get Israel to end the occupation is by inflicting pain and suffering on Israelis, Palestinians see Hamas as the party most capable of delivering violence effectively, Shikaki says. On the other hand, “if and when you give the Palestinians the option of negotiating a permanent end to Israeli occupation and the creation of a Palestinian state … support for Hamas will probably decline to below where it was before the war,” he says. Support for the two-state solution has remained largely stable across Gaza and the West Bank over the past three months, moving from 32% to 34%, but historically, those figures are still low. In the past, PCPSR polling has shown support for the existence of an independent Palestine sitting next to the state of Israel at between 70% and 80%. US President Joe Biden has sought to convince both Israelis and the Palestinians that he sees negotiations as important, saying last month, “I don’t think (the conflict) ultimately ends until there is a two-state solution.” The problem is, Palestinians do not seem to believe him. Nearly three-quarters (70%) of respondents said they do not regard US talk about Palestinian statehood as serious. Shikaki says it is obvious why this is so. “Since you have all that power, people are not going to believe you if you say, well, I can’t use leverage against Israel. So, the conclusion is you are paying lip service to the two-state solution, but you have absolutely no intention of doing anything to make it a reality.”

Liberals echo Hamas condemnation after militant leader hails Canada ceasefire stance
OTTAWA/The Canadian Press/December 21, 2023
The Liberal government is insisting that Hamas must surrender to Israel, after the armed militant group praised Canada for being one of the countries calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. "Hamas cannot have any role in the future governance of Gaza or in the two-state solution," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday at a news conference in Toronto. He was referring to the eventual creation of a Palestinian state living in peace alongside Israel. On Monday, Hamas released a video message on the platform Telegram, where one of its top officials, Ghazi Hamad, spoke about a joint statement that Trudeau and the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand released last week on the Middle East. That Dec. 12 statement came shortly before Canada voted in favour of a non-binding resolution at the United Nations that called for "an immediate humanitarian ceasefire" between Israel and Hamas — a major shift from Canada's long-standing policy at the international body. In the English-language video, Hamad mentioned the statement from Canada, Australia and New Zealand after noting "growing calls by several Western governments to end the aggression on Gaza." He said Hamas welcomed these moves "in the right direction" toward isolating Israel. He left out the fact that the statement also condemned the Oct. 7 attacks against Israel by Hamas, which killed some 1,200 people, including hundreds of civilians, and 240 were taken hostage. His video message also did not mention the three prime ministers made demands of Hamas in any ceasefire. "This cannot be one-sided. Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lay down its arms," the Dec. 12 statement said. "There is no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza."The statement from Canada, Australia and New Zealand had also recognized that Israel has a right to exist and to defend itself, while respecting international humanitarian law. "The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians," it said. More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its bombardment of Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 attacks, local authorities say, with while nearly 85 per cent of the 2.3 million people in the territory having been driven from their homes. On Wednesday, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs shared an excerpt of the video from Hamas on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, calling it the result of a "failure to hold Hamas accountable."
The organization, which had said last week it was "disgusted" by Canada's vote at the UN, added: "The Canadian-listed terrorist entity's praise for Canada is a reflection of the government's new position on the Israel-Hamas war." Within hours, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly released a statement on X, noting that the three-country statement had condemned Hamas's brazen attack on Israel. "Our statement was clear: for a ceasefire to be sustainable, Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lay down its arms," Joly wrote. "They do not represent the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people." On Thursday, Trudeau did not elaborate on how he thinks there could be a situation created where Palestinians govern themselves without Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007. Trudeau instead reiterated Canada's condemnation of the group. "Hamas was responsible for the cold-blooded execution of over 1,000 Israeli citizens on Oct. 7, and has committed to continuing those attacks long into the future," Trudeau said. "We need to build with a secure and free Israel alongside a secure and free Palestinian state," he said. "That is the work we need to do and we are absolutely committed to it. And that's why we're calling for humanitarian pauses as quickly as possible and working urgently towards a ceasefire with international partners." Trudeau said talks with fellow countries in the G7, as well as those in the Middle East, are aimed at such an outcome. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2023.

Israeli army says killed over two thousand fighters in Gaza since December
AFP/December 21, 2023 
On Thursday, the Israeli army stated that it has killed over two thousand fighters in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of December in the context of the ongoing war with the Hamas movement. The army spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, mentioned in a press conference, "Since the truce ended, our forces have eliminated more than 2,000 terrorists by air, land, and sea."

Israel strike kills head of Gaza side of border crossing
Agence France Presse/December 21, 2023
An Israeli strike killed the head of the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Thursday, Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip said. Crossing director Bassem Ghaben and three other people were killed as Israeli aircraft targeted the infrastructure, the crossings authority and the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory said. The Israeli army and COGAT, the defense ministry body responsible for Palestinian civil affairs, did not immediately respond to requests from AFP for comment. After weeks of pressure, Israel approved the temporary reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing on Friday to enable aid to be delivered directly to Gaza, rather than through the Rafah crossing from Egypt. United Nations official Tor Wennesland said Tuesday that Israel's "limited" steps to allow aid into Gaza were "positive, but fall far short of what is needed to address the human catastrophe on the ground". The U.N. estimates 1.9 million of Gaza's 2.4 million residents have been displaced and concerns are growing about the ability of aid groups to help. The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. The Hamas government's media office said Wednesday that Israel's retaliatory assault had killed at least 20,000 people in the Palestinian territory, with 8,000 children and 6,200 women among the dead.

Cameron sets out commitment to do everything possible to get aid into Gaza
David Hughes, PA Political Editor/ December 21, 2023
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said “everything that can be done must be done” to get aid into Gaza, including the possibility of using British ships to bring supplies by sea. The former prime minister, on an official visit to Egpyt, said he wanted to see the United Nations Security Council reach consensus on a resolution on humanitarian relief. Lord Cameron said the UK was “pushing very hard” to ensure aid supplies reach Gaza, both through the reopened Kerem Shalom border crossing and possibly by sea. He said: “Are there opportunities for aid to come from Cyprus in British ships to be delivered to Gaza? We’re working on that. “Everything that can be done, must be done to get aid into Gaza to help people in the desperate situation they are in.” At the UN in New York, the US is working intensively to find a compromise resolution it will not veto on the supply of aid. The US has been struggling to change the text’s references to a cessation of hostilities in the Israel-Hamas war. Another sticking point is the inspection of aid trucks into Gaza to ensure they are only carrying humanitarian goods, with Israel – and by extension its ally the US – likely to oppose the draft resolution’s call for the UN to be given that role.
At a press conference with his counterpart in Cairo, Lord Cameron said: “We are very keen to see consensus arrived at so that Security Council resolution – which is really all about aid and the delivery of aid, and the need to upscale the aid and the need for it to get through in far bigger numbers – that can go through. Talks continue and Britain will do what it can to try and build that consensus in New York at the Security Council.” Lord Cameron again restated the UK’s call for Israel to respect international humanitarian law as it continues its military offensive in Gaza.
He also said Benjamin Netanyahu’s government must not do anything to jeopardise the long-term prospect of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, rejected a two-state solution in an interview with Sky News earlier this month.
Lord Cameron said: “We’ve been very clear with Israel, there can be no permanent occupation of Gaza, no displacement of people from Gaza, no diminution of the size of the Palestinian territories. “All of those things would be wrong and we’ve made that very clear. Obviously, it is difficult to get from where we are now to where we want to be. “But sometimes you have to use moments of crisis as potential moments of opportunity.”Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also restated his commitment to a two-state solution. “We are strongly in favour of a two-state solution. And that has to be something which international partners are very, very clear about and it’s not in the gift of Israel,” he said.

Russia has fired 7,400 missiles, 3,700 Shahed drones in war so far, Kyiv says
Reuters/December 21, 2023
Russia has launched about 7,400 missiles and 3,700 Shahed attack drones at targets in Ukraine during its 22-month-old invasion, Kyiv said on Thursday, illustrating the vast scale of Moscow's aerial assaults. Ukrainian air defences were able to shoot down 1,600 of the missiles and 2,900 of the drones, air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said in televised comments. "We are faced with an enormous aggressor, and we are fighting back," he said. He said the lower missile downing rate was due to the use of supersonic ballistic missiles, which are much harder to hit, as well as the fact that the West supplied Ukraine with advanced Patriot air defence systems only well into the war. Ukraine has received advanced air defence systems, including several Patriots, from Western allies throughout the invasion, allowing it to shoot down more missiles. Meanwhile the cheaply-produced, Iranian-made Shahed drones, known in Ukraine for their noisy petrol engines, have been used more and more frequently in Russia's aerial assaults on Ukrainian infrastructure far behind the war's front lines in the east and south of the country. "Ten to 15 regions are involved in shooting down Shaheds every night," Ihnat said. Russia says it only fires on military targets though Moscow has also admitted to targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Russia says it does not target civilians, despite thousands of documented civilian deaths throughout the war. Russia began launching the drones at infrastructure facilities in September 2022. They initially confused Ukraine's air defences, as they were harder for standard air defence radars to detect than missiles, which forced Kyiv to adapt. The use of the drones in massed attacks then created a dilemma for Ukraine as they were so cheap to produce it was not cost-effective to down them with expensive air defence missiles. Ukraine now uses vehicles with mounted machine guns to shoot down drones. "We were shooting at them with everything we could find, with pistols, submachine guns," Ihnat said, recalling the early attempts to down the drones. "Well, even then it became clear that the target is not simple, there are many complications, mistakes. You need to prepare." Western media outlets and analysts have produced evidence, including satellite imagery, of Russia setting up its own Shahed production facilities.

UN says up to 300,000 Sudanese fled their homes after a notorious group seized their safe haven
CAIRO (AP)/December 21, 2023
Fighting between Sudan's military and a notorious paramilitary group forced up to 300,000 people to flee their homes in a province that had been a safe haven for families displaced by the devastating conflict in the northeastern African country, the U.N. said Thursday. The fighting erupted in the city of Wad Medani, the provincial capital of Jazeera province, after the Rapid Support Forces attacked the city earlier this month. The RSF said that it took over Wad Medani earlier this week, and the military said that its troops withdrew from the city, and an investigation was opened.
Sudan’s war began in mid-April after months of tensions between military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan and RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. Both generals led a military coup in October 2021 that derailed Sudan’s short-lived transition to democracy following a popular uprising that forced the removal of President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. The U.N. agency International Organization for Migration said that between 250,000 and 300,000 people fled the province — many reportedly on foot — to safer areas in the provinces of al-Qadarif, Sinnar and the White Nile. Some sheltered in camps for displaced people and many sought shelter in local communities, it said. Jazeera, Sudan’s breadbasket, was home to about 6 million Sudanese. Since the war, about 500,000 displaced fled to the province, mostly from the capital, Khartoum, which has been the center of fighting, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Medani, which is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Khartoum, had hosted more than 86,000 of the displaced, OCHA said. The World Food Program announced Wednesday that it has temporarily halted food assistance in some parts of Jazeera, in what it described a “major setback” to humanitarian efforts in the province. The U.N. food agency said that it had provided assistance to 800,000 people in the province, including many families that fled the fighting in Khartoum. The conflict in Sudan has wrecked the country and killed up to 9,000 people as of October, according to the United Nations. However, activists and doctors’ groups say the real toll is far higher. More than 7 million people were forced out of their homes, including more than 1.5 million who have sought refuge in neighboring countries, according to the U.N. figures. Chad received more than 500,000 refugees, mostly from Sudan's western region of Darfur, where the RSF conquered much of its areas. The fighting in Wad Medani forced many aid groups, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, to evacuate its staff from the city, which was a center of the humanitarian operations in the country.
The RSF takeover prompted fears among Wad Medani residents that they would carry out atrocities in their city as they did in the capital, Khartoum, and Darfur. The U.N. and rights groups have accused the RSF of atrocities in Darfur, which was the scene of a genocidal campaign in the early 2000s.
The RSF grew out of the state-backed Arab militias known as Janjaweed, which were accused of widespread killings, rapes and other atrocities in the Darfur conflict. Ahmed Tag el-Sir, a father of three, fled along with his family to the neighboring province of al-Qadarif after the RSF rampaged through their village of al-Sharfa Barakar north of Wad Medani. “They shelled the village and took over residents’ homes, like they did in Darfur,” the man said from a relative’s house where he shelters along with two other families. “We fled out of fear of being killed or our women being raped by the Janjaweed.”

Russian wives accuse the country's security service of forcing their husbands to lie about war conditions, calling Putin a 'coward' and 'our rat king,' report says
Lindsay Dodgson/Business Insider/December 21/ 2023
Russian wives have accused the country's security service of making their husbands lie about the war.They claimed the FSB threatened to send their husbands to their deaths if they did not oblige. The women are part of the "Way Home" group, made up mostly of soldiers' families, The Times reported.
They claimed the FSB threatened to send their husbands to their deaths if they did not oblige. The women are part of the "Way Home" group, made up mostly of soldiers' families, Russian wives have accused the country's security service (FSB) of making their husbands lie about the conditions they're facing in the Ukraine war, The Times reported. They claimed that the FSB threatened to send their husbands to die if they did not comply with their orders, per The Times, which cited the Telegram channel of a group containing soldiers' family members called the "Way Home" group. A post on the channel stated that the FSB had been questioning the husbands of activists in the group, taken their phones, and would not give them back until "information about their wives" was collected. The FSB also demanded soldiers get their wives to "shut up," the post claims."Next comes threats like 'record a video saying that everything here suits you, or we will send you into an assault without a return ticket,'" the post continues, per The Times. The group believes keeping soldiers on the front line indefinitely goes against Russian law and is advocating for them to be brought back home. They have bombarded Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual phone-in news conference with questions about when their husbands can come home and attempted to stage protests, The Times reported. "Why do we need a president that pretends we don't exist? Who lives only in TV completely under his control?" the post reads, per The Times. "These are obvious methods of cowards and rats. And who is our rat king?" Despite the dangers of speaking out publicly against Putin or the Russian military, the group has shared videos of women anxiously calling for their husbands to be returned from the front, The Times reported. The war in Ukraine has come at a heavy price for Putin's forces, with a recently declassified US intelligence report suggesting that nearly 90% of the 360,000 troops with which Russia began its invasion have been killed or injured, a source familiar with the intelligence said, per Reuters. These losses have forced Russia to take steps to keep its war machine going, with recruitment standards altering dramatically. "The scale of losses has forced Russia to take extraordinary measures to sustain its ability to fight. Russia declared a partial mobilization of 300,000 personnel in late 2022, and has relaxed standards to allow recruitment of convicts and older civilians," the US report said, according to Reuters' source. Russia has also started to attempt to forcibly enlist Ukrainian civilians in occupied towns and regions, the watchdog Human Rights Watch reported.

Macron considers Houthi attacks in Red Sea 'an unacceptable threat'
AFP/December 21/ 2023
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron deemed the attacks carried out by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea "an unacceptable threat." Addressing French military personnel deployed in Jordan, he expressed that in this region, crucial for global maritime transportation, the threat posed by the Houthis to navigation freedom is unacceptable. He commended the "central role" played by the French Navy in recent days in confronting this threat.

More than 20 countries join coalition to protect Red Sea shipping
AFP/December 22, 2023
WASHINGTON: More than 20 countries have joined the US-led coalition to protect Red Sea shipping from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The Iran-backed Houthis have repeatedly targeted vessels in the vital shipping lane with strikes they say are in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel is battling militant group Hamas. “We’ve had over 20 nations now sign on to participate” in the coalition, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told journalists. Ryder said the Houthis are “attacking the economic wellbeing and prosperity of nations around the world,” effectively becoming “bandits along the international highway that is the Red Sea.”Coalition forces will “serve as a highway patrol of sorts, patrolling the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to respond to — and assist as necessary — commercial vessels that are transiting this vital international waterway,” he said, calling on the Houthis to cease their attacks. The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict began when the Palestinian militant group carried out a shock cross-border attack on October 7 that killed around 1,140 people in Israel, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel began a relentless bombardment of targets in Gaza, alongside a ground invasion, which Gaza’s Hamas government on Wednesday said has killed at least 20,000 people. Those deaths have provoked widespread anger in the Middle East and provided an impetus for attacks by armed groups in the region, including the Houthi strikes on Red Sea shipping. The United States announced the multinational Red Sea coalition on Monday, while the Houthis warned two days later that they would strike back if attacked.

Houthi rebels threaten to strike US warships if Yemen is attacked
Associated Press/December 21/ 2023
The top leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels has threatened to target U.S. warships if attacks are launched against Yemen, a day after Washington announced a new international coalition to protect commercial vessels sailing through the Red Sea. For weeks, the Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have been attacking ships transiting the Red Sea with drones and ballistic missiles. The group has said their attacks aim to end Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip. But the Israeli ties to the commercial ships targeted by the hardline Shia force have grown more tenuous with each attack. In an hourlong speech, Abdel Malek al-Houthi said, “America seeks to militarize the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, seeking to turn the region into a war zone.”On Tuesday, Washington announced the establishment of a new international coalition to protect vessels traveling through the Red Sea. The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain have joined the new maritime security mission, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. Bahrain is the only Arab country in the coalition, and it does not border the Red Sea. Few additional details about how the maritime alliance will operate were made public. The rebel leader also accused other Arab countries of intercepting its missile fire bound for Israel. In both cases, no specific country was named. The Houthis control the capital, Sanaa, several northern provinces bordering Saudi Arabia as well as much of the western highlands and Red Sea ports.

US grants political asylum to widow of Saudi journalist Khashoggi
Reuters/December 21/ 2023
The Washington Post reported today, Thursday, that the widow of the slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been granted political asylum in the United States. The newspaper quoted Hanan Elatr as saying, after reading the notification letter, " I couldn't really believe it." Khashoggi, who wrote articles for The Washington Post, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

Number of displaced persons due to war in Sudan exceeds seven million: United Nations
AFP/December 21/2023
The war that erupted in April in Sudan between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has led to the displacement of 7.1 million people, announced the United Nations on Thursday, describing it as the "largest displacement crisis in the world."
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated that recent battles in the central part of the country forced 300,000 people to flee, and "these new operations bring the number of displaced to 7.1 million," including 1.5 million who sought refuge in neighboring countries.

Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 21-22/2023
It’s not just Zelensky’s war ...The Ukrainian leader is right to say that if Putin wins, America loses
Clifford D. May/The Washington Times/December 21/2023 |
The meeting is scheduled to start at 6 PM so I arrive at the Ukrainian embassy ten minutes early. I’m ushered into a room that’s already filled with three dozen think tankers, opinion journalists, and other denizens of what we like to call the “foreign policy community.”
Volodymyr Zelensky has not made them wait.
Wearing his signature khaki shirt – his way of communicating that he’s a fulltime wartime leader – he’s energetically shaking hand after hand.
Is he really feeling so upbeat or is he drawing on his experience as a professional actor?
Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova asks everyone to take a seat at a long, rectangular table. Still standing, she welcomes her guests, then turns to President Zelensky, who is already sitting, and suggests he makes opening remarks.
“You’ve just done that,” he says. “Let’s talk.”
Though this get-together was not on the record, I don’t think I’m disclosing secrets when I tell you that Mr. Zelensky believes Ukrainians have made more progress in their defensive war than his critics acknowledge.
True, the recent Ukrainian counteroffensive failed to oust the Russian invaders from Donbas, a strip of eastern Ukraine, and from the northern coast of the Sea of Azov.
But the Ukrainians have prevented the Russians from seizing more territory, in the process, destroying nearly 90 percent of Russia’s prewar military machine, including much of Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Ukrainian grain is again being shipped to countries that need it.
This could not have been accomplished without American support and Mr. Zelensky is grateful.
But while that support has kept Ukrainians from losing, it hasn’t been sufficient to give them a serious chance of winning.
What would winning look like? Ideally, Ukrainians would reclaim every inch of their territory.
Failing that, Russian ruler Vladimir Putin would calculate that the price of conquering and subjugating Ukrainians is too high. He’d then seek the proverbial off-ramp.
Ukrainians are wary of “diplomatic solutions.” Among their reasons: In 1994, they gave up their nuclear weapons. In exchange, Russia signed the Budapest Memorandum pledging to “refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine.” Russia’s word is, obviously, not its bond.
In that same memo, the U.S. and Britain promised to “provide assistance…if Ukraine should become a victim of an act of aggression.”
Some Republicans now want to end that assistance. That would confirm Mr. Putin’s belief that Americans, sooner or later, will abandon Ukrainians, as Americans abandoned their Afghan allies in 2021.
The reasons some Republicans oppose assistance are various. A few are so delusional as to believe that Mr. Putin – an ex-KGB colonel allied with Communist China and Islamist Iran – is a defender of the Christian West.
Others are simply frightened of him.
“The United States isn’t going to risk World War III to guarantee Ukraine’s 1991 borders,” John Daniel Davidson, a senior editor at The Federalist wrote last week.
Would the United States risk World War III to guarantee that Taiwan is not swallowed by Chinese forces commanded by Xi Jinping? I suspect Mr. Xi will think that highly unlikely should the U.S. now give up on Ukraine.
Bolstering this analysis are President Biden’s relentless attempts to appease Iran’s rulers even as their proxies are attacking American outposts in the Middle East – more than 90 times over the last two months alone.
Simultaneously, the Houthis in Yemen, another client of Tehran, are attacking commercial ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most strategic waterways.
Speaking of strategy, back in 1990, President George H.W. Bush deployed American troops to force Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. That was not because he regarded the emirate as a Jeffersonian democracy.
Rather, he recognized the strategic necessity of upholding the most fundamental rule of the international order established by the U.S. after World War II: Big, bully nations are not to gobble up smaller, weaker nations.
Ukrainians now, unlike Kuwaitis then, are not asking Americans to fight for them – only to give them the guns and bullets they need to defend their lands and independence.
Also unlike Kuwait, Ukraine is a fledgling democracy. The country’s last elections in 2019 were free and fair, as on-the-ground election observers – I was one of them – attested.
Has Ukrainian democracy been attenuated two years into a grueling existential war? Sure, but the same was true in America during the Civil War. Should Republicans therefore join the woke mobs toppling statues of Lincoln?
What about corruption? That’s a malady that afflicts many countries – the U.S. not excluded. South Korea was deeply corrupt after the U.S. fought a bloody war to prevent it from falling under the jackboot of a North Korean tyrant backed by Beijing and Moscow.
Worth noting: Mr. Zelensky has passed five new anti-corruption laws in the past six months.
Also relevant: Most of the money being spent on Ukraine is not being spent in Ukraine. It’s being spent in America on weapons made by Americans in American factories in at least 31 states. Those weapons are then replaced by new and more advanced versions for use by American forces.
That’s furthering what should be recognized as the urgent task of restoring America’s atrophied defense-industrial base at a time of increasing global disorder.
At the embassy meeting last week, Mr. Zelensky was adamant that Ukrainians will never submit to Mr. Putin, a wannabe czar espousing an anti-Western ideology.
Ukrainians, he made clear, aspire to become a full-fledged European nation – one willing and able to help defend the American-led Free World.
An America that turns its back on Ukraine will be seen as an America in steep decline. What America’s enemies will do then should not be difficult to imagine.
*Clifford D. May is founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and a columnist for the Washington Times.

The Red Sea’s muddled landscape
Haitham El-Zobaidi/The Arab Weekly/December 21/2023
Westerners wish they could turn back the clock to the year 2018. Perhaps, if they could, they would reverse their decision to interfere with the course of the battle for the Hodeidah Port and the Yemeni Red Sea coast. The UAE-backed Southern Giants Brigades (Amaliqa) were firmly advancing and liberating the coastal cities and those nearby, all the way to Hodeidah. At a crucial moment in that battle, when the Giants’ forces were at the gates of the city and the port of Hodeidah, the West, especially Britain, intervened to abort the military campaign by exerting tremendous pressure on the coalition countries and prevent them from entering the city and taking control of the port.
The Houthis today are threatening maritime navigation in the Red Sea under the pretext of pressuring Israel to stop its destruction of Gaza and its killing of the Palestinians. In reality, they see in the current situation an unique opportunity for themselves and for all Iranian supporters to show the world who today controls one of the most important sea lanes in the world. Even if there were no Gaza war, the Houthis would have found another excuse. The show of force in the Red Sea is a Houthi and Iranian reminder of who won the Yemen war.
There is more than one loser in the Houthis’ victory in the Yemen war. No one talks any more about the Yemenis’ predicament under Houthi rule. It is a forgone conclusion. But what worries the world and the region is the Houthis’ assertion that they are a force to be reckoned with in the region, one capable of imposing its conditions first on the ground, and now at sea.
The first loser in this is Egypt. Egypt appears relatively distant, at least geographically, from the conflict in Yemen. But today it is in the eye of the storm. The Red Sea has two gates: the first is the Suez Canal and the second is the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Close one of these two gates, and the Red Sea turns into a lake with one entrance which is also its only exit. The major shipping companies that have refrained from sending container ships through the Red Sea say that the number of ships that will pass through the Suez Canal will sharply decline. It has already dawned upon the rest of the world how serious the matter is during the Arab-Israeli conflict. At that time, the Suez Canal was closed after Israel occupied the Sinai in 1967 and the canal turned into a “forbidden zone” amid the conflict between Israeli and Egyptian forces. The inability of ships to traverse the Suez Canal comes with a high cost for Egypt.
Then there are the drones and missiles launched by the Houthis under the pretext of targeting Israel. They did not hit any Israeli targets, but they struck more than one location on the Egyptian shore of the Gulf of Aqaba. Whether the Houthis were intentionally targeting Egypt or striking it because of drone programming errors, their threat has been taken seriously by Egypt which is shooting down Houthi drones that come near its borders.
The word that the Egyptians repeated when the Yemen war broke out was that they were ready to intervene at a “moment’s notice”. This pledge never translated into something tangible as no Egyptian forces intervened although the area involved was clearly situated in the country’s vital space.
Today the Houthis have their own definition of what a “moment’s notice” or a “stone’s throw away”, the other expression cherished by Egyptians in the context of Yemen. Today, Egypt is a “stone’s throw away” from the Houthis but the Houthis are not a “stone’s throw away” from Egypt.
The Saudi-led coalition is the second loser. It is now paying the price for heeding Western threats when it was at the gates of Hodeidah. Perhaps, the least that can be said is that the West has blackmailed the coalition countries politically and through media pressures. The British, in particular, imagined that they would have their share of Yemeni spoils of war. Coordination in 2018 reached its apex between the British and the Iranians. Part of their calculation was related to Yemen. The coalition countries found themselves under great pressure to stop their Hodeidah offensive, and international envoys concocted an agreement which practically restored Houthi control over the city and its port after the pro-Iranian rebel forces had withdrawn outside the city.
Since the day the Hodeidah battle ended, the course of the conflict has turned completely in favour of the Houthis, who set their conditions and were adamant about sticking to them. The Arab coalition agreed to their terms even if it was after some debate. It can be said that the Houthis started acting from a position of strength vis à vis the region and the rest of the world the day after Hodeidah. The situation has reached a point where the strategic danger posed by the presence of a pro-Iranian sectarian entity south of the Arabian Peninsula does not matter any more.
All that does seem to matter now is the signing of a peace agreement with the Houthis and turning the current truce into a permanent peace agreement. Saudi Arabia, for example, does not want to admit that some of the ships targeted during the past two weeks were headed to Saudi ports and not to Israel. The war in Gaza and all the Houthi escalation have not changed the pace of the peace agreement process. The deal is said to be awaiting final Houthi approval before its signing.
There is no doubt that the West, which also stands to lose a lot in the new situation, does not want Saudi Arabia to sign a peace agreement with the Houthis, having now become aware of the danger they pose. One can assume that Saudi Arabia will respond by telling the West: we will sign a peace agreement with the Houthis and end the war, then you can form your coalition and target them.
Western hypocrisy, or confusion, is not simply illustrated by the double standards when it comes to Israel and its crimes against Palestinians in Gaza and beyond. Rather, these double standards are exposed by the way the Houthis are dealt with during the ongoing war in Gaza. The West has underestimated the daunting task of preventing the war’s spillover beyond Gaza’ borders. With two aircraft carriers deployed in the eastern Mediterranean, it has made sure that Hezbollah’s intervention would be a mere show of force without strategic value. Houthi drones, even those that escape the hunting gaze of the Western warships deployed along the sea route between Yemen and the Gulf of Aqaba, never constituted a threat which warranted raising any alarm, until the Houthis’ ratcheted up their ambitions and began to disrupt navigation in the Red Sea and target ships with missile attacks and helicopter assaults.
There is no doubt that the West cannot sit idly by. It is now wondering how to achieve two conflicting goals at the same time: prevent the expansion of the Gaza war while targeting the Houthis. Some Western countries, which have an historic presence in the region, rushed to review their assets. France is now renewing its relations with Djibouti. Feeling concerned by the crisis, Turkey has dispatched an envoy, after a long absence, to Suakin on the Sudanese the Red Sea coast. It remains to be seen whether the West will be satisfied with protecting navigation and targeting Houthi drones, or whether it will take a step further by “expanding the scope of the war.”
The Houthis, and behind them Iran, appreciate the precious opportunity represented by the Gaza war. The reputation of the West and Israel is now at its lowest in the Arab world and the rest of the planet. If the goal was to harm Israel militarily, the most effective and consequential response could have come from Hezbollah whose missiles and drones are a stone’s throw from Israel. The heavily-armed Lebanese militant party has had enough trained fighters to impose its full control of Lebanon and to intervene and change the course of the civil war in Syria. What matters to Iran now is to tell everyone that it controls the southern Red Sea through its Houthi proxies. “God Is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam”, the Houthis’ old slogan, is the last thing on the mind of Iranians today. The longer the Gaza war lasts, the more the idea of Houthi and Iranian dominance over the strait and sea becomes entrenched.
The muddled landscape in the Red Sea is a combination of Egypt’s vow to act at “a moment’s notice”, the West’s interference and double standards, the unwarranted yielding by the Saudi-led coalition members to Western pressure, Palestinian bloodshed and tragedies in Gaza, Israeli crimes, Iranian arrogance and the short-sightedness of the Arab world as it applauds and celebrates the success of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ plan to extend their influence over the region.

Greece’s growing role in the Eastern Mediterranean
Alkman Granitsas/The Arab Weekly/December 21/2023
With wars to its east and to its north, Greece has taken on a new geostrategic significance in the Eastern Mediterranean. The country has become a staging point for the Western alliance but also, equally important, a credible partner in the region. This new status is a remarkable come-back story for a country that was ground zero in a complicated European financial crisis only a decade earlier.
First with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and now with the Israel-Gaza War, Greece is serving as a conduit for men and materiel for the US and other NATO allies. It is becoming a vital link in energy supply chains for the region. And it is increasingly seen as a safe haven destination.
Greece’s emerging role also underscores an evolving security architecture in the Eastern Mediterranean that has quietly taken place over the past decade.
Since at least 2010, Athens has developed multiple and overlapping defence and commercial ties with Cyprus, Israel and Egypt, as well as with the UAE and Saudi Arabia. It has cultivated ever closer cooperation with the US, which has been supportive of this new Eastern Mediterranean alliance, as America’s relations with Turkey, its erstwhile ally in the region, have frayed.
These days, the northern Greek port of Alexandroupolis has become a hub to supply NATO members Bulgaria and Romania, while the island of Crete is supporting US military operations in the Middle East and North Africa. Meanwhile, Greece is proceeding with a $13 billion defence modernisation programme and has deepened its military cooperation with each of its regional partners through joint exercises and bilateral exchanges.
This new alliance is underpinned by growing trade and investment ties, particularly in the energy sector. Long before the recent conflicts, Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Egypt had found common interest in developing the energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean. The discovery of bountiful natural gas reserves, first in Israel in 2009 and then in Cyprus and Egypt, ushered in a new era of cooperation among the four countries. This led to the proposal for the East Med pipeline to bring the gas via Greece to Europe, and then the creation of the East Med Gas Forum.
The US has been mainly supportive of this four-way energy alliance. It has since withdrawn its backing for the East Med pipeline, which, in any event, faces technical and financial hurdles, but still supports two successor projects, specifically two high-voltage underwater transmission cables to connect the power grid of Greece with Cyprus, Israel and Egypt. In either case, Greece would act as the transit point for bringing either natural gas or electricity from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe.
Those projects would complement Greece’s emerging role as an energy hub for southeast Europe. Two new natural gas pipelines and two new LNG facilities are providing the country’s northern neighbours with new sources of supply. Greece has also started exporting surplus power to nearby countries including Bulgaria, Albania and North Macedonia from its own fast-growing production of renewable energy.
Recognising the prospects, the UAE signed a number of bilateral agreements with Greece in 2022 to develop both LNG and renewable energy projects and the two countries announced a small, pilot project at this month’s COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
Likewise, there are growing commercial ties between Greece and Saudi Arabia in a range of sectors, including energy, but also extending to building supplies, engineering and environmental services and in food and agriculture. Last year, Greece signed a deal with Saudi Arabia to develop an €800 million high speed data cable, the East to Med Data Corridor, that will help establish Greece as the Middle East’s digital gateway to Europe.
Israeli businesses have been coming in growing numbers to Greece. Recent investments have been in the hospitality sector, technology, the life sciences and defence.
At the same time, a small but growing number of Israeli funds and Israeli private citizens has been buying property with an eye to establishing residency or a second home in Greece. That has become particularly visible in the past year among select middle- and upper- class Israelis put off by political turns in Israel. Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war, the numbers are said to have increased sharply. A similar calculus has been made in recent years by well-heeled Turks and Lebanese who have likewise found in Greece a haven from uncertainty at home.
For Greece, this new role as a pillar in the Eastern Mediterranean represents a dramatic transformation from just a decade ago when the country was in the throes of its financial crisis. Domestically, the country’s $240 billion economy has returned to its pre-crisis levels and is now one of the fastest growing economies in the Eurozone. And politically, public opinion has shifted towards a more pragmatic centrism. There is broad support for the reform policies of the incumbent New Democracy government, re-elected to a second term in office in June.
Greece’s rising status represents a fresh narrative on the international stage. The Greek government is currently seeking a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council. If it succeeds it will cement Greece’s new standing in the region.

Biden’s foreign policy woes
Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/December 21, 2023
At the start of 2023, US President Joe Biden was halfway through his presidential term. Many foreign policy experts felt that Biden had made good progress in repairing the damage to traditional alliances from Donald Trump’s presidency. The Biden team had reason to feel good about Washington’s approach toward the war in Ukraine. The widely criticized 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan was in the rearview mirror.
There were challenges and disappointments, such as the lack of progress toward renewing a nuclear deal with Iran. Yet, overall, the Biden foreign policy team had reason for optimism at the start of the year. However, at the end of 2023, the outlook is less positive.
All US presidents enter office with foreign policy priorities and all of them must cope with international events that threaten to derail their plans. The war in Ukraine demanded some shifts in policy and resources, but the White House was prepared for the war, which neatly fitted into Biden’s approach toward foreign policy. The war in Gaza, however, does not fit the president’s preconceived worldview or his administration’s approach to foreign relations. Furthermore, domestic political divides increasingly threaten to undermine foreign policy.
At the same time, the Biden administration must continue trying to address other priorities, including China and climate change. Looking ahead, 2024 already appears challenging for foreign policy — even before considering the potential for new surprises in foreign affairs and the effects of a US presidential election.
When Russia attempted a full invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the US was ready. Forearmed with accurate intelligence, Washington was prepared for the Russian attack. Moscow’s efforts to subjugate a sovereign, democratic country fitted very well into Biden’s framework of a world shaped by competition between democracies and autocracies, with Russia and China as the most problematic of the latter. It also helped that Biden had already invested in strengthening relations with European allies.
Washington’s policy toward Ukraine initially went well. The president and his officials were able to quickly rally European and, to some extent, international support for Ukraine. The US provided significant economic and military aid to Kyiv. Ukrainians impressed the world with their ability to derail Russian plans to control their country.
The US tends to be very good at the first six months or so of warfare. Whether engaged directly in a military conflict or supporting an ally such as Ukraine, Washington tends to be decisive and capable of quickly drawing on massive military and economic resources. For example, so far, the US has provided more than $44 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since February 2022, according to the State Department, plus billions of dollars in other forms of assistance.
The war in Gaza does not fit the president’s preconceived worldview or his administration’s approach to foreign relations
However, most wars do not end quickly and cleanly. In recent decades, Washington has struggled as a war gets messy. In a context of less decisive victories, frozen lines and asymmetric warfare, US leaders struggle to clearly delineate crucial political and military objectives.
The last year of war in Ukraine has demonstrated the complexity of warfare. After impressive initial efforts to push back Russian forces, the war has stalled and could last a long time.
Enemies of the US are well aware that Americans seem to have relatively short attention spans, or at least that American unity behind a cause tends to fray over time. Russian disinformation has exacerbated fractures within American politics. Democrats are largely in favor of helping Ukraine, but Republican leaders are divided over the issue. A recent Gallup poll found that 62 percent of Republicans said that the US is doing too much to help Ukraine, compared to only 14 percent of Democrats who agreed.
Moscow and Kyiv know that Republican wins in Congress or the White House in next year’s election would undermine aid to Ukraine. This presents a huge threat to Biden’s policies; while the White House will continue supporting Ukraine for now, the mere reality that such support might be short-lived puts those efforts at risk.
Unlike Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 took Washington by surprise and US leaders struggled to adjust.
Understandably, the immediate response of Biden and many American leaders to the Hamas attack was horror and fury at its brutal nature. Biden offered full support to Israel and he prides himself on being “the first US president to visit Israel in time of war.” Biden has a long-standing personal commitment to Israel and comes from a generation of leaders who have long provided unquestioning support to the country.
Biden and many senior officials appear to have failed to fully anticipate what would happen next, although many younger foreign policy practitioners could have easily predicted it. The massive death toll and humanitarian disaster that came with Israel’s military and economic response to the Hamas raid seems to have taken Biden and his senior team by surprise.
US support for Israel has long made it vulnerable to accusations of hypocrisy, complicating its diplomacy in the Middle East. For years, US leaders felt that the cost was worth it. However, the far-right shift in Israeli politics and the incredible suffering in Gaza since Oct. 7 threatens to seriously damage US diplomatic goals in the region and globally. One of the Biden administration’s main goals in the region was expanding normalization deals between Israel and Arab states, but the war in Gaza complicates those efforts. Furthermore, there are concerns about the risk of a broader regional conflict.
More generally, strong US support for Israel under the current circumstances intensifies the feeling throughout much of the world that Washington is not serious about supporting democracy, human rights, stability and prosperity. This puts many diplomatic goals at risk.
Domestically, Biden is facing a backlash among younger Democrats, who object to providing billions of dollars in military and other aid when the Israeli government kills thousands of civilians in Gaza and often ignores advice from US leaders — and when those funds could be used to benefit Americans at home.
The Biden administration has not been clear, at least publicly, on what it hopes to achieve through ongoing aid to Ukraine
Biden has repeatedly tried to convince Americans that combating Russian aggression in Ukraine and Hamas terror in Israel are closely linked. In an Oct. 20 speech, he said: “Hamas and (Vladimir) Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common: They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy.” He has argued that allowing terrorists to get away with terror and dictators to get away with aggression leads to more “death and destruction.” His administration has presented both Putin’s regime and Hamas as threats to global order.
Biden’s efforts at linking the two wars in order to gain support for US aid to both Israel and Ukraine does not appear to be convincing many Americans. The Republican Party is divided about continuing support to Ukraine, while Democrats are increasingly willing to question unconditional support to Israel.
The two wars do have something in common in foreign policy terms, however: no clear endgame. The Biden administration has not been clear, at least publicly, on what it hopes to achieve through ongoing aid to Ukraine, besides generally supporting Ukraine and halting Russian aggression. Similarly, Israel’s lack of a viable endgame in Gaza is already creating cracks in the Israeli government’s relationship with the White House.
For the foreseeable future, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza will continue to be top issues for US foreign policy. At the same time, as a global power, America will continue to try to pursue objectives in other areas.
China remains a top priority. In November, Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an effort to stabilize relations that had become increasingly hostile. Washington sees Beijing as a competitor and wants to limit China’s global influence, while continuing to partner with the country on economic and other issues where the two countries have shared concerns.
Addressing the climate crisis is another priority. Biden has had some notable successes in addressing climate change through domestic policy; however, in foreign policy, success is less clear. For example, at COP28, Vice President Kamala Harris pledged $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund, but it is unclear if Congress will approve those funds. Other top issues include security at the southern border, managing threats from Iran and expanding the US presence in the Indo-Pacific.
With an election in November 2024, domestic politics will have significant impacts on foreign policy. Biden will have to contend with Republicans’ growing objections to support for Ukraine, Democrats’ increasing concern about Palestinian civilian deaths, ongoing pressure from Democrats to address climate change, and so forth. Foreign policy was often considered an area of strength for Biden, but a Gallup poll from November found that only 32 percent of Americans approve of his foreign policy. If Trump is the Republican nominee, which is likely, then a second contest between Biden and Trump will highlight two extremely different approaches to the US’ role in the world.
• Kerry Boyd Anderson is a professional analyst of international security issues and Middle East political and business risk. X: @KBAresearch

Nuclear disarmament should be a worldwide priority
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/December 21, 2023
As the number of nuclear weapons held by major powers is on the rise, the international community ought to put more effort into preventing the proliferation of these weapons and work toward their elimination.
It is estimated there are currently about 12,500 nuclear warheads around the world. The Guardian newspaper reported in June: “At a time of both deteriorating international relations and the escalation of nuclear saber-rattling, there are now said to be an estimated 12,512 warheads globally, of which 9,576 are in military stockpiles ready for potential use, up 86 on a year ago.”
Nuclear proliferation — the spread or acquisition of nuclear weapons and technology by additional countries or entities, as well as those that initially developed and tested such weapons — is becoming a greater concern for global security due to the potential consequences of the use of these weapons. The proliferation of nuclear weapons can also undermine international norms and agreements aimed at preventing their spread. The erosion of these norms could lead to a more uncertain and dangerous global security environment.
Although some scholars, policy analysts and politicians may argue that nuclear weapons can be seen as a means of deterring potential adversaries from attacking, one of the threats associated with their proliferation is that the existence and rising number of nuclear weapons creates a constant risk of accidental use, unauthorized access or escalations during times of conflict.
The risk of miscalculation also increases. False alarms, the misinterpretation of signals and technical malfunctions could all lead to unintended nuclear conflicts. It goes without saying that the use of nuclear weapons would have catastrophic humanitarian consequences, causing immense loss of life, severe injuries and other health effects, as well as displacement.
Long-term environmental damage should also not be underestimated. The detonation of a nuclear weapon causes long-lasting damage, including radiation contamination and nuclear fallout. In other words, a large-scale nuclear conflict would have severe and far-reaching environmental consequences, affecting ecosystems and the climate alike. Nuclear proliferation is becoming a greater concern due to the potential consequences of the use of these weapons
In addition, the spread of nuclear weapons to more countries increases the likelihood of their use and heightens geopolitical tensions. As a result, nuclear weapons can be a destabilizing factor in the world, meaning reducing their numbers would be a step forward in terms of enhancing global security.
Furthermore, the rising number of nuclear weapons in neighboring countries or regions can trigger arms races, with non-nuclear-armed nations feeling compelled to develop their own nuclear capabilities in response to perceived threats from others. Regional rivalries may contribute to a cycle of proliferation in this case. Some regions are of particular concern regarding nuclear proliferation due to geopolitical tensions. The Korean Peninsula and the Middle East, for example, ought to be the focal points of international efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
The international community must also consider the potential for nonstate actors to acquire nuclear weapons as proliferation increases. The potential for nuclear weapons or material to fall into the hands of a proxy group or terrorist organization should be a grave concern. Nonstate actors acquiring and using nuclear weapons could result in devastating consequences, posing a significant threat to global security.
Finally, nations with nuclear capabilities may use their arsenals as a form of political leverage, engaging in nuclear blackmail or coercion to achieve strategic goals. This could lead to an increase in international crises and heighten the risk of conflict.
Therefore, the potential consequences of the use of nuclear weapons raise ethical questions about states’ continued possession of them and the moral responsibility to work toward their elimination.
Achieving complete global nuclear disarmament should be a critical and long-term goal for the international community.
The world can take several steps and adopt efficient strategies in order to progress in this direction. These include increasing public awareness of the risks associated with nuclear weapons and advocating for disarmament. Grassroots movements, civil society organizations and advocacy efforts play a vital role in raising awareness and pushing for policy changes. Fostering a global culture of peace and conflict resolution is vital in order to encourage nations to prioritize diplomatic solutions to disputes, invest in conflict prevention and build international cooperation to address the root causes of conflicts.
Other strategies include encouraging the ratification and implementation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which prohibits all nuclear explosions for both civilian and military purposes; renewing and negotiating new arms reduction treaties between nuclear-armed states, whether bilateral or multilateral; reinforcing and strengthening existing arms control agreements such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in order to ensure compliance; enhancing verification mechanisms; and strengthening the role of international organizations in monitoring and verifying compliance with arms control agreements.
It is incumbent on the nuclear-armed states to take the lead by demonstrating their commitment to disarmament through unilateral or negotiated reductions in their arsenals. This can set a positive example for other nations and build momentum for broader disarmament efforts.
In summary, as nuclear proliferation rises, it is more important than ever to focus on disarmament, which requires sustained international political will, dialogue, cooperative efforts, diplomatic initiatives and a shared commitment to the principles of peace and security. Achieving this objective will contribute to a safer and more secure world, free from the threat of nuclear catastrophe.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian-American political scientist. X: @Dr_Rafizadeh

How Much Is Biden’s Support of Israel Hurting Him With Young Voters?
Nate Cohn/Asharq Al-Awsat/December 21/2023
As recently as this summer, a poll with Donald J. Trump leading among young voters would have been eye-popping.
Now, it’s increasingly familiar — and our new New York Times/Siena College national survey released Tuesday morning is no exception.
For the first time, Trump leads President Biden among young voters in a Times/Siena national survey, 49 percent to 43 percent. It’s enough to give him a narrow 46-44 lead among registered voters overall.
Usually, it’s not worth dwelling too much on a subsample from a single poll, but this basic story about young voters is present in nearly every major survey at this point. Our own battleground state surveys in the fall showed something similar, with Biden ahead by a single point among those 18 to 29. Either figure is a big shift from Biden’s 21-point lead in our final poll before the midterms or his 10-point lead in our last national poll in July.
And there’s a plausible explanation for the shift in recent months: Israel.
As my colleagues Jonathan Weisman, Ruth Igielnik and Alyce McFadden report, young voters in the survey took an extraordinarily negative view of Israel’s recent conduct: They overwhelming say Israel isn’t doing enough to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza, believe Israel isn’t interested in peace, and think Israel should stop its military campaign, even if it means Hamas isn’t eliminated.
You might think that the young voters with these progressive or even left-wing views would be among the most likely to stick with Biden. At least for now, that’s not the case. The young Biden ’20 voters with anti-Israel views are the likeliest to report switching to Trump.
Overall, Trump is winning 21 percent of young Biden ’20 voters who sympathize more with Palestinians than Israel, while winning 12 percent of other young Biden ’20 voters. In an even more striking sign of defections among his own supporters, Biden holds just a 64-24 lead among the young Biden ’20 voters who say Israel is intentionally killing civilians, compared with an 84-8 lead among the Biden ’20 voters who don’t think Israel is intentionally killing civilians.
It’s possible that the kinds of young voters opposed to Israel already opposed Biden back before the war. That can’t be ruled out. But it’s still evidence that opposition to the war itself is probably contributing to Biden’s unusual weakness among young voters.
Here are a few other findings from the poll:
Biden ahead among likely voters?
Even though he trails among registered voters, Biden actually leads Trump in our first measure of the 2024 likely electorate, 47 percent to 45 percent.
If you’re a close reader of this newsletter, this might not come completely out of nowhere. Our polls have consistently shown Biden doing better among highly regular and engaged voters — especially those who voted in the last midterm election. In those polls, the most heavily Republican voters have been those who voted in 2020, but not 2022. It helps explain why Democrats keep doing so well in low-turnout special elections even though they struggle in polls of registered voters or adults.
But in this particular poll, the split isn’t just between midterm and non-midterm voters. It’s between people who voted in the 2020 general election and those who didn’t. Biden leads by six points among voters who participated in the 2020 election, while Trump holds an overwhelming 22-point lead among those who did not vote in 2020. In our estimation, needless to say, 2020 nonvoters are less likely to vote in 2024, and that’s why we show Biden ahead among likely voters.
It’s an intriguing pattern, but there’s good reason for caution here.
For one: Our previous polling hasn’t shown anything this extreme, including our battleground polling conducted eight weeks ago. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong, but our sample of 2020 nonvoters includes only 296 respondents — a sample that’s too small for any serious conclusions.
For another: The people who voted in 2020 reported backing Biden over Trump by 10 points in the 2020 election, 51 percent to 41 percent. In reality, Biden won by 4.5 points.
Now, there’s a good reason respondents might have been less likely to report backing Trump in our poll: We concluded the substantive portion of the survey with a series of questions about Trump’s coming legal battles, including whether he committed crimes, whether he’ll be convicted, whether he should go to jail and so on. Then, at the very end of the survey, we asked them how they voted in 2020.
It’s possible these questions about Trump’s legal problems made his supporters less likely to admit supporting him in the 2020 election. Indeed, registered Republicans with a record of voting in 2020 were three times as likely as Democrats to refuse to tell us whom they supported in the last presidential election. But it’s also possible that our sample really does just contain too many Biden ’20 voters with respect to nonvoters, yielding a lopsided shift in his direction among likely voters.
Every time I see what looks like a crazy result — such as Trump leading among young voters or a nearly 30-point gap between 2020 voters and nonvoters — I think that I’m going to peer deeper into the data and see the signs that something is off.
I haven’t seen it yet.