Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 24-25/2023
Lebanon’s Confiscated Independence/Elias Bejjani/November 22/2023
U.S. embassy in Lebanon hails '12 hours of calm' on border with Israel
Calm on southern Lebanon front allows the displaced to return to inspect damage
Qatar expected to resume its presidential mediation
'Extension or appointment': Berri says no other options for army chief crisis
Lebanon border calm as Gaza truce takes effect
Jumblat remains doubtful about Gaza truce
Cabinet won't discuss army chief file in 'foreseeable future’
UNIFIL chief urges Lebanon and Israel to pursue 'long-term solutions'
Amin Salam in Doha to discuss municipal twinning project between the two countries
Quiet in southern Lebanon since the beginning of Gaza’s truce
Lazaro: Any further escalation in southern Lebanon could have devastating consequences
Sayegh to LBCI: We reject dragging Lebanon into a broader war
Berri follows up on latest developments with Ain al-Tineh visitors, meets MP Abou Faour, former Minister Wadih Al-Khazen, Economic and labor...
UNIFIL’s Lázaro: Any further escalation in Southern Lebanon could have devastating consequences
Cautious calm prevails in South Lebanon’s western sector border towns
Price of gasoline sees slight drop
Qatar is likely to restart its involvement in facilitating discussions regarding the presidential situation
‘It Is the Church that Is Under Attack’: The Persecution of Christians, October 2023/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/November 24, 2023

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 24-25/2023
US President Biden: Second wave of Gaza hostage releases to be finalized
Hamas frees first batch of hostages under truce, including 13 Israelis
What does Israel-Hamas cease-fire look like?
Gaza truce begins, Dozens of women and children to be released
Hamas frees first batch of hostages under truce, including 13 Israelis
UN agencies hope truce will allow aid to flow to northern Gaza
Palestinians in Gaza seeking refuge from war find their world is shrinking. They say nowhere is safe
Gaza has become a moonscape, many fear it will remain uninhabitable after war
Gallant: Gaza fighting to resume with intensity after temporary truce
Israeli army announces arrival of the released hostages to 'Israeli territory'
UN says 137 aid trucks unloaded in Gaza since ceasefire started
Israel to summon Spanish, Belgian ambassadors over Gaza comments
Four children and six elderly women are on the official list of released Israeli hostages
Egypt’s El-Sisi calls for recognition of Palestinian state
US forces came under attack 4 times in Iraq and Syria on Thanksgiving
Bahrain seeks to balance anger over Gaza with ties to Israel, US
Analysis-Gaza war increases risk of Islamist attacks in Europe, security officials say
Ukraine launches major drone attack at Crimea as Russia tries to capture Avdiivka

Titles For The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 24-25/2023
‘It Is the Church that Is Under Attack’: The Persecution of Christians, October 2023/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/November 24, 2023
The United States is Rapidly Losing Arab Hearts and Minds through Gaza War, while Competitors Benefit/Munqith Dagher and Karl Kaltenthaler/The Washington Institute/November 24/2023
Balancing U.S. Relations in North Africa Without Undermining the Abraham Accords/Sabina Henneberg and Amine Ghoulidi/The Washington Institute/November 24/2023
Will an Iraqi Front Open in the Hamas-Israel War?/Bilal Wahab and Selin Uysal/The Washington Institute/November 24/2023
How the Washington Post Turned a Feel-Good Story into an Anti-Israel Attack/Robert Satloff/The Washington Institute/November 24/2023
Region’s global diplomatic push offers hope for Gaza/Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/November 24, 2023
Ceasefire shows the limit of military power/Daoud Kuttab/Arab News/November 24, 2023
The buzz around minilateralism is growing/Ehtesham Shahid/Arab News/November 24, 2023
What’s new on the GotQuestions.org Podcast?/GotQuestions.org/November 24, 2023

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 24-25/2023
Lebanon’s Confiscated Independence
Elias Bejjani/November 22/2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/124563/124563/
Today, November 22/2023, the Lebanese sadly remember their country’s eighty Independence Day. The Independence that actually does exist at all, by any standard, because Lebanon unfortunately is totally occupied by the Iranian Axis Of Evil through its proxy the militant terrorist Hezbollah.
Meanwhile all the current Lebanese officials, on all levels, and in all positions, especially the high-ranking ones; The President, The Prime Minister and al minister and the House Speaker, are all either Iranian puppets, or cowards who have no guts to execute their duties and national obligations.
The current Lebanese government headed by Mr. Najeb Mikati has nothing at all to do with Lebanon or its people. In reality it is Hezbollah’s puppet government no more, no less.
In the mean time, the Lebanese subservient officials are in fact mere mercenaries who have sold Lebanon, its people, and its independence to Iran and to its terrorist proxy Hezbollah.
With no shame or dignity, these Lebanese subservient officials and the majority of the politicians openly take their orders directly from Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah and from his Iranian masters.
These low class Lebanese officials and politicians must be arrested and put on trial for being actual obstacles for reclaiming the confiscated independence and sovereignty.
All sorts of gratitude, on this sad day must go to Lebanon’s martyrs and their families who offered themselves on the country’s alter so the Lebanese people can still live with dignity, and freedom.
Yes, celebrating the Independence Day is a must and surely a national obligation, but only, and only, when occupied Lebanon is again free, independent and Sovereign.
Until the Independence Day becomes a reality, all patriotic Lebanese must not succumb to Hezbollah’s occupation by all means.
In this realm of treason, sin and camouflage, it is worth mentioning that the current Lebanese governing bodies with no one exception are all under the full control of Iran and Hezbollah.
Accordingly all countries who really want to help Lebanon and the Lebanese people to reclaim their confiscated independence need to exert all available and possible pressures on Iran to dismantle and disarm Hezbollah and advocate for the implementation of all UN Resolutions related to Lebanon.
May Almighty God bless the Souls of all Lebanon’s martyrs and safeguard Lebanon and its people.

U.S. embassy in Lebanon hails '12 hours of calm' on border with Israel
BEIRUT (Reuters)/November 24, 2023
The U.S. embassy in Lebanon on Friday said there had been 12 hours of calm along the Blue Line marking the border with Israel, where daily exchanges of fire had been taking place between armed group Hezbollah and Israel. "Twelve hours of calm on the Blue Line have given us all hope and renewed energy to build a better tomorrow for Lebanon," the embassy said on X. Residents told Reuters that the frontier had been quiet since just before 0700 local time on Friday morning, apart from a small spray of fire from the Israeli side. It followed a temporary truce brokered by Qatar between Israel and Hezbollah's ally Hamas in Gaza. The truce did not formally extend to Lebanon, but Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the Shi'ite Amal Movement which is allied to Hezbollah, told reporters on Thursday that "what will happen in Gaza will happen in Lebanon."
"If there is a disruption (to the truce) in Gaza, there will be a disruption in Lebanon, given that what is happening in the south is for the sake of Gaza," Berri said. A total of 87 Hezbollah fighters have killed since violence broke out along the border following Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7, including seven in neighbouring Syria. More than a dozen Lebanese civilians, including children and journalists, have also been killed in Israeli shelling on southern Lebanon. The exchanges of fire had been ramping up in the days leading up to the Hamas-Israel truce.

Calm on southern Lebanon front allows the displaced to return to inspect damage
AP/November 24, 2023
BEIRUT: Calm returned to Lebanon’s southern border on Friday as a temporary truce took effect in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.Lebanon’s southern front, which Hezbollah considers a “supportive front,” fell silent.
Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro, UN Interim Force in Lebanon’s head of mission and force commander, warned that any escalation of the violence in southern Lebanon could have devastating consequences. He also voiced concern over the exchange of fire along the Blue Line that had claimed lives, caused significant damage, and threatened people’s livelihoods. Meanwhile, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has called for “an in-depth reflection on the UNIFIL’s rules of engagement in Lebanon.”Crosetto said he would be in the Middle East in the coming days and at the UN on Monday to talk about the future of the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon and issues related to the rules of engagement. His remarks were reported by Lebanon’s National News Agency, citing the Italian news agency Agenzia Nova. Crosetto said reflection should assess whether rules were actually in line with the dangers and times. He added that the situation might explode if mistakes were committed. He said: “We are trying to avoid an escalation involving Lebanon and Syria in the conflict. This requires us to avoid making mistakes. “I had some doubts about this issue, and I talked about it with my German, French, and Spanish colleagues. “We should all ask ourselves to (try and) achieve stability in the region because if it explodes further, it might create problems for the entire Mediterranean region and beyond.”Concerns over UNIFIL came as the Lebanese army command called on citizens to take precautions against shells — phosphorus munitions and unexploded ordnance — and avoid approaching them. Ali Rammal, the mayor of Odaisseh village which is located opposite the Israeli Misgav Am settlement, said that people had returned to the area to inspect their houses. He added: “Last night, the last two missiles landed in the village, and their fragments damaged many cars and houses. Today, we will start to assess the damage. There are also disruptions to telecom and electricity networks.”A reporter in Tyre told Arab News that displaced people from the vicinity were gradually starting to return. He said: “As the day progressed, and when everyone had made sure that the ceasefire had taken effect, people went back to inspect their houses, especially those far from the border.”Another civilian told Arab News: “I did not see significant destruction similar to what we witnessed in 2006, but some facilities have been destroyed, and some houses damaged.”Some 15 minutes before the start of the ceasefire, the Israeli army targeted the Khiam Valley with two missiles. However, no hostilities have taken place since 7 a.m. on Friday along the Blue Line — which has been tense for the past 48 days. Confrontations between the sides have killed 80 Hezbollah fighters. Victims have included four leaders of an elite Hezbollah unit, one of whom is the son of a Hezbollah MP who leads the party’s bloc in parliament. The violence has also resulted in the deaths of nine Hamas members in Lebanon, including one of the Al-Qassam Brigades’ Palestinian leaders in the country, Khalil Hamed Kharraz, two Turkish members, and two members of the Islamic Jihad Movement.

Qatar expected to resume its presidential mediation
Naharnet/November 24, 2023
Qatari officials are expected to visit Lebanon and hold very limited meetings to resume discussions over the presidential file and the army chief file, informed sources said. “Political talk behind the scenes did not stop even during the peak of the war and the ignition of the southern front. Some even stressed the need to go to a solution amid the extraordinary circumstances to prepare for any scenario that the country might face, especially an expansion of the war,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday. The daily quoted “prominent sources” as saying that during his visit to Doha around a month ago, caretaker PM Najib Mikati had urged Qatar’s ruler Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad to resume the Qatari mediation and re-send an envoy from Doha to Beirut, amid reports that the PM’s request was coordinated with Speaker Nabih Berri. “Qatar contacted Hezbollah officials to explore their viewpoint about the arrival of a Qatari delegation and the resumption of the presidential tour, but they did not receive an encouraging answer,” al-Akhbar said. However, two weeks after the emergence of this information, there are reports that a Qatari envoy is already in Lebanon, the daily added. “Doha is still basing its approach on the principle of putting an end to the previous presidential choices and going to consensual names, such as General Security acting chief Maj. Gen. Elias Bayssari,” the sources added. Qatar is also trying to resolve the army commander crisis through attempting to convince the political forces to extend the term of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, who is one of its presidential candidates, the sources said.

'Extension or appointment': Berri says no other options for army chief crisis
Naharnet/November 24, 2023
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri will call for a legislative session next month, during which parliament would discuss extending the term of Army chief General Joseph Aoun, ahead of his planned retirement in January. "I will call for a session during the first half of December," Berri told al-Jadeed TV, assuring that there are only two options, either the extension of Aoun's term or the appointment of a new army chief. "There is no third option and no assignment (of the highest ranking officer)." Berri had hoped for the extension to take place in Cabinet, but promised the Lebanese Forces in a meeting that he would discuss Aoun's term extension in parliament if Cabinet fails to take this step before the end of this month. "If the Lebanese Forces MPs fail to attend it, they'd be contradicting themselves," Berri said, adding that the problem is inter-Christian, as the Free Patriotic Movement refuses the extension of Aoun's term and prefers appointing a new army chief, while the LF party is pushing for the extension. "They get upset with me when I say that the problem is inter-Christian," he sarcastically went on to say.

Lebanon border calm as Gaza truce takes effect
Agence France Presse/November 24, 2023
Calm returned to Lebanon's southern border Friday as a temporary truce took effect in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, according to Lebanese state media and the Israeli military. Since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, Lebanon's southern border with Israel has witnessed deadly exchanges of fire, primarily involving the Israeli army and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, as well as Palestinian militant groups. Hezbollah has yet to say whether it will comply with the terms of the agreement that was brokered by Qatar with help from Egypt and the United States.
"A precarious calm reigned on the southern border, with the humanitarian truce in Gaza coming into effect at 7:00 in the morning (0500 GMT)," Lebanon's official National News Agency reported. Six hours after the Gaza pause went into force, an Israeli military spokesman confirmed to AFP that there had been no subsequent incidents or firing so far across the Lebanon border. The four-day truce in the Gaza Strip will see Hamas exchange 50 hostages seized from Israel during the October 7 attacks for 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. An AFP journalist in the Marjayoun border region said he had heard exchanges of fire 10 minutes prior to the truce, before the guns fell silent. A resident in the Alma al-Shaab border region also said the situation was calm and that he could no longer hear Israeli planes or reconnaissance drones flying overhead. On the eve of the truce, Hezbollah had intensified its cross-border attacks on the Israeli army, which in response pounded southern Lebanon. On Friday, the powerful Iran-backed Shiite group claimed responsibility for 22 attacks on Israeli positions from southern Lebanon, where it lost seven of its fighters during the day. Hezbollah says it has been acting in support of Hamas since the Palestinian Islamist movement's October 7 attacks on Israel, which Israeli officials say killed 1,200 people and saw about 240 people taken hostage. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas but its retaliatory air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 15,000 people, thousands of them children. The cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have claimed 109 lives in Lebanon, at least 77 of them Hezbollah fighters and 14 civilians, according to an AFP count. Among those killed were three journalists, the son of the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc and an official from Hamas's military wing in Lebanon. On the Israeli side, six soldiers and three civilians have been killed, according to the Israeli authorities.

Jumblat remains doubtful about Gaza truce
Naharnet/November 24, 2023
As calm returned to Gaza and to Lebanon's southern border Friday, former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat remained worried. In an interview published Friday in al-Joumhouria newspaper, Jumblat said he is cautious about the truce and feared that the war was still at its beginning. "I don't have tangible information but this is unfortunately my impression, I don't feel reassured," he said. A four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war took effect early Friday, setting the stage for the exchange of dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza in return for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. During this period, Gaza's ruling Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took on Oct. 7. Hamas said Israel would free 150 Palestinian prisoners. The deal also provides for more aid to reach southern Gaza, where Palestinians are facing severe shortages of food, water, medicine and electricity.

Cabinet won't discuss army chief file in 'foreseeable future’
Naharnet/November 24, 2023
Cabinet will not convene next week nor in the foreseeable future to discuss the army chief file, governmental sources said. “The study prepared by Council of Ministers Secretary-General Judge Mahmoud Makkiyeh has not settled the choices but has offered several options, each with a specific mechanism and results,” the sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Friday. “Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati is taking his time because Hezbollah has not taken a decision regarding the file,” the sources added. “Hezbollah has become embarrassed and is facing two choices: satisfying Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil through the appointment (of a new army chief), or standing in the face of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and not endorsing the choice of extension,” the sources went on to say. “Once he returns from the climate summit that will be held in the UAE next week, Mikati will hold a new round of contacts in order to act accordingly,” the sources said. “Mikati will likely not propose extension in Cabinet so that the decision does not get appealed. He will meanwhile support appointment, seeing as it falls under the government’s powers, but he prefers political consensus over it,” the sources added.

UNIFIL chief urges Lebanon and Israel to pursue 'long-term solutions'
Naharnet/November 24, 2023
UNIFIL Head Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro says he is “concerned by the ongoing intensification of the exchanges of fire along the Blue Line that has already claimed too many lives, caused significant damage, and jeopardized livelihoods.”“As peacekeepers, we urge those exchanging fire along the Blue Line to halt this cycle of violence,” Lázaro said in a statement distributed by UNIFIL. “Any further escalation in Southern Lebanon could have devastating consequences,” he warned. He accordingly called on the parties to “reaffirm their commitment to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and the cessation of hostilities, while pursuing long-term solutions to address the underlying causes of conflict.”

Amin Salam in Doha to discuss municipal twinning project between the two countries
LBCI/November 24, 2023
During a meeting with Qatari Minister of Municipality Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, Amin Salam, the Caretaker Minister of Economy, affirmed the continuation of the twinning project between Qatari municipalities and Lebanese municipalities.
This project is part of several initiatives to be discussed by the joint Qatari-Lebanese Higher Committee. Salam briefed the Qatari minister on some of the challenges facing the Lebanese economy, and they discussed a range of solutions during a meeting in the Qatari capital. Salam has visited Qatar since the beginning of the week, where he has met with several Qatari officials. They discussed current issues, the Lebanese crisis, and ideas and solutions for the Lebanese economic crisis.

Quiet in southern Lebanon since the beginning of Gaza’s truce
LBCI/November 24, 2023
Calm prevails on Friday in the border area in southern Lebanon since the Gaza ceasefire truce between Israel and the Hamas movement came into effect, according to the official agency and a photographer for Agence France-Presse. In the besieged Gaza Strip, a humanitarian ceasefire took effect at 7:00 local time (5:00 GMT) for four days, during which the release of hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian detainees in Israel will take place. The truce, mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, comes after 49 days of war, initiated when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7. Israel responded with destructive airstrikes and a ground operation in the besieged Gaza Strip. In Lebanon, the official National News Agency reported, "Cautious calm prevails on the southern border, with the start of the humanitarian truce in Gaza at 7:00 am." A photographer for AFP in the Marjayoun region in southeast Lebanon reported hearing shelling ten minutes before the truce began, noting that complete calm has prevailed in the area since 7:00 am. In the Aita al-Shaab region in southwest Lebanon, a resident told AFP about "calm, and no shelling from either side."An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed to AFP that no incidents or shelling have occurred at the border with Lebanon since the Gaza truce began. The escalation in southern Lebanon resulted in the death of 109 people, mostly Hezbollah fighters, and at least 14 civilians, including three journalists, according to a tally by AFP. Israeli authorities reported the deaths of nine people, including three civilians. The escalation forced 55,491 people to evacuate, according to the International Organization for Migration, a UN agency, especially from southern Lebanon. The Lebanese army urged returning evacuees to their homes to "take the utmost precautions and be wary of the aftermath of enemy shelling, especially phosphorus ammunition and unexploded ordnance, and to avoid approaching them."

Lazaro: Any further escalation in southern Lebanon could have devastating consequences
LBCI/November 24, 2023
The head of the UNIFIL mission and its Force Commander, General Aroldo Lázaro, expressed concern over the continuous and intense exchange of gunfire along the Blue Line, which has resulted in loss of life, significant damage, and disrupted the lives of many. In a statement, he said, 'As peacekeepers, we urge those engaged in the gunfire along the Blue Line to cease this cycle of violence,' noting that 'any further escalation in southern Lebanon could have devastating consequences.' He emphasized “the parties to reaffirm once again their commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the cessation of hostilities, while seeking long-term solutions to address the underlying causes of the conflict.”

Sayegh to LBCI: We reject dragging Lebanon into a broader war
LBCI/November 24, 2023
Deputy Salim Sayegh expressed on Friday his rejection of dragging Lebanon into a broader war, stating his concern that Israel might exploit the current situation to impose new rules. Sayegh announced in an interview on the 'Naharkom Said' talk show on LBCI that a Kataeb Party delegation offered condolences to MP Mohammed Raad for the loss of his son. He then headed to Jbaa to establish bridges of communication between the Lebanese and seek common values, considering it an important message to everyone. He affirmed that the Palestinian cause is central globally, but Lebanon cannot bear the consequences of the war in Gaza alone. He emphasized that Lebanon's sovereignty is in a different place, and Hezbollah decides peace and war, emphasizing that Hezbollah must realize the Lebanese desire to remain a supportive front for none. On another note, he said that the Lebanese army has authority and capability, but what it lacks is political decision-making. The Lebanese side violated Resolution 1701 when it ignited the front in the south, expressing his fear of Lebanon being held responsible for the failure to implement the decision. He also stated that Lebanon is a platform for freedom of expression, warning that being dragged into war is detrimental to Lebanon, and the Palestinian cause, and there is no benefit in its destruction. As for the presidential elections, he said that “there is an international movement and local conviction that Lebanon cannot continue in its current situation, and there is a need to elect a president for the republic.' He emphasized that the Shiite duo must understand that a president cannot be imposed on the Lebanese. Regarding the issue of the vacuum in the army leadership, he stated that the Kataeb Party supports postponing the retirement of the army commander, praising the stance of Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai. “The remaining national institutions should not be undermined,” he added. As for the war in Gaza, he considered that there is a qualitative development in Hamas's discourse and greater rationality, pointing out that the extension of the truce in Gaza is a golden opportunity for Palestinians to move forward more quickly with a political solution. He emphasized that “now is the time to work for peace."

Berri follows up on latest developments with Ain al-Tineh visitors, meets MP Abou Faour, former Minister Wadih Al-Khazen, Economic and labor...
NNA/November 24, 2023
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, on Friday received at the Second Presidency in Ain al-Tineh, “Democratic Gathering” MP Wael Abu Faour, with whom he discussed the current general situation, political developments, the repercussions of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, as well as legislative affairs. Speaker Berri also received in Ain al-Tineh, former Minister Wadih Al-Khazen, who said on emerging that he discussed with Berri the internal and regional situations, the repercussions of the war on southern Lebanese borders and in the Gaza Strip, as well as on the presidential election entitlement.
Berri later met with a delegation that included the head of the Lebanese economic bodies, former Minister Mohammed Choucair, the head of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, Charles Arbid, the head of the Beirut Merchants Association, Nicolas Al-Shamas, the head of the General Labor Confederation (GLC), Beshara Al-Asmar, and GLC vice-presidents Hassan Faqih and Saadeddine Hamidi Saqr. Discussions reportedly dwelt on the country’s general conditions, especially the economic and social ones.
Discussions also touched on relevant demands, and the repercussions of the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and on the overall general conditions in the country. On the other hand, Berri received a congratulatory message on the occasion of Lebanon’s independence Day, from the Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons, Greg Fergus, and from the Speaker of the Senate of Canada, Raymonde Gagné, in which they emphasized the depth of the friendly relations between the two countries, especially in the parliamentary and legislative fields.

UNIFIL’s Lázaro: Any further escalation in Southern Lebanon could have devastating consequences
NNA/November 24, 2023
UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander, General Aroldo Lazaro, on Friday said in a statement: "I am concerned by the ongoing intensification of the exchanges of fire along the Blue Line that has already claimed too many lives, caused significant damage, and jeopardized livelihoods. As peacekeepers, we urge those exchanging fire along the Blue Line to halt this cycle of violence. Any further escalation in Southern Lebanon could have devastating consequences. The parties must reaffirm their commitment to UN Security Council resolution 1701 and the cessation of hostilities, while pursuing long-term solutions to address the underlying causes of conflict." -- UNIFIL

Cautious calm prevails in South Lebanon’s western sector border towns
NNA/November 24, 2023
Tyre - Cautious calm currently prevails in various south Lebanon’s western sector border towns, as the humanitarian truce in Gaza took effect at 7.00 a.m. this morning, our reporter said on Friday

Price of gasoline sees slight drop
LBCI/November 24, 2023
The price of 95-octane gasoline decreased on Friday by 2000 Lebanese pounds, and 98-octane gasoline decreased by 3000 Lebanese pounds. The price of diesel also saw a decrease of 14,000 Lebanese pounds, while the price of gas remained stable.
The updated prices are as follows:
95-octane gasoline: 1566.000 Lebanese pounds
98-octane gasoline: 1605.000 Lebanese pounds
Diesel: 1561.000 Lebanese pounds
Gas: 941.000 Lebanese pounds.

Qatar is likely to restart its involvement in facilitating discussions regarding the presidential situation
Daily Star/November 24/2023
Officials from Qatar are expected to visit Lebanon soon to continue discussions on both the presidential and army chief matters, according to well-informed sources.The discussions continued quietly even during the height of conflict and escalation in the southern region. There was a consensus among some parties about the urgency of finding a solution in light of the extraordinary situation and the potential escalation of the conflict, as reported by the al-Akhbar newspaper on Friday. The newspaper cited high-level sources revealing that during a visit to Doha about a month earlier, Lebanon’s acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati appealed to Qatar’s leader, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, to reinitiate Qatari mediation efforts. He suggested sending a representative from Doha to Beirut, with indications that this request was made in coordination with Speaker Nabih Berri. Al-Akhbar also reported that Qatar reached out to Hezbollah leaders to gauge their reaction to the proposed visit of a Qatari delegation and the resumption of talks regarding the presidency. The response from Hezbollah was reportedly not positive. Despite this initial setback, there are recent reports suggesting that a Qatari envoy has already arrived in Lebanon, according to the newspaper. Qatar’s strategy focuses on moving away from previous presidential options and considering universally acceptable candidates, such as the interim head of General Security, Major General Elias Bayssari. In addition, Qatar is working to address the issue of the army commander by persuading political parties to extend the tenure of General Joseph Aoun, the current army commander and one of the presidential hopefuls backed by Qatar, the sources mentioned.

‘It Is the Church that Is Under Attack’: The Persecution of Christians, October 2023
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/November 24, 2023
ريموند إبراهيم من موقع كايتستون: قائمة بأحداث اضطهاد المسيحيين خلال شهر تشرين الأول/2023
“إنها الكنيسة هي التي تتعرض للهجوم”: اضطهاد المسيحيين،
ريمون إبراهيم/ معهد جايتستون/ 24 نوفمبر 2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/124654/124654/
“These rapes are unfortunately customary and serve a specific purpose. It is believed that once no longer a virgin, a girl would become unsuitable for marriage, even if she belongs to a religious minority, and her only choice would be to marry one of her captors. Mishal was then forcibly converted to Islam and married to one of the kidnappers.” – bitterwinter.org, October 24, 2023, Pakistan.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 24-25/2023
US President Biden: Second wave of Gaza hostage releases to be finalized
Jerusalem Post/November 24/2023
Biden declined to speculate about how long the Israel-Hamas war would last, but said he thought the chances of an extension of the ongoing truce were "real."The United States will be informed about the details of the second wave of releases of hostages from the Gaza Strip in the next hour, US President Joe Biden said on Friday evening. In an address following the release of 13 Israeli and 11 foreign hostages from the Gaza Strip, Biden said that the US, along with Qatar, Egypt and Israel, will do everything in its power to ensure the full aspect of the deal will be implemented over the coming days. "Beginning this morning, under a deal reached by extensive US diplomacy, including numerous calls I've made from the Oval Office to leaders across the region, fighting in Gaza will halt for four days," Biden told a news conference.Biden declined to speculate about how long the Israel-Hamas war would last, but said he thought the chances of an extension of the ongoing truce were "real."
Freeing further hostages
He also expressed hope that American nationals held by Hamas would be freed. "I don't know how long it will take," Biden said. "My expectation and hope is that as we move forward, the rest of the Arab world and the region is also putting pressure on all sides to slow this down, to bring this to an end as quickly as we can." Hamas released 24 hostages on Friday during the first day of the war's truce -- including 13 Israeli women and children, 10 Thai farm workers and a Filipino -- after guns fell silent across the Gaza Strip for the first time in seven weeks. The hostages were transferred out of Gaza and handed over to Egyptian authorities at the Rafah border crossing, accompanied by eight staff members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in a four-car convoy, the ICRC said.

Hamas frees first batch of hostages under truce, including 13 Israelis
AFP/November 24, 2023
GAZA STRIP: Hamas released the first batch of hostages under a cease-fire deal that began Friday, including 13 Israelis who have been held in the Gaza Strip since the militant group staged a raid on Israel nearly seven weeks ago, according to officials and media reports. Twelve Thai nationals were also released, according to Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. Dozens of Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be freed by Israel. The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas began Friday, setting the stage for the exchange and allowing sorely needed aid to start flowing into Gaza.
There were no reports of fighting after the truce began. The deal offered some relief for Gaza’s 2.3 million people, who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment and dwindling supplies of basic necessities, as well as for families in Israel worried about loved ones taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which triggered the war. The truce raised hopes of eventually winding down the conflict, which has flattened vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East. Israel, however, has said it is determined to resume its massive offensive once the cease-fire ends.
Under the deal, Gaza’s ruling Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took in the Oct. 7 raid. In exchange, Hamas said Israel would free 150 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides agreed to release women and children first, in stages starting Friday, and as planned 13 Israelis were released, according to Israeli media, citing security officials. An Israeli official, meanwhile, confirmed that the Thai captives left Gaza and were en route to a hospital in Israel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to discuss the releases with the media. Israel said the deal calls for the truce to be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed. Early in the day, ambulances were seen arriving at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel, preparing for the release. Those freed will then be taken to hospitals for assessment and treatment, Israeli officials said.
Among the Israeli citizens freed some have a second nationality, according to a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the details with the media.
Israel’s Justice Ministry published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners eligible for release. Thirty-nine — 24 women, including some convicted of attempted murder for attacks on Israeli forces, and 15 teenagers jailed for offenses like throwing stones — were expected to be freed Friday, Palestinian authorities said. On Friday, the truce brought quiet after weeks in which Gaza saw heavy bombardment and artillery fire daily as well as street fighting as ground troops advanced through neighborhoods in the north. The last report of air raid sirens in Israeli towns near the territory came shortly after the truce took effect.
Not long after, four tankers with fuel and four with cooking gas entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt, Israel said.
Israel has agreed to allow the delivery of 130,000 liters (34,340 gallons) of fuel per day during the truce — still only a small portion of Gaza’s estimated daily needs of more than 1 million liters. For most of the past seven weeks of war, Israel had barred the entry of fuel to Gaza, claiming it could be used by Hamas for military purposes — though it has occasionally allowed small amounts in. UN aid agencies pushed back against the claim, saying fuel deliveries were closely supervised and urgently needed to avert a humanitarian catastrophe since fuel is required to run generators that power water treatment facilities, hospitals and other critical infrastructure.The Israeli military dropped leaflets over southern Gaza, warning hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who sought refuge there not to return to their homes in the territory’s north, the focus of Israel’s ground offensive.
Even though Israel warned that it would block such attempts, hundreds of Palestinians could be seen walking north Friday. Two were shot and killed by Israeli troops and another 11 were wounded. An Associated Press journalist saw the two bodies and the wounded as they arrived at a hospital. Sofian Abu Amer, who had fled Gaza City, said he decided to risk heading north to check on his home.
“We don’t have enough clothes, food and drinks,” he said. ”The situation is disastrous. It’s better for a person to die.”The hope is that “momentum” from the deal will lead to an “end to this violence,” said Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, which served as a mediator along with the United States and Egypt. But hours before it came into effect, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was quoted telling troops that their respite would be short and that the war would resume with intensity for at least two more months.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also vowed to continue the war to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the hostages. Israel’s northern border with Lebanon was also quiet on Friday, a day after the militant Hezbollah group, an ally of Hamas, carried out the highest number of attacks in one day since fighting there began Oct. 8. Hezbollah is not a party to the cease-fire agreement, but was widely expected to halt its attacks. The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers. The soldiers will only be released in exchange for all Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, according to the Islamic Jihad militant group, which is reportedly holding about 40 hostages. It is not clear how many of the hostages are currently serving in the military or whether the militants also consider reserve soldiers to be “military hostages.”
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an advocacy group, Israel is currently holding 7,200 Palestinians on security charges or convictions, including about 2,000 arrested since the start of the war.
The Israeli offensive has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which resumed its detailed count of casualties in Gaza after stopping for weeks because of the health system’s collapse in the north. The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead, though the new number was not broken down. The figure does not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.

What does Israel-Hamas cease-fire look like?
Associated Press/November 24, 2023
A temporary cease-fire agreement to facilitate the release of dozens of people taken hostage during Hamas' raid on Israel is expected to bring the first respite to war-weary Palestinians in Gaza and a glimmer of hope to the families of the captives.
After hitting a last-minute snag, the deal took effect Friday, a day later than originally planned. Under its terms, Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day halt in hostilities. Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would also be freed as part of the agreement.
The deal was brokered by Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt and announced on Wednesday. It capped weeks of fitful indirect negotiations and set the stage for a tense period that could determine the course of the war, which was set off by Hamas' Oct. 7 raid.
Israel, Hamas and Qatar have released different details of the agreement, but those details do not appear to contradict one another.
WHAT'S IN THE DEAL?
Qatar announced that 50 hostages will be released in exchange for what Hamas said would be 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Those freed by both sides will be women and minors. The plan is for the hostages, part of the 240 people abducted last month, to be released in bursts throughout the cease-fire. Once the first batch is released, Israel is expected to free the first group of Palestinian prisoners. Those prisoners include many teenage boys detained during a wave of violence in the West Bank in 2022 or 2023 and charged with offenses such as stone-throwing or disturbing public order, according to a list of eligible prisoners published by Israel's Justice Ministry. Israel holds nearly 7,000 Palestinians accused or convicted of security offenses. Israel said the truce would be extended by a day for every 10 additional hostages released. Qatar said Israel would also allow more fuel and humanitarian aid into Gaza, but did not provide details. Hamas said hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian aid and fuel are to be allowed to enter Gaza every day as part of the deal. Supplies would also reach northern Gaza, the focus of Israel's ground offensive, for the first time, Hamas said. Israel's government statement did not refer to increased aid and fuel deliveries. Israeli Channel 12 TV reported that as part of the deal, Israel will allow a "significant" amount of fuel and humanitarian supplies into Gaza, but did not specify how much. Israel has severely limited the amount of aid, especially fuel, allowed into Gaza during the war, prompting dire shortages of water, food and fuel to run generators. The fighting is expected to come to a temporary halt: Israeli jets and troops will hold their fire, while militants are expected to refrain from firing rockets at Israel.
Hamas said Israel's warplanes would stop flying over southern Gaza during the four-day truce and for six hours daily over the north. Israel made no mention of halting flights, and it wasn't clear if this would include its sophisticated intelligence drones, which have been a constant presence over Gaza.
WHAT'S BEEN LEFT OUT?
While several families will be thrilled to have their loved ones back, a significant number of hostages will likely remain in Hamas captivity, including men, women, older people and foreign nationals. The families who are not included in the current deal are likely to keep up the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to try to secure their own loved ones' release with a future deal. The plight of the families has gripped Israelis, and they have widespread support. Netanyahu said Wednesday that under the deal, the International Committee of the Red Cross will visit the remaining hostages and provide them with any medicine they need. Neither Hamas nor the Red Cross confirmed that. While the cease-fire will grant Palestinians in Gaza a brief calm, the hundreds of thousands who have fled the combat zone and headed south are not expected to be able to return home. Israeli troops are expected to remain in their positions in northern Gaza.
WHAT ARE THE DEAL'S POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS?
The deal involves only a short break in the fighting. Israel, which has made destroying Hamas and saving the captives its goals, is expected to continue where it left off once the cease-fire ends. Netanyahu said that the cease-fire will allow the army to prepare for the continued fighting and will not harm its war effort — and that the war would continue once it expires. When it does, airstrikes will likely resume and troops will continue their push throughout northern Gaza before their expected foray into the south at an unknown time. Gaza residents will have to brace for a resumption of hostilities.
A break in fighting would also grant Hamas time to strategize, shift around militant positions and perhaps regroup after Israel claimed it had killed large numbers of fighters and destroyed many of the group's military assets. The staggered nature of the deal also opens the door for Hamas to up its demands on the fly, in the hopes that Israel would make more concessions to release more hostages. Yehya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza and presumed mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack, could also try to turn a four-day pause in fighting into a longer cease-fire by offering to release more hostages. A longer truce would make it harder for Israel to restart the war, both operationally and in the eyes of global public opinion. The Israeli government would face growing domestic pressure to secure the release of more hostages. Families left out of the current deal will only become more determined to see their loved ones freed once they've seen the first groups leave captivity.

Gaza truce begins, Dozens of women and children to be released
Associated Press/November 24, 2023
A four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war took effect early Friday, setting the stage for the exchange of dozens of hostages held by militants in Gaza in return for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The halt in fighting promised some relief for Gaza's 2.3 million people, who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment, as well as families in Israel fearful for the fate of loved ones taken captive during Hamas' Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war. The cease-fire kicked off at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and is to last at least four days. During this period, Gaza's ruling Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took on Oct. 7. Hamas said Israel would free 150 Palestinian prisoners. The deal also provides for more aid to reach southern Gaza, where Palestinians are facing severe shortages of food, water, medicine and electricity. Not long after the cease-fire took effect, trucks carrying fuel and other supplies could be seen entering the terminal at the Rafah crossing from Egypt, where they were transferred to other trucks that would carry them into Gaza. Not long after the cease-fire took effect, trucks carrying fuel and other supplies could be seen entering the terminal at the Rafah crossing from Egypt, as the truce allows an increase in the trickle of aid that has reached civilians facing severe shortages of food, water, medicine and electricity. Both sides will release women and children first. Israel said the truce would be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed.
The first 50 hostages being released are Israeli citizens, including some who have a second nationality, according to a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the details with the media. The official would not comment on media reports that Hamas had also agreed to release non-Israelis, including 23 Thai nationals. Thailand's foreign minister told reporters in Bangkok he had not yet been able to confirm the reports. The truce-for-hostages deal was reached in weeks of intense indirect negotiations, with Qatar, the United States and Egypt serving as mediators. If it holds, it would mark the first significant break in fighting since Israel declared war on Hamas seven weeks ago.
The agreement raised hopes of eventually winding down the war, which has leveled vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East. Israel has pushed back against such speculation, saying it was determined to resume its massive offensive once the truce ends. A first group of 13 women and children held by Hamas will be freed Friday afternoon, according to Majed al-Ansari, the spokesman of the Qatari foreign ministry. Three Palestinian prisoners, also women and minors, are to be released for every freed hostage. Israel's Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible to be released, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses. The return of hostages could lift spirits in Israel, where their plight has gripped the country. Families of the hostages have staged mass demonstrations to pressure the government to bring them home. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said it notified the families of hostages listed for release Friday. Increased aid for Palestinians will start to enter Gaza "as soon as possible," al-Ansari said Thursday. The hope is that the "momentum" from this deal will lead to an "end to this violence," he told reporters. Hamas said 200 trucks a day will enter Gaza carrying aid. Qatar said the aid will include fuel, but has given no details on quantities.
Israel cut off all imports at the start of the war, except for a trickle of food, water and medical supplies allowed in from Egypt. The lack of fuel has caused a territory-wide blackout, leaving homes and hospitals reliant on faltering generators.
Separately, the Israeli military dropped leaflets over southern Gaza, warning hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who sought refuge there not to try to return to their homes in the northern half of the territory, the focus of Israel's ground offensive. Israel has said it would block attempts to return. Despite the warning, hundreds of Palestinians were seen walking north Friday. Israel's northern border with Lebanon was quiet on Friday, a day after Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group, an ally of Hamas, carried out the highest number of attacks in one day since fighting there began Oct. 8.
Hezbollah has not publicly commented on whether it was respecting the cease-fire, but they were widely expected to halt their attacks. The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers. Hamas is expected to demand a large number of high-profile prisoners in return for soldiers. The Israeli bombardment, now in its seventh week, has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which resumed its detailed count of casualties in Gaza from the war. The ministry had stopped publishing casualty counts since Nov. 11, saying it had lost the ability to do so because of the health system's collapse in the north. The new numbers were not fully broken down, but women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead. The figures do not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north. The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count. Israel continued to strike targets throughout the night ahead of the truce, and also destroyed stretches of tunnels and a number of tunnel shafts in the area of Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest, the military said. Earlier this week, Israel showed a tunnel and rooms that military officials said were a major Hamas hideout beneath Shifa. Hamas and hospital staff deny Israeli allegations that Shifa was used as a militant command center. Netanyahu vowed to continue the war after the truce expires to destroy Hamas' military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the estimated 240 captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups. "We will continue it until we achieve all our goals," Netanyahu said, adding that he had delivered the same message in a phone call to U.S. President Joe Biden. Washington has provided extensive military and diplomatic support to Israel since the start of the war. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was quoted as telling troops Thursday that their respite will be short and that the war would resume with intensity for at least two more months.

Hamas frees first batch of hostages under truce, including 13 Israelis
AFP/November 24, 2023
GAZA STRIP: Hamas released the first batch of hostages under a cease-fire deal that began Friday, including 13 Israelis who have been held in the Gaza Strip since the militant group staged a raid on Israel nearly seven weeks ago, according to officials and media reports. Twelve Thai nationals were also released, according to Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. Dozens of Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be freed by Israel. The cease-fire between Israel and Hamas began Friday, setting the stage for the exchange and allowing sorely needed aid to start flowing into Gaza.
There were no reports of fighting after the truce began. The deal offered some relief for Gaza’s 2.3 million people, who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment and dwindling supplies of basic necessities, as well as for families in Israel worried about loved ones taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which triggered the war. The truce raised hopes of eventually winding down the conflict, which has flattened vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East. Israel, however, has said it is determined to resume its massive offensive once the cease-fire ends. Under the deal, Gaza’s ruling Hamas group pledged to free at least 50 of the about 240 hostages it and other militants took in the Oct. 7 raid. In exchange, Hamas said Israel would free 150 Palestinian prisoners. Both sides agreed to release women and children first, in stages starting Friday, and as planned 13 Israelis were released, according to Israeli media, citing security officials. An Israeli official, meanwhile, confirmed that the Thai captives left Gaza and were en route to a hospital in Israel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to discuss the releases with the media. Israel said the deal calls for the truce to be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed. Early in the day, ambulances were seen arriving at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel, preparing for the release. Those freed will then be taken to hospitals for assessment and treatment, Israeli officials said. Among the Israeli citizens freed some have a second nationality, according to a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the details with the media.
Israel’s Justice Ministry published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners eligible for release. Thirty-nine — 24 women, including some convicted of attempted murder for attacks on Israeli forces, and 15 teenagers jailed for offenses like throwing stones — were expected to be freed Friday, Palestinian authorities said.
On Friday, the truce brought quiet after weeks in which Gaza saw heavy bombardment and artillery fire daily as well as street fighting as ground troops advanced through neighborhoods in the north. The last report of air raid sirens in Israeli towns near the territory came shortly after the truce took effect.
Not long after, four tankers with fuel and four with cooking gas entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt, Israel said. Israel has agreed to allow the delivery of 130,000 liters (34,340 gallons) of fuel per day during the truce — still only a small portion of Gaza’s estimated daily needs of more than 1 million liters.
For most of the past seven weeks of war, Israel had barred the entry of fuel to Gaza, claiming it could be used by Hamas for military purposes — though it has occasionally allowed small amounts in. UN aid agencies pushed back against the claim, saying fuel deliveries were closely supervised and urgently needed to avert a humanitarian catastrophe since fuel is required to run generators that power water treatment facilities, hospitals and other critical infrastructure. The Israeli military dropped leaflets over southern Gaza, warning hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who sought refuge there not to return to their homes in the territory’s north, the focus of Israel’s ground offensive. Even though Israel warned that it would block such attempts, hundreds of Palestinians could be seen walking north Friday. Two were shot and killed by Israeli troops and another 11 were wounded. An Associated Press journalist saw the two bodies and the wounded as they arrived at a hospital. Sofian Abu Amer, who had fled Gaza City, said he decided to risk heading north to check on his home. “We don’t have enough clothes, food and drinks,” he said. ”The situation is disastrous. It’s better for a person to die.”
The hope is that “momentum” from the deal will lead to an “end to this violence,” said Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, which served as a mediator along with the United States and Egypt. But hours before it came into effect, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was quoted telling troops that their respite would be short and that the war would resume with intensity for at least two more months. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also vowed to continue the war to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the hostages.
Israel’s northern border with Lebanon was also quiet on Friday, a day after the militant Hezbollah group, an ally of Hamas, carried out the highest number of attacks in one day since fighting there began Oct. 8.
Hezbollah is not a party to the cease-fire agreement, but was widely expected to halt its attacks. The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers. The soldiers will only be released in exchange for all Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, according to the Islamic Jihad militant group, which is reportedly holding about 40 hostages. It is not clear how many of the hostages are currently serving in the military or whether the militants also consider reserve soldiers to be “military hostages.”According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an advocacy group, Israel is currently holding 7,200 Palestinians on security charges or convictions, including about 2,000 arrested since the start of the war.
The Israeli offensive has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which resumed its detailed count of casualties in Gaza after stopping for weeks because of the health system’s collapse in the north.
The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead, though the new number was not broken down. The figure does not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.

UN agencies hope truce will allow aid to flow to northern Gaza
Reuters/November 24, 2023
RAFAH, Gaza Strip: UN agencies voiced hope that a shaky truce that got underway between Israel and Hamas on Friday would allow aid to flow to northern Gaza for the first time in weeks, while the World Health Organization said it is working on further hospital evacuations. Aid agencies have said they are aiming to deliver supplies to northern part of the Palestinian enclave where hospitals have collapsed due to bombings and lack of fuel and where there are major concerns about dehydration and disease outbreaks. Aid trucks started entering the Gaza Strip from Egypt on Friday, around 1-1/2 hours after a truce began between Israel and Palestinian Hamas fighters. Two of the trucks, representing Egyptian organizations, sported banners that said, “Together for Humanity.” Another said: “For our brothers in Gaza.”“The United Nations can confirm that as I speak trucks with humanitarian supplies continues to cross into Gaza through the Rafah crossing point,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for OCHA. Asked whether the United Nations had guarantees from Israel that it could deliver aid to the north, Laerke said: “We proceed on the basis of the hope and the expectation that we will reach people in need, where they are.”WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said the agency was working on further hospital evacuations as soon as possible. “We’re extremely concerned about the safety of the estimated 100 patients and health workers remaining at Al-Shifa,” he said. He declined to react to comments from the Gaza health ministry saying it was suspending cooperation with the global health agency amid reports that Israel is holding medical staff for questioning. A WHO statement on that is due later on Friday, he added. Tommaso Della Longa, spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told Reuters that its local partner had a convoy of ambulances heading north to evacuate patients from Ahli Baptist Hospital. “We do hope that this pause in the fighting will give us the possibility of reaching all the people in Gaza, including areas in the north where it was impossible to have access,” he said.

Palestinians in Gaza seeking refuge from war find their world is shrinking. They say nowhere is safe
BEIRUT (AP)/November 24, 2023
Gaza has always been a small, crowded space with hardly any exits. Now the world for Palestinians there has shrunk to the size of whatever refuge they can find. The strip is 25 miles (40 kilometers) long by some 7 miles (11 kilometers) wide. More than a month into the war, Israeli troops are spread throughout the northern third. More than 2 million people are now crammed into what’s left. Since mid-October, The Associated Press has followed four people trying to survive and communicate from that diminished world, using voice messages, video clips and the rare phone call. The sounds of explosions and drones pierce some of the nearly 80 recordings. Israel says it is dismantling Hamas, the group that unleashed a surprise attack on Oct. 7 that killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Weeks of Israeli bombardment have killed more than 13,000 Palestinians, 70% of them women and children. While most civilians could flee the combat zone in other wars like Ukraine, Palestinians in Gaza have no escape.
HOSEIN OWDA, U.N. WORKER
The Owdas spent two years and most of their savings to build a new apartment. Moving day was scheduled for Oct. 7. That morning, Hosein Owda woke up to the sound of a barrage of rockets out of Gaza. His first thought was the move would have to be postponed. His world fell apart with dizzying speed. The apartment was gone in one airstrike and one of his best friends killed in another. A week into the war, some 15 family members crammed into two cars. Owda became one of thousands of newly displaced sheltering at a center in Khan Younis run by the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, that employs him. There are 24 bathrooms for over 22,000 displaced, and no beds, mattresses or running water. Numbers in the shelter swelled. Tents cropped up. “If you want to take a shower, this is a faraway dream.”Then on Oct. 29, Owda learned an Israeli strike had hit Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza City. Ten members of his family were killed. Finding bodies was barely possible. Proper burials were out of the question. There was no time for grief. “We breathe, but other than that we have lost all other signs of life.”
ASAAD ALAADIN, WRITER
Asaad Alaadin left his home near the border with Israel In the first days of the war.
A 33-year-old writer, Alaadin contributed to various publications, covering the arts and Gaza’s social and political dynamics. Now he was documenting the war. When he was reunited with his extended family, the decision was to head south. And they would split up because, his mother said, if something happens “someone survives and keeps going.” They set out early Oct. 13. His father went to central Gaza; one sister stayed in Gaza City. He, his mother and a sister headed to Rafah, the southern tip of the Gaza Strip. But their hosts asked him to leave. They feared Alaadin’s filming put them in danger. When he moved in with his in-laws in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, they, too, asked him to stop working. By Day 10, he and the in-laws were in a small apartment, focusing on finding water and securing fuel for the generator that keeps their phones charged. He fasted from sunrise to sunset, saving on food and building his resolve. Communication blackouts shut out everything beyond the walls of his in-laws’ house. When the internet came back 36 hours after the first Israeli-imposed blackout on Oct. 27, it was “like the return of the soul to the body.” He broke down in tears when he reached his family.
Communication “is more important than food and drink.”
SALEM ELRAYYES, JOURNALIST
Salem Elrayyes woke up to the screams of his 13-year-old daughter at the sound of outgoing rockets on Oct. 7. He hugged her and reached for his phone. Elrayyes is an expert on Gaza’s urban landscape and how its growing population adapts to being hemmed in by the sea, Israel and Egypt, by building vertically: apartment towers are the answer to the Strip’s shrinking land. From the rooftops of those towers, Elrayyes reported on events over the fence. Palestinian militants controlled several Israeli communities, including villages and towns of the ancestors of current residents of Gaza before Israel’s creation in 1948. Could the territory be growing just a bit? Elrayyes wondered. When Israeli retaliation came, the opposite happened. Deaths and displacement spiraled. Roads were blocked by rubble. Ambulances and journalists were unable to move. Elrayyes and his wife evacuated from their apartment. She and the children went to temporary shelters in Khan Younis; his parents to central Gaza. He camped out at a hospital in Khan Younis, where he documented nearby bombings and the deluge of killed and wounded. He slept in his car. Every day, he drove to see his kids and took another trip to Gaza City to check on their apartment. His last visit was Nov. 1. The shrinking space began to fray Elrayyes’ nerves. “Not only the physical space is tightening. My private space is eroding.”
AYAH AL-WAKEEL, LAWYER
Ayah al-Wakeel was among those who refused to leave. The Gaza City lawyer campaigning for women’s rights is used to uphill battles in a conservative society. “We will not leave, and we won’t give them what they want,” she said in a recording. But on Oct. 19, in a series of frantic pre-dawn texts, she explained what changed her family’s mind. Her neighborhood was surrounded by what she called a “ring of fire,” describing successive airstrikes in one block. The barrage seemed designed to drive out anyone who dared stay, she said. She and her neighbors pulled her partially paralyzed father to safety. Bombs seemed to be chasing them. Twice, her father asked them to leave him to die. The family gathered at Shifa Hospital, where Israel claims Hamas built an underground headquarters. They evacuated to another hospital a few days later. A third evacuation to a third hospital followed. On Nov. 4, she said they returned to Shifa hospital. She dreamed of a tall glass of water. Filthy bathrooms have kept her on two sips a day. “I want to collapse but I really don’t have the energy for that.”On Nov. 7, she said neither Shifa nor going south seem safe. She texted a friend: “I miss you, my love.” She has not been heard from since.

Gaza has become a moonscape, many fear it will remain uninhabitable after war
Associated Press/November 24, 2023
Israel's military offensive has turned much of northern Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape. Whole neighborhoods have been erased. Homes, schools and hospitals have been blasted by airstrikes and scorched by tank fire. Some buildings are still standing, but most are battered shells.
Nearly 1 million Palestinians have fled the north, including its urban center, Gaza City, as ground combat intensified. When the war ends, any relief will quickly be overshadowed by dread as displaced families come to terms with the scale of the calamity and what it means for their future.
Where would they live? Who would eventually run Gaza and pick up the pieces? "I want to go home even if I have to sleep on the rubble of my house," said Yousef Hammash, an aid worker with the Norwegian Refugee Council who fled the ruins of the urban refugee camp of Jabaliya for southern Gaza. "But I don't see a future for my children here." The Israeli army's use of powerful explosives in tightly packed residential areas — which Israel describes as the unavoidable outcome of Hamas using civilian sites as cover for its operations — has killed over 13,000 Palestinians and led to staggering destruction. Hamas denies the claim and accuses Israel of recklessly bombing civilians.
"When I left, I couldn't tell which street or intersection I was passing," said Mahmoud Jamal, a 31-year-old taxi driver who fled his northern hometown of Beit Hanoun this month. He described apartment buildings resembling open-air parking garages.
Israel's bombardment has become one of the most intense air campaigns since World War II, said Emily Tripp, director of Airwars, a London-based conflict monitor. In the seven weeks since Hamas' unprecedented Oct. 7 attack, Israel unleashed more munitions than the United States did in any given year of its bombing campaign against the Islamic State group — a barrage the U.N describes as the deadliest urban campaign since World War II. In Israel's grainy thermal footage of airstrikes targeting Hamas tunnels, fireballs obliterate everything in sight. Videos by Hamas' military wing feature fighters with rocked-propelled grenades trekking through smoke-filled streets. Fortified bulldozers have cleared land for Israeli tanks. "The north of Gaza has been turned into one big ghost town," said Mkhaimer Abusada, a political scientist at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City who fled to Egypt last week. "People have nothing to return to."About half of all buildings across northern Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, according to an analysis of Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data by Corey Scher of the CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University. With the U.N. estimating 1.7 million people are newly homeless, many wonder if Gaza will ever recover. "You'll end up having displaced people living in tents for a long time," said Raphael Cohen, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, a research group. The war has knocked 27 of 35 hospitals across Gaza out of operation, according to the World Health Organization. The destruction of other critical infrastructure has consequences for years to come. "Bakeries and grain mills have been destroyed, agriculture, water and sanitation facilities," said Scott Paul, a senior humanitarian policy adviser for Oxfam America. "You need more than four walls and a ceiling for a place to be habitable, and in many cases people don't even have that."Across the entire enclave, over 41,000 homes — 45% of Gaza's total housing stock — are too destroyed to be lived in, according to the U.N. "All I left at home was dead bodies and rubble," said Mohammed al-Hadad, a 28-year-old party planner who fled Shati refugee camp along Gaza City's shoreline. Shati sustained nearly 14,000 incidents of war damage — varying from an airstrike crater to a collapsed building — over just 0.5 square kilometers (0.2 square miles), the satellite data analysis shows.
Southern Gaza — where scarce food, water and fuel has spawned a humanitarian crisis — has been spared the heaviest firepower, according to the analysis.
But that's changing. In the past two weeks, satellite data shows a spike in damage across the southern town of Khan Younis. Residents say the military has showered eastern parts of town with evacuation warnings. Israel has urged those in southern Gaza to move again, toward a slice of territory called Muwasi along the coast. As of Thursday, Israel and Hamas were still working out the details of a four-day truce that would allow more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and facilitate an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages. Displaced Palestinians said four days won't be enough. "This is our nakba," said 32-year-old journalist Tareq Hajjaj, referring to the mass displacement of an estimated 700,000 Palestinians during the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation — an exodus Palestinians call the "nakba," or "catastrophe." Although publicly Palestinians reject the idea of being transferred outside Gaza, some privately admit they cannot stay, even after the war ends.
"We will never return home," said Hajjaj, who fled his home in Shijaiyah in eastern Gaza City. "Those who stay here will face the most horrific situation they could imagine."The 2014 Israel-Hamas war leveled Shijaiyah, turning the neighborhood into fields of inert gray rubble. The $5 billion reconstruction effort there and across Gaza remains unfinished to this day. "This time the scale of destruction is exponentially higher," said Giulia Marini, international advocacy officer at Palestinian rights group Al Mezan. "It will take decades for Gaza to go back to where it was before."It remains unclear who will take responsibility for that task. At the recent security summit in Bahrain, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi vowed Arab states would not "come and clean the mess after Israel." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants the army to restore security, and American officials have pushed the seemingly unlikely scenario of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority taking over the strip. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, regarded by many Palestinians as weak, has dismissed that idea in the absence of Israeli efforts toward a two-state solution. Despite the war's horrors, Yasser Elsheshtawy, a professor of architecture at Columbia University, hopes reconstruction could offer an opportunity to turn Gaza's ramshackle refugee camps and long deteriorating infrastructure into "something more habitable and equitable and humane," including public parks and a revitalized seafront. But Palestinians say it's not only shattered infrastructure that requires rebuilding but a traumatized society. "Gaza has become a very scary place," Abusada said. "It will always be full of memories of death and destruction."

Gallant: Gaza fighting to resume with intensity after temporary truce
Naharnet/November 24, 2023
Ahead of a slated several-day pause in fighting in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Thursday that once the “short” temporary truce with Hamas ends, the Israeli military will resume “with intensity” for at least two more months. “What you will see in the coming days is first the release of hostages. This respite will be short,” Gallant told troops of the Navy’s Shayetet 13 elite commando unit. “What is required of you in this respite is to organize, get ready, investigate, resupply arms, and get ready to continue.”“There will be a continuation, because we need to complete the victory and create the impetus for the next groups of hostages, who will only come back as a result of pressure,” he added. The hostage release deal, which was mediated by Qatar and the U.S., is set to begin Friday. It would see Hamas release at least 50 Israeli women and children it took hostage on October 7, over the course of four days, in exchange for a lull in the fighting during those four days and the release of 150 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel for security offenses, all of them women or minors. Israeli army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi echoed Gallant’s comments earlier in the day, saying that the military is “not ending the war.”“We are trying to connect the goals of the war, so that the pressure from the ground operation brings about the ability to also achieve the [other] goal of this war to create the conditions for the release of the abducted hostages,” Halevi told commanders during a visit to Gaza. “We are not ending the war. We will continue until we are victorious, going forward and continuing in other Hamas areas,” he added. The comments came hours after a spokesperson for Qatar’s foreign ministry confirmed that the temporary truce between Israel and Hamas will go into effect Friday at 7 a.m. The first group of 13 Israeli hostages will be freed on Friday at 4 p.m. During the temporary ceasefire, Israeli troops will hold their positions inside the Gaza Strip, Israeli army Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari confirmed Thursday evening. “Taking control of northern Gaza is the first stage of a long war, and we’re preparing for the coming stages,” he said. Hagari also warned that there may be unexpected developments amid the pause, and that Hamas will attempt to use “psychological terror” against the Israeli public.

Israeli army announces arrival of the released hostages to 'Israeli territory'
AFP/November 24, 2023
The Israeli army announced on Friday that the hostages released from the Gaza Strip as part of a truce agreement with Hamas had arrived in "Israeli territory."The army said in a statement, “The released hostages underwent an initial medical evaluation inside Israeli territory,” adding, “Israeli army soldiers will continue to accompany them as they head to Israeli hospitals, where they will be reunited with their families.”

UN says 137 aid trucks unloaded in Gaza since ceasefire started
LBCI/November 24, 2023
The United Nations announced on Friday the unloading of the cargo of 137 trucks carrying food, water, and medicines in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Israel to summon Spanish, Belgian ambassadors over Gaza comments
LBCI/November 24, 2023
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid summoned the ambassadors of Spain and Belgium after the prime ministers of their respective countries condemned the devastating airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and called on Israel to "recognize the state of Palestine."

Four children and six elderly women are on the official list of released Israeli hostages
AFP/November 24, 2023
An official Israeli list showed that four children and six elderly women were among the first group of 13 Israeli hostages released on Friday under the truce agreement between Israel and Hamas. The list issued by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office includes three girls and a boy between the ages of two and nine, in addition to six women over the age of 70. Eight of the thirteen released hostages belong to three families.

Egypt’s El-Sisi calls for recognition of Palestinian state
AFP/November 24, 2023
CAIRO: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Friday appeared to discredit the moribund Israel-Palestinian peace process and instead called on the international community to recognize the Palestinian state. During a joint news conference with the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium in Cairo, El-Sisi said reviving the process aimed at ending the Israel-Palestinian conflict “may not be what is required.”“The results of this path faltering for 30 years tells us that we must” adopt a different approach, he said. This would entail “the recognition of the Palestinian state by the international community and bringing it into the United Nations... This would show seriousness,” El-Sisi added. He pointed to the high civilian death toll in successive Gaza conflicts, saying the wars erupted because the “political horizons for resolving the Palestinian cause always failed” to fulfil the Palestinians’ aspirations. El-Sisi’s remarks come on the first day of a truce between Israel and Hamas, to be accompanied by the release of hostages taken in Israel by Hamas and other Palestinian groups in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. The four-day truce deal was concluded with mediation from Qatar, with support from Egypt and the United States, and comes almost seven weeks after the war erupted on October 7. Israel has launched an aerial and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that has left 14,854 Palestinians dead, among them 6,150 children, according to the Hamas government. It came after militants from Gaza carried out an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory that left around 1,200 people dead, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities. Hamas and other Palestinian groups also took around 240 hostages to Gaza on the day of the attack.

US forces came under attack 4 times in Iraq and Syria on Thanksgiving
Haley Britzky and Oren Liebermann, CNN/November 24, 2023
US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria came under attack four separate times on Thanksgiving Day, according to a US official. On Thursday morning, multiple one-way attack drones were launched against troops at Al-Asad Airbase, and one one-way attack drone targeted Erbil Airbase in Iraq. A multi-rocket attack was also launched against forces at Mission Support Site Euphrates in Syria. On Thursday afternoon, another one-way attack drone was launched against forces at Mission Support Site Green Village in Syria. All four followed an attack on Wednesday afternoon, when a one-way attack drone was launched against Erbil Airbase, the official said. There were no casualties or infrastructure damage reported in any of the attacks, according to the official. The latest attacks mark at least 73 against US and coalition forces since October 17. They also follow a US air strike on Tuesday evening – Wednesday morning local time – on two facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah group in Iraq. US Central Command said that the airstrikes were “in direct response to the attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces by Iran and Iran-backed groups, including the one in Iraq on November 21, which involved use of close-range ballistic missiles.”A defense official added that the facilities – an operations center and command and control node near Al Anbar and Jurf al Saqr, Iraq, south of Baghdad – were used by Kataib Hezbollah to “support recent attacks on US and coalition bases in Iraq and Syria.”At least eight Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah fighters were killed and four other wounded following the US strikes, the group said in a statement. While the strikes were the first in Iraq since attacks on US and coalition forces began, they were the fourth US strike against targets associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps since the attacks started on October 17. The first strike occurred on October 26 when an F-15 fighter and two F-16 fighter jets targeted two weapons and ammunition storage facilities in Abu Kamal, Syria. Then on November 8, two F-15s carried out an airstrike on a weapons storage facility in eastern Syria. On November 12, the US carried out more airstrikes on a training facility and a safe house affiliated with the IRGC. The attacks on US and coalition forces started after Hamas’ attack on Israel, and the Pentagon has maintained that the US has been successful in deterring any escalatory actions that would expand the conflict outside of Israel and Gaza despite the continued attacks on US forces. “Is deterrence working? We feel that it is,” Singh told reporters last week. “We have not seen this war spread into a wider regional conflict. We have … conducted three different strikes. We responded most recently this weekend. And again, we will always reserve the right to respond at a time and place of our choosing in the future.”

Bahrain seeks to balance anger over Gaza with ties to Israel, US
MANAMA (Reuters)/November 24, 2023
Bahrain has been walking a political tightrope since war erupted in Gaza as it seeks to ease public fury at a conflict that has killed thousands of Palestinians while preserving a deal with Israel that brought the Gulf state closer to the United States. For tiny Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet, close U.S. relations are a vital bulwark against Iran, a vast Muslim Shi'ite nation across the Gulf that Manama has long blamed for stirring up its own majority Shi'ite population against Bahrain's Sunni monarchy. The deal to normalise ties with Israel, signed in 2020 by Bahrain when Donald Trump was president, brought few business benefits to Bahrain, unlike those it offered United Arab Emirates, a regional commercial hub which signed at the same time. But the other strategic gains Bahrain secured are too valuable to jeopardise, sources and analysts said. Six sources familiar with the matter told Reuters Bahrain would not abandon its ties with Israel, even though parliament - a body that remains subservient to the monarchy - has made a strident statement suggesting Israel relations were in the freezer. Bahrain is trying to preserve the relationship with Israel while also managing public opinion, one of the sources said. Bahrain's government communications office did not respond to emailed questions on the status of relations with Israel. "They can't abandon normalisation with Israel without endangering this whole strategic framework," said Kristin Smith Diwan, a researcher at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. She said the framework was not just about keeping close to the U.S. but also Bahrain's signing of the deal brought it closer to the wealthy UAE and offered a counterweight to the influence of Saudi Arabia, which has long bankrolled Bahrain whose oil resources long ago dwindled to almost nothing. "Bahrain’s adoption of the Abraham Accords is as much about its relations with other countries as it is with Israel," she said, using the term for the normalisation deals Israel signed with Bahrain and the UAE. Yet it requires a balancing act by Bahrain, as it seeks to keep the deal intact while reflecting its deep disagreement with Israel's fierce military campaign in Gaza, whether through criticism of Israel by the Bahraini crown prince at a security summit in Manama this month, parliament's statements or the government allowing public protests on the issue.
AMBIGUITY ABOUT ISRAEL
On Nov. 2, the elected parliament, which has no authority over foreign policy, issued an unusual statement saying the ambassadors of Israel and Bahrain had departed and economic ties had been cut. "The Zionist entity’s (Israel) ambassador has left from Bahrain, hopefully not to return," parliamentarian Mamdooh Al Saleh said in parliament in the days after the announcement. The fact that the statement on diplomatic and economic ties came from the parliament, not the foreign ministry, stirred ambiguity about whether or not Bahrain had formally cut ties. Israel responded that relations were stable and a subsequent statement by Bahrain's government only mentioned the envoys had already left without clarifying any reason. The Bahraini government made no mention of economic ties, which are modest. The six sources familiar with the matter said parliament's announcement did not reflect government policy. The sources said the public confusion over relations with Israel appeared to have eased pressure on the government in its efforts to balance domestic outrage and ties with Israel. In Jerusalem, a senior Israeli official told Reuters the envoys would return "when the situation allows". On the street, emotions are running high over Israel's assault on Gaza which began after fighters from the Palestinian group Hamas launched a devastating attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. More than 14,000 people have been killed in Gaza.
PROTEST RALLIES
Hundreds of Bahrainis have marched at rallies to show solidarity with Palestinians and protest at the kingdom's ties with Israel, demonstrating in a nation that has typically clamped down on any form of protest, particularly if it targets government policy. "People are angry. The government needs to release the pressure," said Smith Diwan, referring to a decision by the authorities to allow citizens to stage weekly protests. She described apparent state tolerance of the protests as "jarring", reflecting a contrast with Bahrain's normally tight security. The government came down hard on protests in 2011 when demonstrators, many from the Shi'ite majority, rose up to demand the downfall of Bahrain's monarchy in the Arab Spring. Bahrain partly blamed that unrest on Iran, an accusation Tehran denied. Almost a decade later when Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords, worries about Iran again formed the security backdrop, with the Islamic Republic still seen by Gulf Arabs as an expansionist security threat to much of the Middle East. Western officials said the accords reinforced Bahrain's U.S. ties, pointing to a defence pact signed this year. Israel, largely cut off economically and politically for decades from its Middle East neighbours, saw the accords as a shift in regional dynamics and an opening for new trade ties. "I've seen here clear signals from the Arab Gulf countries that they don't want to let go of what has been achieved in the last three years," Tobias Lindner, a German foreign office minister of state told Reuters at a summit this month in Manama. "The government of the Kingdom of Bahrain is a staunch supporter of the Abraham Accords," he said. The UAE, a regional power, also intends to maintain its relationship with Israel, which has yielded billions of dollars in trade and close security cooperation, sources have said. In contrast, Bahrain-Israel trade remains modest, worth about $30 million since 2021, according to Israeli government data.

Analysis-Gaza war increases risk of Islamist attacks in Europe, security officials say
Andrew MacAskill, Michael Holden and Sarah Marsh/Reuters/November 24, 2023
European security officials are seeing a growing risk of attacks by Islamists radicalised by the Israel-Hamas war, with the biggest threat likely to come from "lone wolf" assailants who are hard to track. More than 10 intelligence and police officials in five European countries including Britain, Germany and France told Reuters they are increasing surveillance of Islamist militants. This will put a further burden on resources already stretched by dealing with perceived threats from Russia, China and Iran, in what London police chief Mark Rowley calls "one of the most challenging convergence of threats I have ever seen."
A British security official said the war in Gaza was likely to become the biggest recruiter for Islamist militants since the Iraq war in 2003, and that calls for attacks on Jewish and Western targets had risen in Europe. A German source briefed by intelligence services said the threat to civilians was the highest in Germany's recent history, with dangers coming from Islamist militants, far-right groups and Russia. Two Islamist militant attacks in France and Belgium last month killed three people, and these two countries, Austria, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have raised their terrorism threat alert levels. Italy has reimposed border controls with Slovenia, citing the risk of militants entering the country. "There is going to be a blowback that is going to be felt for years," the British official said. Deaths from Islamist assaults in Europe surged between 2004 and 2006, when attacks were fuelled by al Qaeda, and peaked again in 2015 to 2018, when they were inspired by Islamic State. The threat to Europe now is likely to look very different. Islamic State and al Qaeda recruited thousands of foreign fighters and had the capability to plan orchestrated, synchronised assaults in Europe from the relative safety of enclaves in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. Islamic State and al Qaeda are now in retreat, and Hamas' main target is Israel.
LONE WOLVES
Security officials say the main danger for Europe is probably from attacks by "lone wolves" — assailants who are radicalised, often online, but have no formal links to more established groups. The severity of the security threat could depend on how long Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza, launched in response to the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, and the extent of the damage to the Gaza Strip.Although a truce has come into effect in Gaza, both sides have said the war is far from over. Jochen Kopelke, a police officer who heads Germany's largest police union, said officers were warning suspected militants they were under surveillance and carrying out raids, but the main threat was people who are "self-radicalised". "It's only a question of time until these people carry out crimes," he said. "It's not always about them having a bomb. They can drive with a car into a gathering or attack with a knife."Kopelke said Christmas markets that will soon be opening were potential targets. An attack on a Berlin Christmas market in 2016 killed 12 people. Many Muslims have been angered by the ferocity of the Israeli offensive, and some say European governments should have done more to restrain Israel.
Peter Knoope, former deputy director of policy at the Dutch National Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism, said European counter-terrorism officials found after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States that the best way to stop attacks was a combination of military power with prevention work based on understanding motives and grievances. He said visits by the British, French and German leaders to Israel last month had angered some Muslim, as had some of the language used by European leaders. "The result is that it will create an 'us-and-them' feeling with the Muslim community. It is like we have learnt nothing," Knoope said. "I am very worried when I see the polarisation and I see the language being used."
ONLINE DISINFORMATION
Muslim leaders in Europe say there has been an increase in attacks on Muslims and mosques since the Oct. 7 Hamas raid, and describe a climate of fear as disinformation spreads online. "I have never seen our society so polarised," said Iman Atta, director of British Muslim group Tell Mama (Measuring anti-Muslim Attacks). Germany's Kopelke said a network of Salafists - ultra-conservative Islamists - had resurfaced, and a new group of pro-Hamas influencers had emerged on Instagram and TikTok. One Salafist preacher has 55,000 followers after creating an account on video app TikTok after the Hamas attack, and has shown videos questioning Israel's right to exist. A host of militant groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda have called for attacks in the West and violence against Jews although intelligence officials say the overall threat from Islamic State and al Qaeda has receded. Only two of 16 completed "terrorist attacks" in the EU last year were "jihadist", according to Europol. Thirteen were attributed to left-wing and anarchist groups, and one to a right-wing group. "What you have now is a threat that is more diffuse and more diverse," said Thomas Renard, director of the International Centre for Counter-Terorrism think tank, who said there is more radicalisation occurring online than in places such as mosques.

Ukraine launches major drone attack at Crimea as Russia tries to capture Avdiivka
Associated Press/November 24, 2023
Ukraine launched one of the biggest drone attacks on the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula since the full-scale war that started with Russia's invasion 21 months ago, Russian officials said Friday. At the same time, Ukrainian officials reported that the Kremlin's forces escalated their weekslong and costly attempt to storm Avdiivka, a strategically important city in eastern Ukraine. The stepped-up efforts came as both sides are keen to show they are not deadlocked as the fighting approaches 2024. Neither side has gained much ground despite a Ukrainian counteroffensive that began in June, and analysts predict the war will be a long one. With winter weather setting in, bringing snow and freezing temperatures to the battlefield, Ukraine and Russia are looking to take ground that could provide platforms for future advances. The Moscow-appointed governor for the Russian-occupied part of southern Ukraine's Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said Ukraine launched a major drone attack on Crimea early Friday. He claimed that dozens of drones were shot down over the province and the northern part of Crimea. Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world considered illegal, and has used it as a staging and supply point during the war. The Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 13 Ukrainian drones over Crimea and three more over southern Russia's Volgograd region. It was not possible to independently verify either side's battlefield claims. Russia has been trying to capture Avdiivka since Oct. 10, using heavy bombardments and reportedly taking heavy losses. The city is wrecked, and the battle has become reminiscent of the fight over the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut, which was largely destroyed during nine months of fighting before Russian troops eventually captured it. Avdiivka lies in the northern suburbs of Donetsk, a city in a region of the same name that Russian forces partially occupy. Avdiivka's location grants Ukrainian forces artillery advantages over the city and could serve as a springboard for them to liberate Donetsk. After intense artillery and aerial bombardments, Russian troops attacked the heavily fortified city from an additional direction and spread along the line of contact whereas before they attacked in columns, Vitalii Barabash, the head of Avdiivka's military administration, said Friday. The city is enduring up to 40 bombardments daily, he said.

The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 24-25/2023
ريموند إبراهيم من موقع كايتستون: قائمة بأحداث أضطهاد المسيحيين خلال شهر تشرين الأول/2023
‘It Is the Church that Is Under Attack’: The Persecution of Christians, October 2023
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/November 24, 2023
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/124654/124654/
“These rapes are unfortunately customary and serve a specific purpose. It is believed that once no longer a virgin, a girl would become unsuitable for marriage, even if she belongs to a religious minority, and her only choice would be to marry one of her captors. Mishal was then forcibly converted to Islam and married to one of the kidnappers.” – bitterwinter.org, October 24, 2023, Pakistan.
“Some cases do land in courts. But it is not easy for the victims to win them. Sometimes, the victims are treated as if they were the perpetrators….” — bitterwinter.org, October 24, 2023, Pakistan.
“As we returned back to our grass-thatched roof house, we found some of the debris around the house. On entering the house, we found there was a threatening message, ‘Today if we find you around, we shall destroy you with the house. You have become an embarrassment to our Muslim family by joining a wrong religion.'” – morningstarnews.org, October 4, 2023, Uganda.
Regrettably, this scenario—a fire claims Christian lives, only for Muslim authorities to say it was “accidental”—has played out many times in the Middle East.
On October 17, “suspected Islamic terrorists” murdered three Christians — a Ugandan tour guide and a European couple — in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, on the accusation that they were “supporting Christians in Uganda and coming in the name of tourists.” Pictured: Crater Lake in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. (image source: Robert Weinkove/Wikimedia Commons)
The following are among the abuses and murders inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of October 2023.
The Sexual Abuse and Forced Conversion of Christians
Pakistan: Three Muslim men abducted and violently gang-raped a 16-year-old Christian girl, Persis Masih, on her way to Sunday church service. The girl’s father, a pastor, and most of the family had left early for church, while Persis continued to get ready. She never appeared at church and was not home when they returned. After immediately filing a report with police, “the family spent a sleepless night contacting relatives in the hope of finding Persis,” according to the Oct. 1 report. Eventually,
“[T]he family heard Persis moaning for help outside their gate. The culprits, realizing the severity of her condition, had callously dropped her off. Supported by her elder brother Yessi Masih, Persis was brought inside the house, her physical and emotional state in shambles… [After rushing her to a hospital, the] medical examination revealed the horrifying truth—Persis had been gang-raped. Despite the trauma, she bravely identified one of the perpetrators, Muhammad Atif, thanks to the assistance of the local police and CCTV footage.”
Police acted quickly and arrested Atif before he fled the region. After commending police for this uncharacteristic move—police in Pakistan are notorious for turning a blind eye to the persecution of Christians—a local reporter, Aliyas Wattu, remarked that, “Persis was also beaten, and she bears visible marks of violence on her body.” The report concludes that “Persis’ suffering did not end with the assault; she bore visible marks of violence. The family, already grappling with the emotional toll, faces an arduous journey towards justice.”
In a separate incident, “a gang of armed robbers subjected two Christian women to sexual assault at gunpoint while keeping the men tied up and confined to a room.” According to the report, “This nightmarish event occurred in the early hours of September 14th.” Shortly after midnight, when the entire family was asleep, six men quietly broke into the Christian household. The father, Intezar Masih, his wife Rani (41), his sister Farzana (36), and children were, “to their sheer horror,” rudely awakened to find themselves “encircled by six masked men brandishing firearms.” According to Intezar, “We were warned not to make any noise, as the armed robbers were armed with pistols and heavy guns.” Two of the men held the family hostage, as the other four ransacked the house, “looting everything they could lay their hands on.” Then they took Intezar and his children to a separate room: “Two of the robbers,” he said, “forcibly dragged me by my shoulder, took the children inside the room, beat me severely, and eventually tied me up with a rope before departing.”
“The children and their patriarch were left bound and confined to the room, while Rani Bibi (41 years old) was taken to another room, where she cried out for mercy while enduring horrific sexual assaults by two of the men. Simultaneously, two other assailants took Farzana Bibi into a separate room, where she became the victim of sexual assault at gunpoint.
“After this horrendous ordeal, Rani Bibi was brought back to the veranda, only to be taken to Mr. Masih’s welding workshop, where the remaining robbers subjected her to further sexual violence. The criminals left the family in a state of utter pain, trauma, and fear, warning them of dire consequences if they attempted to pursue them or contact the police….”
Discussing this incident, Juliet Chowdhry, of the British Asian Christian Association, said:
“As the sole Christian family in the area, it appears that this crime targeted them due to their vulnerability and the sense of impunity that perpetrators often feel when targeting marginalized communities.”
Finally, a separate Oct. 24 report documents other previous cases of abduction, rape, and forced conversion of Christian girls. In one, Mishal, a 15-year-old Christian girl was “abducted at gunpoint,” then “gang-raped by four men”:
“These rapes are unfortunately customary and serve a specific purpose. It is believed that once no longer a virgin, a girl would become unsuitable for marriage, even if she belongs to a religious minority, and her only choice would be to marry one of her captors. Mishal was then forcibly converted to Islam and married to one of the kidnappers.”
Six months later, when her abductors were distracted with a funeral, Mishal managed to escape and return to her father’s home. But when she and her father went to report the kidnappers and rapists to police, “Not only did the officers refuse to investigate, but they also informed Mishal’s captors of what was going on. The girl and her father had to go into hiding for fear of being killed.”
After pointing out that “Christian and Hindu girls continue to be abducted, raped, forcibly converted to Islam, and married to Muslim men in Pakistan,” the report adds:
“This obnoxious practice would not prosper without some complicity by police and courts of law. Some cases do land in courts. But it is not easy for the victims to win them. Sometimes, the victims are treated as if they were the perpetrators…. Meanwhile, the business of kidnapping minority religion girls continues. The whereabouts of another Christian girl, Tabita, daughter of Razzak Mashi, kidnapped by four men on September 29, are still unknown. Her case was reported to the police on October 5, together with a birth certificate proving she is twelve years old, as her captors will probably claim, as usual, [that] she is really 18. Whether the police will do anything about Tabita is a different question.”
Nigeria: Muslims, including college personnel, abducted and forcibly converted Dorcas, a 20-year-old Christian college student to Islam. According to Campus Mission Watch, a Christian watchdog group, during a brief communication with her parents,
“Miss Dorcas told her parents that she was taken to an imam’s house, the imam of Sultan Bello Mosque, in the city of Kaduna, where she was kept against her will and threatened not to disclose that she was coerced into embracing Islam, before being brought back to campus. She also told her parents that one Muslim woman, Mallama Amina, an academic staff in the Department of Biochemistry, was appointed as her godmother, who facilitated her forceful conversion to Islam through the renouncing of Christianity and the recitation of Kalma Sha’ada, the Islamic creed…. Dorcas remains with the Muslim leaders and has not been allowed to have any contact with her parents or other Christians on campus. This development has created fear in Christians on KASU campus, forcing some to want to leave.”
Campus Mission Watch added that a well-financed campus group called the Council of Muslim Sisters, which is supported by Muslim leaders in Kaduna state and the Muslim-controlled state government, has implemented a plan to forcibly convert Christians to Islam:
“This group is made up of highly placed and influential female staff in the university. Some of them are professors, directors, senior lecturers from academic and non-academic cadres. They are well coordinated and professionally structured. They have agents at the top management level, directorate levels, faculty levels, department levels, and even at the Student Union levels.”
Attacks on Muslim Converts to Christianity
Kyrgyzstan: Converts to Christianity are openly being targeted for persecution in the Central Asian Muslim nation. According to an October report:
“[V]ideos inciting hatred towards Kyrgyz Christians who have converted from Islam are being widely distributed on the internet.
“In these videos, Christian believers are called sectarians (strong supporters of a minority group or ‘sect’) and traitors of the nation and native faith. The creators of these videos are calling for people to break into Christian communities and churches to capture the faces of believers on video and then distribute their images online to encourage persecution.”
As an example, the article tells the story of Mahri (not her real name), aged 24:
“[She] used to go to church with her mother, a former Uyghur Muslim. Mahri’s mother’s relatives were completely against her Christian faith, and didn’t offer any help when Mahri’s dad passed away.
“Unfortunately, Mahri’s mother also died, and Mahri went to live with her aunt – who has completely forbidden her to believe in Jesus, attend house church meetings and have any communication with other believers. Every time Mahri leaves the house, her aunt bombards her with questions: ‘Where are you going? Who are you seeing?’ Mahri’s phone is constantly checked, and she’s not even allowed to attend school.
“Recently, Mahri was able to attend church where she shared her situation. She’s understandably anxious and exhausted.”
Egypt and Yemen: According to an Amnesty International:
“Yemeni asylum seeker, Abdul-Baqi Saeed Abdo, who has been arbitrary detained in Egypt for over 20 months, is at risk of deportation to Yemen, where his life would be at risk. Abdul-Baqi Saeed Abdo and his family were forced to flee Yemen for Egypt in 2014 after being subjected to violent attacks with impunity following his announcement of his conversion to Christianity on social media. Egyptian security forces arrested him on 15 December 2021 and forcibly disappeared [sic] him for two weeks, before bringing him for interrogations before a prosecutor, who ordered his pretrial detention pending investigations on bogus charges of ‘joining a terrorist group’ and ‘defamation of the Islamic religion’. He is held solely for exercising his rights to freedom of expression, conscience and belief and must be immediately released; any plans to deport him must be halted.”
Uganda: Soon after converting and attending churches in late September, 2023, Sula Mugudi, 70, and his wife, Aisha, 62, returned to their modest home only to find it destroyed by their outraged relatives:
“As we returned back to our grass-thatched roof house, we found some of the debris around the house. On entering the house, we found there was a threatening message, ‘Today if we find you around, we shall destroy you with the house. You have become an embarrassment to our Muslim family by joining a wrong religion.'”
They immediately fled: “It was a very difficult moment for us – no place to stay, no clothing and beddings. According to a pastor who helped them:
“When the couple arrived at our church, they looked shaken and fearful. The church has hidden them for the sake of the church as well for the lives of these two new Christians. We need prayers for God’s protection and providence.”
The Muslim Slaughter of Christians
Democratic Republic of Congo: On Oct. 24, Muslims of the Allied Democratic Forces, which is connected to the Islamic State, slaughtered at least 39 Christians, including 12 children, in a spate of attacks. “Many of these people are Christians, they were servants of God, and teachers in our schools,” related Reverend Gabriel, a church leader in Oicha. “It is the church that is under attack.”
This is only the latest attack. The same terrorist group massacred 17 Christians and torched two churches in July. Before that, in June, they hacked 12 people to death — four children, four women, and four men — in the nation, which is predominately Christian. According to officials, the Muslims “were opening doors and decapitating people with hatchets and machetes.”
“We don’t need humanitarian aid, but we do want security,” one frustrated local said discussing these latest massacres of October. According to another local, Christians are “in despair and disillusionment. They are losing hope.”
“This is a bad situation,” said Pastor Paluku Bagheni Joseph, adding:
“Really pray for us so that everything [meaning the funerals of 39 recently slain] can happen in peace, and pray for the situation we are going through, because the fear increased when the enemies entered the city. Your prayers are very important to us at this time when we are going through pain.”
Uganda: On Oct. 17, “suspected Islamic terrorists” murdered three Christians—a Ugandan tour guide and a European couple—in Queen Elizabeth National Park, on the accusation that they were “supporting Christians in Uganda and coming in the name of tourists.”
Nigeria: A few October instances of the ongoing genocide of Christians:
Oct. 2: Muslim Fulani herdsmen raided a Christian village during the night “and sprayed bullets on the bodies of innocent people while sleeping,” killing eight, an eyewitness said.
Oct. 29: “Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists” slaughtered six Christians in Benue state, “following the slaughter of 10 others earlier this month.”
Oct. 17: Muslim terrorists slaughtered a Christian doctor and his driver with machetes.
Sept. 30: Terrorists killed one Christian and abducted 19 others, “a day after gunmen in the country’s southwest intercepted a church bus and kidnapped 25 members.”
Oct. 7: Terrorists kidnapped at least 30 Christians
General Muslim Persecution of Christians
Uganda: On Oct. 10, six Muslims shouting, “Kafir [Infidel]!” and the jihadist slogan “Allah akbar” [Allah is greatest] attacked 27-year-old Robert Settimba, a well-known Christian street preacher, as he was returning home. According to his friend, an eyewitness:
“The Muslims got hold of him and started kicking and boxing him as others came beating him with sticks, as I watched from a distance, helpless. Some bystanders were shouting at me to disappear or else the attackers will also beat me up. I then left my friend lying down.”
He ran to a nearby church to recruit some aid. When they returned, they found Robert unconscious and took him to a local hospital.
Iraq: On Oct. 3, more than 100 Christians were burned alive after a fire broke out during a Christian wedding ceremony; another 150 attendees were seriously injured. Nearly 60 of those killed were directly related to the bride and groom. In a press conference held on the same day, the Iraqi government announced that its investigation had “conclusively concluded” that the fire was “accidental,” caused by fireworks, and “not intentional at all.” Minutes later, the Syriac Church slammed the announcement: “We reject it [the conclusion], we don’t accept it,” said the Archbishop of Mosul Benedictus Younan Hanno, adding that “political conspiracies” might be afoot. Regarding the claim that the fire was caused by fireworks, “there are tens of videos,” the archbishop added, “showing that they were not the reason.” After also categorically rejecting the fireworks claim, the bridegroom, Rivan, 27, insisted that the fore has been cause by arson:
“We demand the rights of those whose blood was spilt. Why did their blood have to be spilled? We demand their rights and we demand the perpetrator of this action, him and all who are behind him. We demand an international investigation, not a local or federal investigation.”
Regrettably, this scenario—a fire claims Christian lives, only for Muslim authorities to say it was “accidental”—has played out many times in the Middle East.
Muslim Attacks on Christian Churches and Symbols
Italy: On Oct. 6, Arabic graffiti was found on the bell tower of a church in Sacille. In translation, the Arabic stated the primary half of the Islamic credo: “There is no god but Allah” (the continuation is “and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”). This was not the first time the church was targeted. According to the report, in December of 2022, the church
“reported the theft of the Baby Jesus displayed in the parish nativity scene in the church square. Shortly after that, the sacristy doors were unhinged and everything within the sacristy was found desecrated, causing thousands of euros of damage. More recent to this incident, the parish recorded acts of vandalism in the cemetery, where crosses were kicked down. Also, a few weeks ago a few teenagers occupied the oratory without consent, abandoning bottles of spirits, cigarette butts and remnants of joints.
Separately, on Oct. 11, four teenage boys vandalized, desecrated, and tried to torch the Church of Carmine in Noci. Among other things, “the children also blasphemed heavily, danced, and undressed.” One report said:
“The children were in the church for 30 minutes when they broke off the doors of the tabernacle, tampered with the organ, threw hand sanitizer on the floor, threw waste inside the church, and set fire in the skylight. Luckily the fire did not spread to other parts of the church. The teenagers also damaged the security cameras, but by then the footage of their actions had already been archived.”
They were accordingly found by police. Because the incident “raised anger and indignation among the citizens of Noci,” a meeting was held with the boys and their parents. Having been caught, they “sincerely apologized.”
Spain: Two churches were vandalized in Andalusia, which contains the nation’s second largest Muslim community. According to the report,
“Two churches were vandalized in Andalusia: the Virgen de las Flores Convent Church in Malaga and the Puerto Real Hospital Chapel in Cadiz. The attacks happened in September of 2023 and were reported on October 3, 2023. In the Puerto Real Hospital the perpetrators took a consecrated host, while in the Virgen de las Flores Convent they scattered the consecrated hosts on the floor, took the mantle of Mary and the image of Baby Jesus.”
Germany: Two churches in a region with a large Muslim presence were vandalized by a group of “youth” loitering in the darkness. According to the report,
“During October, two churches in the city of Bonn in Germany were vandalized: paving stones were thrown into the windows of the Saint Lambert Catholic church in mid-October, then, closer to the end of the month, the billboards of the Saint Elisabeth church were tagged. Members of the parish council tell the local press that the exterior of the church is regularly vandalized, as young people meet under the church porch until late at night. This has already been reported to the police numerous times – without any solution being found.”
France: On Oct. 7—the same day as Hamas massacred 1,200 Israelis—three Muslim men (described in reports only as “North Africans”) entered into the Saint Christophe church in Tourcoing during a wedding was being and began to disrupt the service. When a woman asked them to “respect the religious service” or else she would call police, they threatened her with “death by decapitation,” before fleeing, the report stated. Discussing this incident, a police source said that “The parish priest regularly receives threats without reporting them to the police.”
Separately, a beloved Christian statue of Beatrice of Savoy in Echelles, which depicts her holding a cross, was found decapitated on Oct. 31. The head was nowhere to be found. Beatrice, a thirteenth century countess, is renowned for her charitable disposition and generous donations to the poor. “The case,” according to the report, “remains mysterious.”
Greece: On Oct. 19, a Syrian man barged into the Saint Panteleimonas Church in Athens, where he began shouting the jihadist war-cry, “Allahu akbar” (“Allah is Greatest”) and engaging in Islamic prostrations. Police arrived on the scene and restrained him despite his resistance. A large knife was found in his backpack. According to the report, “The man is known to the authorities as he has created similar problems in the past, while he was once taken for a psychiatric examination.”
Germany and Sweden: Two Syrian brothers who were arrested for planning to bomb a church in Sweden in retaliation to a Koran desecration there were nevertheless prosecuted in Germany. To quote from the Oct. 4 report,
“A pair of Syrian brothers from Hamburg and Kempten (Bavaria) wanted to kill many people in an attack with explosives. The scene of the crime was to be a church in Sweden.”
One of the Muslim brothers, 29, has been charged with “attempted membership in a terrorist organization abroad, preparation of a serious act of violence endangering the state and financing of terrorism.” The other brother, 24, was charged with “probable cause for supporting a terrorist organization abroad and aiding and abetting the financing of terrorism.”
Uganda: On Sunday, Oct. 15, police managed to thwart an Islamic terror plot to bomb two churches. The bombs were concealed as gifts and mailed to local pastors. Police managed to locate and defuse them on time.
Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West, Sword and Scimitar, Crucified Again, and The Al Qaeda Reader, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
*About this Series
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by extremists is growing. The report posits that such persecution is not random but rather systematic, and takes place irrespective of language, ethnicity, or location. It includes incidents that take place during, or are reported on, any given month.
© 2023 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20174/persecution-of-christians-october

The United States is Rapidly Losing Arab Hearts and Minds through Gaza War, while Competitors Benefit
Munqith Dagher and Karl Kaltenthaler/The Washington Institute/November 24/2023
According to new polling, the percentage of six Arab publics who believe America has had a positive role in the war amounts to just 7%.
Throughout the fifteen years that following the 2011 withdrawal from Iraq, each American presidential administration has experienced domestic calls to leave the Middle East. However, each time these voices grew louder, a new regional variable emerged that compelled the American administration to return to its traditional role dictated by urgent strategic security and economic interests.
After the withdrawal from Iraq, a strategic vacuum led to the emergence of and fight against ISIS, with the deaths of thousands both locally and internationally, and millions from the region displaced. The U.S. military was forced to return to the region to contribute to the efforts to eliminate ISIS. When this goal was declared completed, new regional threats emerged in the form of Iran and its weapons, which threatened not only America’s allies but also the free flow of global oil supplies. While the Biden administration thought this problem could be resolved through a package of incentives and agreements with Iran, the war in Gaza has emerged to confirm once again the error of U.S. assessments that contend that this region is no longer important to America’s strategic interests.
According to the third section of the U.S. National Security Strategy document signed by President Biden in October 2022, America's top priority on the global stage is to surpass China, followed by limiting Russia's influence. The national security priorities also include combating terrorism in the Middle East.
When it comes to the Middle East, key to all of these missions is the regional public perception of the United States’ role and its intentions there. The data from a recent public opinion poll conducted by the independent research group IIACSS and its partners in the region—polling nationally representative samples in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Palestine during the period October 17-29, 2023–indicate that right now, America is losing ground in ways that can impact all three priorities identified in the National Security Strategy document.
Because of U.S. support for Israel, America's trust and influence among Arabs in the region has reached its lowest point historically, while support for its competitors and strategic opponents—China, Russia, and Iran—has increased. Meanwhile, a worrying concurrent indicator in the polling suggests a growth in attitudes that have helped fuel past ISIS, Al-Qaeda, or even militia terrorism recruitment.
In short, among these six key Arab publics, America is losing compared to its opponents because of the war in Gaza. The percentage of Arabs who believe America has a positive role in the war amounts only to 7%, with figures as low as 2% in countries like Jordan. By contrast, the percentage of Arabs who say that China has a positive role in the conflict included 46% in Egypt, 34% in Iraq, and 27% in Jordan. Positive views of Russia are even higher; the percentage of those who believe that Russia has a positive influence neared half—averaging 47% among the publics surveyed (except in Palestine).
Moreover, it seems that Iran has been a major beneficiary of this war. On average, percentage of those who say that it had a positive impact in the war is 40%, compared to 21% those who say that it has anegative impact. In countries such as Egypt and Syria, the percentage who say that Iran has a positive influence in Gaza is even higher, reaching 50% and 52% respectively.
Such views are underpinned by a near total lack of trust in the United States and its intentions. Only 3% of Jordanian respondents say they trust America, compared to 24-25% who say the same for Russia and China. In Iraq, only 7% of respondents say they trust America, compared to 33% for Iran and China, and 36% for Russia. And as for Egypt, trust in America amounts to only 9%, compared to 51% for Russia andIran, along with 47% for China. These numbers are the lowest favorability ratings for America in the more than twenty years that we have spent researching public opinion in the region. According to a study by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in 2020, even at the lowest ebb of American favorability in the region, the negative evaluation of America’s policies towards Palestine did not drop below 19%.
It is clear that the way the United States has handled the war in Gaza has cost it what remained of a perception of credibility and neutrality among a proportion of these Arab publics. Those who follow what is published in the Arab media and social media platforms likewise realize how great America’s loss of soft power has been in the region over the past month. The United States, which has invested trillions of dollars in the Middle East over the course of a century and expended significant blood and sweat in the region, is in danger of the return on that investment being significantly diminished because of this conflict.
Widespread perceptions of the Gaza War also provide a service to terrorism in the region. The first principle that we learned from research for a recently published book about the life cycle of ISIS in Iraq is that to effectively combat terrorism, it is necessary to win the battle of hearts and minds among the population. Winning this battle ensures that terrorists are deprived of any popular support, in addition to helping to mobilize public opinion to fight them.
In the first interview I conducted in a Baghdad prison with one of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s senior aides years ago, he asked me: Have you wondered why ISIS was able to recruit thousands of fighters from all over the world in a short amount of time and occupy a vast area of Syria and Iraq in a short period, while Al Qaeda could not? Why can Al-Qaeda, which is the intellectual incubator of ISIS and older than ISIS in experience and expertise, attract only a limited number of fighters?
When I asked for his answer, he suggested that it was because ISIS—in contrast to Al-Qaeda—simply does not care about the ideological background and religious faith of its fighters. We (he said) focus our recruitment efforts on every person who has a reason to fight America, the West, or the regime in Iraq or Syria, regardless of how religious they are. ISIS is like a bus that stops at various stations and says, “We are going to fight all these enemies (the West and other regimes in the region). Whoever wants to fight with us should take the bus.” The basic idea, then, is that it is us versus them.
Given this context, if America prioritizes combating terrorism in the region as it repeatedly declares, then the Arab public opinion poll numbers bear nothing but unpleasant news for this effort. In our recent survey, when asked about the reasons for America and the West’s support of Israel, just an average of 8% answered that the reason was to defend civilians who were kidnapped or killed by Hamas on October 7. Half—the significant plurality choice out of three options—said that the reason the West supports Israel is because they hate Islam and Muslims. About 30% answered that the reason was the strength of the Israeli lobby. The majority of Arabs see the West’s support for Israel’s war against Hamas as support for a war against them.
Open imageiconChart of reason for US stance on war in Gaza
One of the most important secrets of American soft power in the face of its competitors is the American model based on human rights, rejection of racism, and repudiation of the “law of the jungle” in international relations. Currently, this public opinion polling emphasizes that the overwhelming majority of respondents do not believe that these principles are being applied in the official American stance on the war in Gaza.
This is sobering information for Western and particularly American policymakers when they consider how the landscape of Arab public opinion has turned so decidedly against them. In essence, the majority of Arabs likely see the current conflict as akin to a new Crusade, not a fight against a terrorist organization—precisely the perception that extremists want Arabs to adopt in order to facilitate recruitment. This deep divide on the question of the war’s underlying conflict also relates to how Arab publics view Hamas’ October 7 attack. Whereas Western governments and publics tend to view Hamas'attack as either designed to stop regional normalization with Israel, serve Iran's goals in the region, or solidify its control in Gaza, only 13% of Arab respondents listed any of these theories as Hamas’ main intention. More than 60% instead chose liberating Palestine, stopping Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque, or halting settlements.
Open imageiconChart of responses to intention of Hamas behind October 7 attack
There are some silver linings—America still enjoys a fair degree of Arab trust (44%) in its ability to help the Palestinians if it wanted to. This attitude is a double-edged sword: when there is trust that an entity could address an issue but does not behave in the expected manner, this can further the sense of frustration and anger towards America. The opinions of the Arab street in the surveyed countries have also shown that there is a potential light at the end of the tunnel—43% of respondents overall still believe that a two-state solution is possible, and in countries like Egypt and Jordan, this percentage nearly reaches 50%.
Only time will tell if these shifts in Arab public opinion toward the United States and the rest of the West are a temporary spike in anger at a time when this has become the most pressing popular issue in the region, or whether these attitudes will harden and represent a more permanent shift. Two factors will likely play important roles in the future trajectory of Arab public opinion toward the Gaza War and the West.
The first factor is the duration of the war. Images of dead and wounded Palestinian men, women, and children are now ubiquitous in Arab traditional and social media. In the case of a protracted war, it is possible some Arabs will grow weary of the conflict and turn to other issues, but a significant shift away from the conflict is difficult to imagine given the intensity of media coverage in the Arab world. The longer the conflict lasts and the longer these images flood Arab popular consciousness, the more likely it is that Arab anger will persist or even grow far past the duration of the current conflict.
The second factor that will help shape Arab attitudes about the war and the West is the trajectory that the conflict takes. In other words, the actions of the Israeli government and its Western backers will be critical in how this war is framed in the Arab world after its conclusion. Currently, fears of a mass displacement of both Gazan and West Bank Palestinians to Egypt, Jordan, or elsewhere are likewise a frequent point of media conversation. If Israel attempts to shift portions of the Palestinian population out of Gaza or creates a long-term occupation in Gaza, it will further inflame Arab opinion on the conflict and deepen resentment toward the West.
It seems likely that future Arab attitudes towards Iran, China, and Russia will largely follow the same logic. Rather than being driven by any particular actions or state messaging from these actors, this bump is probably being shaped by the perception that these countries are “enemies of my enemy” as outspoken opponents of the West, each in their own way. How lasting this favorability bonus will be likewisedepends on the duration and course of the conflict.
Finally, it is important to assess what the prevailing negative Arab attitudes toward the United States means for the relations between the United States and these populations’ respective governments, and whether Arab opinion “on the street” could pressure Arab governments to curtail relations and cooperation with Washington. While it is unlikely that there will be any profound breaks in relations between the United States and friendly Arab governments over this conflict, it will be increasingly uncomfortable over time for Arab governments to publicly engage with U.S. officials if the conflict persists or takes a more deleterious turn for the population in Gaza. It will be important to assess the depth of Arab anger toward the West and understand if and when there is a point in time where Arab attitudes toward the United States have soured so badly that the United States is no longer viewed as a necessary evil in the region but is instead no longer welcome by most.
Methodological Note
The survey included comprehensive national samples of 500 interviews in each country. All interviews were conducted during the period from October 17-29, 2023, through face-to-face (CAPI) interviews in Iraq and Syria and telephone interviews in other countries.

Balancing U.S. Relations in North Africa Without Undermining the Abraham Accords
Sabina Henneberg and Amine Ghoulidi/The Washington Institute/November 24/2023
The Biden administration needs to tread carefully in engaging Algeria, since preserving UN negotiations on Western Sahara and protecting Morocco’s crucial relations with Washington and Israel are paramount to U.S. regional interests
On October 29 and November 5, several rockets struck the city of Smara in Moroccan-administered Western Sahara, significantly escalating the decades-long conflict over the territory and exacerbating Rabat’s tensions with Algeria. Against the backdrop of region-wide tensions sparked by the Gaza war, the United States faces the delicate task of managing two key relationships: its historical partnership with Morocco, which has normalized relations with Israel, and its engagement with Algeria, which has failed to contain recent escalation by the Polisario Front, the group that likely launched the rocket strikes.
Israel’s Connection to a North African Dispute
The roots of the Western Sahara conflict lie in Spain’s post-colonial departure in the late 1970s, which created a vacuum in the area. Morocco soon asserted its historical claims over the territory, while the Polisario Front emerged to advocate for independence. The resultant conflict has defied decades of UN and U.S. efforts to find a political resolution. Morocco now has de facto control over most of the territory, but Polisario continues to contest its claims.
In late 2020, the Trump administration recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara as part of a wider tripartite agreement with Israel, bringing Rabat into the landmark normalization process launched by the Abraham Accords. This marked a significant victory for Rabat, which had spent years imploring countries to recognize its sovereignty claim in exchange for enhanced relations. Securing the support of the United States—a longstanding ally and penholder on the UN Security Council resolution establishing the scope of negotiations over Western Sahara—bolstered Morocco’s capacity to inform the ongoing international process aimed at ending the conflict.
Since then, Rabat has deepened its bilateral ties with Israel. The diplomatic side of the relationship reached another milestone with Israel’s July 2023 recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, after which King Mohamed VI invited Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for a visit.
The relationship has also facilitated Morocco’s acquisition of advanced weaponry like the Barak MX Defense system—a strategic move meant to counter Algeria’s growing regional assertiveness. Algiers has enhanced its military capabilities as well, bolstered by a surge in natural gas revenues and close relationships with Russia and China (see below). Indeed, the two rivals are now among Africa’s top three arms buyers.
Gaza War Imposes New Constraints
Since the Hamas-Israel war unfolded, diplomatic engagement with Morocco has been shaken. The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued an evacuation order for its Rabat liaison office last month, while the kingdom has expressed concern over the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. Rabat’s hesitation to be publicly seen as supporting Israel during the war reflects its complex domestic political landscape, which has been marked by broad popular support for the Palestinian cause and growing calls to reverse the normalization agreement.
For its part, the United States has maintained its recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara under the Biden administration while simultaneously underscoring its commitment to the UN-led process. Washington has also actively engaged Algiers, as seen when Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Josh Harris visited the region in September and met with senior Algerian officials and Polisario leader Brahim Ghali. These meetings signaled that the administration would be taking a nuanced approach to the Western Sahara dispute, tempering Rabat’s expectations of unequivocal U.S. support on that issue.
Yet the Gaza war and the escalating Polisario attacks could complicate this strategy. For instance, increasingly apprehensive officials in Rabat might interpret overtures to Algiers and Ghali as a departure from U.S. commitments under the tripartite agreement, which explicitly supports Morocco’s advanced autonomy plan as the “only basis” for resolving the Western Sahara dispute. Such a perceived shift could undermine the kingdom’s wider bilateral relations with Washington and Israel.
In addition, ever since Polisario ended the last ceasefire in late 2020, the situation has shown worrisome signs of military escalation, exemplified by the deadly Smara attacks. Weeks before that incident, the Algerian coast guard fatally shot two Moroccan-French jet skiers whom it claimed had entered the country’s territorial waters. Moroccan authorities have opted for a domestic judicial response to both the jet ski incident and the Smara strikes, clearly preferring this approach over military action. Indeed, the threat of direct clashes between the two countries remains low given that neither sees significant benefit in going to war. Yet Rabat will nonetheless find it more difficult to deflect provocations in today’s charged environment.
Meanwhile, Moroccan Islamist groups are increasingly articulating popular opposition to Israel in order to bolster their standing at home. The resurgence of such groups—including the pervasive al-Adl wal-Ihsan, whose stance on Middle East issues is free from the complexities, limitations, and contradictions that necessarily shape a government’s foreign policy—poses a challenge to Rabat, which is keen on pursuing more pragmatic, nuanced relations abroad. Amid these challenges, the outlook for the Abraham Accords, U.S.-Morocco relations, and the Western Sahara issue becomes increasingly ambiguous.
The Algerian Angle and Great Power Politics
Western Sahara is a matter of critical national interest for Algiers as well, and bilateral tensions over the issue have been magnified since August 2021, when Algeria severed diplomatic ties and ceased gas exports to Morocco amid a global surge in energy prices. In announcing the decision, Algerian authorities cited vaguely defined “hostile actions” by the kingdom. Algeria also closed its airspace—one of the largest in Africa—to all Moroccan aircraft, adding significant time and cost to eastward flights.
Meanwhile, Rabat angered Algiers by reportedly stepping up its drone operations in Western Sahara’s UN-monitored buffer zone, killing Polisario commanders and, in one November 2021 incident, wounding Algerian civilians. Today, any further escalation by Polisario—which is operationally based on Algerian soil—would only aggravate the bilateral friction. Although Algiers can publicly distance itself from Polisario attacks launched from Western Sahara’s buffer zone, all parties are well aware that the group’s survival is inextricably tied to Algerian security assurances.
Against this backdrop, the United States could disrupt its longstanding relationship with Morocco if it does not use caution in navigating its evolving ties with Algiers. Rabat already appears to be diversifying its foreign partners amid growing regional skepticism about Washington’s reliability, betting on China and Russia’s strong push in Africa. In the past month alone, several Chinese companies have announced new investments in the kingdom, including the establishment of cathode materials plants, a critical component in the burgeoning electric vehicle industry. And in October 2022, Morocco’s Energy Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding on peaceful nuclear cooperation with the Russian state-owned corporation Rosatom. Moscow has also ramped up its fuel supplies to the kingdom in an attempt to reroute oil products amid EU sanctions. Yet Rabat has been cautious about such relations given Russia’s pro-Algerian position on Western Sahara and open engagement with Polisario.For its part, Algeria has developed a deep security and strategic partnership with Moscow that remains a cornerstone of its foreign policy, despite occasional disagreements. It has cultivated a strong partnership with China as well. In 2022, the two countries signed another five-year comprehensive strategic cooperation plan, and the depth of the relationship was reinforced when President Abdelmadjid Tebboune visited Beijing this summer. Additionally, Algerian army chief of staff Said Chanegriha visited Beijing last week to meet leading arms manufacturers, reflecting a significant push to modernize the country’s military capabilities. Given the depth of these ties, U.S. efforts to engage Algiers do not guarantee that it will shift away from Moscow and Beijing or grant concessions toward de-escalation with Rabat. In fact, these efforts could wind up injecting ambiguity into Morocco’s relations with the United States and Israel at a time of regional crisis.
The Way Forward
In this evolving landscape, Washington should continue supporting the UN-led process to resolve the Western Sahara dispute while also upholding its recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory. This balanced approach can help facilitate active engagement with Algeria without eroding Morocco’s ties with Israel, which serve broader U.S. strategic interests in the region. Washington must also use its careful engagement with Algeria to mitigate tensions with Rabat and discourage further military escalation in Western Sahara. This requires a nuanced approach, leveraging U.S. influence to tamp down hostilities and return to dialogue. Finally, U.S. officials should bear in mind that Morocco’s diplomatic ties with Israel could contribute to humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Gaza after the war. Absent consistent U.S. support and a robust vision for an Israel-Palestinian peace process, however, Rabat will find it difficult to commit to U.S.-led initiatives in Gaza, especially if they may entail considerable domestic or reputational costs.
*Sabina Henneberg is a Soref Fellow at The Washington Institute. Amine Ghoulidi is a geopolitics and security researcher at King’s College London.

Will an Iraqi Front Open in the Hamas-Israel War?
Bilal Wahab and Selin Uysal/The Washington Institute/November 24/2023
The risky tit-for-tat strikes between U.S. and militia forces are one symptom of a wider competition between rival actors in Iraq—one that American and European officials should work together on containing.
Earlier today, an AC-130 gunship reportedly struck Iraqi militia elements near Baghdad after U.S. forces at al-Asad Air Base came under attack, the latest in a series of exchanges since war erupted in Gaza. Both the Biden administration and Iran-backed militias have deliberately limited the scope and lethality of their strikes thus far, and today’s salvo likewise seems aimed at messaging and deterring rather than escalating. Yet the situation still holds significant risk of exploding into something more, whether intentionally or due to errant fire or other miscalculations. The near-daily attacks also highlight the complex domestic political dynamics behind Iraqi responses to the Hamas-Israel war, with many competing actors seeking to exploit the conflict in a way that advances their standing without jeopardizing the power and income they have already acquired.
Reasons for Militia Restraint
Numerous Shia militias are part of the current Iraqi government—a status they reached after years of using their guns, their patronage from the Shia regime in Iran, and their record on fighting the Sunni jihadist forces of the Islamic State to obtain government seats. As with most other Shia militias in the Middle East, they have declared themselves part of Iran’s anti-American, anti-Israeli “axis of resistance,” recently rebranded under the local umbrella name “The Islamic Resistance of Iraq” (a rebranding that, not coincidentally, gives their formal parent organization—the Popular Mobilization Forces, an official Iraqi state organ—more protection from sanctions and legal actions). Since October 18—the day after an explosion at Gaza’s al-Ahli Hospital spread outrage throughout the Arab world—members of the “resistance” have carried out more than sixty drone, rocket, and missile attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq and Syria, including a roadside bombing against a coalition convoy. (For a comprehensive list of these attacks, see The Washington Institute’s regularly updated strike tracker, a product of Militia Spotlight.)
Yet Iraqi militias also have good reason to show restraint. Like their Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, they have become dominant players in the country’s politics, and a full-scale war with the United States would jeopardize their grip on power. Hence, they typically prefer to keep their military activity (if not their rhetoric) against American interests either quiescent or at a low simmer while they continue entrenching themselves in the state and reaping the benefits it provides. This logic long guided the Iran-backed Badr Brigades (rebranded as the Badr Organization) and now seems to apply to Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), one of Iraq’s most radical and politically powerful militias. But not all Iran-backed groups share this view. Most prominently, the U.S.-designated militias Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada believe that attacking American targets more frequently is an effective way to gain an edge over their rivals—though they too are careful about calibrating the intensity and timing of their actions to avoid major retaliation.
Militia restraint also stems from the fact that Shia religious leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani did not urge armed action when publicly declaring his support for Palestinians on October 11. He is still highly revered by the militias, even though some of them are more likely to follow the diktats of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Moreover, relations between Palestinians in Iraq and pro-Iran militias have a complex and often contentious history, raising questions about the latter’s willingness to take risks for the wider Palestinian cause. The progenitors of today’s militias harassed and attacked Palestinian refugees in the past, seeing them as loyalists to Saddam Hussein. Between 2003 and 2008, the local Palestinian population dropped from 34,000 to about 9,000, partly reflecting this violence.
Reasons for Alarm
The greatest risk of a full-blown Iraqi front lies in the domestic rivalries between Shia groups—not only pro-Iran factions, but also the populist movement headed by Muqtada al-Sadr. Unlike in Lebanon, Iraq’s pro-Iran factions lack a clear leader and have increasingly splintered since 2020, when a U.S. strike killed militia chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and his Iranian handler, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force. Today, many of these factions hold key posts in the government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Yet various newer, smaller groups want more power and resources, envying AAH’s rise from a radical armed group to a key political player.
As noted above, these rivalries periodically lead certain groups to carry out more attacks on U.S. targets, and even if the perpetrators do not intend to kill Americans, slip-ups are an ever-present danger. In December 2019, for example, an American was killed by a militia strike on a base in Kirkuk, leading to the cycle of escalation that ended with the United States killing Soleimani and Iran firing missiles at Iraq.
Sadr is another key actor in this competition, which was already heating up before the Gaza war due to Iraq’s upcoming December 18 provincial elections. The raucous cleric has long relied on anti-Israeli and anti-American sentiment for political gain. In 2022, for example, his movement pushed to reinforce an existing anti-normalization law by imposing the death penalty on Iraqis found guilty of “collaborating with Israel.”
The current crisis has prompted a comeback of sorts for Sadr, who withdrew from the political scene last year after he won a plurality of seats in parliament but failed to form a government. He remains the only national figure to lead a mass political movement, and he often uses this public sway to issue maximalist demands—more to embarrass Sudani’s government and challenge radical groups on their own ideological turf than to actualize these demands. For instance, he has repeatedly called for an end to the U.S. military presence and the closure of the American embassy, even asking his supporters to take to the streets amid Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s November 5 visit to Iraq. Both he and the militia leadership also issued separate calls for mass protests last month near the border with Jordan, meaning “as close to Israel as possible.” Sadr’s followers did gather a large crowd; the militias, not so much (though both apparently achieved their side goal of unnerving Amman). Previously, Sadr’s followers stormed the Swedish embassy this summer to protest a Quran burning incident in Stockholm, essentially bullying Sudani’s government into saving face by expelling the Swedish ambassador.
Indeed, in this environment of factions trying to “out-radical” each other, the pro-Iran establishment governing the country may have no choice but to adopt tougher rhetoric. On October 30, Hadi al-Ameri of the Badr Organization issued a statement calling for the withdrawal of the global coalition against the Islamic State, contending that the threat no longer justified a foreign military presence. Although such statements may not lead to any practical steps by the government, they could create a more permissive environment for anti-Western violence.
Policy Implications
The Biden administration has taken a mixed approach to the current upsurge in militia attacks. Prior to today’s AC-130 strike near Baghdad, each of Washington’s responses to attacks on U.S. facilities occurred in Syria, not Iraq, in line with the administration’s desire to avoid destabilizing a U.S. partner. This approach mirrored the militias’ own strategy—realizing the higher stakes of conducting attacks at home, they have focused most of their recent strikes in Syria, where they are far more keen on actually bringing about a U.S. withdrawal.
On November 17, the United States issued new sanctions against Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and several Kataib Hezbollah figures, in a largely symbolic move that was widely anticipated after weeks of attacks. Besides sending a pointed message to the militias, however, such sanctions will have little practical effect. These groups and their leaders have little exposure to the American financial system, and sanctions do not prevent them from participating in the Iraqi political system either, as shown by AAH’s prominent role in the current government.
Perhaps as a nod to Sudani’s restraint, Washington also recently issued waivers allowing the government to purchase Iranian natural gas and electricity. These are extensions of existing waivers, under which Baghdad can deposit payments into an Iranian account at the Trade Bank of Iraq. The sum accrued since the relevant sanctions were imposed stands at $10 billion; whether or not Iran will be permitted to actually access the deposited funds is a different story. (Notably, the Trump administration issued these waivers as well, albeit often shortened to thirty days instead of sixty—a limitation that did little to break Iraq’s dependence on Iranian energy supplies.)
Closer coordination with European countries is critical as well—the Iraqi bases being targeted include troops from other coalition member states, and French Special Forces sergeant Nicolas Mazier was tragically killed during an operation against Islamic State elements in Kirkuk just a few weeks ago. Greater intelligence sharing about the complex Iraqi militia scene would be particularly welcome. Moreover, some of these countries have active embassies in Tehran and greater access to key figures in the pro-Iran establishment who are shunned by the U.S. government. All of these outlets can be used to complement Washington’s diplomatic and deterrent messages. During the current crisis, for example, France has publicly stepped forward via engagement with Hezbollah, the principal proxy in Iran’s “axis of resistance.”
Ultimately, however, the pragmatism and restraint exhibited by various Iraqi actors should not be viewed as anything more than tactical and short term. Washington’s main strategic goal remains the same: to strengthen the Iraqi state and weaken the militias.
*Bilal Wahab is the Wagner Fellow at The Washington Institute. Selin Uysal is a 2023-24 visiting fellow at the Institute, in residence from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

How the Washington Post Turned a Feel-Good Story into an Anti-Israel Attack
Robert Satloff/The Washington Institute/November 24/2023
Despite not taking the time to speak with Israeli officials or even verify key details on the ground, reporters proceeded with a heavily slanted piece that raised further questions about the paper’s wartime editorial policies.
Sadly, tendentious media reporting from the Hamas-Israel war has grown commonplace, but I have never seen a story quite like the Washington Post piece headlined “Israel’s war with Hamas separates Palestinian babies from their mothers.” The Post, one should recall, labels its news coverage of the conflict “Israel-Gaza War,” an editorial decision which implies Israel is at war with Gaza, rather than the more-accurate “Israel-Hamas War,” the term used by the New York Times, not famous for being pro-Israel.
On the editorial side, the paper of Woodward & Bernstein already suffered a blow to its free speech credentials when it buckled under pressure and pulled a cartoon of a mass-murdering Hamas terrorist by a Pulitzer Prize-winner because it was “divisive.”
So, it is only mildly surprising to see this 31-paragraph piece in the news section. What is the gist? That several dozen Palestinian mothers and premature infants have been separated because of the war, the latter all cared for in unidentified hospitals in Israel or the West Bank.
“Tragedy” is a much-used term in a conflict that began with Hamas’s murder and kidnapping of Israeli babies—a fact interestingly not mentioned in a story about babies and this war—but no one dies in this story; these Palestinian babies are all safe and protected. Indeed, the journalists could have written a wholly different story—“Despite war, Gazan babies safe and protected in Israeli and West Bank hospitals”—but they opted to focus on the alleged distress of the mothers instead of the well-being of the babies.
I say “alleged” because in this lengthy story, only one mother was quoted by full name and she was reached by phone in Gaza. Indeed, it’s not clear whether any of the journalists reported from Gaza. (The story was datelined Nablus, with one reporter in London.)
West Bank nurses are cited, but a story about Gazan mothers quotes only one. Yet somehow, with a Nablus dateline, the reporters produced this: “The mothers trapped in Gaza have spent the past month and a half cowering in fear as Israeli airstrikes shake the earth and ground forces encircle the north of the enclave. Rooms that expecting parents decorated lovingly for new babies have been smashed. Clothes that infants would have worn in their earliest weeks have been lost to the rubble.” How did they get any of that?
And then there is the uncomfortable fact that some of these babies are being cared for in Israel—yet the whole story rests on the inhumanity of Israel’s alleged policy of denying re-entry permits to some mothers, preventing them from reuniting with their children, but the reporters do not appear to even have sought comment from Israeli officials, allegedly because “staff members fear reprisals from Israeli authorities.” Really? What sort of reprisals? Did the reporters document any examples of such reprisals? Did they even ask?
Strange story indeed—in a war filled with death, the Washington Post took a fundamentally good news story about premature babies from Gaza cared for by compassionate people across enemy lines and turned it into a horror story, with diabolical Israelis lurking overhead. Along the way, reporters who stated with precision what infant items are on the floor of blown-out buildings in faraway Gaza repeated unverified accusations against unnamed Israeli authorities by unnamed administrators in unnamed hospitals in unnamed Israeli cities. If that isn’t the one-sided editorialization of news, what is it?
*Robert Satloff is the Segal Executive Director and Howard P. Berkowitz Chair in U.S. Middle East Policy at The Washington Institute. This article was published on the Times of Israel website after being adapted from an extended X/Twitter thread that the author posted on November 20.

Region’s global diplomatic push offers hope for Gaza
Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/November 24, 2023
Since the beginning of the war in Gaza there have been several initiatives by regional countries to end the humanitarian catastrophe. Among them is a group formed at a summit of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Riyadh this month that comprises foreign ministers and other representatives from Turkiye, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and the Palestinian Authority, and the OIC secretary-general. Diplomats from these countries visited the capitals of the UN Security Council’s five permanent members and others last week, aiming to find an immediate solution to the Israeli assaults on Gaza. If the intricate and carefully choreographed ceasefire deal that went into effect on Friday proceeds as agreed, it could provide the international community with an opportunity to intensify efforts for a permanent solution and exert pressure on Israel for lasting peace. The newly formed regional group therefore finds itself at a critical juncture. The group’s initial visits were to Beijing, Moscow, London, and Paris. Notably, Washington, a key player in the conflict and Israel’s staunchest ally, was not on the itinerary. The group comprises a diverse mix of countries, each with an influential bargaining position. Together, their collective voices have the potential to shape the course of the war in Gaza.
Qatar was instrumental in achieving the ceasefire agreement after numerous rounds of tough negotiations. Qatar is positioned to be a bridge between Palestinian Hamas militants on one side and the Israeli and Western governments on the other. In the past, it played a role in brokering ceasefires between Hamas and Israel. Even though it has not normalized relations with Israel, Doha aims to increase its leverage by leading efforts aimed at de-escalation in Gaza. We do not yet know how the truce and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners will proceed, but Qatar is likely to be at the center of Western and regional countries’ calculations in the course of the war in Gaza.
The group comprises a diverse mix of countries, each with an influential bargaining position. Together, their collective voices have the potential to shape the course of the war. The second actor is Turkiye. Ankara sees the war in Gaza as an inflection point for the Middle East. In order to revive its regional role, it tried to mediate between parties and even proposed a formula to resolve the conflict in which it would act as a guarantor for a future Palestinian state. As the truce began, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkiye would make efforts to rebuild damaged infrastructure, hospitals and schools in Gaza if the ceasefire holds. The war erupted while Turkiye and Israel were normalizing their relations after more than a decade of stalemate. Like Qatar, Turkiye also has high stakes in the resolution of the conflict.
Palestine’s immediate neighbors, Egypt and Jordan, are also pivotal actors. Both countries are extremely concerned about a massive influx of Palestinians into their territory, something that they fear would, among other things, severely undermine hopes for a Palestinian state. Cairo and Amman have rejected any attempts by the Israeli army to displace the people of Gaza. They urged the international community to leverage the truce for relief efforts and stressed the importance of a comprehensive political process for a two-state solution to address the Palestinian issue. While Hamas is not a particularly popular organization in Jordan or Egypt, the suffering of the Palestinian people remains a central issue for most Jordanians and Egyptians. Saudi Arabia is another significant actor that has played a role in seeking to lead a collective Arab and Islamic response by organizing an emergency meeting of the OIC states in Jeddah in October and the joint Arab League-OIC summit in Riyadh in November. Saudi Arabia was instrumental in proposing the Arab Peace Initiative in 2002, which remains on the agenda for a viable two-state reality. Nigeria is the only African country in the interesting mix of states in the group. Although Nigeria has adopted a neutral diplomatic stance toward the war in Gaza, it has a significant Muslim population whose bond with the Palestinian cause resonates deeply. It is also concerned that Israel’s Gaza war has potential to exacerbate existing tensions in Nigeria, a country known for its diverse religious and ethnic composition. As a longstanding supporter of the Palestinian cause and the world’s most populous Muslim majority nationstate, Indonesia cannot remain on the sidelines of the diplomatic efforts for Gaza. Indonesia sees the war as a way to demonstrate solidarity with the wider Muslim world. It has become clear that no single country can shoulder the task of mediating and finding an immediate solution, despite strong records of mediation. The recently created group for Gaza is a crucial one in which each member can utilize their leverage and bargaining power.
• Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s relations with the Middle East. X: @SinemCngz

Ceasefire shows the limit of military power
Daoud Kuttab/Arab News/November 24, 2023
For nearly 50 days Israel showed its military might and its ability to cause massive destruction. But despite all this power, it has so far failed to accomplish its stated goals. It has not crushed Hamas, and it has not been able to secure the release of all its citizens. Some Israeli commentators said from day one that eventually Israel would have to negotiate the release of Israelis and would have to give something in return for their freedom. Israeli strategists probably reached the same conclusion. Instead, the carnage wreaked in Gaza showed that Israeli political and military leaders were more interested in causing harm to all Palestinians than they were in accomplishing goals that even their US allies said were next to impossible. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, detested by at least half the people of Israel even before the events of Oct. 7, is expected to be the big loser. Few analysts expect him to survive politically once the current round of violence is over. He will be held personally responsible for what happened — asleep at the wheel, caring only for his own survival and neglecting his own people. That Netanyahu is facing criminal charges for corruption has been and will continue to be the major motivation in his political decisions. In his mind, the only thing that can save him now is a military victory. Under normal circumstances, any onslaught on a population like that suffered by the Palestinians in Gaza would have led to a rapid surrender. But Palestinians have shown over seven decades that they are not the type of people who surrender: Hamas, like other religiously motivated movements around the world, doesnot have the word in its dictionary. As a result, the world has witnessed a bloodbath of pure revenge on a civilian population that should have produced global sanctions against Israel. Instead, because of the blind support for Israel by the Biden administration and other Western governments, the result has been international public condemnation but a weak response by people’s leaders.
The humanitarian pause that began on Friday has exposed a number of largely ignored facts. While Israel’shasbara (Hebrew for “explanation” but in effect propaganda) has been focused on the civilian hostages captured by Hamas and others, the release of dozens of Palestinian women and teenage boys —most of whom have been held in Israeli prisons without charge, prosecution, trial or conviction — shines a light on a hidden aspect of Israeli policy. The much-trumpeted “only democracy in the Middle East” has been indefinitely detaining hundreds of Palestinians, including children, based on draconian emergency laws enacted under the British Mandate in Palestine in 1945 and incorporated into Israeli domestic law in 1948.
The world has witnessed a bloodbath of pure revenge on a civilian population that should have produced global sanctions against Israel
These laws, which allow for administrative detention based on suspicion alone, sometimes as part of a pressure tactic on families to produce a relative, are conducted in a totally unethical and illegal way. The release of Palestinian women and children from administrative detention could, if the international media were not so obsessed with Israelis, show the world the undemocratic actions of an occupying power. These same decades-old laws are responsible for other forms of collective punishment of Palestinian families,whose homes have been demolished as a form of revenge for the actions of a family member. In a strange way, exposing these issues may contribute to greater global understanding of the discriminatory Israeli apartheid policies that international human rights organizations have been complaining about but have stayed under the radar.
The current ceasefire will enable the delivery of humanitarian relief, including food, medical supplies and fuel for power generation, all of which have been desperately needed for the past seven weeks of Israel’s illegal blockade. The fact that Israeli military and political leaders actually boasted of their intention to cut off the Gaza Strip is perfect evidence of a full-fledged war crime: the laws of war are clear that a civilian population should not be part of attacks against combatants.The Western world has been almost united in its condemnation of Russia’s targeting of civilians in its war on Ukraine. But when it comes to Israel’s targeting of Palestinian civilians in Gaza — the deaths, the denial of food, the attacks on schools, hospitals, refugee camps and places of worship — there is only mealy-mouthed equivocation about the “right to self defense.”Much of what will be accomplished during this humanitarian pause in Gaza could have taken place weeks ago if Israeli leaders had given priority to the safety of both Palestinians and of their own people — forced to live in shelters, and whose lives, like those of the Palestinians, have been shattered. The success of diplomacy that has brought this small breakthrough should be the basis for further pauses, a full-fledged permanent ceasefire, and a parallel political process that can bring about an end to the Israeli occupation and the realization of the Palestinian dream of an independent state of their own.
• Daoud Kuttab is a former professor at Princeton University and the founder and former director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al-Quds University in Ramallah.
X: @daoudkuttab

The buzz around minilateralism is growing
Ehtesham Shahid/Arab News/November 24, 2023
Minilateralism has become a vital tool in the 21st-century’s international relations toolkit. The approach has gained traction for its efficiency and practicality in addressing specific issues, often involving trilateral and quadrilateral partnerships and thriving on informality and task-oriented problem-solving. Minilateralism is built on the premise that a smaller group of stakeholders with shared goals or common problems can often coordinate and reach agreements more effectively than in a large, multilateral setting, where diverse interests can lead to gridlock and inefficiency.
Recent manifestations of minilateralism have demonstrated its relevance and impact in a world where complex issues require swift and focused solutions. The grouping of Australia, the UK and the US, known as AUKUS, seeks to enhance defense and security cooperation among these three nations. The Quad, consisting of the US, Japan, India and Australia, addresses regional security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. The Five Eyes intelligence alliance, involving the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, has long played a significant role in global security and intelligence sharing. And the I2U2 initiative brings together India, Israel, the UAE and the US on one platform, reflecting the growing trend of minilateral partnerships addressing diverse issues. The rise of minilateralism has also been associated with emerging middle powers and states with moderate influence that are seeking viable ways to tackle complex problems. These partnerships enable more focused and rapid action than broader multilateral efforts, making them attractive options for countries looking to advance their interests on specific fronts.
According to a Foundation for Strategic Research report, the effectiveness of minilateralism depends on the evolution of bilateral relations that are priorities for the involved players. It also notes that the most contentious minilateral initiatives appear to be extraregional and secondary to regional players’ interests and resources. This emphasizes the importance of aligning minilateral efforts with the specific needs and dynamics of the regions they aim to address. Minilateralism’s notable characteristic is an emphasis on shared interests rather than shared values or ideological alignment
Minilateralism’s notable characteristic, as Nickolay Mladenov of the Washington Institute has pointed out, is an emphasis on shared interests rather than shared values or ideological alignment. This allows nations to collaborate on critical issues without needing complete agreement on every aspect of their worldview, making minilateral formats nimbler and more flexible than traditional diplomacy.
Importantly, minilateralism does not render multilateralism obsolete. Instead, it highlights the need to find a balanced approach that leverages the strengths of both systems to address specific and global challenges. The buzz around minilateralism reflects a broader debate about the best ways to manage international relations in the 21st century. Another perspective suggests that bilateralism has reached saturation point and multilateralism is yielding limited results, leading to the rise of minilateralism. This trend reflects a shift from geopolitics to geoeconomics as countries seek to tap into economic synergies to advance their strategic objectives. Ultimately, the effectiveness and appropriateness of minilateralism depend on the issue at hand and the need for inclusivity and broad-based cooperation. A hybrid approach that strategically employs minilateralism within the broader context of multilateral cooperation may be the most effective way to navigate the complex tapestry of global interrelations. This approach combines the agility and focus of minilateralism with the broad-based legitimacy and comprehensive reach of multilateralism, offering a flexible and pragmatic approach to addressing the challenges of our time.
In the context of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the broader Middle East region, the concept of minilateralism carries significant relevance. The Gulf/Middle East landscape is characterized by a complex web of geopolitical dynamics, diverse national interests and many security and economic challenges. Minilateralism can offer these countries an effective way to address their unique concerns.
Minilateralism can offer the countries of the Middle East an effective way to address their unique concerns
The region has witnessed numerous conflicts, rivalries and shifting alliances, making traditional multilateral approaches often unwieldy and ineffective. Minilateral mechanisms, with their task-oriented and informal nature, can provide a more pragmatic approach. For instance, countries in the region could form minilateral partnerships to address specific security threats, such as regional instability or the proliferation of nonstate actors. These partnerships could unite like-minded nations with a shared interest in maintaining stability and security, allowing for quicker responses and more effective coordination.
Moreover, the economic challenges in the Gulf and Middle East, such as diversifying economies, energy transitions and regional trade dynamics, also lend themselves to minilateral cooperation. Minilateral initiatives can foster economic synergies, enhance trade relations and address common challenges like water scarcity and food security. In the complex geopolitical ecosystem surrounding us, minilateralism brings fresh air and offers a promising approach for the GCC and Middle East countries to navigate their complex landscape and address pressing security and economic challenges. By strategically employing minilateral mechanisms alongside multilateral engagement, these nations can perhaps ward off the vicious cycle of violence and unlock new opportunities for cooperation, effectively enhancing regional stability and advancing their shared interests.
• Ehtesham Shahid is an Indian editor and researcher based in the UAE. X: @e2sham

What’s new on the GotQuestions.org Podcast?
GotQuestions.org/November 24, 2023
Episode 181 - What is antisemitism and what is the true spiritual origin of anti-Semitism?
Question: “What is the biblical significance of the number seven/7?”
Answer: Throughout the Bible, God often gives symbolic significance to mundane items or concepts. For example, in Genesis 9:12–16, God makes the rainbow the sign of His promise to Noah (and, by extension, to all mankind) that He will not flood the whole earth again. God uses bread as a representation of His presence with His people (Numbers 4:7); of the gift of eternal life (John 6:35); and of the broken body of Christ, sacrificed for our sins (Matthew 26:26). The rainbow and the bread are obvious symbols in Scripture. Less obvious meanings seem to be attached to some numbers in the Bible, especially the number 7, which at times provides a special emphasis in the text. The first use of the number 7 in the Bible relates to the creation week in Genesis 1. God spends six days creating the heavens and the earth, and then rests on the seventh day. This is our template for the seven-day week, observed around the world to this day. The seventh day was to be “set apart” for Israel; the Sabbath was a holy day of rest (Deuteronomy 5:12).
Thus, right at the start of the Bible, the number 7 is identified with something being “finished” or “complete.” From then on, that association continues, as 7 is often found in contexts involving completeness or divine perfection. So we see the command for animals to be at least seven days old before being used for sacrifice (Exodus 22:30), the command for leprous Naaman to bathe in the Jordan River seven times to effect complete cleansing (2 Kings 5:10), and the command for Joshua to march around Jericho for seven days (and on the seventh day to make seven circuits) and for seven priests to blow seven trumpets outside the city walls (Joshua 6:3–4). In these instances, 7 signifies a completion of some kind: a divine mandate is fulfilled.
Interestingly, man was created on the sixth day of creation. In some passages of the Bible, the number 6 is associated with mankind. In Revelation “the number of the beast” is called “the number of a man.” That number is 666 (Revelation 13:18). If God’s number is 7, then man’s is 6. Six always falls short of seven, just like “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Man is not God, just as 6 is not 7.
Series of seven things crop up often in the Bible. For example, we find seven pairs of each clean animal on the ark (Genesis 7:2); seven stems on the tabernacle’s lampstand (Exodus 25:37); seven qualities of the Messiah in Isaiah 11:2; seven signs in John’s Gospel; seven things the Lord hates in Proverbs 6:16; seven parables in Matthew 13; and seven woes in Matthew 23.
Multiples of 7 also figure into the biblical narrative: the “seventy weeks” prophecy in Daniel 9:24 concerns 490 years (7 times 7 times 10). Jeremiah 29:10 predicted the Babylonian Captivity would last for seventy years (7 times 10). According to Leviticus 25:8, the Year of Jubilee was to begin after the passing of every forty-ninth year (7 times 7).
Sometimes, the symbolism of 7 is a great comfort to us: Jesus is the seven-fold “I AM” in the Gospel of John. Other times, it challenges us: Jesus told Peter to forgive a wrongdoer “seventy times seven” times (Matthew 18:22, NKJV). And then there are passages in which the number 7 is associated with God’s judgment: the seven bowls of the Great Tribulation, for example (Revelation 16:1), or God’s warning to Israel in Leviticus 26:18.
Speaking of the book of Revelation, the number 7 is used there more than fifty times in a variety of contexts: there are seven letters to seven churches in Asia and seven spirits before God’s throne (Revelation 1:4), seven golden lampstands (Revelation 1:12), seven stars in Christ’s right hand (Revelation 1:16), seven seals of God’s judgment (Revelation 5:1), seven angels with seven trumpets (Revelation 8:2), etc. In all likelihood, the number 7 again represents completeness or totality: the seven churches represent the completeness of the body of Christ, the seven seals on the scroll represent the fullness of God’s punishment of a sinful earth, and so on. And, of course, the book of Revelation itself, with all its 7’s, is the capstone of God’s Word to man. With the book of Revelation, the Word was complete (Revelation 22:18).
Of course, not every instance of the number 7 in the Bible carries a deeper significance. Sometimes, a 7 is just a 7, and we must be cautious about attaching symbolic meanings to any text, especially when Scripture is not explicit about such meanings. However, there are times when it seems that God is communicating the idea of divine completeness, perfection, and wholeness by means of the number 7.