Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 05-06/2024
Elias Bejjani/Video & Text: The Terrorist, jihadist and Iranian Hezbollah was the one that targeted The UNIFIL Patrol with an explosive device last Saturday in the outskirts of the town of Rmeish/Elias Bejjani/April 04/2024
An Israeli raid for the first time on Marjayounthat killed 5 members of Amal and Hezbollah and a race of threats awaiting the “next strike”
SWISS flight to Beirut turned back over security fears
Bassil urges ceasefire in south even if Gaza war continues
Mustafa Barghouti to LBCI: Netanyahu may provoke conflict with Lebanon for self-interest, not for his people
Israeli army reports soldier injured by rocket from Lebanon
South Lebanon: Two Hezbollah and Three Amal Movement Fighters Killed
2 killed, 2 wounded in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon
Cyprus President to visit Lebanon amid refugee spat
Report: Shiite Duo-FPM tensions after Saliba charged in al-Rashid case
Geagea says Hezbollah should bear responsibility for war's destruction and deaths
'Time to act is now': EU urges Lebanon to implement IMF agreed reforms
Interior Minister sets date for municipal elections in Mount Lebanon on May 12, 2024
Firas Hatoum summoned: The ongoing legal saga surrounding LBCI's 'Marhaba Dawle'
Waste sorting plant: Beirut and Mount Lebanon set to revive Karantina plant
Large Fire in Plastic Warehouse in Sports City
Public Schools: Action Plan for Salaries Increases
Sayyed Nasrallah: Iran Retaliation Inevitable, ‘Israel’ Knows Well What Lebanon War Means
The “helpful lunatics” and the harmful shrewd ones/Rafiq Khoury/Nedda Al Watan/April 6, 2024
The limits of the Iranian response/Tony Francis/Nedda Al Watan/April 6, 2024

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 05-06/2024
Iran vows to 'punish Zionist regime' over deadly strike on Iranian consulate attributed to Israel
CIA chief heading to Cairo for hostage talks
Israel announces 'temporary' opening of aid routes into Gaza
UN chief 'deeply troubled' by reports Israel using AI to identify Gaza targets
Gaza's famine: Israel's response to Gaza crisis sparks debate
How destruction inflicted on Gaza has intensified environmental challenges in the Middle East
Arab states tell Security Council to use enforcement powers to make Israel comply with ceasefire resolution
UN human rights body calls for halt to weapons shipments to Israel
Policy pivot: Israeli decision-making altered after Biden-Netanyahu talks
Israel Justifies Aid Worker Killing by “Hamas Operative” Presence
Senior UK jurists join calls to stop arms sales to Israel
Trump says Israel 'losing PR war' in Gaza
Israel dismisses 2 officers over deadly drone strikes on aid workers in Gaza
Israeli ambassador, summoned by Poland in protest, apologizes for death of Polish aid worker
Israel Minister Says Qatar Untrustworthy as Broker for Hamas
Thousands of Iranians Condemn Israel and Demand Revenge
Iran’s Prisons Turned Into “Killing Fields,” 853 Executions in 2023
Ukraine claims it destroyed Russian warplanes in one of its biggest drone attacks of the war
Egyptian authorities arrest 10 after a pro-Gaza rally calling for severing ties with Israel
Magnitude 4.8 earthquake hits New York City
Senior Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham Leader Killed in Syria
Kuwait opposition keeps parliament majority after vote
Kuwait's political evolution: Examining recent election outcomes
US, China Resume Talks on Safe Military Interactions

Titles For The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on April 05-06/2024
Is the Syrian regime starting to stand up to Iran?/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/April 04, 2024
After six months of war, Israel's isolation grows with no end in sight/JOSEF FEDERMAN/AP/April 5, 2024
New 'Revitalized' Palestinian Authority, Same as the Old Palestinian Authority/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/April 5, 2024
Turkish election results reflect women’s growing role/Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/April 05, 2024
Why engaging the Taliban is the only way forward/Dr. Ajmal Shams/Arab News/April 05, 2024
Teenager volunteers at hospital as the war ragesSaudi air force team in Greece to take part in INIOCHOS drillPreviousPauseNext/Luke Coffey/Arab News/April 05, 2024
Question: “What are the seven deadly sins?”/GotQuestions.org/April 05/2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 05-06/2024
Elias Bejjani/Video & Text: The Terrorist, jihadist and Iranian Hezbollah was the one that targeted The UNIFIL Patrol with an explosive device last Saturday in the outskirts of the town of Rmeish
Elias Bejjani/April 04/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/128473/128473/
Last Saturday, the town of Rmeish fell victim to an explosive device planted by the terrorist, jihadist, and Iranian-backed Hezbollah. This cowardly act targeted innocent civilians, demonstrating Hezbollah's disregard for human life.
It is regrettable that Abdullah Bouhabib, the foreign minister of occupied Lebanon, along with other officials in the Al-Mikati government, choose to serve as mere mouthpieces for Hezbollah. Their attempts to cover up Hezbollah's crimes and hastily blame Israel are baseless and irresponsible.
In the aftermath of the incident, there were erroneous accusations against Israel by certain elements within the government and so-called "resistance" groups. However, investigations conducted by UNIFIL and the Lebanese army have revealed the truth. It was not an attack from Israel but rather an explosive device planted by Hezbollah that caused the injuries to the UNIFIL patrol.
Israel, rightfully, pointed fingers at Hezbollah for this cowardly act. Avichay Adraee, spokesman for the Israeli army, stated that the explosion in Rmeish was caused by an explosive device planted by Hezbollah. UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti reiterated the importance of peacekeeping efforts in the region and affirmed UNIFIL's commitment to reducing tensions.
It is imperative that the international community condemns Hezbollah's actions and holds them accountable for their terrorist activities. The people of Rmeish deserve justice, and Hezbollah must be brought to justice for their heinous crimes against humanity.

An Israeli raid for the first time on Marjayounthat killed 5 members of Amal and Hezbollah and a race of threats awaiting the “next strike”
Nedda Al Watan/April 6, 2024 (Google Translation from Arabic)
Yesterday, threats between Iran and Israel escalated against the backdrop of the killing of seven members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, including two senior officers, in an Israeli air strike that led to the destruction of the Iranian consulate building in Damascus last Monday. It appeared from the threats that there is a military action that one of the two parties will take. Will Iran be the first to direct a retaliatory strike against Israel, or will Israel once again take the initiative militarily, thus not leaving Tehran and its arms the opportunity to use the waiting period to its advantage? Waiting for the tense scene in the region to crystallize, yesterday thousands of people in Tehran and other Iranian cities chanted slogans against the United States and Israel during their commemoration on Friday, coinciding with “Jerusalem Day,” the funeral ceremony for the seven soldiers. In a speech during the ceremony, the Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Guards, Major General Hussein Salami, renewed his pledge to “punish” Israel. As for Lebanon, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah confirmed that the Iranian response to the targeting of the consulate in Damascus is “inevitably coming,” considering that this strike constituted a “detail” in the events since the seventh of last October. He said about the open front in the south: “This war the Israelis fled from from day one, because the enemy leadership knows what it means to go to war with Lebanon. The main weapon after “What We Have Exploded”. And the basic forces after we used them. And the detention of forces is not working. However, we achieved these achievements in the north, and ask the Israelis about them.” Regarding “talking about a comprehensive war on Lebanon,” he said: “You are not a savior in Gaza. But we say to the enemy, the friend, and these trivial people: This resistance in Lebanon does not fear war.” Nasrallah announced that the “party” will hold “a celebration in honor of the martyrs of the aggression against the consulate” at 4 p.m. next Monday. On the other hand, Israeli Security Minister Yoav Galant said: “We are directing very strong and precise strikes against the enemy, and the harm caused to him is difficult in all locations, so he is looking for ways to respond, which could arrive from anywhere, and we are prepared for that.” These statements came. Galant during his visit to the air force base at Camp Tal Nof in central Israel, in light of the Israeli alert after the bombing of the consulate. He added: “We attack everywhere Israel decides against the enemy. This could be in Damascus, and also in Beirut.” He continued, “Israel depends on the army and the latter depends on the air force. We know this well and the enemy does as well, so he will always try to harm the Air Force in order to disable this machine called the Air Force.” He considered that “preparedness means a strong defense on the ground, as well as in the air. Defence, readiness, preparedness and readiness are not words synonymous with fear, panic and panic. “We are stronger and more prepared, and we will know how to defend ourselves and be effective in the right place.” On the ground in the south, three members of the “Amal” movement were killed yesterday in Marjayoun, which was subjected for the first time since the confrontations began last October 8 to an Israeli raid, as the Israeli aircraft launched an air strike with missiles targeting a house previously inhabited by the commander of the “South Lebanese Army,” Antoine Lahad. The movement mourned the three members: Musa Abdul Karim al-Musawi from the town of Nabi Sheet, born in 1977, Muhammad Ali Wahbi from Khiam, born in 1987, and Muhammad Daoud Sheit from Kafr Kila, born in 1992. As for Hezbollah, it mourned two members who were killed in an Israeli raid on Aita al-Shaab. They are: Bilal Haider Halal “Sajid,” born in 1996 from Qana, and Ali Nasser Abd Ali “Kafeel,” born in 1998 from the town of Aitit. For its part, the Israeli army reported that “a soldier was injured as a result of a missile fired from Lebanon hitting the Metulla settlement.” Also in Hezbollah’s operations, it targeted “a movement of enemy soldiers and vehicles in the Al-Malikiyah site with artillery shells and rocket weapons.”

SWISS flight to Beirut turned back over security fears
Agence France Presse/April 05/ 2024
Swiss International Air Lines said Friday it had turned back a flight in mid-air heading from Zurich to Beirut because the security situation in Lebanon had become "difficult to assess."The flight, with 138 passengers and five crew on board, did not have permission to land back in Zurich overnight Thursday so was instead diverted to Vienna, SWISS said. "In view of the latest developments in the Middle East... the situation in Lebanon last night was difficult to assess," a spokesman told AFP. "In order to gain time and to be able to properly assess the situation, they decided to take this step out of an abundance of caution."In Vienna, passengers were rebooked onto other flights. "We hope for the understanding of the passengers concerned and did our utmost to get them to their destination as quickly as possible," the spokesman said. Following a review, SWISS decided to maintain its flight program to Beirut and Tel Aviv, but said it would monitor developments "very closely." The airline operates flights twice weekly from Zurich to Beirut. Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah have exchanged near-daily cross-border fire since the Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, triggering war in Gaza. On Wednesday, the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper reported that SWISS pilots and flight attendants were concerned about the situation in Israel and more and more were withdrawing from flights going to Tel Aviv. Since the start of March, the airline has been running one return flight a day between Zurich and Tel Aviv, but plans to return to two flights daily from May 5.

Bassil urges ceasefire in south even if Gaza war continues
Naharnet/April 05/ 2024
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has demanded “a ceasefire in south Lebanon” and “separating the matter from the developments of the war in Gaza.” Calling for “solidarity in this critical period that the country is going through and is witnessing an unprecedented collapse,” Bassil stressed, in remarks to Kuwait’s al-Anbaa newspaper, his “support for the resistance in repelling any Israeli attack on Lebanon.”He, however, rejected “Hezbollah’s participation in Gaza’s war amid the lack of national consensus.”“It is clear that Hezbollah does not want a major war with Israel, and this is an appreciated and good stance, but it has meanwhile lost control of the decision to stop the war, leaving the matter in Israel’s hands. For the sake of whom has this happened? For the sake of Yahya al-Sinwar or for the sake of liberating Jerusalem?” Bassil wondered. Urging the relevant countries to “help us achieve that,” Bassil refused to link the presidential vote to a ceasefire in south Lebanon, emphasizing that the vote should take place regardless.Noting that he is maintaining communication with Hezbollah “at the highest levels,” Bassil revealed that he has asked Speaker Nabih Berri to support him in his endeavor to “separate the domestic Lebanese file from the war in Gaza.”He also called for an agreement on a new president “because no one can impose anything on anyone in Lebanon.”

Mustafa Barghouti to LBCI: Netanyahu may provoke conflict with Lebanon for self-interest, not for his people
LBCI/April 05/ 2024
General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, Mustafa Barghouti, highlighted the United States' frustration with Israel's perceived shortcomings, including its failure to secure the release of prisoners, suppress resistance movements, establish control, and expel Gaza residents to Egypt.
On LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show, he suggested that the United States could have intervened earlier if it had wished to, indicating a potential shift in diplomatic dynamics. Speaking on the viability of coexistence with the Israeli system, Barghouti asserted that recent events have made it clear that such coexistence is not feasible. "There is no solution for Palestinians except to hold democratic elections after the war ends," Barghouti stated, advocating for a democratic process as a means of progress. Regarding Hamas, Barghouti acknowledged its losses in both human lives and infrastructure but noted a corresponding increase in its popularity. He highlighted a growing Palestinian trend towards supporting resistance forces. However, Barghouti underscored the importance of national unity and a representative government for Palestinians, emphasizing the need for inclusivity in governance. In addition to tensions with the United States, Barghouti pointed out international pressure facing Israel from countries including Britain and the US. He also expressed concerns that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might instigate conflict with Lebanon to maintain power, prioritizing his position over the welfare of his people. Finally, Barghouti called for accountability, urging Israel to compensate for its actions and crimes committed.

Israeli army reports soldier injured by rocket from Lebanon
LBCI/April 05/ 2024
The Israeli military announced on Friday that a soldier was injured as a result of a rocket launched from Lebanon striking the town of Metula in northern Israel.
In response, the Israeli army disclosed that it retaliated by conducting strikes on the rocket launch sites that had targeted Ashkelon, Kfar Aza, and Sderot.

South Lebanon: Two Hezbollah and Three Amal Movement Fighters Killed
This Is Beirut/April 05/ 2024
Two Hezbollah fighters and three others affiliated with its ally, the Amal Movement of Speaker Nabih Berri, were killed and two were injured in Israeli airstrikes on targets in South Lebanon on Friday evening. The raids hit a house in Aita al-Shaab and a center of the Amal movement in Jdeidet Marjayoun. Hezbollah and Amal announced the death of their combatants in two separate communiques. As of Friday afternoon, hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel intensified, coinciding with the speech of the secretary-general of the pro-Iranian group, Hassan Nasrallah, to mark “Jerusalem Day” which falls on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan. An Israeli airstrike targeted a house in Kfar Kila near the Fatima Gate, causing damage to vehicles and quarters of Lebanese army personnel. Israel also carried out raids on houses in the villages of Tayr Harfa, Zaloutieh and Zebqine and on the outskirts of Yarine.Furthermore, Israel bombed the area between Deir Mimas and Kfar Kila, as well as Bab Thanya in Khiam and Dhayra. The Israeli army reported that one soldier was injured due to a rocket fired from South Lebanon at the settlement of Metula. According to Israeli media, alarm sirens sounded three times in the Upper Galilee, and a missile or drone fell in Manot, in western Galilee, causing material damage. Moreover, a resident of Rmeish found an explosive device weighing about 12 kg on Friday morning, concealed in a plastic bag in a bucket near the Sky Plaza resort. A unit of the Lebanese army was called in to dismantle it. For its part, Hezbollah declared that it targeted the Zarit barracks, the Yaroun position, a gathering of Israeli soldiers within the perimeter of the Manara position and another in a building in the Admit colony. The pro-Iranian group also claimed responsibility for the attack carried out on Thursday night against Israeli soldiers and vehicles moving towards the Malkiya site.

2 killed, 2 wounded in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon
Naharnet/April 05/ 2024
An Israeli strike on the southern border town of Aita al-Shaab killed two people and injured one Friday, the National News Agency said, while another strike on Kfarkela injured one person. One Israeli soldier and three Lebanese civilians were earlier wounded in overnight cross-border fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli army. The three Lebanese civilians were injured in an overnight strike on the southern border town of Kfarhamam in the Arqoob region while the Israeli army said Friday that one soldier was wounded in a Hezbollah overnight attack on Metula. Hezbollah said it attacked soldiers and military vehicles in the Malkia post and another military vehicle in Metula. Later on Friday, Israeli warplanes raided Kfarkela, Tayr Harfa, Aita al-Shaab, the outskirts of Shebaa and houses in Zalloutieh and Yarin, while Hezbollah targeted the Hadb Yaroun post, a group of soldiers in Manara, and surveillance equipment in the Zar'it barracks. An Israeli tank also shelled Kfarkela and al-Khiam. On Thursday Hezbollah carried out five attacks on posts in northern Israel and the occupied Kfarshouba Hills and Shebaa Farms near Kfarhamam. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged near-daily fire since Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, triggering war in Gaza. The cross-border hostilities have killed at least 349 people in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters, but also at least 68 civilians, according to an AFP tally. The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people in southern Lebanon and in northern Israel, where the military says 10 soldiers and eight civilians have been killed.

Cyprus President to visit Lebanon amid refugee spat
Naharnet/April 05/ 2024
President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides will visit Lebanon on Monday with a ministerial delegation. On his one day visit to Lebanon, Christodoulides will meet with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Christodoulides had asked the head of the European Union’s executive arm to intercede with Lebanese authorities to stop boatloads of Syrian refugees from heading to the east Mediterranean island nation. The EU is willing to give Lebanon more money to cope with the huge number of refugees it hosts, but “for this thing to happen, Lebanon shouldn’t allow migrants to leave and come to Cyprus,” Christodoulides said.

Report: Shiite Duo-FPM tensions after Saliba charged in al-Rashid case
Naharnet/April 05/ 2024
State Security chief Maj. Gen. Tony Saliba has been charged by State Commissioner to Military Court Judge Fadi Akiki in the case of the detainee Dany al-Rashid’s escape from prison, judicial sources said. The sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper that Saliba has been charged with the misdemeanors of abuse of power and misuse of influence. Al-Rashid had escaped from his State Security prison in Beirut on March 27 before heading to Syria where he was eventually re-arrested by Lebanese and Syrian security agents. According to media reports, al-Rashid was once an adviser to Saliba and the director of ex-minister Salim Jreissati’s office. He was reportedly enjoying a favorable treatment in the State Security prison -- including breaks to see his family and have dinner outside. He only decided to escape upon learning that he would be moved to an Internal Security Forces prison based on a judicial order, the reports say. Seven other people, including al-Rashid, have been charged in the prison escape case. Al-Rashid had been jailed in connection with the attempted murder of the engineer Abdallah Hanna in Zahle. Following the charges against Saliba, intensive contacts were held between the Shiite Duo and the Free Patriotic Movement in order to “contain the fallout from these charges,” Nidaa al-Watan reported, noting that Saliba is close to the FPM while Akiki is close to Speaker Nabih Berri.

Geagea says Hezbollah should bear responsibility for war's destruction and deaths
Naharnet/April 05/ 2024
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea has held Hezbollah responsible for the losses resulting from its cross-border conflict with Israel. “We have incurred 350 to 400 victims in addition to the destruction of dozens of villages, direct economic losses that surpass millions of dollars and indirect losses that no one can accurately estimate,” Geagea lamented in a Ramadan iftar banquet in Maarab. Referring to Hezbollah and possibly Iran, the LF leader emphasized that “those who took the decision to implicate Lebanon should bear the responsibility and consequences.”He added: “The government should immediately work on implementing Resolution 1701, because we have an interest in that. That would be accompanied by the deployment of the Lebanese Army along the southern Lebanese border, so that it defends every inch of Lebanese land, especially that everyone is behind it and the Arab countries and the entire world would support it and assist it.”

'Time to act is now': EU urges Lebanon to implement IMF agreed reforms
Naharnet/April 05/ 2024
Two years ago, on 7 April 2022, Lebanon and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed on a program of actions and reforms. Its implementation would have unlocked over $3 billion in assistance, additional support from donors, put Lebanon back on the path of economic recovery and restored its international credibility. "Unfortunately, since then, only limited progress has been made," the delegation of the European Union and the Embassies of the EU Member States to Lebanon said in a statement Friday. The European Union said it recognises the very difficult reality that Lebanon is currently experiencing, but considered that this situation "could and should" serve as a driver for change. "Electing a President and forming a fully functioning Government are critical. But a delay should not hinder the implementation of agreed key reforms, in order to restore the trust of international actors and Lebanese citizens in the financial system. The adoption of the 2024 budget within constitutional deadlines, the reforming of the bank secrecy law and the stabilization of the exchange rate, have shown that where there is a will, there is a way. "Structural reforms are necessary to avoid Lebanon being trapped in a perpetual cycle of crises. Decisive leadership is needed. The answers to Lebanon’s economic crisis can only come from within Lebanon," the statement said. The European Union added that it firmly stands by Lebanon and its people in their aspirations for a brighter future. "The time to act is - always - now," the EU delegation said.

Interior Minister sets date for municipal elections in Mount Lebanon on May 12, 2024
LBCI/April 05/ 2024
The Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Judge Bassem Mawlawi, has issued a directive calling upon municipal electoral bodies in the districts of Mount Lebanon to conduct municipal elections. The directive entailed determining the specific number of members for each municipal council. Additionally, the directive called for electing mukhtars and optional councils, specifying the number of mukhtars and members within the districts of Mount Lebanon and the elections to be done on May 12, 2024.

Firas Hatoum summoned: The ongoing legal saga surrounding LBCI's 'Marhaba Dawle'
LBCI/April 05/ 2024
After the Lebanese state filed a lawsuit against LBCI's "Marhaba Dawle" program in January, the state reacted once again by summoning the program's producer, Firas Hatoum, to the Internal Security Forces (ISF), specifically to the Intelligence Branch, on Thursday. According to the program's producer, he was summoned for using ISF uniforms (costumes) and (fake) weapons. He stated, after he exited the interrogation, which lasted for approximately two hours that those costumes were already available and not bought to film the program. On Wednesday, Hatoum revealed on the "X" platform that the summoning was initiated based on a directive from the Military Court's Government Commissioner Judge Fadi Akiki. Additionally, according to the nonprofit research and advocacy organization "Legal Agenda," Article 144 of the Military Judicial Law "penalizes imprisonment for a period ranging from two months to two years for anyone impersonating a military figure or wearing military attire." However, the organization stated that Judge Fadi Akiki exceeded his legal authority by summoning Hatoum for investigation before the Intelligence Branch. The organization said, "It is legally established that violations committed within the scope of television programs fall under the Publications Law, according to the Television and Radio Broadcasting Law (Article 35)." "Therefore, they fall outside the jurisdiction of the military judiciary, and the investigation into them is exclusively under the jurisdiction of the investigative judge," it added. On January 25, the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI) received a lawsuit filed by the Lebanese state/ Ministry of Interior, seeking to suspend the "Marhaba Dawle" program. This legal action was taken in protest of what the state described as the program's violation of "moral" and "ethical" boundaries. Once again, despite numerous crises affecting the country, the Lebanese state prioritized its attention on the issue of plastic weapons and military uniforms available to everyone in commercial stores, ignoring the pressing issues plaguing the nation.

Waste sorting plant: Beirut and Mount Lebanon set to revive Karantina plant
LBCI/April 05/ 2024
Residents of Beirut and Mount Lebanon will soon witness a significant turnaround in waste management. The waste sorting plant at the Karantina facility, destroyed after the August 4 explosion, is slated to resume operations. The revival of this facility brings hope to those grappling with daily waste disposal dilemmas. It will alleviate the burden on landfills in Jdeideh, which can no longer accommodate additional quantities of waste. The Karantina plant, equipped to handle various types of waste, is expected to start operating within 12 months of preparation. It will process 1,000 tons daily, with 450 tons from Beirut and 550 tons from Mount Lebanon. With three sorting lines initially operational out of six, it does not only promise environmental benefits but also economic gains, with both residents and municipalities poised to profit. Furthermore, the plant will be purely Lebanese. The impending revival of the waste sorting plant offers hope in Lebanon's waste crisis, emphasizing the potential for substantial gains with concerted efforts and determination.

Large Fire in Plastic Warehouse in Sports City
This is Beirut/April 05/2024
A large fire broke out on Friday evening in a plastic warehouse near Sports City in Beirut. Firefighters and Civil Defense vehicles rushed to the scene to extinguish it. Civil Defense chief, Gen. Raymond Khattar, informed LBCI that the fire had been controlled, “and our teams are currently conducting cooling operations.” No injuries have been recorded.

Public Schools: Action Plan for Salaries Increases
This Is Beirut/April 05/ 2024
The Public Schools Union in Lebanon has decided to draw up a plan of action to demand a change in salaries, taking into account the current economic situation and the increases approved, in this sense, for the public sector. At a remote meeting held on Thursday, the union proposed the formation of a committee to follow up on practical steps and study proposals concerning the modification of salaries and the plan to be adopted, from mid-April, for the new school year, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, through workshops.

Sayyed Nasrallah: Iran Retaliation Inevitable, ‘Israel’ Knows Well What Lebanon War Means
Marwa Haidar/Al-Manar English Website/April 05/ 2024
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stressed on Friday that Iran’s retaliation for targeting its consulate in Syria earlier this week is inevitable.
In a masss ceremony marking International Al-Quds Day in Beirut’s southern suburb (Dahiyeh), Sayyed Nasrallah said that the Israeli folly committed in the Iranian consulate in Damascus will lead to victory and enable the Axis of Resistance of having the final word in the battle. The Lebanese resistance leader dismissed Israeli threats of waging an inclusive war against Lebanon, saying: “They (Israelis) don’t know what to do in Gaza and want to attack Lebanon!”His eminence, meanwhile, reiterated that Hezbollah is fully ready to confront any Israeli war on Lebanon, stressing that the resistance never fears the war. Sayyed Nasrallah assured that after six months of the war on Gaza, the Israeli enemy faces failures and is neither capable of destroying Hamas nor capable of releasing captives captured by the Palestinian resistance during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. He stressed that Op. Al-Aqsa Flood is a critical juncture that has put the Israeli existence in danger.
Iranian Retaliation
Starting his speech, Sayyed Nasrallah offered condolences over martyrdom of top IRGC generals in the Israeli strike which targeted the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus last Monday. He lauded top general Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was martyred in the Israeli strike, as a commander who had favor upon Hezbollah and contributed to the development of the Lebanese resistance.
Sayyed Nasrallah announced that a ceremony will be held next Monday (April 8) in honor of the Iranian generals martyred in the Israeli strike on the Islamic Republic’s consulate in Damascus. “The attack on the Iranian consulate is a pivotal moment in this battle.” His eminence then elaborated on Iran’s support to Al-Quds and Palestine, saying that founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Sayyed Ruhollah Mousavi Khomeini had a clear and firm stance towards the Palestinian cause.
He noted that the Islamic Republic’s unwavering support to Palestine is one of the prominent causes behind the wars waged against Iran. “The Islamic Republic offered enormous sacrifices on economic, political and security levels because of this position.” Sayyed Nasrallah then lashed out at those who claim that Iran is engaged in talks with the United States on several files regarding regional issues.
“The US has repeatedly voiced desire to hold talks with Iran but the Islamic Republic was reluctant. Iran has not compromised and will never do so on the regional issues.”“Relation with Iran is a source of pride, those who must feel ashamed are those who seek to normalize ties with the Zionist entity,” Sayyed Nasrallah stressed.
Video subtitled by Mohammad Salami
Sayyed Nasrallah stressed then that “Iran’s retaliation to the Israeli strike on Syria consulate is inevitable.” “The folly committed by Netanyahu through targeting the Iranian consulate in Syria will hopefully lead to end this battle and emerge victorious.” “The timing of the Iranian response is part of the battle, but the timing, place and size of the response are in the hands of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei and the Iranian leaders.
Israeli Failure in Gaza
Sayyed Nasrallah noted that “International Al-Quds Day is different this year as it comes six months after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7. He described the heroic operation in which hundreds of Hamas resistance fighters invaded Gaza envelope settlements and captured more than 200 Israelis as a “a critical juncture that has put the Israeli existence in danger.”The Hezbollah leader stressed that six months after the brutal Israeli war on Gaza, Zionist officials are not able to secure the goals they had set at the start of the aggression. “Six months following the war, (Israeli PM Benjamin) Netanyahu, (DM Yoav) Gallant and other Israeli officials are still out of their minds.” “Six months on the war, Netanyahu is neither capable of destroying Hamas nor capable of releasing the captives,” Sayyed Nasrallah said, stressing that the Israeli atrocities carried out in Gaza are out of failure and lack of options. “The Israeli enemy has no idea about the post-war scenario in Gaza, Netanyahu has no political horizon. He can neither solve Israeli internal problems, nor deal with the political isolation the Zionist entity faces worldwide.”
“Netanyahu has no choice but to stop the war, and this is a mere defeat.”
Resistance Fully Ready
Sayyed Nasrallah, meanwhile, hit back at Israeli threats of an inclusive war against Lebanon. He dismissed such threats, wondering how the Israeli would attack Lebanon if they already don’t know what to do in Gaza and how to deal with failures there. His eminence stressed that the Lebanese front “won’t be closed as it is highly linked to Gaza,” affirming that “this is a firm decision.”
He stressed that the Resistance in Lebanon is fully ready and its morale is in large sense. “We haven’t used our major weapons yet. Our fighters are going on their home leave as usual. “The Resistance in Lebanon doesn’t fear war, we are fully ready to engage in a war that the enemy will regret.”
“The enemy knows well what a war with Lebanon means, if they want war then hello and welcome!” Sayyed Nasrallah affirmed that the resistance in Lebanon we will proceed with this battle until victory, stating: “Great victory is awaiting the Axis of Resistance.”

The “helpful lunatics” and the harmful shrewd ones
Rafiq Khoury/Nedda Al Watan/April 6, 2024 (Google Translation from Arabic)
Nothing is worse than the financial and economic situation except the political situation, which is the basis of the problem. What remains of the state and authority is something like a theater of the absurd. A company went bankrupt and its owners became richer and continued in their positions. There is no accountability and no way out of the impasse. Just a rotation in the void of a headless republic. A rotation around oneself, and a rotation around countries and their ambassadors, “Waiting for Godot.” But this time Godot comes and brings nothing. He repeats what he heard from the two circles in the void, and adds to it the call to assume national responsibilities and the warning of all-out war. There are two groups circulating in the vacuum: one is comfortable with the presidential vacancy and the ability to continue to impose it and exercise both rule and control alone. Another is concerned and unable to convince the other party or push it toward normal work in any country, which is implementing the constitution. Much of the relief lies in what Jean-François Revel called “the temptation of totalitarianism.” A little anxiety applies to Al-Mutanabbi’s saying: “I am anxious as if the wind is beneath me.”
As in Tehran, so in Beirut. There, former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recounted his suffering with the Revolutionary Guard and his acceptance that “diplomacy would be in the service of the field” instead of the field being in the service of diplomacy. Here, the speaking reality confirms that diplomacy, politics, and economics are in the service of the field, which has “the word,” as Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said. However, there are parliamentary and presidential elections in Tehran on time, even though the head of power is fixed in his position, namely Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In Beirut, the fashion has become to postpone the elections.
No presidential elections since the fall of 2022. No municipal elections, as the third postponement is on the way after the first and second postponements, even though there are 126 dissolved municipalities and a similar number of paralyzed municipalities. By force, parliamentary elections were held in 2022, and then the Parliament faced months of closure and disruption. The reasons are funny. Once there was a lack of funding. Once fears for security. Once, a war of “concerning” Israel across the south. The common argument for postponing the “presidential elections,” which is linking everything in Lebanon to the end of the Gaza war, is the height of ridiculousness. Obstruction was a decision that preceded the war in the south by more than a year. The presidential vacancy is an ideal climate for the forces of obstruction on the road to another Lebanon cut off from the past that preceded the establishment of Greater Lebanon in 1920, the present and the future, and linked to the unseen. The issue - the disaster - is that the financial, political, security and military excuses and arguments take precedence over the legal and constitutional obligations. As for the rights of the Lebanese, the most basic of which is to live in dignity and freedom in a state, the interests of the political, financial, and militia mafia take precedence over them. Among his bets, Lenin was betting on what he called “useful lunatics,” and Donald Reagan was betting on “the wise lunatic,” but Beirut is a hostage of a kind of harmful shrewdness.

The limits of the Iranian response
Tony Francis/Nedda Al Watan/April 6, 2024 (Google Translation from Arabic)
For many, a comprehensive war will not break out in the region, and Lebanon will not therefore pay an additional bill as a “hole” in the defense of the “Islamic Republic.” The evidence for this, in their opinion, is the Iranian reaction to the United States’ assassination four years ago of the commander of the Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad. On that day, Tehran threatened disaster, disaster, and great things, and then contented itself with a coordinated response with the Americans that targeted an American base in Iraq, which its inmates evacuated at the appropriate time. On Soleimani's anniversary a few months ago, bombings occurred that left dozens dead and wounded, and Iran was quick to accuse Israel, threatening to respond. Then came the response by bombing the economic capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, killing an Iraqi businessman and members of his family. Now, after the raid on the Iranian consulate in Damascus and the killing of leaders in the Revolutionary Guard, and others were killed in previous raids nearby, in the Damascene neighborhoods of Mezzeh and Sayyida Zeinab, as well as in Deir ez-Zor, it is not expected that Iran will resort to revenge that exceeds the size of the revenge against Soleimani, especially since the size of The American, Israeli and Western alert in the region in general far exceeds the level of alert and presence that was present at the moment of the assassination of the Iranian Legion Commander. However, the Iranian leadership needs “some response” to be carried out personally, and is not satisfied with a legal assignment to the supporters on its “front” to carry out the duty of revenge against it, if they are truly capable of going further than they did in their open war to support “Hamas” and “Jihad.” " in Gaza. In fact, the Ansar’s transition from “supporting” Gaza to “supporting” Iran does not change much in the nature of their missions, but changing the title could make them lose a lot of legitimacy, in addition to the fact that Iran itself originally drew for them the limits of the mission, the horizons of which will not be expanded unless If the Islamic Republic of Iran itself is attacked. It is the impasse of the Iranian decision that will search for a way out. Is it an assassination campaign? Or by bombing embassies, as happened in Beirut in the 1980s and in Argentina in the 1990s? Or a few missiles launched from Iranian territory, as a former Iranian diplomat promised, accompanied by a statement saying that they “accurately hit their targets”?

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 05-06/2024
Iran vows to 'punish Zionist regime' over deadly strike on Iranian consulate attributed to Israel
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)/Fri, April 5, 2024
The commander of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard warned Friday that “our brave men will punish the Zionist regime,” escalating threats against Israel for an airstrike that killed seven of the group's members, including two Iranian generals, earlier this week. The strike, widely attributed to Israel, destroyed the consular section at the Iranian embassy in Syria. The attack on an Iranian diplomatic compound was a significant escalation in what has been a long-running shadow war between the two archenemies, and Israel has been bracing for an Iranian response.
The tensions flared against the backdrop of the six-month-old Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and raised renewed fears of a widening regional conflict. The Islamic militant group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for 17 years, is one of Iran's proxies, along with Lebanon's Hezbollah militia and Yemen's Houthi rebels. Both Hezbollah and the Houthis have carried out attacks along the fringes of the Gaza war, with Hezbollah engaging in daily cross-border exchanges with Israel and the Houthis frequently targeting Red Sea shipping. On Friday, thousands joined a funeral procession in Tehran for the seven slain Guard members, chanting “death to Israel” and “death to America.” Marchers held up banners with the photos of those killed in the attack. Other banners read: “We will make the wicked Zionist regime regret this crime, with the power of God.” The protesters then headed to Tehran University where the head of the Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami gave his speech before the weekly Friday prayers.“Our brave men will punish the Zionist regime,” he said, adding that “no enemy act against our holy system will go unanswered.”“The collapse of (the Zionist regime) is very possible and close with God’s grace,” Salami said, adding that the U.S. has become “wildly hated by the world, especially in Muslim-dominated countries” for supporting Israel. It was not clear if Iran would respond directly or continue to activate its proxies, as it has done throughout the Gaza war. In all, 12 people were killed in Monday's strike on the Iranian diplomatic compound — the seven Guard members, four Syrians and a Hezbollah member. Friday's public funeral fell on Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, a traditional Iranian show of support for the Palestinians that has been held on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

CIA chief heading to Cairo for hostage talks
Agence France Presse/April 05/ 2024
CIA Director Bill Burns will travel to the Egyptian capital Cairo this weekend for talks on freeing hostages held in Gaza, U.S. media said Friday. Burns will meet Mossad chief David Bernea as well as officials from Egypt and Qatar, The New York Times reported. Axios identified those officials as Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. Hamas launched a shock attack on October 7 attack that resulted in the deaths of about 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Palestinian militants also took around 250 hostages, about 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli army says are dead. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed over 33,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been engaged in weeks of behind-the-scenes talks in a bid to secure a truce in the Gaza Strip and the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails.

Israel announces 'temporary' opening of aid routes into Gaza
Agence France Presse/April 05/ 2024
Israel announced on Friday that it would allow "temporary" aid deliveries into famine-threatened northern Gaza, hours after the United States warned of a sharp shift in its policy over Israel's war against Hamas militants. In a tense, 30-minute phone call on Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that United States policy on Israel was dependent on the protection of civilians and aid workers in Gaza, the first hint of possible conditions to Washington's military support. Just hours later, in the middle of the night in Jerusalem, Israel announced it would open more aid routes into the coastal Palestinian territory which Israel placed under siege at the start of the war nearly six months ago. "Israel will allow the temporary delivery of humanitarian aid" through the Ashdod Port and the Erez land crossing, as well as increased deliveries from neighboring Jordan at the Kerem Shalom crossing, Netanyahu's office said. The White House quickly welcomed the moves -- saying they came "at the president's request" -- and said they "must now be fully and rapidly implemented". Israel has come under mounting international pressure over the toll inflicted by its six-month war on Hamas, and drawn increasingly tough rebuke from its main backer Washington. The bloodiest-ever Gaza war began with Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,170 Israelis and foreigners, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Palestinian militants also took around 250 hostages, about 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 whom the army says are dead. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 33,037 people, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, while the United Nations has warned of "catastrophic" hunger.
'Unacceptable'
Palestinians in northern Gaza have eaten an average of just 245 calories per day -- less than a can of beans -- since January, according to the charity Oxfam.Charities have accused Israel of blocking aid, but Israel had defended its efforts and blamed shortages on groups' inability to distribute aid once it gets in to Gaza. The dangerous work of trying to stem a famine was underscored this week by an Israeli strike that killed seven humanitarian workers distributing food in Gaza. "The strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable," Biden told Netanyahu, according to a White House summary of their call. Biden also "made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action" to improve the humanitarian situation. A longtime Israel supporter, Biden is facing growing criticism in an election year over his response to the Gaza war -- with allies pressing him to leverage the billions of dollars in military aid sent by Washington. "If we don't see the changes that we need to see, there'll be changes in our own policy," U.S. top diplomat Antony Blinken told reporters after the leaders' phone call, without elaborating on what would shift. Blinken added that, as a democracy, "Israel is not like Hamas," and democracies "place the highest value" on every human life. "If we lose that reverence for human life, we risk becoming indistinguishable from those we confront," Blinken said.
'Concern' over Rafah plan -
Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas, including in Gaza's southern city of Rafah, despite widespread international concern that such an operation would only worsen a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said the deadly strike on the World Central Kitchen staff had "reinforced the expressed concern over a potential Israeli military operation in Rafah, specifically focusing on the need to ensure the evacuation of Palestinian civilians and the flow of humanitarian aid". In a call with his Israeli counterpart, Austin also "discussed the threat posed by Iran and its proxy activities", according to the Israeli army. Iran blamed Israel for an air strike on Monday on the Iranian consulate in Damascus that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals. Analysts saw the move as part of stepped-up Israeli actions against Iranian and pro-Iran commanders in Syria and Lebanon, which they said could spiral into wider war. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed in a social media message post in Hebrew that "with God's help we will make the Zionists repent of their crime of aggression against the Iranian consulate in Damascus". The Israeli military said that after a "situational assessment, it was decided to increase manpower and draft reserve soldiers". Netanyahu faces intense domestic pressure from the families of the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, and a resurgent anti-government protest movement. War cabinet member Benny Gantz, a centrist political rival of Netanyahu, has demanded a snap election in September, a call rejected by the premier's right-wing Likud party.
'No rules'
Relentless Israeli bombardment has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, collapsed the hospital system and spawned a humanitarian crisis, with all of the 2.4 million Palestinians "experiencing acute food insecurity and malnutrition," a World Bank report said on Tuesday. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said on Thursday that 31 Gazan children have died as a result of hunger and dehydration. Despite the dire need, relief work has become almost impossible in Gaza, major international aid groups, including Oxfam and Save the Children, said after Israel killed the World Central Kitchen staff. Spanish NGO Open Arms, which along with World Central Kitchen was working to establish a maritime aid corridor, announced it was suspending operations after the strike. "This pattern of attacks is either intentional or indicative of reckless incompetence," the head of the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity, Christopher Lockyear, said, calling it "a war fought with no rules". Of the nearly 200 humanitarian workers killed in the conflict, he said five were MSF staff. The U.N. Security Council is set to discuss humanitarian workers' safety and Gaza's looming famine on Friday.

UN chief 'deeply troubled' by reports Israel using AI to identify Gaza targets
Agence France Presse/April 05/ 2024
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday expressed serious concern over reports that Israel was using artificial intelligence to identify targets in Gaza. Guterres said that he was "deeply troubled by reports that the Israeli military's bombing campaign includes Artificial Intelligence as a tool in the identification of targets, particularly in densely populated residential areas, resulting in a high level of civilian casualties.""No part of life and death decisions which impact entire families should be delegated to the cold calculation of algorithms," he said.

Gaza's famine: Israel's response to Gaza crisis sparks debate
LBCI/April 05/ 2024
A painful cry from a Palestinian in Gaza encapsulates the hardships endured by the entire enclave due to the ongoing Israeli war for over six months. The dire humanitarian situation is exacerbated by Israel's obstruction of humanitarian aid and the suspension of several international organizations' operations in Gaza, including the World Central Kitchen, following the killing of seven of its workers. Additionally, temporary halts in funding from Western countries to UNRWA, which aids Palestinians, have further strained the region's resources.In the upcoming weeks, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is expected to declare that Gaza is in famine, a warning highlighted by US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who warned Israeli officials, as reported by Axios. Such a declaration implies that all Palestinians in the territory are suffering from acute malnutrition, a situation that could result in international repercussions for Israel, as its actions could be deemed genocide and war crimes. Consequently, pressure on Tel Aviv and its supporters is likely to intensify. In an attempt to mitigate international pressure and avert a potential crisis, Israel has agreed to reopen the Erez crossing to northern Gaza and temporarily utilize the Ashdod port in southern Israel to increase humanitarian aid to the Strip. Moreover, the Israeli government has agreed to expand aid entry from Jordan through the Kerem Shalom crossing, a step welcomed by the US. This swift Israeli response follows a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday evening, during which Biden urged Israel to take tangible steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, warning of potential restrictions on US military aid if Israel fails to comply.

How destruction inflicted on Gaza has intensified environmental challenges in the Middle East
JUMANA KHAMIS/Arab News/April 05/2024
DUBAI: Wars devastate lives, economies, and infrastructure, but what is often overlooked is the lasting damage they cause to the environment in the form of emissions, pollutants, and the destruction of habitats. The war in Gaza has been no exception. Since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, the Gaza Strip has come under intense Israeli bombardment, pulverizing buildings, demolishing sanitation services, lacing the earth with explosive remnants, and leaving the air thick with smoke and powdered concrete. Although almost 33,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 75,000 injured, according to the Gaza health ministry, by the bombardment, many doubt a ceasefire agreement will be reached soon, as Israel appears determined to press on into Rafah. What is more certain is that whenever and however the conflict ends, any postwar government in Gaza will have its work cut out restoring the local environment and dealing with the long-term damage. “Climate action is inextricably linked to lasting peace progress,” Rana Hajirasouli, founder and CEO of The Surpluss, a Dubai-based global climate tech platform, told Arab News. “Understanding the critical link between environmental harm and the current structures of governance, power, and sovereignty should take precedence in climate policy to ensure peace and stability.”The destruction wrought on Gaza by Israel’s military campaign has intensified existing environmental challenges in the region, from increased air and water pollution to the degradation of ecosystems. According to a study conducted by Queen Mary University of London, Lancaster University, and the Climate and Community Project, the carbon footprint created in the first 60 days of the war alone surpassed the annual emissions of 20 small countries. Published by the Social Science Research Network on Jan. 9, the paper, titled “A multitemporal snapshot of greenhouse gas emissions from the Israel-Gaza conflict,” found the impact of the war was comparable to burning at least 150,000 tonnes of coal. Much of this was generated by Israeli fighter jets during bombing raids and by armored vehicles used in the ground invasion. Other contributors were the US military, flying supplies to Israel. Less than 1 percent of the emissions were caused by Hamas rockets

Arab states tell Security Council to use enforcement powers to make Israel comply with ceasefire resolution
EPHREM KOSSAIFY/Arab News/April 05, 2024
NEW YORK CITY: The group of Arab countries at the UN on Friday called on the Security Council to invoke Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, to force Israel to implement an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the remainder of Ramadan and allow humanitarian workers to freely distribute aid and prevent a looming famine in the territory. The council recently adopted a resolution calling for a ceasefire during the Muslim holy month. This followed two separate resolutions demanding that Israeli authorities lift restrictions on humanitarian workers and allow the delivery of aid to the starving population of the enclave at the scale needed to address the growing crisis there. Security Council resolutions are backed by the force of international law and therefore are legally binding. Chapter 7 of the UN Charter grants the Security Council the power to order military action and nonmilitary measures, such as sanctions, to ensure its resolutions are implemented and to “restore international peace and security.”
Abdulaziz Al-Wasil, the permanent representative of Saudi Arabia to the UN and the chair of the Arab Group for the month of April, said: “The Arab Group calls upon this Council to adopt a resolution, under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, to ensure that Israel, the occupying power, would abide by a ceasefire, and to give access to humanitarian aid and put an end to the evil aggression on the Palestinian people and provide protection for them.”His comments came during an emergency meeting of the Security Council, called for by Algeria with the support of Guyana, Switzerland and Slovenia, to discuss the risk of famine in Gaza and attacks by Israeli forces on humanitarian aid workers.Seven people working for food-relief charity World Central Kitchen were killed in central Gaza on Monday when the Israeli military attacked their three-vehicle convoy, on which their organization’s logo was clearly displayed.
Al-Wasil condemned this “war crime” in “the strongest terms,” and called for Israeli authorities to be held accountable for it.
“The entire world was shocked by the attack,” he added. “There is no doubt that this incident is simply more evidence to be added to the record of the violations perpetrated by the Israeli occupying power against humanitarian aid workers.
“The total number of victims among humanitarian workers has reached a number that we can no longer remain silent over, as an international community. This is a dangerous precedent that violates all international rules and customs and charters.”
He said that those who were killed had “sacrificed their lives to serve innocents that are confronting the danger of death because they are being systematically starved, and because this starvation is being used as a weapon in this crisis, as the Israeli occupation continues to close crossings and prevent the entry of food, water, medicine and fuel, and it targets Palestinian citizens when they attempt to reach food aid.”As he called for an international investigation into the incident, Al-Wasil added: “This massacre is further damning evidence of the genocide that the Israeli occupying government is pursuing in its military operations in Gaza.”Save the Children chief Janti Soeripto told the council: “If I were to sit here and read the name and age of every Israeli and Palestinian child who died on and after Oct. 7, it would take me over 18 hours.”She said 14,000 children have been killed in the past six months of war, and thousands more are missing, presumed dead and buried under the rubble.“Children are now dying of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza. Denied food or water by an illegal blockade, they’ve been starved to death,” Soeripto added. She said 350,000 children under the age of 5 are at risk of starvation and added: “The world is staring down the barrel of a man-made famine. The hunger in the north is of particular concern, where people have now resorted to eating animal feed or tree leaves.”Soeripto warned council members that “if we continue down this path — of all parties to the conflict flagrantly breaching the rules of war and international humanitarian law, zero accountability, and powerful nations refusing to use the levers of influence at their disposal — then the next set of mass deaths of children in Gaza will not be from bullets and bombs, it will be from starvation and malnutrition.”
Speaking on behalf of all humanitarian workers, Soeripto urged the council to “stop pretending that protection of civilians is prioritized here. We are overwhelmed with impediments. Human life is not being prioritized; not the lives of civilians, of children, and certainly not the lives of humanitarians. Investigation is not enough. We need action, we need change and we need it now.”She called on council members to pass a “permanent ceasefire resolution, including robust measures to ensure compliance by parties to the conflict.” She also urged member states to “stop fueling this crisis” by selling weapons to those involved in the fighting. Slovenia’s permanent representative to the UN, Samuel Zbogar, told the 15 members of the Security Council: “Famine is setting in in Gaza. Were we meeting in the north of Gaza today, all 15 of us would be skipping meals in the past months. “Ten of us would go entire days and nights without eating. Half of us would be in desperate need of humanitarian aid. And finally, at least five of us would be parents to severely, acutely malnourished children,” which is a life-threatening situation “with life-long consequences.”Starvation is being used as a weapon of war in Gaza, Zbogar warned.
“Waiting for a famine declaration will not change anything on the ground but we know what will: an immediate ceasefire; full, safe, secure and unhindered humanitarian access, in particular via land, to provide safe, nutritious and sufficient food, water and medicines; (the) restoration of health, water and sanitation services and energy provision will. The provision of adequate shelters for civilians will.”Guyana’s ambassador, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, lamented the fact that the Ramadan ceasefire order contained in the recently adopted Resolution 2728 had been “completely disregarded” while the humanitarian situation deteriorates. “A pattern has emerged in this conflict of indiscriminate attacks on humanitarian workers and agencies, including UN agencies,” she said. “The strategy of collective punishment that has been inflicted on the Palestinian people has incorporated starvation as a method of warfare, savage attacks on those attempting to meet the needs of starving Palestinians, and Palestinians themselves have been fatally attacked while seeking sustenance.”

UN human rights body calls for halt to weapons shipments to Israel
Associated Press/April 05/ 2024
The U.N.'s top human rights body called on countries to stop selling or shipping weapons to Israel in a resolution passed Friday that aims to help prevent rights violations against Palestinians amid Israel's blistering military campaign in Gaza.
The 47-member-country Human Rights Council voted 28-6 in favor of the resolution, with 13 abstentions. The sweeping measure, which takes aim at an array of Israeli actions such as impeding access to water and limiting shipments of humanitarian aid into Palestinian areas, also calls on U.N.-backed independent investigators to report on shipments of weapons, munitions and "dual use" items — for both civilian and military purposes — that could be used by Israel against Palestinians. It is not binding. Western countries were divided, with the U.S., Germany and others opposing the resolution, several abstaining and some European countries voting in favor. Israel — at times joined by the United States — has regularly and roundly criticized the council for its alleged anti-Israel bias. The council has approved far more resolutions against Israel for its actions toward Palestinians over the years than against any other country.
The council is wrapping up its first session of the year, which began on Feb. 26, with action on more than 40 resolutions on subjects as diverse as the rights of the child; the environment and human rights; genocide prevention; and rights situations in countries like Sudan, Belarus and North Korea. The resolution comes amid a growing focus on weapons shipments to Israel — notably by its strongest backer, the United States — as Israel continues its military campaign in Gaza that has led to the killings of nearly 33,000 Palestinians that began in response to the attacks in Israel by armed militants on Oct. 7. In a sign of Washington's growing impatience with Israel's handling of the military campaign, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a stark warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that future U.S. support for Israel's Gaza war depends on the swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers. That was the first time that Biden has threatened to rethink his backing if Israel doesn't change its tactics and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Policy pivot: Israeli decision-making altered after Biden-Netanyahu talks
LBCI/April 05/ 2024
Less than an hour of tense talks between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has led to significant shifts in Israeli decisions. Among the key changes is Netanyahu's agreement to allow aid into the Gaza Strip without a vote. The Israeli War Cabinet also discussed the demand for Israeli delegation participation in upcoming Cairo negotiations, with the authorization to reach an immediate agreement. However, the Cabinet deferred a decision on this matter despite insiders confirming Israel's likely acceptance before the arrival of US CIA director William Burns in Egypt in the upcoming hours. Following Biden and Netanyahu's discussion, the Cabinet also explored strategies to address Iranian threats after the Damascus strike. During the talks, various Iranian response scenarios were deliberated by security agencies, including:
Attacks on Israeli targets abroad.
Targeting Israeli embassies and consulates, leading to the closure of 28 embassies. Utilization of Iranian proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen for synchronized missile attacks targeting Israel. Potential use of ballistic missiles, drones, or rocket shells. Direct Iranian attack leading to a full-scale war, a scenario Israel dismisses while security agencies assert readiness for it. These developments coincide with mounting pressure on Israel following the killing of seven World Food Program workers in Gaza, prompting Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to dismiss the Nahal Brigade commander and another senior officer while reprimanding the Southern Command leader and the 162nd Armored Division commander. Amidst these rapid changes within 24 hours, the fundamental question remains: How will Israel respond to Biden's demand for an immediate ceasefire, issued during Thursday's call?

Israel Justifies Aid Worker Killing by “Hamas Operative” Presence
AFP/This Is Beirut/April 05/ 2024 
The Israeli Army claimed on Friday that it was targeting a “Hamas gunman” when it killed seven aid workers in Gaza, admitting that it had made a series of “serious mistakes,” while Warsaw asked for a “criminal inquiry” into those events. Israel said on Friday that it was targeting a “Hamas gunman” when it killed in Gaza seven aid workers whose deaths caused an international outcry, with its military admitting a series of “grave mistakes” and violations of its own rules of engagement. The victims — an Australian, Britons, a North American, a Palestinian, and a Pole — were killed in three air strikes over four minutes by an Israeli drone as they ran for their lives between their three vehicles, the military said. Poland’s foreign ministry said it still cannot understand how such an incident could have occurred. It demanded a “criminal inquiry” into Monday’s events, followed by the US-based World Central Kitchen NGO (WCK), which was operating the vehicles, saying the Israeli military “cannot credibly” probe its own failure.
“Operational Misjudgement”
The drone team that killed the aid workers made an “operational misjudgement of the situation” after spotting a suspected Hamas gunman shooting from the top of one of the aid trucks they were escorting, an internal Israeli military inquiry found.
The two brigade officers who ordered the strikes, a colonel and a major, are being fired. Senior Israeli officers showed reporters clips from drone footage of what they said was a “Hamas operative” joining the WCK convoy.
Although the roofs of the three aid workers’ vehicles were emblazoned with large WCK logos, retired Israeli general Yoav Har-Even, who is leading the investigation, said the drone’s camera could not see them in the dark. “This was a key factor in the chain of events,” he said.
The aid group has said its team was traveling in a “de-conflicted” area in a convoy of “two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft-skinned vehicle” at the time of the strike. “Despite coordinating movements with the (Israeli Army), the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route,” WCK said.The Army said aid was moved at night to avoid the potential of deadly stampedes by hungry Gazans. The aid workers’ deaths “outraged” US President Joe Biden, who demanded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu order steps toward an “immediate ceasefire” in a tense telephone call late Thursday. Israel later said it would allow “temporary” aid deliveries into northern Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of imminent famine.
Har-Even admitted that “the three air strikes were in violation of standard operating procedures.”But he argued that “the state of mind” of the Israeli drone commanders “was that they were striking cars that had been seized by Hamas” after they confused a bag for a gun. The aid workers were killed after they had overseen the unloading of a ship carrying 300 tons of food aid from Cyprus to a warehouse inland. But as they drove south at 11:09 PM on April 1, the drone “struck one car and identified people running out of the car and entering the second car,” said General Har-Even. “They decided to hit it, which was against standard operating procedures. Then they struck the third car,” he said. Asked by AFP, the general was not able to explain what happened to the “Hamas gunman.”“It is a tragedy. It is a serious mistake that we are responsible for,” Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters. “A mega event… that shouldn’t have happened. We will make sure it won’t happen again.”Har-Even said it was a breakdown in communication and coordination about the convoy in the chain of military command, which may have led to the strikes.
He said that WCK had provided all the information necessary, but it was not passed down. “The biggest mistake was that (the drone team) didn’t have the coordination plan,” he said. “Their belief was that the vehicles were Hamas, based on operational misjudgement and misclassification.” The general briefed WFK founder, Spanish-born celebrity chef Jose Andres, early Friday before information on the circumstances of the strikes was released. Andres had called the attack a “targeted Israeli strike” on his staff.

Senior UK jurists join calls to stop arms sales to Israel
Associated Press/April 05/ 2024
More than 600 British jurists, including three retired judges from the U.K. Supreme Court, are calling on the government to suspend arms sales to Israel, piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after the deaths of three U.K. aid workers in an Israeli strike. Britain is just one of a number of Israel's longstanding allies whose governments are under growing pressure to halt weapons exports because of the toll of the six-month-old war in Gaza.In an open letter to Sunak published late Wednesday, the lawyers and judges said the U.K. could be complicit in "grave breaches of international law" if it continues to ship weapons. Signatories, including former Supreme Court President Brenda Hale, said Britain is legally obliged to heed the International Court of Justice's conclusion that there is a "plausible risk of genocide" in Gaza. The letter said the "sale of weapons and weapons systems to Israel … falls significantly short of your government's obligations under international law." Britain is a staunch ally of Israel, but relations have been tested by the mounting death toll, largely civilian, from the war. Calls for an end to arms exports have escalated since an Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers from the aid charity World Central Kitchen, three of them British. Israel says the attack on the aid workers was a mistake caused by "misidentification."The U.K.'s main opposition parties have all said the Conservative government should halt weapons sales to Israel if the country has broken international law in Gaza. Several senior Conservatives have urged the same, including Alicia Kearns, who heads the House of Commons foreign affairs committee. Sunak has not committed to an arms export ban, but said Wednesday that "while of course we defend Israel's right to defend itself and its people against attacks from Hamas, they have to do that in accordance with international humanitarian law." British firms sell a relatively small amount of weapons and components to Israel. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps has said that military exports to Israel amounted to 42 million pounds ($53 million) in 2022. Other allies of Israel are also facing calls to cut off the supply of weapons and to push for a cease-fire in the conflict, which has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Thursday that his country had stopped selling weapons to Israel, and urged other nations to do the same. Sanchez said Wednesday that his government has left "the door open" to diplomatic actions against Israel over its "insufficient" explanation of the aid workers' deaths.In February, Canada announced it would stop future shipments, and the same month a Dutch court ordered the Netherlands to stop the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel. The Dutch government said it would appeal. Other countries, including Israel's two biggest arms suppliers, the United States and Germany, continue to allow weapons sales. Germany is one of Israel's closest allies in Europe and, given memories of the Holocaust, treads carefully when criticizing Israel. But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has increasingly voiced unease, asking Netanyahu at a meeting last month how any goal can "justify such terribly high costs."Peter Ricketts, a former U.K. national security advisor, said suspension of U.K. arms sales would not change the course of the war, but "would be a powerful political message." "And it might just stimulate debate in the U.S. as well, which would be the real game-changer," he told the BBC.

Trump says Israel 'losing PR war' in Gaza
Associated Press/April 05/ 2024
Former President Donald Trump offered a tough message to Israel over its war against Hamas on Thursday, urging the country to: "Get it over with."In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump said that Israel is "absolutely losing the PR war" and called for a swift resolution to the bloodshed.
"Get it over with and let's get back to peace and stop killing people. And that's a very simple statement," Trump said. "They have to get it done. Get it over with and get it over with fast because we have to -- you have to get back to normalcy and peace." The presumptive GOP nominee, who has criticized President Joe Biden for being insufficiently supportive of Israel, also appeared to question the tactics of the Israeli military as the civilian death toll in Gaza continues to mount. Since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, Israel's military has battered the territory, killing more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and creating a humanitarian catastrophe. "I'm not sure that I'm loving the way they're doing it, because you've got to have victory. You have to have a victory, and it's taking a long time," Trump said. He specifically criticized Israel's decision to release footage of its offensive actions. Throughout the war, the Israeli military has released videos of airstrikes and other attacks against what it describes as "terrorist infrastructure." "They shouldn't be releasing tapes like that," he said. "That's why they're losing the PR war. They, Israel is absolutely losing the PR war."
"They're releasing the most heinous, most horrible tapes of buildings falling down. And people are imagining there's a lot of people in those buildings, or people in those buildings, and they don't like it," he added. "They're losing the PR war. They're losing it big. But they've got to finish what they started, and they've got to finish it fast, and we have to get on with life."The comments offered a vivid example of the attention Trump pays to imagery and optics as he measures the cost of war. But they also show the similarities between Trump's and Biden's positions, even as Trump has criticized Biden's handling of the conflict, going so far as to charge that Jews who vote for Democrats "hate Israel" and hate "their religion"
Until Thursday, Biden's administration had broadly backed Israeli efforts to try to remove Hamas' grip over Gaza, even as he called for a short term cease-fire to free hostages and surge humanitarian aid. He had also expressed concern that Israel's operation was isolating it on the world stage. That concern has intensified since an Israeli air strike this week killed seven World Central Kitchen humanitarian aide workers try to deliver food to Palestinians, adding a new layer of complication to Biden and Netanyahu's increasingly strained relationship. In a phone call Thursday Biden issued a stark new warning to Israel, telling Netanyahu that future U.S. support for the war depends on new steps to protect civilians and aid workers.
Biden "made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers," the White House said in a statement. He also told Netanyahu that an "immediate cease-fire is essential" and urged Israel to reach a deal "without delay." The tougher stance comes as the administration continues to try to dissuade Israel from launching a major offensive against the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than a million civilians are sheltering. Biden had issued an unusually sharp statement after the aid workers' deaths criticizing Israel for not doing more to protect humanitarian workers and civilians and for refusing to allow more food into the Gaza Strip. Trump has long labeled himself the most pro-Israel president in the nation's history and often notes his decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
But Trump has also had a tense relationship with Netanyahu since he left the White House. Though the two were close allies for years, the former president responded with fury after the Israel leader congratulated then-President-elect Biden for winning the 2020 election while Trump was still trying to overturn the results. In interviews for a book about his Middle East peace efforts, Trump, according to the author, used an expletive to describe Netanyahu, accused him of disloyalty and said he believed the Israeli leader never really wanted to make peace.
In the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, Trump drew rare condemnation from his GOP rivals when he lashed out at Netanyahu, saying Israeli leaders needed to "step up their game" and that Netanyahu "was not prepared" for the deadly incursion that killed some 1,200 people. More than 250 people were also taken hostages. At the time, Trump said that he supported the country's efforts to "crush" Hamas. Trump was also criticized by some in Israel for comments he made to the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom last month calling for a swift end to the war. "I will say Israel has to be very careful because you are losing a lot of the world. You are losing a lot of support," he had warned.

Israel dismisses 2 officers over deadly drone strikes on aid workers in Gaza
JERUSALEM (AP)/April 05/ 2024
The Israeli military said Friday that it dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the army’s rules of engagement. The findings of a retired general's investigation into the Monday killings marked an embarrassing admission by Israel, which faces growing accusations from key allies, including the U.S., of not doing enough to protect Gaza's civilians from its war with Hamas. The findings are likely to renew skepticism over the Israeli military's decision-making. Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict — a charge Israel denies. “It’s a tragedy,” the military’s spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told reporters. “It’s a serious event that we are responsible for and it shouldn’t have happened and we will make sure that it won’t happen again.”With pressure mounting on Israel to hold itself accountable, Hagari and other officials late Thursday shared with reporters the results of the investigation. The speed of the probe and the swift punishment of five senior officers were extremely unusual. Investigations into suspected wrongdoing by soldiers and officers are often slow and in most cases end without charges being filed. Human rights activists have long complained that Israeli forces operate in a climate of impunity, an allegation the military rejects.
Still, it was unclear whether the punishments and the apology would calm an international outcry over the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers or reassure international aid groups that it was safe to resume operations in Gaza, where nearly a third of the population is on the brink of starvation.
The food charity called the investigation and disciplinary actions “important steps forward” — but noted the probe itself found that the army didn't follow its own protocols. “Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families,” the statement read, repeating a call for an independent investigation. According to what spokespeople said were the Israeli army's rules, targets must be visually identified as threats for multiple reasons before they can be hit. But the investigation determined that a colonel had authorized the series of deadly drone strikes on the convoy based on one major's observation — from grainy drone-camera footage — that someone in the convoy was armed. That observation turned out to be untrue, military officials said. The army said the colonel and the major were dismissed, while three other officers were reprimanded, the most senior of whom was the head of the Southern Command. It said the results of its investigation were turned over to the military’s advocate general, who will decide whether the officers or anyone else involved in the killings should receive further punishment or be prosecuted. “The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures,” the army send in a statement when it released the findings. The killings were condemned by Israel’s closest allies and renewed criticism of Israel’s conduct in the nearly 6-month-old war with Hamas. Those killed were three British citizens, a Polish citizen, an Australian, a Canadian American dual citizen and a Palestinian, all of whom worked for World Central Kitchen, the international charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés.
The investigation found two major areas of wrongdoing.
It faulted officers for failing to read messages alerting troops that cars, not aid trucks, would carry workers from the charity away from the warehouse where aid was distributed. As a result, the cars that were targeted were misidentified as transporting militants. The army also faulted a major who identified the strike target and a colonel who approved the strike for acting with insufficient information. The army said the order was given after one of the passengers inside a car was identified as a gunman. It said troops became suspicious because a gunman had been seen on the roof of one of the delivery trucks on the way to the warehouse. The army showed reporters footage of the gunman firing his weapon while riding atop one of the trucks — video that The Associated Press could not independently verify. After the aid was dropped off at a warehouse, an officer believed he had spotted a gunman in one of the cars. The passenger, it turned out, was not carrying a weapon — the military said it’s possible he was just carrying a bag. The army said it initially hit one car. As people scrambled away into a second car, it hit that vehicle as well. It did the same thing when survivors scrambled into a third car. Army officials claimed that drone operators could not see that the cars were marked with the words “World Central Kitchen” because it was nighttime. The army could not say exactly where the communication about the convoy's plans had broken down. The army declined to answer questions about whether similar violations of rules of engagement have taken place during the war — in which Palestinians, aid workers and international rights groups have repeatedly accused the army of recklessly striking civilians. The investigation was headed by Yoav Har-Even, a retired general.
The seven who were killed were distributing food that had been brought into Gaza through a newly established maritime corridor. World Central Kitchen said it had coordinated its movements with the military, and that the vehicles were marked with the organization’s logo. “It was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by” the Israeli military, Andrés said on Wednesday. More than 220 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict, according to the U.N. “Let’s be very clear. This is tragic, but it is not an anomaly,” Scott Paul, of the humanitarian group Oxfam, said Thursday in a briefing with other relief organizations before the results of Israel’s investigation were released. “The killing of aid workers in Gaza has been systemic.”

Israeli ambassador, summoned by Poland in protest, apologizes for death of Polish aid worker
WARSAW, Poland (AP)/Fri, April 5, 2024
Poland’s deputy foreign minister handed a diplomatic note on Friday to Israel’s ambassador protesting the killing of a Polish aid worker in an attack earlier this week on a convoy of aid workers in Gaza. After the meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna told reporters in Warsaw that he handed the protest note to Ambassador Yacov Livne after he was summoned because of the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers. Szejna described the Polish stance during the meeting as “firm." “At the beginning, the ambassador apologized for this unprecedented event in the history of the civilized world, that is the bombing of a car in a humanitarian convoy heading with humanitarian aid to the famine-affected Gaza Strip,” Szejna said. Livne said on social media that during the meeting he expressed his "personal deep sorrow and sincere apologies" for the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers, including Polish citizen Damian Soból. “We share in the grief of the families from the bottom of our hearts. I assured the Deputy Minister that Israel is fully committed to a transparent and thorough investigation of this grave tragedy,” Livne said. He said findings from the Israeli military published Friday “show our ongoing commitment to investigate what had happened in Gaza and take all appropriate measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.” The Israeli military said Friday that it dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the army’s rules of engagement. Szejna, who spoke to reporters before the dismissals were reported, said Poland expected a transparent investigation and compensation for the victim’s family if it wants it. He also said Poland wants the district prosecutor’s office in Przemyśl, where the Polish aid worker was from, to be allowed to participate in the investigation “and in the entire criminal and disciplinary procedure against the soldiers responsible for this murder.”

Israel Minister Says Qatar Untrustworthy as Broker for Hamas
Bloomberg/April 05/2024
-- Israel’s economy minister said he doesn’t trust Qatar to act as a mediator with Hamas as cease-fire talks that could also see the release of hostages held in Gaza remain deadlocked. “They’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Nir Barkat told Bloomberg TV on Thursday, referring to Qatar and accusing the Gulf country of “funding terror all over the world.”It was unclear from his comments if Barkat, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, was expressing the government’s official stance or speaking personally. The Israeli Foreign Ministry declined to comment. Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs hit back in a post on X, with spokesman Majed Al-Ansari describing Barkat’s comments as “lies and baseless accusations” that demonstrate “political recklessness and selfishness.”The Gulf state has for years hosted some political leaders of Hamas, which is backed by Iran and designated a terrorist organization by the US and European Union. It’s played a key role in mediating talks between Israel and Hamas since their war erupted on Oct. 7 and secured the release of some hostages. Qatar has said that the Hamas political office in Doha was opened in 2012 “after a request from Washington to establish indirect lines of communication with Hamas.” Qatar has been a close ally to the US and is home to the Middle East’s biggest US military base. It was also instrumental in the evacuation of tens of thousands of people including US soldiers and foreign nationals from Afghanistan in 2021 after the US abruptly withdrew its forces from there. It has not only emerged as an influential political player in the region, but also become a key supplier of liquefied natural gas to Europe, replacing some Russian piped supplies after Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022. Recent talks in Qatar about a cease-fire and release of more hostages broke down, with some Israeli officials privately saying Doha wasn’t putting enough pressure on Hamas. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Wednesday that the negotiations were deadlocked over the return of displaced people to their homes in Gaza.
The talks have since moved to Cairo, though those have also stalled, Bloomberg reported earlier on Thursday. Barkat said he trusts Egypt, a country with which Israel has formal diplomatic ties. Qatar and Israel don’t recognize each other, though they’ve shared intelligence for years.
Barkat, 64, made a fortune in high tech before entering politics, winning election as mayor of Jerusalem in 2008. He’s made clear his ambition to lead the Likud party and run for prime minister but has been careful not to challenge Netanyahu directly, saying he’s waiting for him to step down. He’s had disagreements with Netanyahu over the budget and an effort last year to overhaul the judiciary.

Thousands of Iranians Condemn Israel and Demand Revenge
AFP/This Is Beirut/April 05, 2024 
Thousands of people chanted against Israel and the United States at Friday’s funeral for seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Syria. Guards chief General Hossein Salami warned that Israel “cannot escape the consequences” of Monday’s strike, which levelled the five-storey consular annex of the Iranian embassy in Damascus. Friday’s ceremony coincided with annual Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations, when Iran and its allies organize marches in support of the Palestinians. Quds Day rallies also took place in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain. Iran said that two individuals among the dead were brigadier generals from the Guards’ foreign operations arm, the Quds Force, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi and Mohammad Reza Zahedi. The coffins of the seven were placed on the trailers of two trucks in one of the largest squares in Tehran. Mourners held Iranian Palestinian and Hezbollah flags, chanting “Death to Israel!” and “Death to America!”
Israel ‘Will Be Punished’
Ziyad al-Nakhalah, leader of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, attended the funeral, Iran’s Fars news agency reported. President Ebrahim Raisi and his predecessor Hassan Rouhani were also present. IRGC chief Salami said that Tehran was determined to make Israel pay for the raid. “The Zionist regime cannot escape the consequences of the harm it does,” he said, adding, “It is exposed and knows very well what is going to happen.” Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Israel “will be punished” for the killings. “It is quite clear that America has been one of the principal actors in the war continuing,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Friday. IRGC chief Salami also denounced Washington in his speech. “The Zionist regime is alive and well today because of artificial support from the United States. When this is withdrawn it will collapse, and this is near,” he said. After Friday’s funeral ceremony in Tehran, Zahedi will be buried in his home city of Isfahan in central Iran.
Quds Day Rallies
Quds Day solidarity rallies with the Palestinians were held across the region, AFP correspondents reported. Hundreds marched in Yarmuk refugee camp in Damascus, including members of Islamic Jihad, many of them chanted, “Jerusalem we are coming.” In Baghdad, pro-Iran groups organized a rally that drew around 2,000 people who gathered on Palestine Street chanting, “No to America, no to Israel.” An Israeli flag was painted on the ground so that protesters could trample it. Thousands rallied in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which is controlled by Iran-backed rebels. In Bahrain, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020, opposition groups organized pro-Palestinian rallies in several areas.

Iran’s Prisons Turned Into “Killing Fields,” 853 Executions in 2023
ISNA /AFP/This Is Beirut/April 05, 2024 
Amnesty International reports that Iran executed at least 853 people in 2023, with over half on drug-related charges, indicating a surge in executions that rights groups fear is being used to instill fear and suppress dissent. Iran has turned its prisons into sites of mass killing with at least 853 people executed in the Islamic republic in 2023, over half of them on drug-related charges, Amnesty International said on Thursday. The London-based group said in a report that stronger international action was needed to halt the rise in executions, otherwise “thousands” risked being hanged in the coming years. The Iranian authorities have “persisted with their state-sanctioned killing spree which has turned prisons into killing fields”, Amnesty said. The figure for 2023 was up 48 percent on the previous year and 56 percent of executions involved drug-related charges, Amnesty said. Two other NGOs, Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM), published a report last month giving the slightly lower figure of 834 people executed in 2023. The surge in executions came after Iran was convulsed by protests that erupted in September 2022. Nine people have been put to death in cases related to the protests. Rights groups including Amnesty have warned that the authorities are using executions to instil fear throughout society and prevent any more demonstrations.
‘Grotesque abuse of power’
Amnesty said Iran’s behaviour had not changed this year, with at least 95 executions already recorded up to March 20. The rights group added that its numbers were “minimum figures” and the real death toll would be higher. “Without a robust global response, Amnesty International fears that the Iranian authorities will continue using the death penalty as a tool of oppression to execute thousands more people in the coming years,” the group said in its report. Amnesty said the Sunni Baluch minority concentrated in the southeast was being targeted disproportionately. The minority “constitutes only about 5 percent of Iran’s population but accounted for 20 percent of all executions in 2023”, the report noted. And the renewed surge in executions for drug offences was a particular concern, Amnesty said. “The death penalty is abhorrent in all circumstances but deploying it on a mass scale for drug-related offences after grossly unfair trials before Revolutionary Courts is a grotesque abuse of power,” said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Ukraine claims it destroyed Russian warplanes in one of its biggest drone attacks of the war
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)/April 05, 2024
— Ukrainian officials claimed Friday they used a barrage of drones to destroy at least six military aircraft and badly damage eight others at an airfield in Russia’s Rostov region. Russian defense officials, however, claimed they intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones and that only a power substation was damaged in the attack.The Associated Press could not independently verify either side’s claims. The assault appeared to be one of Kyiv's biggest air attacks in the war, coming as its forces stepped up their assaults on Russian soil. Russia has also escalated attacks on civilian infrastructure, including Ukraine’s power plants, in recent weeks, signaling a new and potentially dangerous phase in the conflict as both sides struggle to achieve significant advances on the ground. The overnight attack targeted a military airfield near Morozovsk in Russia and was conducted by Ukraine’s Security Service in cooperation with the army, Ukrainian intelligence officials told the AP. They said around 20 members of the airfield’s personnel were killed or injured. Morozovsk airfield was used by Russian bombers that have been launching guided aerial bombs at Ukraine’s cities and frontline positions, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the operation. If true, the attack would be among Ukraine's most successful cross-border strikes. Last October, Ukraine claimed it destroyed nine Russian helicopters at two airfields in Russian-occupied regions using longe-range ballistic missiles donated by the United States. Last August, Ukrainian media, citing unidentified intelligence sources, claimed that drone attacks hit parked Russian bomber aircraft at air bases deep inside Russia. In a conflicting version of events, Russia’s Defense Ministry said a total of 44 drones were “intercepted and destroyed” in the Morozovsky district, more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the border. The attack damaged a power substation, Rostov Gov. Vasily Golubev said, adding that eight people near the airfield were injured. Usually well-informed Russian military bloggers confirmed an attempted attack by Ukrainian drones on a military air base in Morozovsk but claimed there were no casualties at the base and no damage to warplanes. The Russian defense ministry said nine more drones were intercepted over the border regions of Kursk, Belgorod, Krasnodar and the nearby Saratov region, bringing the total of attack drones deployed by Ukraine overnight to 53. Drone warfare is a key feature of the war, which has extended into a third year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor. On the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, where fighting is largely bogged down, low-cost drones are used by both sides to knock out expensive military hardware. The Kremlin’s forces have used large numbers of Iranian-designed Shahed drones to bombard urban areas of Ukraine. Kyiv, in turn, has developed a small but fast-growing defense industry where drones, including deadly unmanned sea vessels, are proving effective.
Russian authorities have long accused Ukraine of launching regular drone attacks on power plants, oil refineries and other targets in western regions of Russia near the border. Last month, Ukraine fired a barrage of 35 drones at such targets, Russia said. Some attacks have reached deep into Russia, including Moscow and as far as 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) east of Ukraine. Ukraine cannot match the scale of Russia’s military, however. Last week, Moscow launched a mass barrage of 99 drones and missiles against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, hitting regions across the country. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted 13 Russian drones launched overnight at the southern regions of Odesa, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk, but five missiles got through. Authorities did not report any casualties. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a meeting with his top brass focused on the production of attack drones and the manufacture of electronic warfare equipment to intercept incoming drones. He said late Thursday that the meeting put together “clear written agreements with manufacturers, clear financing and clear delivery deadlines.”Authorities will next turn to “robust and increasing” missile production, he said, as military support from Western partners falls short of what Kyiv hoped for. Zelenskyy said an assessment of frontline positions found that Ukraine has “managed to stabilize our positions” despite being outgunned and outnumbered by the Russian army.

Egyptian authorities arrest 10 after a pro-Gaza rally calling for severing ties with Israel
CAIRO (AP)/Fri, April 5, 2024
Egyptian authorities this week arrested 10 activists who participated in a pro-Palestinian protest where they accused the government of contributing to the siege of Gaza and called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, a human rights lawyer said.Egypt’s government has condemned Israel’s campaign in Gaza and has played a central role, along with the U.S. and Qatar, in trying to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. But it has largely banned public protests, and criticism of the country’s ties with Israel is highly sensitive. On Wednesday, nearly 200 people rallied outside the building of the Journalist Syndicate in Cairo, waving the Palestinian flag and chanting slogans: “What a disgrace! Egypt is helping the siege!” and “No to the Israeli Embassy! No to normalization”. They also raised banners reading “Open the Rafah crossing” and “Glory to the Palestinian resistance.”Government critics have called for Egypt to overturn a 2007 agreement that grants Israel the right to inspect convoys entering Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. They say it has allowed Israel to keep the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians at a trickle. Later Wednesday, 10 activists who took part in the protest were arrested at their homes, and the next day prosecutors ordered their detention for 15 days while investigations were carried out, according to their lawyer Nabeh Elganadi. They were charged with spreading false information and joining a terror group — usually a reference to the banned Muslim Brotherhood — charges that are frequently used against critics of the government. Egypt declared the Brotherhood a terrorist organization in 2013, after the military removed President Mohammed Morsi, who hailed from the Brotherhood, from power after a year of divisive rule. Since then, authorities have cracked down on all forms of political dissent and banned protests. Since the outbreak of Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, Egyptian authorities have arrested dozens of pro-Gaza protesters, according to a report issued by the rights group Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.

Magnitude 4.8 earthquake hits New York City
Reuters/April 04, 2024
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck near New York City on Friday morning, the US Geological Survey said, shaking buildings and surprising residents in an area that rarely experiences notable seismic activity but apparently causing no major damage.
The quake's epicenter was near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, and occurred just after 10:20 AM ET (1420 GMT) at a depth of 4.7 kilometers (2.9 miles), the USGS said. People reported feeling tremors from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts. A New York City Police Department spokesperson said it had not received any reports of damages.

Senior Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham Leader Killed in Syria
AFP/This Is Beirut /April 04, 2024
A prominent Iraqi jihadist leader in the northwest of Syria was killed in a suicide bombing, announced on Friday his group and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor. “Abu Maria al-Qahtani was martyred after a treacherous attack by an Islamic State group member using an explosive belt,” said former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on its affiliated Amjad media outlet. HTS rules over about half of Idlib province and parts of neighbouring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia. Qahtani, whose real name is Maysar Ali Musa Abdallah al-Juburi, “was killed and two of his companions seriously injured after a suicide bomber blew himself up,” said the SOHR.The Observatory, with a network of sources in Syria, did not provide further details about the identity of the suicide bomber. No group has so far claimed responsibility for Qahtani’s killing. Qahtani was one of HTS’ most powerful jihadists and one of the founders of the group’s former iteration: Al-Nusra front. Qahtani had been under United States sanctions since 2012. The treasury accused him of having travelled to Syria in 2011 to transfer al-Qaeda’s ideology there, before occupying leading roles in al-Nusra Front. He was killed shortly after being released from an HTS prison, where he had been detained for seven months on accusations of collaborating with an enemy party, according to the monitor. On March 7, HTS released Qahtani and acquitted him of the accusations. Syria has been ravaged by 13 years of a war that killed more than half a million people and pushed millions to flee.

Kuwait opposition keeps parliament majority after vote
Agence France Presse/April 04, 2024
Opposition lawmakers maintained a majority in Kuwait's parliament, results showed Friday, after the Gulf state's third parliamentary vote in as many years held just months into the new emir's reign. Opposition candidates won 29 seats in the 50-member assembly, according to results carried by the official KUNA news agency, matching the outcome of last year's election. The make-up of the new parliament is very similar to the outgoing one, with all but 11 lawmakers retaining their seats. "No radical change was expected in the results," said Bader al-Saif, assistant professor of history at Kuwait University. "This is one of the lowest change ratios," he told AFP. Parliamentary elections have become an annual occurrence for the OPEC member, which has seven percent of the world's oil reserves and the monarchical Gulf's most powerful elected assembly. However, clashes between the national assembly and the royal-appointed cabinet have caused constant stalemate, delaying much-needed reforms. With little change to the parliamentary line-up, the political impasse is expected to continue, according to Saif. "A new showdown is in the making," he said, adding that "some of the new faces are quite outspoken".
Thursday's election was the first to be held under the new emir, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah. Turnout was around 62 percent after polling stations closed at midnight, the information ministry said. Sheikh Meshal, formerly the world's oldest crown prince, came to power aged 83 in December after the death of his half-brother and predecessor, Sheikh Nawaf. He took aim at both the cabinet and parliament in his inaugural speech to the assembly, before announcing an era of "reform" as he picked Kuwait's first foreign minister from outside the ruling family. But in February, the national assembly was dissolved once again, a royal decree accusing it of constitutional violations including "offensive and inappropriate language", after a lawmaker responded to the emir's criticism. Thursday's election -- the third since 2022 and the fourth in five years -- was different in that the new parliament will be tasked with approving Sheikh Meshal's choice of crown prince, Kuwait's future emir. If the assembly takes the unprecedented step of rejecting his heir, Sheikh Meshal will submit three candidates for parliamentarians to choose from.

Kuwait's political evolution: Examining recent election outcomes
LBCI/April 04, 2024
Kuwaiti citizens are reflecting on the recent parliamentary elections and their outcomes, which saw the replacement of 10 new members in the 50-seat National Assembly. In comparison, 40 members from the previous assembly retained their seats. The election results showed a notable decline for the Muslim Brotherhood, with two members from the previous assembly exiting. Former member Osama Al-Shaheen refrained from entering the candidacy, and the movement's candidate, Hamad Al-Matar, lost the election. Consequently, the movement's representation decreased from three members to just one. Meanwhile, the number of Shiite members increased from seven to eight. Former minister and deputy Jenan Ramadan Boushehri occupies a lone seat designated for a woman. These elections came after the previous government and parliament had dissolved, both of which the Kuwaiti Emir accused of conspiring to harm the country's interests. Emphasizing the need for reform, the Emir has called on the new parliament and the incoming government to implement a reform plan approved in 2018 to diversify the economy and reduce dependence on oil. This places economic reforms at the forefront of priorities, especially as many decisions in the oil-producing state have been stalled due to long-standing disputes between appointed governments and elected parliaments. Following two years of political upheaval, Kuwaiti citizens eagerly anticipate stability from the newly elected parliament. These elections mark the fourth in just two years, raising questions about this council's ability to meet the people's demands. Before the National Assembly lies 15 days from announcing the results to convene its inaugural session. Will it earn the satisfaction of Kuwait's Emir and its people, or will its fate be like its predecessors?

US, China Resume Talks on Safe Military Interactions
(AFP)/This Is Beirut/April 04, 2024
The United States and China held talks this week on safety in interactions between their armed forces for the first time in more than two years, the US military said on Friday. The resumption of the talks came after US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed at a summit in November to restore military-to-military communications and ease tensions between the two countries. US and Chinese military representatives met for the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement Working Group in Hawaii on Wednesday and Thursday – the first such meeting since a virtual event in late 2021, the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said in a statement. US Army Colonel Ian Francis, the head of the American delegation, said in the statement that the agreement is INDOPACOM’s “primary means to directly discuss air and maritime operational safety” with China’s military. “Open, direct, and clear communications with the PLA – and with all other military forces in the region – is of utmost importance to avoid accidents and miscommunication,” Francis said, using an abbreviation for the People’s Liberation Army – China’s military. INDOPACOM said that during the meetings this week – the latest in a series that dates back to 1998 – US and Chinese officials “reviewed safety-related events over the last few years, and discussed sustaining maritime and aviation operational safety and professionalism.”The United States repeatedly highlighted incidents in recent years in which it says that Chinese warplanes and ships operated in an unsafe manner around American and allied aircraft and vessels.US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned, prior to Biden and Xi agreeing to resume military-to-military talks, that accidents have the potential to spiral out of control, especially in the absence of open lines of communication between American and Chinese forces.

Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 05-06/2024
Is the Syrian regime starting to stand up to Iran?
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/April 04, 2024
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei this week asserted that Israel would face consequences for its attack on the Iranian Embassy compound in Damascus that claimed the lives of two senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps generals. President Ebrahim Raisi also vowed that Iran would retaliate and “punish” Israel. This was followed by the IRGC and its proxies across the region, which promised more deadly strikes against Israel.
Monday’s attack, coupled with the heightened rhetoric and the situation in Gaza, has sparked fears within the international media and diplomatic community of a broader conflict in the region. But is this really about to happen?
Despite the promises of Iranian officials, I doubt the Iranian response will be so vehement as to rock the rules of engagement between the two countries. Even if this was the first time Israel has hit the Iranian Embassy in Syria, these targeted assassinations appear to fall within the agreed playbook between the two regional powers. The target of the attack was Brig. Gen. Mohammed Reza Zahedi, who was a commander in the IRGC’s Quds Force responsible for its role in Syria and Lebanon.
Yet, this strike should also raise two questions. What is the IRGC preparing in Syria and has it changed its objectives since the war in Gaza started? And maybe more importantly, how did Israel know when to hit its target, especially as it was known that Zahedi traveled in secret? Just two months ago, the IRGC reduced its deployment of senior officers in Syria due to Israel’s deadly airstrikes and instead relied more heavily on its allied militias. This claimed shift came after a spate of attacks by Israel that killed several IRGC members, including high-ranking commanders.
The Syrian regime knows it will not regain its legitimacy while staying under the thumb of Tehran
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but when such strikes take place, one has to wonder where the information came from. It has always been the case — whether it was the 2008 killing of Imad Mughniyeh, Hezbollah’s international operations chief, or Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force, in 2020 — that the information comes from within. Mughniyeh was killed by a bomb planted in a spare tire on an SUV in Damascus. The bomb was apparently triggered remotely by Mossad agents, instantly killing the target. Media reports indicated that a team of CIA spotters was tracking his movements in Damascus but they could not intervene in the operation executed by Mossad. This took place amid accusations of links between Hezbollah and the Syrian regime over the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Today, the Syrian regime is in the middle of an ambiguous situation and it knows it will not regain its legitimacy while staying under the thumb of the Iranian regime. Worse, it cannot accept having a proliferation of militias that undermine its authority. Hence, the increase in assassinations could mean that either the Syrian regime is looking to tame the Iranian plans indirectly or, at a less strategic level, the Syrian security services are leaking information for financial or other benefits. For Tehran, in the short term, the result is the same.
There is also clarity and a strategic position in the fact that Iran has stood silent in the face of numerous Israeli strikes in Syria and Lebanon. It has, for decades, worked with great focus on developing a military infrastructure and logistics that extend to Syria and Lebanon through Iraq. This Israeli strike, like the previous ones, will not create a different outcome and will not lead to an escalation or broadening of the war for these reasons. We can call it the rules of engagement between these countries, but it is starting to look like a Tehran-Tel Aviv tango in the land of the Levant.
There is clarity in the fact that Iran has stood silent in the face of numerous Israeli strikes in Syria and Lebanon
Despite the war in Ukraine — and only two days after the Israeli attack on the Iranian Embassy compound — Russia’s Defense Ministry this week deployed more forces to the Syrian-controlled areas of the Golan Heights. These soldiers, from Russia’s military police, aim to reduce tensions and monitor the ceasefire in Syrian provinces like Quneitra and Deraa. Russian observation posts are positioned above Syrian military posts to oversee potential provocations.
However, as we now all know, despite their interests being aligned with the Assad regime, Russia and Iran are also in competition for influence and leverage on Syrian soil. This Iranian retrenchment is a tactical win for Russia, as well as the Assad regime, which could not agree with Iran’s deployment of militias like in Lebanon, Iraq and elsewhere.
One striking difference from 2008 and the targeting of Mughniyeh is the US position. Judging by the current administration’s response of profuse and obsequious justifications to Tehran that it was not involved, something has indeed changed. Moreover, current and former US officials have expressed concerns over Israel’s airstrike, fearing that it could escalate tensions in the region and lead to retaliatory strikes. This is the first time that, despite the IRGC being designated as a foreign terrorist organization, the US has not granted Israel the gift of silence. If we read between the lines, it is perhaps even going so far as condemning this action.
There is no doubt that Iran is not only suffering on the ground in Syria, but it is also suffering from a huge deficit in terms of image and status since the Gaza war started. Despite the visit of leaders of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to Iran last week, many consider Tehran to be standing on the sidelines and leaving its proxy militias to focus on wreaking havoc, rather than getting involved in a direct war with Israel, as its raison d’etre claims. Yet, this time, the biggest challenge might not be Israel but a less docile regime in Syria.
*Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of SpaceQuest Ventures, a space-focused investment platform. He is the chief executive of EurabiaMedia and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.

After six months of war, Israel's isolation grows with no end in sight
JOSEF FEDERMAN/AP/April 5, 2024
When Israel declared war against Hamas last October, it stood unified at home and enjoyed broad backing from around the world following an unprecedented attack by the Islamic militant group. Six months later, Israel finds itself in a far different place: bogged down in Gaza, divided domestically, isolated internationally and increasingly at odds with its closest ally. The risk of a broader regional war remains real. Despite Israel’s fierce military onslaught, Hamas is still standing, if significantly weakened. The offensive has pushed Gaza into a humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 80% of the population and leaving over 1 million people on the brink of starvation. Yet Israel hasn't presented a postwar vision acceptable to its partners, and cease-fire talks remain at a standstill. Here are six takeaways from the first six months of war.
BATTLEFIELD STALEMATE
Israel declared war in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack, in which the militant group killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapped about 250 others. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set two objectives: destroying Hamas and bringing home the hostages. Despite his repeated pledges to achieve “total victory,” his goals remain elusive. After steadily conquering most of Gaza in a bruising offensive, Israeli ground troops are in a holding pattern marked by small tactical operations and uncertainty over whether the army will march into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Hamas’ last significant stronghold. Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to invade Rafah, but he faces broad international opposition, including from the United States, because of the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians sheltering there. Netanyahu claims to have a plan to evacuate the civilians, but it isn't clear whether it is ready or would satisfy the Americans. Even if Israel does invade Rafah, there is no guarantee of long-term success. Although Hamas appears to have suffered heavy losses, its forces have managed to regroup in areas abandoned by Israel. At the same time, Israel hasn't been able to halt the daily attacks it faces on its northern front from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. In contrast to Hamas, Hezbollah’s much larger arsenal remains intact, leaving the fate of tens of thousands of uprooted civilians on both sides of the border up in the air. The tensions have threatened to drag in Hezbollah’s sponsor, Iran, especially after an airstrike widely attributed to Israel killed two Iranian generals in neighboring Syria this week.
GROWING ISOLATION
Israel enjoyed broad international support following the Oct. 7 massacre, which was the deadliest attack against Jews since the Holocaust. However, that goodwill has been replaced by impatience and outrage as conditions in Gaza worsen. More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials whose death toll doesn't distinguish between civilians and fighters. International aid officials say roughly one-third of Gaza’s population is dealing with catastrophic hunger. Initial expressions of solidarity from Israel's allies have given way to calls for a halt to the fighting. Meanwhile, the U.N. world court, looking into genocide allegations against Israel, has ordered Israel to do more to protect Gaza’s civilians. This isolation appeared to peak on March 25, when the U.N. Security Council, over Israeli objections, passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire. The U.S. infuriated Israel by allowing the resolution to pass. Things have only worsened for Israel since then, especially following its killing of seven aid workers in what it says was an errant airstrike. Six of the victims were volunteers from countries allied with Israel, antagonizing them and outraging U.S. President Joe Biden. The alleged Israeli airstrike on an Iran’s embassy in Syria and Netanyahu’s efforts to shutter the Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera have further alienated allies.
ISRAEL IS DIVIDED
After a period of broad unity early in the war, Israel has returned to its divided self — with its polarizing leader at the center of the storm. Weekly protests against the government have grown and attract thousands. They are rooted in longstanding grievances against Netanyahu — from his political alliances with far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties to his open-ended corruption trial. However, they have drawn new strength from his failure to bring home the hostages. Roughly half of the hostages were released during a weeklong cease-fire in November. But Israel says 134 remain in captivity. Israel has already declared more than 30 hostages dead — and there are widespread fears that the true number is higher and will continue to rise the longer they are held. The plight of the hostages and the anguished cries of their families have resonated deeply with the Israeli public. Some hostage families were among the tens of thousands of people who took to the streets this week calling on the government to resign. It was the largest anti-government demonstration since the war began.
NETANYAHU ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE
Netanyahu’s popularity has plummeted since the outbreak of the war, with many holding him responsible for the intelligence and security failures that allowed the Oct. 7 attack to occur. Yet he has rebuffed calls to resign or launch investigations into what went wrong. Netanyahu faces no immediate threat to his rule. For now, his coalition partners, also facing likely losses at the polls, remain firmly behind him. Ironically, the biggest immediate threat to Netanyahu is only peripherally related to the war. Israel’s Supreme Court has ordered a halt to a long-standing controversial system of exempting ultra-Orthodox men from compulsory military service. With over 600 soldiers killed since Oct. 7, Netanyahu will have a tough time continuing this system. But if he tries to force religious men into military service, he could lose the support of his ultra-Orthodox partners and be forced into early elections. “Netanyahu is incapable of either feeling shame or taking responsibility,” wrote Anshel Pfeffer, a Haaretz columnist and author of a Netanyahu biography. “He has no intention of ever resigning on his own accord.”
HAMAS ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE
The Israeli offensive has caused mass destruction across Gaza and inflicted heavy losses on Hamas. Israel claims to have killed some 13,000 Hamas fighters and dismantled the group’s military capabilities across most of Gaza. Yet even if these claims are true, Hamas is still intact in Rafah, and its fighters have regrouped in areas where Israel previously declared victory. Although there have been small shows of public discontent with Hamas in Gaza, there have been no public signs of broad opposition to the group. Khalil Sayegh, a Palestinian analyst, said Hamas keeps reappearing and Israel hasn’t allowed any alternative to emerge. “When you’re fighting a guerrilla war, I think the ultimate success or failure is whether you’re able to survive,” he said. “So if Hamas survives as a governing body, then this will be a success.”Michael Milshtein, a former high-ranking Israeli military intelligence officer who is now an expert in Palestinian studies at Tel Aviv University, says Israel faces two unappealing choices: Accept a hostage and cease-fire deal that acknowledges Hamas has survived, or step up the military campaign and conquer Gaza in hopes that Hamas will eventually be destroyed.
He said expectations that the Israeli military's current approach can destroy Hamas or force it to surrender is “wishful thinking.”
NO POSTWAR POLICY
There is no consensus for the future of Gaza. Netanyahu has presented a vague vision that calls for open-ended Israeli control of the territory, with local Palestinian partners in Gaza administering day-to-day affairs. Israel hopes for reconstruction to be funded by the international community, including wealthy Arab Gulf states. These plans, though, clash with visions promoted by the U.S., other international partners and the Palestinians. The U.S. has called for a return of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which Hamas ousted from Gaza in 2007, and for renewed efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. The PA, based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, recently appointed a new prime minister to address American calls for reform. Netanyahu opposes Palestinian statehood or any role for the PA. Meanwhile, there is little appetite among donor nations to contribute to reconstruction without a political consensus. The United Arab Emirates, for instance, says it will not fund reconstruction without a viable two-state approach. Ofer Shelah, a former lawmaker who is now a senior researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said the battlefield successes are “almost meaningless” without a diplomatic vision. “The real threat to Hamas will not be Israeli tanks or warplanes. It’s an alternative to running life in postwar Gaza,” he said.

New 'Revitalized' Palestinian Authority, Same as the Old Palestinian Authority
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/April 5, 2024
The new Palestinian government... does not seem at all different from previous ones, especially regarding combating corruption and inciting violence against Israel.
According to AMAN, a Palestinian non-governmental organization that seeks to combat corruption and promote integrity, transparency and accountability in Palestinian society, 63% of Palestinians believe that the level of corruption in the PA institutions has increased. The most common forms of corruption: favoritism and nepotism, embezzlement of public funds, breach of trust, abuse of power, bribery and money laundering.
Abbas and his close aides, who have long had an opportunity to make changes in the PA, substantial or otherwise, also do not appear interested in doing so. They seem quite comfortable with the current structure of the PA: no elections, no transparency and no accountability.
The new "revitalized" Palestinian Authority (PA) government includes Minister for Religious Affairs Muhammad Mustafa Najem, who openly called for terror attacks in a sermon on official PA TV, and demonized the Jews as "characterized by conceit, pride, arrogance, rioting, disloyalty, and treachery," adding that "Allah turned them into apes and pigs." Pictured: Najem is sworn in as minister on March 31, 2024, in Ramallah. (Photo by Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images)
As part of a US plan to "revitalize" the Palestinian Authority (PA), a new PA government headed by Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa was announced in late March. While the US administration has not clarified what it means by the "revitalization" of the PA, one can only assume that refers to the need to implement financial and administrative reforms in all PA institutions and see the emergence of new leaders in Ramallah who would work to improve the living conditions of their people and prepare them for peace with Israel.
The new Palestinian Authority government, however, is unlikely to achieve any of these goals: it does not seem at all different from the previous ones, especially regarding combating corruption and inciting violence against Israel.
Like his predecessor, Mohammad Shtayyeh, the new prime minister, Mustafa, is a longtime loyalist of PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Until recently, Mustafa served as an economic advisor to Abbas since 2005. Between 2013 and 2014, he served as deputy prime minister of the PA and minister for national economy. Mustafa has also served as chairman of the Palestinian Investment Fund, an independent investment company established in 2003 with the aim of strengthening the Palestinian economy.
As such, it is hard to say that Mustafa represents new leadership in the PA. He belongs very much to the old guard of the Palestinian leadership, seen by many Palestinians as incompetent and corrupt.
Although Mustafa has held several key economic jobs in the PA, it is also hard to say that the Palestinian Authority economy has improved, if at all, during his tenure. According to the World Bank, the PA's budget deficit in 2021 was $1.26 billion, with a financing gap of $940 million (namely, the deficit minus international aid donations). This gap is attributable to four main factors: a bloated and inefficient public sector, a massive drop in budgetary aid, the withholding by Israel of clearance revenues in response to the PA's policy of paying terrorists who murder or wound Jews, and impaired domestic revenue collection.
A public opinion poll published by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in September 2023 found that 87% of Palestinians believe corruption still exists in PA institutions.
According to AMAN, a Palestinian non-governmental organization that seeks to combat corruption and promote integrity, transparency and accountability in Palestinian society, 63% of Palestinians believe that the level of corruption in the PA institutions has increased. The most common forms of corruption: favoritism and nepotism, embezzlement of public funds, breach of trust, abuse of power, bribery and money laundering.
The ongoing economic crisis and the deepening belief among Palestinians that the PA and its institutions are corrupt shows that Mustafa did not do a particularly outstanding job as economic advisor to Abbas or as minister for national economy. Why, then, should anyone assume that he will succeed in changing the situation for the better as prime minister? Mustafa was unable to bring about changes in the past because he was subordinate to Abbas and his inner circle, who retain the final say on political, economic and security matters.
Abbas and his close aides, who have long had an opportunity to make changes in the PA, substantial or otherwise, also do not appear interested in doing so. They seem quite comfortable with the current structure of the PA: no elections, no transparency and no accountability.
For Abbas and his aides, the Palestinian Authority is a private fiefdom. Anyone who dares to challenge them or speak out against the lack of democracy or demand an end to corruption, is punished by losing his or her job or being expelled from key Palestinian decision-making bodies, such as the PLO Executive Committee and the Fatah Central Committee.
Mustafa is undoubtedly aware that he would likely meet the same fate if he dared to challenge Abbas's autocratic rule and exclusive control of the PA's finances. Mustafa did not challenge Abbas in the past, and he is unlikely to do so now that his boss has appointed him prime minister.
There is also good reason to believe that the new prime minister and his cabinet ministers are not going to stop the massive incitement to violence against Israel and the demonization of Jews.
In his first speech at the cabinet meeting in Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinians, Mustafa repeated the libels of his predecessor by accusing Israel of carrying out "genocide and extrajudicial killings." Mustafa was referring to the war in the Gaza Strip, which erupted after thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping more than 240 others, half of whom are still held hostage inside the coastal enclave. Mustafa also did not see fit to condemn Hamas for initiating the war and bringing catastrophe on the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip.
Further evidence that the new "revitalized" Palestinian Authority government is not headed toward promoting peace with Israel surfaced on March 31, when Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) revealed inflammatory statements made by two of the newly appointed cabinet ministers.
According to the PMW report, Muna al-Khalili, the new PA Minister of Women's Affairs, is an outspoken terror supporter, having publicly glorified the murder of 37 Israeli civilians, among other effusions. As chairwoman of the PLO General Union of Palestinian Women, al-Khalili spoke at an event honoring Dalal Mughrabi, who led the most murderous terror attack in Israel's history prior to October 7, 2023. On March 11, 1978, Mughrabi led a team of PLO terrorists who hijacked a civilian bus and murdered 37 civilians, including 12 children and, on another occasion, the American photographer Gail Rubin.
In her speech, al-Khalili praised the terror attack as a "quality resistance operation" and said that Mughrabi "proved that Palestinian women are capable of carrying out the most difficult missions."
Ten days after Hamas's October 7 massacre, al-Khalil honored Palestinian convicted murderers as "heroic prisoners." The General Union of Palestinian Women, which al-Khalili heads, held a vigil calling for the release of terrorist prisoners just 10 days after the Hamas atrocities. Al-Khalili sat right behind four posters featuring the names and pictures of different terrorist murderers imprisoned in Israel for past terror attacks, each with the text: "Freedom for the heroic prisoner."
The new "revitalized" government also includes religious leader Muhammad Mustafa Najem, who was appointed as minister of religious affairs.
Palestinian Media Watch revealed that Najem had openly called for terror attacks in a sermon on official PA TV: "O servants of Allah, be the ones through which Allah will afflict the Jews with the worst torment."
Najem went on to demonize the Jews with toxic antisemitism. He said they are "characterized by conceit, pride, arrogance, rioting, disloyalty, and treachery," and adding that "Allah turned them into apes and pigs."
PMW urged Israel and the US, which has led the call for a "revitalized" PA, to demand that Najem, al-Khalili and any other terror supporters in the new PA government be immediately replaced, adding:
"If the previous PA terror-supporting government is replaced by a new terror-supporting government, the PA is making a mockery of the US demand for "revitalization.'"
It remains to be seen whether the Biden administration will act on this information – or, instead, pretend that Abbas has taken real steps to "revitalize" the PA.
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East. The work of Bassam Tawil is made possible through the generous donation of a donor who wished to remain anonymous. Gatestone is most grateful.
© 2024 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.

Turkish election results reflect women’s growing role
Sinem Cengiz/Arab News/April 05, 2024
In 1934, Turkish women accomplished a milestone that predated many other nations: They secured the right to vote and stand for elected positions. They exercised their electoral rights for the first time in the 1935 elections, in which 18 women were elected to the Turkish Grand National Assembly. One of them, Nakiye Elgun, emerged as a trailblazer, becoming the first female MP to deliver a speech at the parliament, only about 12 years after the Republic of Turkiye was founded. In a message she wanted to deliver to the world, Elgun said that “we are a complete whole together,” emphasizing the importance of men and women working together in politics.Since then, women have been active in the Turkish national political landscape. Yet, despite their enduring presence, they are still striving to find equality in the political realm. For decades, the number of women in the Grand National Assembly lagged and even dropped over the years. Up until 2007, they did not exceed 5 percent of the lawmakers. The latest parliamentary elections, held simultaneously with the presidential vote last May, brought an unprecedented number of women MPs: 119 in the 600-seat assembly.
The importance of women’s support in shaping electoral outcomes also became increasingly apparent ahead of the 2023 elections, as Turkish political parties, which have their own women’s branches that are connected to their headquarters, ramped up their efforts to gain the support of women.
This upward trajectory in female political involvement was further underscored by last Sunday’s local elections, which saw the main opposition Republican People’s Party, known as the CHP, again claim victory in key cities like Istanbul and Ankara. The elections witnessed a surge in female mayors, with women elected to lead in a record 11 provinces out of 81, including five metropolitan municipalities.
Ten of the 11 female mayors were from opposition parties, with data from the Women's Platform for Equality indicating that they garnered nearly 53 percent of the vote on average. Women won 64 of Turkiye’s 922 districts, including in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana and Antalya, with most of them being from the CHP. In the last local vote in 2019, only four female mayors were elected.
However, Turkish politics still wears a moustache, even after 90 years of women’s participation. Although women now have a relatively large presence in the assembly and 11 mayoralties, this number still lags behind expectations. However, the underrepresentation of women in national politics is not a situation unique to Turkiye, as similar challenges persist globally. According to studies, women account for half or more of the lawmakers in just five countries.Despite their enduring presence, women are still striving to find equality in the political realm.
Despite the patriarchal underpinnings of the Turkish political arena, there is a growing societal consensus on the need for greater female participation in policymaking. A recent survey conducted by KONDA revealed that 62 percent of respondents believe that female politicians can contribute to Turkiye's development and societal progress. Therefore, the outcome of Sunday’s elections signifies a political shift and heralds a broader change in societal mindset. It also reflects the long struggle for women to be represented in the country’s decision-making mechanisms and serves as an inspiration for future generations.
Women have a significant presence in the opposition ranks, but the ruling Justice and Development Party, known as the AKP, has started to lose the support of conservative women voters, who are usually a pillar of the party’s voting base. This is considered to be one of the key reasons for the decline in AKP votes. For a long time, conservative women have been central to the AKP’s electoral victories, largely due to its 2010 reversal of the headscarf ban that kept many women out of university. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his party often reminded the Turkish public of how the AKP helped strike down the headscarf ban. Erdogan believes he has done more for women than many of his predecessors, although many believe that this measure alone was not enough and more should have been done for women.
Today, conservative women are not a homogeneous voting bloc in Turkiye and AKP has lost the support of some of them. There are women who wear headscarves in the ranks of the CHP and other parties that have been critical of the government’s policy on women. Turkiye’s 2021 withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention — aka the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence — caused a backlash not only from the secular segments of society but also conservative ones. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu condemned the AKP for withdrawing from the convention in the middle of the night, saying the move “trampled on the struggle women have led for years.”In a 2021 Arab News column, I stated that the AKP needed the support of conservative women more than ever because losing their vote would indicate a major political stumble for the party. This is because the AKP owes much of its success to these women. It now needs to win back the hearts of those who supported the party in its early years.
Last Sunday’s elections gave significant messages in regard to people’s frustration over the economic situation, the future of Turkiye’s foreign policy, shifting societal dynamics and the rise of women’s representation in Turkish politics. While Turkiye has made significant strides in advancing women’s representation in politics, challenges persist on the path toward true gender parity. The electoral outcomes underscore both the progress made and the work that lies ahead in ensuring equitable political participation for all citizens.
**Sinem Cengiz is a Turkish political analyst who specializes in Turkiye’s relations with the Middle East. X: @SinemCngz

Why engaging the Taliban is the only way forward
Dr. Ajmal Shams/Arab News/April 05, 2024
The UN’s Doha Conference on Afghanistan, which took place in February, was somewhat of a setback for both the international community and the de facto Taliban authorities. One would have expected some kind of constructive dialogue during the two-day event if the Taliban had attended. But the Taliban’s stance that they would refuse to attend the event unless given legitimate status to represent Afghanistan was unrealistic, given the fact that they have no official international recognition. The de facto authorities have done more damage to themselves than to the organizer of the event. This would have provided them with a platform to speak to an international audience representing diverse stakeholders.
Ever since the return of Taliban rule to Afghanistan, the people have eagerly awaited the beginning of every Afghan New Year (falling on March 21), which is also the beginning of the school year, to hear some good news about girls being allowed to attend schools and colleges. March 21, 2024, was another disappointing day for Afghan girls above Grade 6, as they again found the school doors closed for them.
It is hard to understand the politics behind the Taliban’s policy on female work and education. When asked, they never deny women’s and girls’ right to education and work and instead come up with pretexts of not being prepared to do so. They have kept the entire nation busy with the hope that the preparation of guidelines and procedures is underway to reopen schools and colleges for girls. Yet, in reality, nothing seems to be moving forward in that direction.
The ban on female education and work is the key point of contention between the international community and the Taliban authorities. The Taliban claim to have established a model state that is in full compliance with Shariah. However, Islamic principles emphasize keeping one’s word, which the Taliban have consistently failed to do by not delivering on their promises.
It is time for Islamic scholars from around the world to intervene and seek to convince the stubborn rulers of Afghanistan to give permission for female education and work. They can raise their voice in the media and visit the country as they make efforts to convince the Taliban of the proper interpretation of Islamic principles on seeking knowledge, which is compulsory for both men and women.
Any further sanctions or isolation of Afghanistan will only come at great cost to the country’s 40 million people.
There is no harmony among Afghans who are opposed to the Taliban’s policy with regard to the female role in public life, including their right to education and work. One group wants more international pressure, including greater isolation and harsher sanctions on the Taliban. There are some moderate voices that call for increased engagement and dialogue through a mix of diplomatic and political efforts aimed at convincing the radical group to make its government more inclusive. There is also a minority group that wants to topple the Taliban through armed resistance.
Given the current geopolitical environment, the best way to convince the Taliban to change their hard-line stance on women is increased engagement, diplomacy and the involvement of religious voices in the overall efforts. Any further sanctions or isolation of the country will only come at great cost to the country’s 40 million people, 90 percent of whom are already living in poverty, as per the UN.
There are also divisions within the Taliban leadership on their thinking on the status of women in society and the necessity of modern education. Some progressive voices seem to exist among the radical group. For instance, a viral video on social media features Mullah Yaqub, the Taliban defense minister, emphasizing the indispensable role of doctors, engineers and pilots for the country alongside the importance of religious scholars in shaping society.
Yet, the Taliban’s supreme leader seems to be the major hurdle. The reclusive leader, who is reluctant to appear in public, has consistently hindered any efforts to reopen employment opportunities and education for women and girls. Such obstinacy is a major stumbling block that is stifling the international community’s efforts to move forward on any potential recognition of the de facto authorities.
There must also be an increasing realization among the Taliban that their continued policy of authoritarian rule is not sustainable in the long run. Afghans’ patience will eventually run out if the group continues with its policy of exclusion without any hope for opening up. The UN and the rest of the global community understands the gravity, complexity and delicacy of the situation in Afghanistan. Any move or policy regarding the country must be well calculated if any positive outcomes are to be expected. Isolating the country any further from the global political and economic system will only give the de facto Taliban authorities further reason to make their policies for ordinary Afghans even harsher. Increased engagement is the only path forward.
**Dr. Ajmal Shams is Vice-President of the Afghanistan Social Democratic Party. He served as a Deputy Minister in the former Government of Afghanistan. X: @ajmshams

Teenager volunteers at hospital as the war ragesSaudi air force team in Greece to take part in INIOCHOS drillPreviousPauseNext
Luke Coffey/Arab News/April 05, 2024
This week marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of the Washington Treaty. This landmark pact, originally with only 12 signatories, led to the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. At the time of its founding in 1949, there was no certainty that NATO would have lasted this long, much less grow in size to 32 members. Today, NATO remains one of the most effective security alliances the world has ever seen.
It is not possible to understand the reasons behind the creation of NATO without also considering the geopolitical conditions that existed at the time. In the aftermath of the Second World War, an ideological struggle emerged across Europe, leading to a division between the Soviet Union and the other victorious allies that defeated Nazi Germany. In the words of Winston Churchill in 1946: “From Stettin in the Baltic, to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the continent.” This was the beginning of the Cold War.
In 1948, the Soviet Union introduced a blockade against Berlin, forcing the US and UK to airlift food and supplies to the city. Later that same year there was also a Soviet-backed coup in Czechoslovakia. Other countries, from Norway to Turkiye, were threatened by Soviet expansion. Western European countries, along with the US and Canada, knew that something had to be done to ensure the continent’s security. This was when NATO was born.
After the Cold War ended in 1991, many in the US and Europe questioned the point of NATO without the Soviet threat. Throughout the 1990s, many member countries reduced the size of their armed forces and drastically cut their defense budgets. The cuts were part of a so-called “peace dividend” at the time that turned out to be a fantasy. The consequences of these deep defense cuts are still felt today, as many NATO members still do not spend enough on the armed forces.
Multiple crises in the Balkans in the 1990s led to NATO launching military operations there to stop genocides targeting Bosnians and Kosovars. After the Al-Qaeda terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001 against the US, NATO invoked Article 5 of the Washington Treaty for the first time in its history. Article 5 is the mutual defense clause which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all members. This meant that for the first time European aircraft were patrolling the skies over the US in the aftermath of the attack.
NATO’s leaders should look back to the early days of the alliance for inspiration.
Later, NATO would lead an international effort to bring stability to Afghanistan that ended disastrously in August 2021 after US President Joe Biden removed all troops from the country. The interventions in the Balkans and Afghanistan gave NATO a new focus, but not necessarily the new mission the alliance was looking for in the post-Cold War world.
It was not until Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 that NATO realized that its new mission is the same as its old mission: to defend the territory of its member states. Since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, NATO has been almost solely consumed by bolstering its eastern flank, deterring further Russian attacks into eastern Europe, and helping Ukraine get the resources it needs to defend itself.
As NATO’s leaders meet in Washington this summer to formally recognize the 75th anniversary at a major summit, the security situation in Eastern Europe and Russia’s war against Ukraine will be top of the agenda.
At the summit, there will be a lot of backslapping and congratulations. After all, maintaining — and even expanding — a security alliance like NATO for three-quarters of a century is quite an accomplishment. However, the organization’s leaders must realize that there is plenty of work to do if the alliance is to remain relevant for the next 75 years.
First, as NATO’s leaders ponder the future, they should look back at the early days of the alliance for inspiration. For NATO to be as effective as it was during the Cold War, it needs to return to its original mission of collective defense. NATO does not have to be everywhere in the world doing everything, but it must be in the North Atlantic region able to defend its members.
Second, the alliance must also keep the door open to new members, as it did during the first few decades after its creation. NATO enlargement has been a force for good in Europe. It has spread stability and security to regions of the continent that otherwise would have been volatile. The prospect of joining NATO has enticed potential candidates to reform their militaries, economies and governments. In many cases, NATO membership was a precursor to attaining EU membership.
Finally, while NATO must remain focused on territorial defense in Europe, this does not mean it can ignore its neighbors. In addition to the 75th anniversary of the alliance, this year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Mediterranean Dialogue and the 20th anniversary of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. These are the platforms that allow NATO to engage with partners in North Africa and the Gulf, respectively. Close cooperation between NATO and partners in North Africa and the Middle East can help bring stability and security to all.
During the Cold War NATO’s mission was to stop the spread of communism into Western Europe; deter Soviet aggression; and, if required, defeat the Soviet Union on the battlefield. Thankfully, the alliance was able to fulfill its mission without a shot being fired.
Russia’s recent actions in Ukraine have been a wakeup call. The Cold War might be over. The Soviet Union is no more. But there is plenty to keep NATO busy. The decisions taken by the alliance now will determine how successful it is in the future.
**Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. X: @LukeDCoffey

Question: “What are the seven deadly sins?”
GotQuestions.org/April 05/2024
Answer: According to Catholic theology, the seven deadly sins are seven vices or negative character qualities that, left unchecked, will result in a host of other sins and eventually kill a person’s soul. The seven “deadly” sins are pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth. The list was first delineated by Pope Gregory the Great in the sixth century. Thomas Aquinas later expounded on the idea. In the fourteenth century, Dante wrote his epic poem Inferno in which he pictured Purgatory as having seven terraces corresponding to the seven deadly sins.
The seven deadly sins are also called the seven capital sins or the seven cardinal sins—cardinal in this context meaning, “of basic importance” or “extremely grave.” The seven deadly sins are considered to be the most basic sins that plague humanity and the sins that are most likely to beset us. Each of the seven deadly sins leads to other sins; for example, anger can lead to evil speaking, violence, or murder.
Here is a brief description of each of the seven deadly sins:
Pride — An inflated, unrealistic sense of your self-worth.
Envy — The feeling that you deserve the possessions, success, virtues, or talents of another person.
Gluttony — An excessive desire for the pleasure of eating and drinking.
Lust — A selfish focus on sex or a desire to have sexual pleasure with someone other than your spouse.
Anger — An excessive, improper desire to exact revenge.
Greed — A strong desire for possessions, especially for possessions belonging to another.
Sloth — Lack of effort in the face of a necessary task, causing it to go undone (or done badly).
A common misconception about the seven deadly sins is that they are sins that God will not forgive. The Roman Catholic Church does not teach the sins to be unforgivable; in Catholic doctrine, the seven deadly sins can lead to mortal sins, which will send a person to hell immediately upon death, unless such sins are repented of before death. Catholicism also teaches that the seven deadly sins can be overcome with the seven virtues (humility, gratitude, charity, temperance, chastity, patience, and diligence).
Is the idea of seven deadly sins biblical? Yes and no. Proverbs 6:16–19 lists seven things that are detestable to God: 1) haughty eyes, 2) a lying tongue, 3) hands that shed innocent blood, 4) a heart that plots evil, 5) feet that are quick to rush to do wrong, 6) a false witness, and 7) a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. Of course, this list is not what most people understand as the “seven deadly sins.”
Yes, pride, envy, etc., are sins that the Bible condemns; however, they are never called “the seven deadly sins” in the Bible. The traditional list of seven deadly sins can function as a way to categorize the many different sins that exist. Nearly every sin could be placed in one of those seven categories.
In the final analysis, no sin is any more “deadly” than any other sin. All sin results in death (Romans 6:23). Even one sin condemns a person as a lawbreaker (James 2:10). Praise be to God that Jesus Christ took the penalty for all of our sins, including the “seven deadly sins.” By the grace of God, through faith in Christ, we can be forgiven (Matthew 26:28; Acts 10:43; Ephesians 1:7).