Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 07-08/2024
Patriarch Al-Rahi, in his Sermon today, said to those he called “warlords”: Do not think that you are strong with your weapons, but rather you are the weakest of the weak.
Bishop Aoudi regrets that Lebanon has spent two years without a president: The country’s leaders have immersed themselves in corruption, exploitation, and crime, and have washed their hands of what happened to it.
Kidnapping of a "Lebanese Forces Party" official in Jbeil: Tension,denunciation, and the devices are on alert
A Lebanese Forces Executive Kidnapped in Jbeil Region
What we know so far about today’s kidnapping of LF senior official Pascal Sleiman
Rifi: Suleiman’s kidnapping exposes Lebanon to security risks that threaten its stability
Free Patriotic Movement/To move quickly to release Suleiman
Israeli military says it has increased its readiness for war in north
Tension escalates on southern Lebanese front as Israeli attacks target new area
Israeli Strikes Target Eastern Lebanon
Tensions Rise Again in Southern Lebanon on Sunday
Israel bombs 'Hezbollah sites' in Baalbek region in response to drone downing
GPS spoofing: Israel's tactics and Lebanon's defense dilemma
Israel launches strikes on eastern Lebanon
Israeli Airstrikes Target Baalbeck
Israeli airstrike hits residence in Toura, NNA reports
Health Ministry's medical care head to LBCI: If hospitals targeted as in Gaza, we will face a crisis
Cypriot President in Beirut on Monday to Address Syrian Migrant Issue
Cyprus-Lebanon relations tested: Illegal migration crisis experienced in both countries
Syrian Migrants: Cyprus Appeals to the European Union
Beirut Tribute to Women: Beirut International Women Film Festival
Alpine Skiing: Lebanon at the 44th “Scara” Event/Makram Haddad/This is Beirut/April 07/2024
Wokism: A New Religion (1/4)/Amine Jules Iskandar/This is Beirut/April 07/2024
The character assassination of Makram Rabah is not acceptable/Nasser HAFEZ/L'Orient Today/April 07/2024

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 07-08/2024
Israel to join Cairo talks on Gaza truce and hostage release, Israeli official says
Security leaks: Suspicions arise over assassination of Iranian commander in Damascus
War review: Israel grapples with costs and casualties as Cabinet approves Cairo talks
Israel prepared to handle any developments with Iran, defence chief says
Yellen says US-China relationship on 'more stable footing' but more can be done to improve ties
Israel pulls troops out of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza: army, media
In call with Blinken, father of killed aid worker urges tougher U.S. stance on Israel in Gaza
UK says 'terrible' Israel-Hamas conflict 'must end'
As Israel Withdraws Troops, Netanyahu Holds His Ground
Gaza war enters seventh month as truce negotiators expected in Cairo
Thousands of Israelis rally for hostages, marking six months of war
World Central Kitchen founder questions Israeli investigation into deadly strike
Trump increasingly ambiguous on Israel amid Gaza war
Yemen's Houthis say they targeted Western ships

Titles For The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on April 07-08/2024
Rwanda – Thirty Years after the Genocide, April 7, 1994/Alain Destexhe/Gatestone Institute/April 7, 2024
Iran… A Second Cup of Poison?/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 7, 2024
‘Resisting’ Israel from Jordan, Iraq and Yemen/Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/April 07, 2024
Economic diversification offers Iraq a path to stability and prosperity/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/April 07, 2024
AKP’s local election defeat may change several paradigms in Turkiye/Yasar Yakis/Arab News/April 07, 2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on April 07-08/2024
Patriarch Al-Rahi, in his Sermon today, said to those he called “warlords”: Do not think that you are strong with your weapons, but rather you are the weakest of the weak.
National News Agency/April 7, 2024
The Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, presided over the Sunday Mass and the Feast of Divine Mercy at the altar of the Church of the outer courtyard of the Patriarchal edifice in Bkerke, “the Chapel of the Resurrection.” He was assisted by Bishops Boulos Abdel Sater and Hanna Alwan, the Patriarch’s secretary, Father Hadi Daou, and a group of priests, in the presence of the head of the Pharmacists Syndicate. Dr. Joe Salloum, Consul of the Republic of Mauritania, Elie Nassar, son of the martyrs Sobhi and Nadeema Al-Fakhri Patrick, a delegation from the Lebanese Forces Teachers Service headed by Ramzi Bteish, the Divine Mercy family, and a crowd of activists and believers. After the Holy Gospel, the shepherd delivered a sermon entitled: “Peace be with you, Thomas, put your hand in my side and believe” (John 20: 26-27), in which he said: He added: “Wait, oh you who have lost the image of God in you through sins and evils. God loved you and made you possessing a mind for truth, a will for good, a heart for love, and the freedom to choose every good and beautiful deed. Return to the divine beauty within you! Be renewed in it! Hey, oh thirsty warlords.” For blood and you remain thirsty for it! Who has given you power over human souls and you are transgressing the authority of the Creator, the Giver and Restorer of life? Do not think that you are strong with your weapons, but rather you are the weakest of the weak! What strengthens you is your heart if it contains love and mercy! What strengthens you is your mind if it enlightens you, so think about who You kill with the property of those you destroy, and with the homes of those you demolish! What strengthens you is your will if you refrain from using all these weapons with which you think you are strong. No! Rather, you are strong through your human being, created in the image of God, with love and mercy. The new time announced by Christ the Lord is a time of peace. Which is spread by the Church and all people of good will. This divine peace does not allow resorting to war by the decision of a person, party, or group of citizens. It is the decision of the state in extreme cases after taking into account the human, material, financial and destructive losses and the fate of unsafe citizens. The decision to go to war carries a heavy responsibility for its consequences. The decision to go to war is a bitter and responsible decision.” Al-Rai concluded: “Let us pray, in order to spare the people of southern Lebanon from further casualties, losses, destruction, and displacement, and to stop the war on Gaza. God, the God of peace, is the Hearer and Answerer! To Him be glory and thanksgiving forever.”

Bishop Aoudi regrets that Lebanon has spent two years without a president: The country’s leaders have immersed themselves in corruption, exploitation, and crime, and have washed their hands of what happened to it.
National News Agency/April 7, 2024
The Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut and its dependencies, Bishop Elias Aoudi, presided over the Mass service in St. George's Cathedral, in the presence of a crowd of believers.
After the Gospel, he gave a sermon in which he said: He said: “Our people fully understand the meaning of the cross, because they have been carrying it for decades, because of officials who are indistinguishable from the leaders who unjustly and slanderously sentenced Christ to crucifixion, for fear of losing a position. Just as Pilate washed his hands and absolved himself of his crime, so do the leaders of this country that I deeply admire.” Its leaders were corrupt, exploitative, and criminal, and all they had to do was wash their hands of everything that happened to the country, because responsibility for them is a throne and earthly glory, while it is a service of love and defense of truth, justice, freedom, and law, and the sacrifice of oneself for the sake of those who were placed under their responsibility. It is very unfortunate and harmful for Lebanon to remain. Without a president for nearly two years, and what is even more regrettable is that the representatives, representatives of the people, do not make sufficient efforts to implement the constitution and elect a president. But what is painful is that the state is dysfunctional, the administrations are dysfunctional, and some positions are vacant, and the ministers prefer appointments even if they violate the laws and customs. They are desperate to reach the position and when they arrive They become the focus instead of making the citizen and his rights the focus of their work. A caller may call them and they do not answer, a citizen may ask them for a right and they do not respond. They may withhold this right from some who are qualified for a position to satisfy a higher will or satisfy an interest. And whoever pays the price is often a disciplined citizen who does not beg. A mediator who relies on his competence, or a sect that acts in a national spirit far from sectarianism and quotas.”
He added: “Government is a responsibility. The position is a service. The job, no matter how high it is, is the application of the law, but inequality between citizens has become the rule because the gains of the strongest take precedence over the rights of the weakest. It is the cross of the honest, weak citizen in this country whose head was beheaded, perhaps intentionally, and the clear intention is to tamper with the country.” And the benefits that remain in it, but nothing is eternal, and this night must end, and our people must witness the resurrection of their homeland from this bitter reality that took them back centuries.”
He concluded: “In order to endure hardships, let our hope in God be steadfast, and let us always chant, as in the Great Sleep Prayer: ‘O divine, invincible, incomprehensible, life-giving power of the Cross, do not abandon us sinners.’”

Kidnapping of a "Lebanese Forces Party" official in Jbeil: Tension,denunciation, and the devices are on alert
Nedda Al Watan/April 8, 2024 (Google translation from Arabic)
Jbeil District Coordinator in the Lebanese Forces Party, Pascal Suleiman
Yesterday sunset, Jbeil District Coordinator for the Lebanese Forces Party, Pascal Suleiman, was kidnapped. After that, the kidnapped person's phone was found thrown in the town of Mayfouk, where cameras showed Suleiman's car in the town of Tartaj - Jbeil, heading towards the Batroun outskirts.
In detail, shortly after six in the evening, four gunmen kidnapped Suleiman at an intersection linking the town of Lehfed to the Mayfouk and Haqel roads, upon his return from a funeral service. The perpetrators were driving a white Subaro car when they kidnapped Suleiman and took him to an unknown destination. Immediately after the news of the incident became public, citizens gathered at the “Forces” center in Mastita, while the “Forces” instructed the partisans “not to throw accusations out of the blue before obtaining all the information related to the incident.”Shortly before midnight, the head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Dr. Samir Geagea, arrived at the party center in Mastita (Jbeil), where a crowd of forces and solidarity activists gathered to spread the news of the kidnapping and denounce it.
According to information from “Nidaa al-Watan”, before his kidnapping, Suleiman was offering his condolences to his justice, George Abdel Masih, in the town of Al-Kharba, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his death. When he left, he took the Mayfouk-Bajjah-Haqel road, where he was kidnapped. In the last call Suleiman made during the kidnapping, he said to the gunmen: “Don’t kill me, I have children.” Then the connection was cut off. For his part, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati followed up on the kidnapping of Suleiman. In a series of communications with the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Bassam Mawlawi, the Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, and other security leaders, he requested “intensification of investigations and coordination among the security services to uncover the circumstances of the case as quickly as possible and return the citizen safely to his family.”The Minister of Tourism in the caretaker government, Walid Nassar, and the representatives: Sami Gemayel, Fouad Makhzoumi, Michel Moawad, Ghada Ayoub, Ziad Al-Hawat, Nadim Gemayel, Adeeb Abdel Masih, Raji Al-Saad, Wadah Al-Sadiq, former Minister Muhammad Shuqair, and former Representative Fares Saeed also called for And the head of the Change Movement Party, lawyer Elie Mahfoud, called on the security services to “reveal the circumstances of the kidnapping” of Suleiman, because “what happened was a major security breach, and the security services are required to maintain the security of the region and reveal the circumstances of what happened without accusing any party.”He came to the “Forces” coordination building in Jbeil, denouncing and in solidarity with the representatives: Melhem Al-Riyashi, Ghayath Yazbek, Fadi Karam, Razi Al-Hajj, Nazih Matta, Elias Hankash and Simon Abi Ramia, and the Jbeil District Coordinator in the “Free Patriotic Movement,” Sabaa Habib.

A Lebanese Forces Executive Kidnapped in Jbeil Region
This Is Beirut/April 07/2024
Pascal Sleiman, coordinator of the Lebanese Forces in Jbeil, was kidnapped on Sunday in the village of Hakel, Jbeil. According to MTV, Sleiman was on his way from Khrabeh, where he was offering condolences, to his own village, Mayfouk, when the kidnapping occurred. The relevant security services immediately launched an investigation, while calls for restraint were issued by FL officials on the party’s Whatsapp groups. Protest rallies had begun to be organized, in the village of Khrabeh, in Amchit, Jbeil and Mastita. Former MP Fares Souhaid expressed his confidence in the security forces, which he said would soon shed light on the case.

What we know so far about today’s kidnapping of LF senior official Pascal Sleiman
Hanin Ghaddar/X/April 07/2024
Tensions have been on the rise between #LF and #Hezbollah for a while in #Byblos. The LF and other Lebanese are accusing Hezbollah because of previous LH behavior in Byblos. Also this is not the first LF official to be kidnapped. Hasrouni was kidnapped and killed in the south no long time ago.
We don’t know anything yet, except that 2 cars stopped his, kidnapped him and threw his phone off the road (flashbacks to Lukman Slim’s assassination).  He was heard screaming (he was on the phone with someone): “please don’t kil me…” MO is Hezbollah but waiting for more info. Worth mentioning that the road from Byblos to Lasa is Hezbollah’s main routes to the Bekaa and there has always been problems around it. Lasa has been in the news (land problems with Hezbollah) for years. Now LF protestors are blocking the highway, and promising escalation - whatever that means. Things don’t look good.

Rifi: Suleiman’s kidnapping exposes Lebanon to security risks that threaten its stability
National News Agency/Call of the Nation/April 8, 2024  (Google translation from Arabic)
Representative Major General Ashraf Rifi issued the following statement: “Lebanon is going through unprecedented difficult and exceptional circumstances, including the disruption of institutions, the prevention of the election of a President of the Republic, and the complete absence of executive authority with a caretaker government unable to carry out its role as it should. At the same time, Lebanon is threatened by the possibility of... An Israeli war could occur at any moment, with Hezbollah being the sole decision-maker for peace and war, and the complete absence of Lebanese authority. He added: “In this bitter, unfortunate and dangerous reality, the kidnapping of the Lebanese Forces coordinator in the Jbeil region, Pascal Suleiman, under suspicious circumstances, places Lebanon in front of security risks that threaten its stability or what remains of stability. Therefore, we declare our denunciation and condemnation of this suspicious kidnapping, and we stand in solidarity.” With his family, friends, and comrades, and we call on the security services to work quickly to uncover the perpetrators of this heinous crime and return him safely to his family and loved ones, to prevent any confusion or Lebanon being dragged into a state of chaos with undesirable consequences. We also call on them to strike forcefully at the hands of those who committed the crime and put Lebanon in front of the explosion crater. “It is a time when we are in need of calm and striving to revive the work of institutions, rise from the rubble of obstruction and security chaos, and confront the repercussions of the conflicts and regional transformations taking place in the region.”

Free Patriotic Movement/To move quickly to release Suleiman
National News Agency/April 8, 2024   (Google translation from Arabic)
The Jbeil Judicial Authority of the “Free Patriotic Movement” denounced in a statement “the kidnapping to which the Lebanese Forces coordinator in Jbeil, Pascal Suleiman, was subjected while on his way from the town of Al-Kharba to the town of Haqel, and while it wishes him to return to his family, family, and lovers in good health, it calls on the concerned authorities to act quickly.” “And reveal the circumstances of the operation and release Suleiman as soon as possible.”

Israeli military says it has increased its readiness for war in north
JERUSALEM/BEIRUT (Reuters)/ April 07/2024
The Israeli military said on Sunday that it had completed another step in preparing for a possible war along its northern front, where it has been trading fire with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah for six months. In a statement titled "Readiness for the Transition from Defense to Offense," the military said the phase completed centred on logistics "for a broad mobilization of IDF (Israel Defence Forces) troops". "The commanders of the regular and reserve units are prepared to summon and equip all the required soldiers in just a few hours and transport them to the front line for defensive and offensive missions," the military said. Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel across Lebanon's southern border since Oct. 8, a day after the Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that triggered Israel's war in Gaza, and has sent shock waves throughout the Middle East. Earlier, the military said it launched airstrikes on eastern Lebanon and hit Hezbollah infrastructure sites after the Iranian-backed group downed an Israeli drone. Hezbollah said it later fired dozens of Katyusha rockets that hit an air defence base in the occupied Golan Heights, in retaliation for the Israeli raids on eastern Lebanon. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on that account. Two security sources said the latest Israeli attack on Lebanon targeted a training camp belonging to Hezbollah in Janta village near the border with Syria and the town of Safri near Baalbek. There were no reported casualties, the sources said. Israeli shelling has killed around 270 Hezbollah fighters and around 50 civilians, security sources say, and displaced some 90,000 people in southern Lebanon. Around 60,000 Israelis have been uprooted from the country's northern border area, and 18 people - civilians and soldiers - have been killed on the Israeli side of the border, according to Israeli tallies. The U.S. and other countries have sought a diplomatic resolution to the worst fighting between Israel and Hezbollah since their 2006 war. Hezbollah said it would not halt fire before a ceasefire is implemented in Gaza.

Tension escalates on southern Lebanese front as Israeli attacks target new area
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/April 07, 2024
BEIRUT: Tensions escalated on Sunday on the southern Lebanese front as hostilities between the Iran-backed Hezbollah and the Israeli army intensified. There was a continuous bombardment, and the Israeli side targeted a new area in southern Lebanon, some 20 km away from the border. Israeli aircraft conducted an airstrike on the outskirts of Jannata town on Sunday afternoon, destroying a house in the raid. The Israeli army also carried out an airstrike on a house in the town of Tura in the Tyre district. Israeli artillery fired powerful shells toward the area near the Litani River in Al-Khardali. The Khardali road was temporarily closed by Lebanese security forces to ensure public safety, but later reopened. Hezbollah targeted a “new Israeli army artillery position near the Al-Manara site using artillery shells.”It launched Katyusha rockets at the air-and-missile defense command headquarters at Kila Barracks, and the missile and artillery base in Yoav in retaliation for Israel’s attacks on the Bekaa region. The military escalation came hours after Israeli aircraft targeted the town of Al-Safari in the Baalbek district and the outskirts of the village of Janta in the heights of the eastern Lebanon mountain range, close to the Lebanese-Syrian border. According to Reuters, a Lebanese source said the Israeli attack had targeted a Hezbollah training camp in Janta, although a Lebanese media source said the raid was on an empty warehouse. Hezbollah sources said the group had already evacuated centers and areas believed to be Israeli targets in the Bekaa. Israel’s targeting of Baalbek establishes a pattern of expanding Israeli targets beyond southern Lebanon to its borders with Syria, according to a source. Al Jazeera reported that 30 rockets were launched from southern Lebanon toward the occupied territories in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, triggering alarm sirens and the Israeli Iron Dome defense system. However, Hezbollah did not release any statement claiming responsibility for the operation. Avichay Adraee, the spokesperson of the Israeli army, confirmed that the Israeli military had conducted raids on three Hezbollah air defense sites in Baalbek. An Israeli drone was downed in Lebanese airspace on Saturday night and, in response, Israeli aircraft targeted three military facilities belonging to Hezbollah in Baalbek. Hezbollah then reported it had forced down a drone by launching a surface-to-air missile on Saturday night. “The most sophisticated Hermes 900 spy drone was forced down within the eastern airspace of southern Lebanon,” said Hezbollah, adding that it was being used for reconnaissance purposes. It was reported that all other Israeli spy drones disappeared from southern Lebanon skies following the incident.

Israeli Strikes Target Eastern Lebanon
Asharq Al Awsat//April 07/2024
Israeli strikes targeted eastern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has a strong presence, at dawn on Sunday, a source close to the Iran-backed group said, but no casualties were reported. "Israeli strikes targeted two areas in the Bekaa Valley, Janta and Sifri," the source told AFP in the Baalbek region in Lebanon's east, AFP reported. Janta is an arid, mountainous region close to the border with Syria, while Sifri is in the centre of the Bekaa Valley. A source in Lebanon's Civil Defense Department said there were no casualties from the strikes. Israel and 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 the war in Gaza. Hezbollah targets Israeli positions close to the border, while Israel retaliates with raids that go deeper and deeper into Lebanese territory and carries out strikes against the Shiite Islamist group's officials. The latest strikes in eastern Lebanon came after Hezbollah announced on Saturday evening it had shot down an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over Lebanese territory. The Israeli military confirmed that "a drone operating in Lebanese airspace was shot down" by what it said was a surface-to-air missile and had fallen in Lebanese territory. Israel launched similar strikes against Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa Valley in February after the group said it had shot down a similar type of Israeli drone. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Friday that his movement had not yet used its "main" weapons and reiterated that Hezbollah would cease its attacks only when the war in Gaza ends. 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.

Tensions Rise Again in Southern Lebanon on Sunday
This is Beirut/April 07/2024
Tensions escalated in southern Lebanon on Sunday morning when Hezbollah bombarded Israeli positions in the Golan Heights and northern Israel, “targeting the Kileh air defense headquarters and the Yoav missile and artillery base with dozens of Katyusha rockets,” according to a Hezb statement. The rockets were launched in response to strikes by Israeli military aircraft on Saturday evening in Baalbeck, in eastern Lebanon. In the early afternoon, alarm sirens sounded in the settlements of Menara and Margaliot in Galilee. Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for an attack on Menara. For its part, the Israeli Army opened fire on Labbouneh, Al-Alam, Wadi Barghiz, and Srayra in the Jezzine region, as well as Hula and the Khardali road between Marjayoun and Nabatieh, where three shells fell. The Lebanese Army temporarily closed the road to clear it and ensure the safety of civilians. Later in the afternoon, Israeli airplanes carried out a raid on Jannata, in southern Lebanon, at a distance of 20km from the border, for the first time since the start of the hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. Additionally, a drone strike occurred in Wadi al-Dalafa in Hula, and warplanes carried out an airstrike in the vicinity of Maaroub. Israeli artillery also targeted the banks of the Litani River in the Khardali region with 175mm shells, as well as Hula and Deir Mimas. A house in the Toura locality between Deir Qanoun and Jennata, Tyre district, was damaged, and ambulances rushed to the scene.

Israel bombs 'Hezbollah sites' in Baalbek region in response to drone downing
Agence France Presse/April 07/2024
Israel's military said Sunday its warplanes had struck Hezbollah sites in eastern Lebanon, where the Iran-backed group has a strong presence, in retaliation for one of its drones being downed. A source close to Hezbollah told an AFP correspondent in eastern Lebanon's Baalbek region that the strikes targeted Janta and Sifri in the Bekaa Valley. The Israeli military said on Telegram that "fighter jets struck a military complex and three other terrorist infrastructure sites belonging to Hezbollah's air defense network" in the region. It said the strikes were "in retaliation for the attack" in which an Israeli army "drone was shot down" by a surface-to-air missile on Saturday. Sifri is in the Bekaa Valley plain, while nearby Janta is an arid mountainous region closer to the border with Syria. A source from Lebanon's civil defense said there were no casualties. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged near-daily cross-border fire since Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, triggering war in Gaza. Hamas ally Hezbollah generally targets Israeli positions close to the border, while Israel has carried out deeper raids into Lebanese territory, also targeting commanders from Hezbollah. Hezbollah announced it had shot down an Israeli Hermes 900 drone over Lebanese territory on Saturday evening, after initially identifying it as a Hermes 450. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said the target of the Israeli strikes in Sifri was a "hangar."Israel launched similar strikes against Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa Valley in February after the group said it had shot down another Israeli drone. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Friday that his group had not yet used its "main" weapons, and reiterated that Hezbollah would cease its attacks only when the war in Gaza ends.
The cross-border hostilities have killed at least 359 people in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters, but also at least 70 civilians, according to an AFP tally. The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people in southern Lebanon and in northern Israel, where the Israeli military says 10 soldiers and eight civilians have been killed. On Saturday the Risala Scout association, which is affiliated with the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement and operates emergency teams in south Lebanon, said a rescuer had died. An official from the group told AFP he had been wounded days earlier in south Lebanon. Separately, the NNA reported that a woman wounded previously in an Israeli drone strike in the border village of Yarin had also died of her wounds. The hostilities have raised fears of all-out conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which last went to war in 2006.

GPS spoofing: Israel's tactics and Lebanon's defense dilemma
LBCI/April 07/2024
The disruption of Google Maps is not limited to location services alone but extends to telephones and other devices as well. This confusion stems from the interference Israel initiated since the beginning of the Gaza war, followed by confrontations in southern Lebanon. Recently, we have begun witnessing its effects on our daily lives. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the Israeli forces have been using GPS spoofing, which interferes with Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, such as those found in smartphones. This manipulation falsifies the device's actual location, aiming to alter the trajectory of GPS-guided weapons like drones. While Israel relies on alternative systems for its military operations, can Lebanon confront an expanded war? With Israel's ability to disable and depend on alternative systems for GPS, Lebanon, already besieged by problems across all sectors, including communications, must protect itself from any escalation that could further devastate the country./
Malo Pinatel/This is Beirut/April 07/2024
The Israeli decision to withdraw its forces from Khan Younes on Sunday raises questions, especially in light of recent American pressures. Is it a prelude to a lasting ceasefire or a mere delay before a powerful comeback towards Rafah? The Israeli military announced on Sunday the near-complete withdrawal of its forces from southern Gaza. This significant move is driven by a complex interplay of political factors, likely compelling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act accordingly. So far, Netanyahu has been advocating for a hardline policy, which was expected to culminate in a full-scale offensive on Rafah. He notably stated on March 27th that Israel had “no other option” but to step into Rafah, as “the very existence of the country is at stake.” He argued that an offensive against this southern Gaza city was crucial to “eliminate Hamas,” with which Israel has been at war since October 7, 2023.
American Turnaround
The main factor believed to have played a role in this withdrawal is the shift in the stance of the US administration towards Netanyahu. Faced with the extensive damage caused by the Israeli military in the enclave, especially the heavy human toll compounded by the deaths of humanitarian workers from the US-based NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK), President Joe Biden is no longer withholding his frustration with the Israeli Prime Minister’s approach. However, the Israeli military has denied this hypothesis, arguing that the decision to withdraw stems from the depletion of all intelligence and combat operations in the region. According to CNN, during their latest phone call on Thursday, April 4, Joe Biden reportedly issued serious warnings to Benjamin Netanyahu, threatening substantial consequences if the Israeli Prime Minister did not change his Gaza policy. One of the key warnings from Biden was the possibility of suspending American military aid to Israel. This potential decision would, furthermore, echo the United Nations Human Rights Council’s resolution on Friday, which called for a halt to all arms sales to Israel. In fact, Israel has received $124 billion in military aid from Washington ever since it was established. In the years leading up to the war, the annual amount averaged 3.8 billion. Since then, this number has significantly increased, as evidenced by the recent American decision to deliver fighter jets and ammunition to Tel Aviv on March 29th.
Towards a Temporary Ceasefire?
The Israeli decision to pull out could be perceived as a potential prelude to a ceasefire — even a temporary one — in the Palestinian enclave. This move comes as Egypt gears up to host a fresh round of talks aimed at brokering a truce and securing the release of hostages still held by Hamas, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. These negotiations, which are expected to begin in Cairo on Sunday, will be overseen by key figures, including CIA Director Bill Burns, his Israeli counterpart Mossad Chief David Barnea, as well as Egyptian and Qatari officials. On Saturday, Hamas stated that it “will not yield” on its demands for a ceasefire with Israel while also announcing its intention to send a delegation to the upcoming discussions in the Egyptian capital. Earlier on, Biden had urged for an immediate ceasefire in the enclave, aligning with UN Security Council Resolution 2728, adopted on March 25th.
Netanyahu Cornered
Another factor that may have influenced the current Israeli Prime Minister is related to the evolving political situation in Israel, where opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies is growing. In recent days, the national unity initially displayed at the beginning of the conflict is breaking down.
On one hand, anti-Netanyahu protests are increasing both in number and intensity. On the other hand, a growing number of political rivals to the PM, including Benny Gantz, a member of the Israeli war cabinet, are advocating for early elections. Most significantly, the weekend visit of centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid to Washington likely stirred concerns for the Prime Minister. By granting him such credibility, the American administration also hints at its readiness for a post-Netanyahu era, at a time when the Israeli Prime Minister is fighting for his political survival.

Israel launches strikes on eastern Lebanon
Reuters/April 07/2024
Israel launched air strikes on the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon early on Sunday, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters, a few hours after armed group Hezbollah said it had downed an Israeli drone over Lebanon. The sources said that the Israeli attack targeted a training camp belonging to Hezbollah in Janta village, near the border with Syria. One of the strikes was aimed at the town of Safri, near the eastern city of Baalbek, the sources said, adding that no casualties were reported. Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel across Lebanon's southern border since Oct. 8, a day after Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel that has led to escalating regional tensions. The Iran-backed group claimed responsibility for downing an Israeli drone earlier on Saturday. "The drone belonging to the Israeli army, which was shot down by the Islamic resistance fighters over Lebanese territory on the evening of Saturday, April 6, 2024, is of type Hermes 900," Hezbollah said in a statement. The Israeli army's Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said the drone crashed in Lebanese territory after being hit by a surface-to-air missile. The incident is under investigation, he added in a post on X.

Israeli Airstrikes Target Baalbeck
This is Beirut/April 07/2024
Israeli fighter jets launched strikes shortly after midnight on Sunday. They targeted a vacant warehouse in the town of Sefri in the Baalbeck district and strategic positions along the eastern Lebanese mountain range near the outskirts of Janta, close to the Lebanese-Syrian border, without causing human casualties.
Israel announced that the strikes were “in retaliation for the attack in which an Israel Defense Forces drone was shot down” by a surface-to-air missile on Saturday. Hezbollah had previously declared the “interception and downing of an armed drone (Hermes 450) over Lebanese territory,” only to later amend its statement, clarifying that “the Israeli aircraft brought down was a Hermes 900.” Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated in a post on the X platform, “The Defense Forces conducted operations deep within Lebanon in the Baalbeck area tonight, targeting three facilities associated with Hezbollah’s air defense unit.” He elaborated, “Last night, fighter jets executed strikes against a military compound and three additional facilities linked to the Hezbollah air defense unit in the Baalbeck region, as retaliation for the downing of an Air Force drone operating in Lebanese airspace the previous day.” In subsequent events in the South, the Israeli military initiated heavy machine-gun fire on Sunday morning towards Jabal al-Labounneh and al-Alam mountains in the western sector from their positions at al-Labouna. On Saturday night, the Israeli military deployed flares over the villages in the western and central sectors, extending to the outskirts of the towns of al-Mansouri, Majdal Zoun and al-Shaitieh. The ongoing cross-border confrontations culminated in the deaths of at least 349 individuals in Lebanon, predominantly Hezbollah combatants, and including at least 68 civilians, as per an AFP compilation.

Israeli airstrike hits residence in Toura, NNA reports
LBCI/April 07/2024
The National News Agency reported on Sunday that an Israeli airstrike hit a residence in the valley of Toura town within the Tyre district. Subsequently, ambulances have been dispatched to the location.

Health Ministry's medical care head to LBCI: If hospitals targeted as in Gaza, we will face a crisis
LBCI/April 07/2024
Joseph el-Helou, the Director of Medical Care at Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health, denounced the recent attack on Dar Al-Chifae Hospital in Tripoli, emphasizing the sanctity of medical facilities as places of service and not violence. On LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show, el-Helou disclosed details regarding the Ministry's procurement process for medications targeting cancer and chronic diseases. He highlighted that medications priced under $200 fall under a specific tender, while those exceeding this threshold prompt the Ministry to intervene, ensuring availability for all insurance funds through MediTrack. Addressing the rising cancer cases within Lebanon, el-Helou assured medication funds would be secured until the end of 2024, mitigating patients' fears of shortages. Acknowledging Lebanon's collapsing financial situation since 2019, encompassing crises ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to the devastating Beirut port explosion and subsequent events, he underscored the nation's resilient health infrastructure. El-Helou affirmed: "The health capacity in Lebanon is very good so far, and we are in control of the situation, receiving all patients and casualties whether in the south or after transferring them through health entities to Beirut."However, he cautioned against the potential escalation of conflicts leading to hospital targeting, drawing parallels with the situation in Gaza. He emphasized: "If the conflict expands and hospitals are targeted as in Gaza, then we will undoubtedly face a crisis," indicating that "everything is related to the security situation."

Cypriot President in Beirut on Monday to Address Syrian Migrant Issue
This Is Beirut/April 07/2024
The Cypriot Prime Minister, Nikos Christodoulides, is expected to land in Beirut on Monday morning. His official visit will center around finding possible solutions with Lebanese authorities for the incessant flow of displaced Syrians to the island from the Lebanese coast. He will be accompanied by his Minister of Interior and Foreign Affairs, Konstantinos Ioannou. In an interview with the British newspaper ‘The Guardian’, Ioannou said that the arrival of boats carrying Syrian migrants from the Lebanese coast was incessant and that the island’s leaders would discuss in Beirut the possibility of offering further technical assistance to Lebanon to combat the flow of illegal Syrian migrants. Christodoulides, who is also the head of the island’s government, will be received at 9:30 AM in the Governmental Palace for a meeting with Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. On Sunday, he discussed the issue with the President of the European Union (EU), Ursula von der Leyen, in Athens. Nicosia is seeking Brussels’ help in resolving the issue. On Tuesday, the Cypriot President had already called on the European Union to take stricter measures to halt the influx of illegal migrants, the majority of whom are Syrian, from Lebanon. In his interview with The Guardian, Ioannou said that he was convinced that Lebanon should benefit from financial aid from the EU, similar to the aid granted to Egypt (in March, the EU concluded a 7.4-billion-euro pact with Egypt in exchange for a reduction in the flow of refugees to Europe). The Cypriot Minister of Interior also said that the island was increasing its capacity to receive refugees with EU funds but also wanted Brussels to consider declaring parts of Syria safe for repatriation as part of a wider re-evaluation of migration policies. “Refugees are misinformed by smuggling networks and don’t know that Cyprus is not part of the Schengen area (the European area where border controls are abolished). They think that, once here, they’ll be able to take the train to Berlin.”The Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, expressed surprise on Thursday at the start of a diplomatic crisis with Cyprus over this issue, adding that he had asked his Cypriot counterpart to put pressure on the European Union to help Lebanon repatriate illegal migrants. Last week, 15 boats carrying 800 people made the 10-hour journey from Lebanon. Most of the passengers were young men, but there were also 100 unaccompanied children for whom the Cypriot government had to provide guardianship, according to the Cypriot minister. According to The Guardian, more than 2,000 people crossed the sea corridor between Lebanon and Cyprus in the first quarter of 2024, compared with 78 in the same period in 2023, according to figures published by the Cypriot Ministry of Interior.

Cyprus-Lebanon relations tested: Illegal migration crisis experienced in both countries
LBCI/April 07/2024
In recent days, the issue of illegal migration of Syrians through Lebanese shores to Cyprus has once again come to the forefront, raising concerns and impacting the relations between the two countries. With over 350 migrants, mostly Syrians, arriving on the island, the situation has intensified bilateral discussions. To address the crisis, the President of Cyprus is set to lead a ministerial delegation to Beirut on Monday. Governmental sources indicate Lebanon's desire for enhanced relations with Cyprus, highlighting it as a neighboring and friendly state where many Lebanese reside. Given the shared threat they face, both countries find themselves closer to agreement and cooperation than discord. Lebanon's stance was made clear in a series of meetings with Cypriot counterparts: it cannot become a large prison or act as a barrier against Syrians. Most arrested migrants reportedly served in Syria's military with no record of security files in Syria, and their migration is primarily driven by economic factors, considering Lebanon a crossing to Europe and the West. On the Cypriot side, there is a growing conviction that the EU's policy of refusing to repatriate Syrians due to perceived threats from the regime cannot remain unchanged. Nicosia urges the EU to designate safe areas in Syria, allowing for the return of asylum seekers rather than keeping them in neighboring countries. This is what the President of Cyprus referred to before traveling to Lebanon when he announced that, based on his talks in Lebanon and with the President of the European Commission on Sunday, resolutions on Syrian refugees would be implemented. He stated, "The resolutions may not be favorable, but their sole purpose is to protect the interests of Cyprus and the security of its citizens."However, Lebanon has rejected the return of Syrians who departed for Cyprus. He believes that cooperation with Cyprus is required to change the EU's policy and facilitate their repatriation while continuing to receive international aid in their homeland.

Syrian Migrants: Cyprus Appeals to the European Union
This is Beirut/April 07/2024
Cypriot Prime Minister Nikos Christodoulides is scheduled to meet European Union (EU) President Ursula von der Leyen in Athens on Sunday, before his trip to Beirut on Monday. On the agenda: the influx of Syrian migrants from Lebanon. Nicosia wants to seek Brussels’ help in resolving this issue.
On Tuesday, the Cypriot President, who is also Prime Minister, had already called on the European Union to take stricter measures to halt the influx of illegal migrants, the majority of whom are Syrian, from Lebanon. Christodoulides said that Lebanon must not “export” its migration problem.
In an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian on Sunday, the Cypriot Minister of Interior, Constantinos Ioannou, said that he was convinced that Lebanon should benefit from financial aid from the EU, similar to the aid granted to Egypt (in March, the EU concluded a 7.4 billion euro pact with Egypt, in exchange for a reduction in the flow of refugees to Europe). The Cypriot Minister of Interior said that the island was increasing its capacity to receive refugees with EU funds, but also wanted Brussels to consider declaring parts of Syria safe for repatriation, as part of a wider re-evaluation of migration policies. “Refugees are misinformed by smuggling networks and don’t know that Cyprus is not part of the Schengen area (The European area where border controls are abolished) and think that once here, they can take the train to Berlin.”Ioannou added that boat landings showed no sign of abating, and that the island’s leaders would also discuss the possibility of offering further technical assistance to combat the flow of irregular migrants when they visit Lebanon on Monday. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides is expected in Lebanon on Monday at the head of a ministerial delegation including Interior Minister Konstantinos Kombos and Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos. The caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, expressed surprise on Thursday at the start of a diplomatic crisis with Cyprus over this issue, adding that he had asked his Cypriot counterpart to put pressure on the European Union to help Lebanon repatriate illegal migrants. Last week, 15 boats carrying 800 people made the 10-hour journey from Lebanon. Most of the passengers were young men, but there were also 100 unaccompanied children for whom the Cypriot government had to provide guardianship, according to the Cypriot minister. According to The Guardian, more than 2,000 people crossed the sea corridor between Lebanon and Cyprus in the first quarter of 2024, compared with 78 in the same period in 2023, according to figures published by the Cypriot Ministry of Interior.

Beirut Tribute to Women: Beirut International Women Film Festival
Marie-Christine Tayah/This is Beirut/April 07/2024
This April, Beirut International Women Film Festival (BIWFF) embarks on its seventh edition, once again shining a spotlight on women’s unparalleled contributions to the cinematic world. Organized by the Beirut Film Society, the festival serves as a platform for showcasing female-centric narratives and a symbol of change in the industry and society. This momentous event will take place from April 14 to April 19 at Grand Cinemas ABC Dbayeh. The opening ceremony of Beirut International Women Film Festival will take place at Casino du Liban, honoring Egyptian legend, artist, actress and singer Yousra, who will receive the Golden Tanit Award at this 7th edition of the festival. Sam Lahoud, the pioneering founder of the Beirut Film Society, shared insights into the festival’s origins, its mission and its broader impact on society.
Sam Lahoud recounted the festival’s inception and attributed its birth to an idea that was born in 2013 and then bloomed with the production and subsequent success of the film Void (Waynon) which was notably recognized at several international women’s film festivals. “The genesis of the festival traces back to 2013-2014, sparked by our involvement in producing the film Void, written by Georges Khabbaz. With its thematic focus on women, what truly propelled us was the film’s reception at various international women’s film festivals. At that time, we were organizing Beirut shorts as NDU International FIlm Festival.” This early encounter with the global movement for women’s representation in cinema led to the realization of the BWFF.
Delving into the challenges of female representation in media, Lahoud highlighted the significant discrepancies and stereotypes that spurred the creation of the festival. “Our research and discussions unveiled a stark misrepresentation of women on screen, with clichéd narratives often relegating them to roles of victimhood or marginalization.” He pointed out the stark contrast between the high percentage of women graduating from cinema schools and their significantly lower representation in the industry – around 10 to 12%, especially in leadership roles. The festival’s film selection process, as Lahoud described, is a rigorous endeavor aimed at showcasing a diverse and impactful array of narratives. “Annually, we receive between 1,500 to 1,800 film submissions. Our selection process is meticulous, beginning with a pre-selection phase that narrows down to a short list based on thematic relevance, genre and the filmmaker’s gender.” He emphasized the festival’s commitment to transcending stereotypes and fostering a rich diversity of perspectives. “The festival’s backbone comprises Executive Director of Beirut Film Society and Artistic Director of the festival: Doris Saba, Program Director Nicolas Khabbaz, and programmers Maria Abdel Karim and Olga Korotko.”
When asked about the obstacles facing the festival, Sam Lahoud spoke of the challenges posed by Lebanon’s instability and financial constraints. “Lebanon’s unstable environment and financial constraints pose significant challenges.” However, he remains undeterred, driven by a deep belief in cinema’s capacity to effect change. Reflecting on the festival’s potential impact, he shared his vision for the BIWFF as a catalyst for societal transformation. “The festival is not pretentious, but it aims to be a high-level qualitative event that can have great impact on media and society. I definitely believe cinema can make a change. Yet, while immediate change is ambitious, cinema plants seeds of awareness and dialogue that can gradually influence societal norms and perceptions.” Sam Lahoud sees the festival as a means to inspire a new generation of filmmakers and audiences, ultimately aiming to reshape the media landscape and the way women are portrayed in cinema and television.

Alpine Skiing: Lebanon at the 44th “Scara” Event
Makram Haddad/This is Beirut/April 07/2024
Lebanon is participating in the 44th edition of the “Scara” event in Val d’Isère, France. Since its inception in 1981, the “Scara” has been a gathering of future champions, bringing together the best young skiers aged 12 to 16. A Glimpse of the World Cup
Often likened to a Youth World Cup, the “Scara” serves as the premier international competition for U14 and U16 skiers, uniting 1,500 young athletes at the close of each season, alongside the champions of tomorrow. Initially exclusive to male participants, the event saw Luc Alphand triumph in its inaugural edition, clinching victory in both the slalom and super-G disciplines for juniors. Subsequently, it showcased the emergence of prominent figures in contemporary French skiing. From Joël Chenal to Jean-Baptiste Grange, Frédéric Covili, Patrice Bianchi, Antoine Dénériaz, Pierre-Emmanuel Dalcin, Cyprien Richard, Johan Clarey, and more recently Clément Noël, these French athletes have all claimed victory in Val d’Isère on a day in early April. Foreign champions such as Anna Ottosson, Carolina Ruiz Castillo, Anja Pärson, and Janica Kostelic have also left their mark on the event before ascending to success at the global stage. While competition remains at the forefront, the “Scara” has retained its festive spirit for youngsters, with a parade of nations lending it an Olympic ambiance and an unforgettable award ceremony featuring podiums along the main street. The Avaline Event, held at La Daille, has been the backdrop for numerous memorable tales, including the Alphand family saga. Estelle Alphand mirrored her father “Lucho’s” success by claiming victory in both slalom and super-G events in 2008, 27 years after his triumph. Her siblings also left their mark: Nils secured second place in super-G in 2009, while Sam emerged victorious in super-G and slalom in 2013. Reflecting on cherished moments, one recalls the incident involving a minibus in which Ante Kostelic and his children, Ivica and Janica, were resting. Despite the vehicle once breaking down on the ascent to Val d’Isère, the young Croatians, destined for greatness in the “Cirque Blanc,” went on to dominate the competition! Additionally, the slalom and super-G victories of Hugo Geraci and his sister Romane stand out as enduring narratives etched on the slopes in early April.
The Lebanese Delegation
Over the course of four days, more than 1,500 competitors from 100 clubs representing 32 nations, including Lebanon, will vie for victory on the renowned Oreiller-Killy piste (also known as the Piste O.-K.). This red alpine ski run, situated above the hamlet of La Daille, has been a fixture in the Alpine Skiing World Cup since 1966. The Lebanese contingent at this event comprises Salim Kayrouz, Vice President of the Lebanese Ski Federation, along with Walid Daher and Charbel al-Najjar as coaches. The skiers include Pedro Abi Ramia, Labib Akiki, Andrea el-Hayek, Luca Sakkal, and Silvio Mama, while Lea Estephan and Maya Maria Estephan will represent Lebanon in the skiing events of slalom, giant slalom, and super-G.

Wokism: A New Religion (1/4)
Amine Jules Iskandar/This is Beirut/April 07/2024
A new soteriological policy is taking over the Western world. Its origins are academic, albeit unscientific and anti-academic. Blending politics, religion, puritanism and ideology, it echoes the darkest times of witch hunts. In this series of four articles, we will shed light on this new religion that is captivating the Western elites. The topic of gender theory, encompassing issues such as pregnant men and bearded women, is gaining momentum. The notion of the Great Replacement fueled by substantial migrations is somewhat concerning. Europe is experiencing a profound shift away from its traditional identity, while Lebanon is becoming the exact opposite of what it genuinely stands for. Lebanese citizens have become strangers in their own country, one that has morphed into a third-world country. Even more staggering is the phenomenon of Lebanese expatriates returning to their homeland and enrolling their children in Catholic schools to escape the madness of Western education. However, the gender theory is catching up with them, making its way into some Lebanese schools that were forced to rely on subsidies from the French ministry since the 2019 economic collapse and the August 4, 2020 port explosion. Not to mention the requirements of the French baccalaureate, that some Christian schools must prepare their students for, and which sometimes clash with existent family values. What exactly is this disease sweeping over a segment of the intellectual and politically correct elite? What exactly is this doctrine followed by those who have just recently protested against the Good Friday processions, cleverly drawing dishonest parallels with Islamist paramilitary parades? They were seemingly shocked by the fervor of this people which is enduring countless hardships, yet is armed with a steadfast belief in a crucified Christ. One of the so-called pundits was even shocked upon hearing that restaurants close on Good Friday. He is quite unaware of this old and well-established tradition. One that will not be the trigger factor for “reshaping the image of Lebanon,” as he put it.
Etymology
This raging frenzy, storming through the West, originated in American universities, where it earned its legitimacy. Yet, it transcends mere philosophy, bearing all the characteristics of a religion. This craze, this cult, is best known as Wokism. Its followers strongly believe that they are fully aware and cognizant of their reality; one that supersedes all others deemed obsolete. They were previously referred to as SJW (Social Justice Warriors), “Cancel culture,” or, in France during the 1980s, as “politically correct.” However, these labels carried negative undertones. Therefore, the term “Woke” has gained prevalence ever since the 2010s. It originates from the Afro-American term woken, meaning awakened, conscious, cool, informed, as Pierre Valentin explains in The Woke Ideology. Thus, a woke is someone who has awakened and liberated himself from a lethargic world, but is still shackled by medieval beliefs.
Attributes of a Religion
The wokes have established their sacred texts, rituals and symbols. According to Jean-Francois Braunstein, author of The Woke Religion, their sacred texts encompass race theory, decolonization, gender theory, intersectionality, inclusive language and post-colonialism. Braunstein identifies clear rituals, such as the significant act of kneeling to seek forgiveness for all the wrongs attributed to the white race. He also highlights the foot-washing ceremony held in Cary, North Carolina. Some viewed Wokism as an American evolution of the French Theory (1950s-1960s), suggesting that it made its way back to Europe like a boomerang effect. However, French intellectuals are challenging this notion, highlighting the fundamental differences between de-constructivist philosophy and wokist ideology.
Origins
While the former engages in deconstructing heritage with a spirit of evolutionary continuity, the latter firmly rejects Enlightenment thought and any form of rationalism. Unlike French de-constructivists, who persistently challenged all norms, including their thoughts, the woke people embraced the absolute certainty of their ideology. They disengage from the realms of philosophy or culture to adopt methods reminiscent of puritanical Protestant preachers. Far from any form of academicism, we are confronted with a new wave of purification. It’s a whole new puritanical resurgence, similar to the witch hunts of 1692-1693 and the Red Scare (hunt for communists) of the early 1950s. If, as Claude Levi-Strauss famously said, “The scientist is not the one who provides the right answers, but the one who asks the right questions,” then the woke seems to be veering far from the realm of true scholarship. Wokism cannot lay claim to the intellectual legacies of Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida or Gilles Deleuze. It is bound by its convictions, whereas philosophy thrives on perpetual self-examination. Michel Foucault said, “There is always an inner struggle inside of us”. The woke is fully cognizant of the notion of Good, and promotes it at times with condescension, and at others with totalitarianism.
Puritanism
Empowered with their convictions and the legitimacy bestowed upon them by academic platforms, the woke marches forth to battle all the injustices of the world. Unfortunately, this isn’t humanity’s first brush with puritanical awakenings. Protestantism had previously weathered the Great Awakening of the 1730s-1740s, with the English preacher Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, along with his famous “letter to the residents of Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina.” This fervor would reach its peak by the late 1770s, as the American Independence War took a turn against the state-aligned official church of England. A second wave of ideologies emerged between 1790 and 1840. In regards to our examination of Wokism, our focus turns to the Shakers who thrived in the United States between 1830 and 1840. This group believed in the bisexuality of God and the paramount role of women as intermediaries in the afterlife. Furthermore, the Shakers were against marriage, thereby challenging the traditional concept of family. Joseph Bottum was the first to trace the origins of Wokism to Puritan Protestantism. He observed a shift in the understanding of sin, transitioning from an individualized concept in Christianity to one with a collective character. The burden of historical sin falls upon the white race as a whole. Likewise, all heterosexuals must pay for their presumed homophobia. Joseph Bottum notices the permeation of faith into every sphere including politics. Consequently, politics takes on a soteriological dimension. He wrote the following about Wokism’s worshippers, “When how we vote is how our souls are saved.”

The character assassination of Makram Rabah is not acceptable
Nasser HAFEZ/L'Orient Today/April 07/2024
The character assassination of Makram Rabah is not acceptable
On March 17, Makram Rabah, American University of Beirut professor, historian and political activist, was summoned to appear before General Security for remarks he had made on one of many TV appearances. In a program broadcasted a few days earlier by the website Lebanon debate, he sarcastically claimed that the fact that "Israel would take over the Litani" would be preferable to "turning the river into a sewer," pointing clearly to the issue he was talking about: the pollution caused by the millions of cubic meters of sewage that regularly flow into the river.
What followed can only be called character assassination of a man who is harshly critical of the delusions in our local political scene, and outright accusations of being an Israeli agent, an accusation that can be considered as a death sentence to say the least. Obviously, these people, who are comfortable replacing their criticism of his remarks (which they are entitled to) with cheap ad hominem, are devoid of any engagement with his remarks. The amount of hate and ignorance directed at Rabah on Twitter/X was unbelievable and somewhat directed by those that Makram names openly, Hezbollah, with many throwing out mindless accusations (aware of the implications such accusations entail) that perplexed me and many others who have been taught by Rabah. For those who do not know, Makram teaches two courses that are invaluable to Lebanese historical knowledge, starting with the history of Lebanon up until the civil war, and the others, which readers should find interesting, is the history of the US and the Middle East — starting with the Barbary Wars in 1801, up until the Gulf War in 1990. More than 200 years of history are covered by Rabah, who doesn’t shy away from saying things as they are. Rabah rarely holds back from pointing out American meddling in the region, yet people continue to call him a Western pawn. He never shied away from criticizing American foreign policy, such as Amos Hochstein’s meddling in Lebanese politics, but still, the left calls him a Western agent. Students under his guidance have traversed a historical landscape that spans from Lebanon’s own storied past to the broader geopolitical machinations in Iran, Palestine, and Afghanistan. His commitment to uncovering the layers of history is evident in his candid discussions about blatant instances of Western meddling, such as the events leading up to the 1979 Iran revolution. While most mainstream academics applaud the Shah, Makram showed us that the conditions in Pahlavi’s years were cruel, marked by suppression of leftists and comprehensive cooperation with Israel.
Beyond the facade of AIPAC
In an ironic twist, Rabah, now accused of being an agent of influence for pro-Israel groups, once educated his students about the realities and actions of lobbying groups, such as AIPAC and their sway over American politics. The very institution that his detractors allege he represents was scrutinized and studied in his classroom in a scientific and critical manner, but it seems this isn’t enough for them. When the AUB CCS (Cultural Club of the South) comes out and reposts an Al Akhbar article accusing Makram of being an Israeli beneficiary and spy, then do this knowing what this entails implicitly. And when AUB fails to put out a statement about one of their brightest and most influential professors being detained for hours, then you know that AUB is in trouble. What is most disturbing with the case of the CCS is that all of its members in AUB have ready access to Makram and his classes and material, but rather than engage him critically, they choose to publish articles from a newspaper that has consistently shown itself to be a mouthpiece for Hezbollah, through its notably long history of hit-pieces.
Championing unity
Perhaps the most telling aspect of Rabah’s career is his dedication to Lebanese unity. His approach to teaching history is not one of division but of convergence. By illuminating the shared experiences of different Lebanese factions, he fosters a sense of national cohesion over sectarian divide. This is the man whose life's work contradicts the very allegations of treason and betrayal thrown his way. Look no further than his two mentors; Kamal Salibi and Abul Rahim Abu Husayn. These two giants worked tirelessly to bring to light Lebanese history in an effort to save us from a future looking like the reality we are stuck in today. It is clear that the narrative and the accusations being spun by student groups like CCS in Beirut and media outlets like Al Akhbar are not only baseless but also an affront to the very education he has provided — a holistic and critical examination of the region's past and present. Students and faculty of AUB should stand in opposition to reckless accusations and flawed logic, or else fall into the trap of the same illusions that turned Lebanon from a haven of free speech to a jungle ruled by tyrants and murderers.
*Nasser Hafez is a researcher and a graduate of the American University of Beirut (BA, 2023)

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 07-08/2024
Israel to join Cairo talks on Gaza truce and hostage release, Israeli official says
REUTERS/April 07, 2024
JERUSALEM: An Israeli delegation will take part in the latest round of negotiations in Cairo aimed at reaching a truce in the Gaza conflict and a hostage release deal, an Israeli government official said on Sunday. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said on Sunday that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire after six months of war against Hamas in Gaza until the hostages being held in Gaza are released. His comments made at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting came as the new round of truce talks in Egypt were set to begin. Netanyahu said that despite growing international pressure, Israel would not give in to “extreme” demands from Gaza’s Islamist rulers Hamas, which sparked the war on Oct. 7 with its deadly attack on southern Israel.

Security leaks: Suspicions arise over assassination of Iranian commander in Damascus
LBCI/April 07/2024
Who is behind the killing of the commander of the Quds Force, affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), in the Iranian consulate in Damascus? The answer is clear: Israel. But who is responsible for the security leaks that contributed to his assassination? According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, suspicions arise regarding the involvement of elements in Syria in several assassination operations targeting members of the IRGC in the country over the past years. Following the assassination of senior Revolutionary Guard commander Razi Mousavi in Syria last December, a joint intelligence investigation between Tehran and Damascus was initiated to track potential security breaches. However, at a particular stage, Iran opted to conduct an independent investigation in collaboration with Hezbollah due to fears of Syrian intelligence interference in the investigation process. In the end, the investigation yielded a conclusion suggesting that security breaches and leaks leading to assassinations in Syria were under the guise of high-level political and security cover. Nonetheless, according to the Maariv report, it is unlikely that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was aware of such activities. Adding to Tehran's suspicions, as reported by Maariv, is that Hezbollah members targeted on Syrian soil were linked to Syrian security agencies, and they were eliminated through spying on their phones. Contrary to the Israeli narrative, LBCI's sources assert that the Revolutionary Guard investigated the assassination operations, as did the Syrian army. LBCI suggests it is natural for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to enlist Hezbollah's support in Syria without confirming the incident reported by the Israeli newspaper.

War review: Israel grapples with costs and casualties as Cabinet approves Cairo talks
LBCI/April 07/2024
The Israeli War Cabinet's decision to engage in Cairo negotiations came when Israel was entirely preoccupied with summarizing six months of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation amidst data and facts indicating significant failures in this war and a loss of public trust in its leaders. However, 62% of Israelis are dissatisfied with the outcomes of the war, compared to 29% satisfied, with 9% undecided. This situation prompted security and political figures to demand swift, new steps to address the war. Revelations sparked intense Israeli anger amidst an economic crisis and increasing unemployment:
-Fighting in the Strip costs one million dollars weekly, with estimates suggesting that continuing the war for months with expanded combat could raise the cost of war to over $50 billion.
-The use of air power contributes to the escalating expenses, with each hour of Apache helicopter flight costing $4,000, compared to $30,000 for an F-35 aircraft.
-The cost of missile defense systems is also significant, with each Iron Dome missile costing $50,000. In contrast, the Hetz system's interception of three missiles targeting Houthi missiles cost one million dollars.
-Since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation confrontations until today, Israel has been targeted with 9,100 rockets from Gaza, 3,100 rockets from Lebanon, and 30 rockets from Syria, during which defensive systems were deployed.
- In terms of economic cost, Israeli drones targeted around 32,000 objectives in Gaza and approximately 3,300 objectives in Lebanon.
In terms of casualties, according to the army, 604 soldiers have been killed to date.
However, a review of the number of those enlisted in the war indicates approximately 350,000, including groups whose injuries were not included in these figures. Israeli families are pursuing legal battles with the army, refusing to acknowledge the deaths of their sons in fighting. Additionally, there are dozens of soldiers from Arab towns within Israel who serve in the army, not accounted for in the statistics. They were buried quietly with the presence of very few of their family members. The number of wounded soldiers has reached around 4,000, including hundreds with permanent physical disabilities, including loss of sight. As for soldiers requiring psychological treatment, they exceed 12,000. These data and statistics do not encompass all civilian society's economic, health, and psychological aspects. Experts say that when all information emerges, its results will be more dangerous than any expectation for the longest war in Israeli history since its establishment.

Israel prepared to handle any developments with Iran, defence chief says
JERUSALEM (Reuters)/April 7, 2024
Israel's defence minister said on Sunday the country was ready to handle any scenario that may develop with its foe Iran as it stayed on alert for a possible retaliatory attack to the killing of Iranian generals on April 1.Defence Minister Yoav Gallant's office made the statement after he held an "operational situation assessment" with senior military officers. "Upon completing the assessment, Minister Gallant emphasized that the defense establishment has completed preparations for responses in the event of any scenario that may develop vis-à-vis Iran," his office said. Iran has threatened to respond to a suspected Israeli strike in Damascus that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps members, among them a senior commander. Israel has not confirmed it was behind the strike. Though its leaders have said in more general terms that they are operating against Iran, which backs militant groups Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both of which have been in combat with Israel for the past six months. The United States is also on high alert and preparing for a possible attack by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in the region.

Yellen says US-China relationship on 'more stable footing' but more can be done to improve ties
BEIJING (AP)/April 7, 2024
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met Sunday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing and sent a message of mutual cooperation despite the nations’ differences. Yellen came to China with trade practices that put American companies and workers at an unfair competitive disadvantage at the top of her mind. In the ornate Fujian room of the Great Hall of the People building just west of Tiananmen Square, she told Li: “While we have more to do, I believe that, over the past year, we have put our bilateral relationship on more stable footing."“This has not meant ignoring our differences or avoiding tough conversations," she said. "It has meant understanding that we can only make progress if we directly and openly communicate with one another.”Li said media interest in Yellen's visit "shows the high expectation they have ... and also the expectation and hope to grow" the U.S.-China relationship.The meeting comes after the U.S. and China on Saturday agreed to hold “ intensive exchanges ” on more balanced economic growth, according to a U.S. statement issued after Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held extended meetings over two days in the southern city of Guangzhou. They also agreed to start exchanges on combating money laundering. It was not immediately clear when and where the talks would take place. “As the world’s two largest economies, we have a duty to our own countries and to the world to responsibly manage our complex relationship and to cooperate and show leadership on addressing pressing global challenges," Yellen said. Her trip coincides with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's planned visit to meet with China's minister of foreign affairs, Wang Yi, on Monday and Tuesday this week, China’s foreign ministry said on Sunday. China's sharp rise in trade with the Kremlin has increased since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While China does not provide weapons to Russia, the U.S. has expressed concern about China's sale of items to Russia that can have military as well as civilian uses. During a press conference Saturday, Yellen addressed the U.S. relationship with China on the subject of Russia. “We think there’s more to do, but I do see it as an area where we’ve agreed to cooperate and we’ve already seen some meaningful progress,” she said. "They understand how serious an issue this is to us.” Yellen also met Sunday with Beijing Mayor Yin Yong and told him that “local governments play a critical (economic) role, from boosting consumption to addressing overinvestment,” adding that Beijing is particularly important in China. “I believe that to understand China’s economy and its economic future, engagement with local government is essential,” Yellen said. Later Sunday, Yellen met with students and faculty at Peking University.

Israel pulls troops out of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza: army, media
AFP/April 07, 2024
JERUSALEM: Israel on Sunday pulled all its troops out of southern Gaza, including from the city of Khan Yunis, the military and Israeli media said, after months of fierce fighting with Hamas militants left the area devastated. But the military, known as the IDF, said a “significant force” will continue to operate in the rest of the besieged Gaza Strip. “The 98th commando division has concluded its mission in Khan Yunis,” the army said in a statement to AFP. “The division left the Gaza Strip in order to recuperate and prepare for future operations. “A significant force led by the 162nd division and the Nahal brigade continues to operate in the Gaza Strip and will preserve the IDF’s freedom of action and its ability to conduct precise intelligence based operations,” the statement said. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the withdrawal was tactical. An army official told the left-leaning daily that “there’s no need for us to remain in the sector without an [operational] need.”“The 98th division dismantled Hamas’s Khan Yunis brigades and killed thousands of its members. We did everything we could there.”Displaced Palestinians from Khan Yunis may now be able to return to their homes after sheltering in the far southern city of Rafah, Haaretz reported the official as saying. However, the army “will continue to operate there according to the operational needs,” the official told Haaretz. Once densely populated, Khan Yunis has been the scene of fierce fighting for months, with relentless bombardment reducing swathes of the city to rubble. Despite an international outcry, the Israeli government has vowed to carry out a ground offensive in and around neighboring Rafah city where more than 1.5 million Gazans have sought refuge. The war in Gaza was sparked by the Hamas attack on October 7 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. At least 33,175 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory in Israel’s campaign of retaliation, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

In call with Blinken, father of killed aid worker urges tougher U.S. stance on Israel in Gaza
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP)/April 7, 2024
When America's top diplomat called to offer condolences over the killing of his son in the Israeli airstrikes that hit a World Central Kitchen convoy delivering aid in Gaza, John Flickinger knew what he wanted to say. The grieving father told Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the killings by Israel in the Hamas-run territory must end, and that the United States needs to use its power and leverage over its closest Mideast ally to make that happen. Flickinger's 33-year-old son, Jacob Flickinger, a dual U.S. and Canadian citizen, was among the seven humanitarian workers killed in the April 1 drone strikes. “If the United States threatened to suspend aid to Israel, maybe my son would be alive today,” John Flickinger told The Associated Press in describing his 30-minute conversation Saturday with Blinken. Flickinger said Blinken did not pledge any new policy actions but said the Biden administration had sent a strong message to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the relationship between the United States and Israel may change if the Israeli Defense Forces do not show more care for the fate of Gaza's civilians. “I'm hopeful that this is the last straw, that the United States will suspend aid and will take meaningful action to leverage change in the way Israel is conducting this war,” John Flickinger said. Flickinger said Blinken also spoke with his son's partner, Sandy Leclerc, who is left to care for their 1-year-old son, Jasper. In addition to Jacob Flickinger, three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national and a Palestinian were killed in the strikes.
John Flickinger described his son as “larger than life,” a “loving son, a devoted dad and new father and a very loving companion to his life partner.”Jacob Flickinger was remembered as a lover of the outdoors who ran survival training retreats and was involved in mountaineering, rock climbing and other adventure activities. He spent about 11 years serving in the Canadian Armed Forces, including eight months in Afghanistan. The elder Flickinger said his son knew going to Gaza was risky, but he discussed it with family members and volunteered in hopes of helping Palestinians in Gaza that aide groups say face imminent famine. “He died doing what he loved, which was serving and helping others,” said Flickinger, whose own nonprofit, Breakthrough Miami, exposes underrepresented students to academic opportunities and prepares them for college. World Central Kitchen representatives have said they informed the Israeli military of their movements and the presence of their convoy. Israeli officials have called the drone strikes a mistake, and on Friday the military said it dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles. The officers mishandled critical information and violated rules of engagement, the military said. But John Flickinger said that in his view the strike “was a deliberate attempt to intimidate aid workers and to stop the flow of humanitarian aid.” World Central Kitchen has since ceased food deliveries in Gaza, Flickinger noted, and he said it looks like Israel is “using food as a weapon.”The Canadian government has been communicating with the family and is offering financial support to move Leclerc and Jasper from Costa Rica, where the family lives, back to Quebec province to be closer to family, Flickinger said. Flickinger said his son's remains are in Cairo pending the issuance of a death certificate by Palestinian authorities. Once that happens, the family has made arrangements for them to be transported to Quebec.

UK says 'terrible' Israel-Hamas conflict 'must end'
Agence France Presse/April 07/2024
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday said the "terrible" war between Israel and Hamas "must end", six months on from the start of the conflict. "We continue to stand by Israel's right to defeat the threat from Hamas terrorists and defend their security. But the whole of the UK is shocked by the bloodshed," he said in a statement. "This terrible conflict must end. The hostages must be released. The aid –- which we have been straining every sinew to deliver by land, air and sea -– must be flooded in," he added. The bloodiest-ever Gaza war began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack from Gaza by Hamas militants allegedly resulting in the death of 1,170 people in southern Israel according to Israeli figures. Palestinian militants also took around 250 Israeli and foreign hostages, about 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including over 30 that the Israeli army says are dead. "Today marks six months since the terrorist outrage of 7th October –- the most appalling attack in Israel's history, the worst loss of Jewish life since the Second World War," Sunak said. "Six months later, Israeli wounds are still unhealed. Families still mourn and hostages are still held by Hamas."Sunak said the children of Gaza needed a "humanitarian pause immediately, leading to a long-term sustainable ceasefire". "That is the fastest way to get hostages out and aid in, and to stop the fighting and loss of life. "For the good of both Israelis and Palestinians -- who all deserve to live in peace, dignity and security -- that is what we will keep working to achieve," he added. The British government on Friday called for "utmost transparency" and a "wholly independent review" into the killing of seven aid workers in the Gaza Strip. Three of the seven World Central Kitchen staff who died in an Israeli airstrike on Monday evening were British. The deaths have also heaped pressure on the UK government to suspend arms export licences to Israel. According to arms control groups, London has approved more than £487 million ($614 million) of weapons sales to Israel since 2015 in so-called single issue licences. The British government, meanwhile, said a Royal Navy ship would be deployed to help get more aid into Gaza. Alongside the deployment, Britain also announced a £9.7 million ($12.25 million) package for aid deliveries, logistical expertise and equipment support for a humanitarian corridor in the eastern Mediterranean between Cyprus and Gaza. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Britain and its allies needed to “explore all options” including sea and air deliveries to “ease the desperate plight of some of the world’s most vulnerable people” in the territory.

As Israel Withdraws Troops, Netanyahu Holds His Ground
Menahem KAHANA, AFP/This Is Beirut/April 07/2024
Israel has withdrawn its troops from the south of the Gaza Strip, notably from the town of Khan Younes, under pressure from the United States, after months of fighting against Hamas, the army and Israeli media reported on Sunday.  Israel on Sunday pulled all its troops out of southern Gaza, including from the city of Khan Younes, the military and Israeli media said, after months of fierce fighting with Hamas militants left the area devastated. This comes as the United States has increasingly pressured the Israelis to retreat, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was “one step away from victory.”
However, the Israeli military, said a “significant force” will continue to operate in the rest of the besieged Gaza Strip. “The 98th commando division has concluded its mission in Khan Younes,” the army said in a statement to AFP. “The division left the Gaza Strip in order to recuperate and prepare for future operations. “A significant force led by the 162nd division and the Nahal brigade continues to operate in the Gaza Strip and will preserve the IDF’s freedom of action and its ability to conduct precise intelligence-based operations,” the statement said. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said the withdrawal was tactical. An army official told the left-leaning daily that “there’s no need for us to remain in the sector without an [operational] need”. “The 98th division dismantled Hamas’s Khan Younes brigades and killed thousands of its members. We did everything we could there.” Displaced Palestinians from Khan Younes may now be able to return to their homes after sheltering in the far southern city of Rafah, Haaretz reported the official as saying. However, the army “will continue to operate there according to the operational needs,” the official told Haaretz. Netanyahu said Israel was “one step away from victory” in the Gaza war and vowed there would be no truce until Hamas frees all hostages. “We are one step away from victory,” Netanyahu said. “But the price we paid is painful and heartbreaking.” Speaking as truce talks were expected to resume in Cairo with international mediators, he said: “There will be no ceasefire without the return of hostages. It just won’t happen.”He stressed that “Israel is ready for a deal, Israel is not ready to surrender”. “Instead of international pressure being directed at Israel, which only causes Hamas to harden its positions, the pressure of the international community should be directed against Hamas. This will advance the release of the hostages.” Once densely populated, Khan Younes has been the scene of fierce fighting for months, with relentless bombardment reducing swathes of the city to rubble. Despite an international outcry, the Israeli government has vowed to carry out a ground offensive in and around neighboring Rafah city where more than 1.5 million Gazans have sought refuge.

Gaza war enters seventh month as truce negotiators expected in Cairo
Agence France Presse/April 07/2024
The war between Israel and Hamas entered its seventh month on Sunday as U.S. and other negotiators were expected to join the protagonists in Cairo in a renewed push for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. Egypt's Al-Qahera News said CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani would join Egyptian mediators for Sunday's indirect talks between the Israeli and Hamas delegations. Hamas confirmed ahead of the talks that its core demands were a complete ceasefire in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The ceasefire attempt comes after Israel's military made a rare admission of wrongdoing and said it was firing two officers over the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza, where humanitarians say famine is imminent. The admission over the deaths of the workers from U.S.-based World Central Kitchen (WCK) on April 1 did not quell calls for an independent probe. "It's been six months of targeting anything it seems moves," Spanish-American celebrity chef and WCK founder Jose Andres told ABC News. "This really at this point seems it's a war against humanity itself." The deaths of the aid workers led to a tense call between US President Joe Biden and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden urged an "immediate ceasefire" and for the first time hinted at making US support for Israel conditional on curtailing the killing of civilians and improving humanitarian conditions. The bloodiest-ever Gaza war began on October 7 with an unprecedented attack from Gaza by Hamas militants allegedly resulting in the death of 1,170 people according to Israeli figures. Palestinian militants also took around 250 Israeli and foreign hostages, about 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including more than 30 the military says are dead. The Israeli military announced on Sunday another four of its troops had been killed in Gaza, bringing the toll to 260 since the beginning of ground operations in late October. President Isaac Herzog, whose post is largely ceremonial, said Israel was approaching the half-year mark in a "bloody and difficult war" that began with "the cruel terror attack and the horrific massacre".
'Empty shell'
Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 33,137 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. A World Health Organization-led mission finally gained access to Gaza's largest hospital, Al-Shifa, which was reduced to ashes by a two-week Israeli raid. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Gaza City hospital was "now an empty shell with human graves". He said the team had seen "at least five dead bodies during the mission". Biden wrote to the leaders of Egypt and Qatar ahead of Sunday's talks urging them to secure commitments from Hamas to "agree to and abide by a deal", a senior administration official told AFP. Stop-start talks have made no headway since a week-long truce in November saw some hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel. Biden's Thursday call with Netanyahu included discussions on "empowering his negotiators" to reach a deal, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. Washington blames the lack of a deal on Hamas's refusal to release sick and other vulnerable hostages. Qatar has said Israeli objections to the return of displaced Gazans are the main obstacle.
Biden is under pressure over massive US military aid to Israel which Washington so far has not leveraged despite increasingly critical comments about Israel's conduct of the war. Israel's opposition chief Yair Lapid headed to Washington Saturday for talks with top officials, his centrist Yesh Atid party said. Lapid is expected to meet Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, amid deepening frustration with Netanyahu. He will also meet Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who last month called for a snap Israeli election to give voters a chance to get rid of Netanyahu. Ten of thousands of Israelis, including Lapid, protested against Netanyahu in Tel Aviv and other cities Saturday, demanding "elections now".
'Criminal'
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Saturday "this terrible conflict must end".
"We continue to stand by Israel's right to defeat the threat from Hamas terrorists and defend their security. But the whole of the UK is shocked by the bloodshed," he said in a statement. The Israeli military announced it was firing two officers after finding a series of errors led to the drone strikes that killed the WCK workers. It said a commander "mistakenly assumed" Hamas had seized the aid vehicles, which were moving at night. Australia has criticised Israel's response to the deaths of the aid workers, who included Australian Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom, and has said it will appoint a special adviser to work with Israel to ensure "transparency" in its investigation. WCK's Gaza operations remain suspended after the attack, while other global aid groups said relief work in the territory has become almost impossible. Israel announced hours after Biden and Netanyahu spoke that it would allow "temporary" aid deliveries through Ashdod port and the Erez border crossing. U.N. chief Antonio Guterres called for a "paradigm shift" rather than "scattered measures".Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza's Civil Defence agency, told AFP on Saturday that aid reaching Gaza is "absolutely not sufficient" for its 2.4 million people. Around 1.5 million Gazans are sheltering in Rafah in the territory's far south near the border with Egypt. "We are ordinary citizens and human beings," Siham Achur, 50, said in the tent that is now her family's home. "Why did they bomb our house?"

Thousands of Israelis rally for hostages, marking six months of war
JERUSALEM (Reuters)/April 07/2024
Thousands of protesters rallied in Jerusalem on Sunday demanding the release of around 130 hostages still held in Gaza after six months of Israel's war against Hamas. Hamas gunmen burst into Israel on Oct. 7, killed 1,200 people in their homes, on army bases, along roads and at an outdoor rave and inflicting sexual violence on some of their victims, according to a U.N. team of experts. The gunmen also seized 253 hostages, including children and elderly, civilians and soldiers. Around half of them were released as part of a brief truce deal in late November. Talks to secure another ceasefire that would include the release of dozens more of the remaining hostages, resumed in Egypt on Sunday. But some hostage families are wary, with previous rounds of negotiations having gone nowhere and some of the hostages dying in captivity. "Their families and everybody here has had enough. And people need to understand that and the world needs to stand up and get them back," said Michal Nachshon, 39, who made her way from Tel Aviv to the protest outside Israel's parliament. "It's above politics. It's above religion, it's a humanitarian issue and that's what we're here to shout today," she added. While some hostage parents at Sunday's rally called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to bring home the hostages, speakers largely kept messages apolitical, focusing on their pain and the urgent need to get their loved ones home. But over the past few weeks, protests against Netanyahu's government have intensified with some critics charging that the veteran leader has been dragging his feet in securing a deal - an accusation he strongly denies. Netanyahu's cabinet has faced widespread criticism over the security failure of Oct. 7 - Israel's deadliest single day and the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Some rallies demanding an election be held have been organised by protest groups that led the mass demonstrations which rocked Israel in 2023. Successive opinion polls since Oct. 7 have shown Netanyahu would be defeated by centrists.

World Central Kitchen founder questions Israeli investigation into deadly strike
AFP/April 07/2024
World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres raised questions Sunday over the Israeli investigation into a strike that killed seven of his staff in Gaza and warned that the conflict had become a "war against humanity itself." "I want to thank, obviously, the Israeli army for doing such a quick investigation," the head of the US-based charity told ABC's "This Week.""At the same time, I would say with something so complicated, the investigation should be much deeper," he added. "And I would say that the perpetrator cannot investigate himself."The Israeli army has insisted that their killing on Monday of the World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza was a "tragic mistake." Three Britons, a US-Canadian dual national, a Pole, an Australian, and a Palestinian were killed when their convoy, whose route was cleared with the army, was repeatedly struck. In its investigation, the Israeli military said an armed man climbed on the roof of one of the trucks and "started firing his weapon," leading to suspicions that Hamas had hijacked the "convoy."When asked about the Israeli report, Andres questioned the narrative, adding, "This is not anymore about the seven men and women of World Central Kitchen that perished in this unfortunate event."He charged that Israel was targeting anything that "seems" to move and has been doing so "for too long." "This doesn't seem like a war against terror. This doesn't seem anymore like a war about defending Israel," he said. "It really, at this point, seems like a war against humanity itself."

Trump increasingly ambiguous on Israel amid Gaza war
Agence France Presse/April 07/2024
At the start of Israel's war with Hamas in October, Donald Trump loudly presented himself as the key U.S. ally's ultimate champion. But six months and more than 33,000 deaths in Gaza later, the Republican White House hopeful has become increasingly vague on the intensity of that support. The former U.S. president, not usually known for biting his tongue on any given topic, has only halfheartedly commented on the issue in two recent interviews. "I'm not sure that I'm loving the way they're doing it," he told a conservative radio host Thursday about Israel's offensive. And in an exchange with Israeli media, Trump warned that videos "of bombs being dropped into buildings in Gaza" offer "a very bad picture for the world.""Israel is absolutely losing the PR war," the 77-year-old told radio host Hugh Hewitt.
Historic ally
Despite allusions to his concerns, Trump has not explicitly mentioned the humanitarian crisis in Gaza -- where experts warn a famine is looming -- the Palestinian civilian death toll or the seven aid workers killed Monday by an Israeli drone strike. Still, any comment critical of Israel is a major departure for the Republican White House hopeful, and his remarks have garnered notice in Israel and in Washington. Trump has long boasted of having done more for Israel than any other U.S. president. In 2018, his administration reversed decades of U.S. policy and snubbed a major tenet of an eventual two-state solution with the Palestinians by unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, sparking international backlash. By the end of his term, the United States had brokered the so-called Abraham Accords, which would allow Israel to annex a large area of the West Bank, leaving the Palestinians with a tiny portion of their previous territory and a capital in the outskirts of Jerusalem. The Trump administration's push for several Arab countries to recognize Israel successfully kicked any imperative to address the Palestinian issue even further down the road -- at least temporarily.
'Punditry' -
But it's not clear whether the billionaire's shift in tone since the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas' unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, would correlate to any real change in policy, if he were to be elected president again in November. "Nobody's entirely sure what Trump's views are on this," Danielle Pletka, a senior fellow at conservative think tank AEI, told AFP, adding that his recent rhetoric sounds more like it's coming from a "media consultant" than an Oval Office candidate. "That's not presidential, that's not policy -- that's more punditry," she said. For some observers, Trump's non-committal attitude is best explained by the conflict's high electoral stakes in the United States, as he battles President Joe Biden -- who has faced increasing criticism over his handling of the crisis -- for votes. The otherwise outspoken Trump is employing the same strategy of deliberate ambiguity on other flashpoint issues as well, including abortion, aware that staking out an extreme position on either side could cost him dearly at the polls.

Yemen's Houthis say they targeted Western ships
CAIRO (Reuters)/Muhammad Al Gebaly, Hatem Maher and Tala Ramadan/April 7, 2024
Houthi forces in Yemen said on Sunday they had launched rockets and drones at British, U.S. and Israeli ships, the latest in a campaign of attacks on shipping in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war. The Iran-aligned group said it had targeted a British ship and a number of U.S. frigates in the Red Sea, while in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean it had attacked two Israeli vessels heading to Israeli ports. The operations took place during the last 72 hours, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement, without providing further details of the attacks. Britain and the United States have also been launching retaliatory strikes against the Houthis. U.S. forces destroyed a mobile surface-to-air missile system in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen Saturday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. U.S. forces also shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle over the Red Sea, its statement said, adding that a coalition vessel also detected, engaged and destroyed one inbound anti-ship missile. No injuries or damage were reported. Earlier, British security firm Ambrey said it had received information indicating that a vessel was attacked on Sunday in the Gulf of Aden about 102 nautical miles southwest of Mukalla in Yemen. "Vessels in the vicinity were advised to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity," the firm said. It did not say who was responsible for the attack or give further details. Separately, a missile landed near a vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday but there was no damage to the ship or injuries to crew in the incident, 59 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni port of Aden, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said. "The Master of the vessel reports a missile impacted the water in close proximity to the vessel's port quarter," UKMTO said in an advisory note. "No damage to the vessel reported and crew reported safe," it added. It did not say who fired the missile or give further details. It was not immediately clear if the attacks reported by the British agencies were the same as the latest incidents claimed by the Houthis. Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping through the Suez Canal, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa. The United States and Britain have launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 07-08/2024
Rwanda – Thirty Years after the Genocide, April 7, 1994
Alain Destexhe/Gatestone Institute/April 7, 2024
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20549/rwanda-30-years-after-genocide
Many of them had taken refuge in the local church, and others in a plot of land opposite the communal house, where there were several thousand frightened people, thinking that the authorities were going to protect them. Instead, the authorities conveniently decided to kill them on the spot. The soldiers and police, armed with rifles and grenades, and the militiamen with machetes and spiked clubs, surrounded the refugees and began firing into the crowd, throwing grenades and machetes. What is certain is that he killed every day for a month... and that he never ran out of ammunition. How did he feel? "At first it was fear," he tells us, "but then the fear disappeared, there was no joy either, it became a habit to kill. It was a job ordered by the authorities and we did our duty." He took orders and obeyed, like Adolf Eichmann and the other Nazi executioners of the Final Solution. In 1994, Jean-Claude, a Hutu policeman later turned "Tutsi hunter," was 26 years old and one of 14 police officers in the commune of Nyamata, an hour outside Kigali, one of the areas worst affected by the genocide. Four years earlier, the Rwandan Patriotic Front had attacked Rwanda from Uganda. The movement was made up of mainly Tutsis, living in exile since 1959, whom the Rwandan regime had not wanted to let return to the country.
Brainwashing
In 1990, after that attack, Jean-Claude and his colleagues, on the orders of the authorities, began harassing the Tutsis in the commune, arresting them for no reason and beating them up. In 1992, dozens were killed and their homes burnt down.... Until 1994, during meetings, the authorities had kept repeating that the Tutsis were "snakes" and "cockroaches," and that the Rwandan Patriotic Front would, according to their truncated vision of history, "bring back serfdom" (of the Hutus by the Tutsis), a powerful theme in the imagination of the regime.
The Rwandans were fed the message that the Tutsis, all the Tutsis, who had been second-class citizens since 1959, were allies of the exiled group that had attacked them. When Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana's plane was shot down on the evening of April 6, the authorities were quick to spread an accusatory discourse: "Here is the proof that what we told you was true, they killed our President."
"I shoot in the bush like the others"
On the evening of April 10, when soldiers arrived in Rwanda, the police showed them the houses of the Tutsis in order to kill them. Many of them had taken refuge in the local church, and others in a plot of land opposite the communal house, where there were several thousand frightened people, thinking that the authorities were going to protect them. Instead, the authorities conveniently decided to kill them on the spot. The soldiers and police, armed with rifles and grenades, and the militiamen with machetes and spiked clubs, surrounded the refugees and began firing into the crowd, throwing grenades and machetes.
Jean-Claude starts shooting at those closest to him, then, as the defenceless victims fall, towards the center of the crowd. He shoots and shoots and shoots some more. He had ten cartridges for his single-shot rifle and, when he ran out, he was supplied with new ones. The militiamen finish the job with machetes and clubs. It was a veritable carnage, a butchery, a massacre. How many people did he kill? He doesn't know, or refuses to say. He fired into the crowd like the others. What is certain is that he killed every day for a month, first in the center of the village, then later in the forests and marshes, and that he never ran out of ammunition. How did he feel? "At first it was fear," he tells us, "but then the fear disappeared, there was no joy either, it became a habit to kill. It was a job ordered by the authorities and we did our duty." He took orders and obeyed, like Adolf Eichmann and the other Nazi executioners of the Final Solution.... [T]he Hutu killers showed neither guilt nor remorse. Their confessions were mechanical, made in obedience to the new authorities. But deep down, no trace of guilt feelings emerges.
*From the forthcoming book, Rwanda 94 le Carnage: 30 ans après, retour sur place (Rwanda '94, the Carnage: 30 Years After, A Return To the Site)
*Alain Destexhe was Secretary General of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in 1994 during the genocide. He has also published Rwanda and Genocide in the Twentieth Century, New York University Press, 1995

Iran… A Second Cup of Poison?
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/April 7, 2024
In 1988, when Ayatollah Khomeini announced that he had agreed to a ceasefire with Iraq, he likened his decision to "drinking a cup of poison" in a speech broadcast to the Iranian people. Today, Iran finds itself faced with a decision that can only be described as "drinking a cup of poison" once again.
Tehran now has to make a strategic decision. It is the most dangerous decision the regime had to make since the Khomeinist Revolution. Iran must retaliate to the Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus that killed seven IRGC leaders, including the deputy commander of its Quds Force.
At the time of writing, Iran has taken to social media. It has pushed propaganda through the X account of the Supreme Leader himself, as well as through the speech of Hassan Nasrallah, whose party continues to lose men in Lebanon at the hands of Israel.
However, their propaganda is meaningless. Although Tehran has tried to focus the attention on the fact that Israel attacked a diplomatic mission, rather than the liquidation of the IRGC leaders, Iran must address several difficult choices.
There are several hard truths that Iran cannot avoid facing. First, the seven IRGC leaders were killed as a result of precise intelligence, suggesting that the Israelis have infiltrated its ranks in Syria. Here, one cannot overlook the Reuters report that cited a Syrian military intelligence official.
The intelligence official told Reuters that “the area near the embassy included buildings previously used by Israel to monitor and plant devices, and that Israel had intensified efforts to develop human intelligence in recent months.”
This statement is astonishing and leaves observers, as well as Tehran, with several questions. The latter now has to make an important decision: whether or not to respond to the unprecedented Israeli strike against the IRGC in Damascus.
Will the regime retaliate directly from Iran itself, thereby instigating an open-ended conflict with Israel, a clash that Netanyahu seeks for political reasons? Indeed, he dreams of such a war, as it would allow him to transform his image from that of a man who has divided Israel into the "hero" who has restored deterrence. Will Iran take direct action, forcing the United States to radically change its policy towards Tehran and the region, and sparking a costly confrontation that the Iranian regime has sought to avoid, since the Khomeini era, through proxy wars? Or will Tehran respond through its proxies, specifically Hezbollah? Netanyahu wants that to happen. He is impatiently awaiting such an attack, in order to push the party behind the Litani River, and perhaps further, allowing the prime minister to achieve a political victory that would save his political life.
Iran certainly has no easy options. Would, for instance, retaliation through its militias in Iraq suffice? Or would it attack Israeli facilities in areas of no strategic importance, merely to save face?
It is clear that any Iranian retaliation aimed at saving face would effectively affirm that Iran is a paper tiger. It would demonstrate that Israel has indeed restored deterrence and that nothing will deter it from continuing to target Tehran. Accordingly, all of Iran's options are limited, and all of them lead to "drinking the cup of poison" for a second time.

‘Resisting’ Israel from Jordan, Iraq and Yemen
Baria Alamuddin/Arab News/April 07, 2024
For the past six months, Iran and its proxies have toyed with the Gaza war; dialing tensions up and down for their own propaganda ends, while shying away from any significant escalation that could cast them fully into the conflict. Tehran has consistently sought to diminish threats facing it directly by dragging the maximum number of Arab states into the conflict’s front lines, starting with Lebanon and Syria and expanding to Jordan, Iraq, Yemen and beyond.
Matters took a further escalatory turn last week, when Israel unleashed an unprecedented strike on Iran’s Damascus consulate. Among the Revolutionary Guard fatalities was Quds Force commander Mohammed Reza Zahedi, the top official responsible for Iran’s machinations in Syria and Lebanon. Iran’s leaders have raged about retaliating via “our men” in the region. This alludes to the fact that Tehran itself will likely franchise out the risks of retaliation to distant proxies.
Iran gloated that the US got in touch to distance itself from the Damascus attack, dispatching its own written response saying that “the Islamic Republic of Iran warns US leadership not to get dragged in (Benjamin) Netanyahu’s trap for the US: Stay away so you won’t get hurt.”
Iraq’s Kata’ib Hezbollah has announced that it is preparing “to arm the Islamic resistance in Jordan” by donating 12,000 fighters and “tonnes” of weaponry, while threatening to sever land routes between Jordan and Israel. This occurs in the context of soaring tensions inside Jordan, with concerns that militants are exploiting mass pro-Palestinian protests to exert broader control, in a manner akin to the 1970 Black September disturbances.
Hamas leaders like Ismail Haniyeh have been energetically inciting unrest in Jordan, seeking to force Amman’s hand on matters like its peace accord with Israel. Khaled Meshaal urged the “amassed nation” in Jordan to participate in the “Al-Aqsa Flood battle” and “mix Arab blood with Palestinian blood.” There has been widespread Arab outrage at these inflammatory comments, given that any deterioration in Jordan’s stability would be a gift to Israeli extremists, who have long promoted Jordan as an alternative Palestinian homeland, while putting millions of Jordan-based Palestinians in the line of fire. All this is particularly regrettable given that Jordan is one of about nine key regional states that had hitherto remained stable. None of this bodes well for the Palestinian cause, or Arab world stability.
Likewise, Iran’s use of Houthi militias to attack unrelated ships passing through the Red Sea neither helps Palestinians nor inconveniences Israel, while having a massive wider impact on regional stability and trade and throwing Yemen back into open-ended conflict.
In a bellicose Quds Day speech, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah threatened that the Damascus consulate strike marked a “turning point” and resistance forces were “ready” to respond, adding “be certain the Iranian response is inevitably coming.” Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Israel would be “punished.” Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami thundered that: “No act by any enemy against our holy system will go unanswered and the art of the Iranian nation is to break the power of empires.”
Iran’s use of Houthi militias to attack unrelated ships passing through the Red Sea neither helps Palestinians nor inconveniences Israel
Iran has spent years supplying missile technology to its various proxies. If these paramilitaries desired, they could unleash tens of thousands of missiles and drones against hundreds of targets. Hezbollah alone is estimated to possess more than 150,000 missiles, some with a range in excess of 200 miles, along with tens of thousands of troops at its disposal. “We have not employed our main weapons yet, nor have we used our main forces,” Nasrallah latterly warned.
The miniscule American and Israeli death toll from such strikes indicates Tehran’s desire to diminish attacks to irritating pinpricks; allowing posturing paramilitaries to style themselves as the heroic “Islamic resistance,” while refraining from any actions that could have a strategic impact. Indeed, the vast majority of Lebanese and Arab citizens are hugely relieved at the resistance’s failure to live up to its rhetoric — thus avoiding the horrifically ruinous specter of regionalized war.
When the US this February embarked on a serious response to some 170 missile strikes by Iraq-based militias, most of these factions timidly announced an immediate cessation of attacks. These factions calibrate rocket strikes with the objective of poking the bear, without goading him into full-on retaliation.
It is easy to be cynical about the acres of speculation in the Western media in recent days about the possible regional consequences of an Iranian response. Iran’s response will likely be what it has always been after the dozens of occasions in recent years when Revolutionary Guard commanders or nuclear scientists have been assassinated: the bare minimum necessary to save face without bringing the sky down on their heads. Since Oct. 7, Israel has killed at least 18 Quds Force members, including four senior commanders. Hezbollah has named 267 members killed by Israel, along with dozens of Lebanese noncombatants. Many of us recall the hubristic rhetoric of past generations, when zealous Arab forces were mobilized en masse, only to confront humiliating defeat, including the loss of Jerusalem, additional Palestinian territories and the temporary occupation of Sinai. Impressionable youths should think twice about why the agents of Tehran are seeking to stampede Arab nations into fruitless and potentially ruinous wars against Israel and its amassed Western allies.
Hezbollah and Tehran’s predicament over retaliation boils down to fundamental contradictions in the objectives and propaganda of the “resistance axis,” whose fundamental justification for existing and bearing arms is supposedly to confront the “Zionist occupier.”
Despite the grotesque rhetoric and empty stunts, all these factions have achieved since Oct. 7 is to tie themselves in knots over conspicuous reluctance to engage in a straight fight with Israel — offering no material assistance to the people of Gaza while further destabilizing a succession of Arab countries.
This highlights the fact that the primary enemy of these proxy forces has never been Israel, but is actually the legitimate governing authorities in the countries they occupy — with the ultimate goal of turning proud Arab nations into failed states and smoking ruins.
A “resistance” that has no desire to “resist” by definition serves no purpose in existing. If any good is to come of the Gaza catastrophe, it is putting a definitive end to these malign servants to hostile foreign agendas.
• Baria Alamuddin is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in the Middle East and the UK. She is editor of the Media Services Syndicate and has interviewed numerous heads of state.

Economic diversification offers Iraq a path to stability and prosperity
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/April 07, 2024
Beneath the surface of Iraq’s oil-driven economy lies a critical issue: the urgent need to diversify. Relying heavily on the oil and gas sectors exposes the country to the volatile fluctuations of global oil prices and hinders its potential for sustainable growth. Now more than ever, accelerating the pace of economic diversification is not just a choice but a necessity for Iraq’s future prosperity.
The World Bank echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the need for Iraq to break free from its oil dependency and embrace a more diversified economic landscape. Over the past decade, oil revenues have accounted for a staggering 99 percent of exports, 85 percent of the government’s budget and 42 percent of gross domestic product. Such heavy reliance on a single commodity leaves Iraq vulnerable to macroeconomic shocks, straining its fiscal flexibility and inhibiting its ability to weather economic downturns.
To truly realize its economic potential and foster long-term stability, Iraq can take several important steps. First of all, it ought to prioritize industries outside of the oil and gas sectors. By investing in sectors such as agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and technology, Iraq can lay the foundations for a more resilient and inclusive economy. One of the most promising avenues for diversification is agriculture. With its fertile lands, Iraq has the potential to become a regional powerhouse in agricultural production. But this requires the modernization of farming practices, investment in irrigation infrastructure and support for small farmers. This way, Iraq can not only reduce its reliance on food imports but also create a wealth of employment opportunities in rural areas.
The tourism sector presents significant untapped potential for economic growth. Iraq boasts a rich cultural heritage, with historical sites dating back thousands of years. By investing in tourism infrastructure, promoting cultural preservation and enhancing security measures, Iraq can attract a steady influx of tourists from around the globe, generating revenue and creating jobs in hospitality, transport and other related industries. Manufacturing is another area ripe for development in Iraq. By leveraging its skilled workforce and strategic geographic location, Iraq can establish itself as a manufacturing hub for the region. From textiles and garments to electronics and automotive parts, there is immense potential for the country to diversify its exports and capture a larger share of global trade.
In addition, the technology sector holds promise as a driver of innovation and economic growth. By investing in digital infrastructure, promoting entrepreneurship and fostering collaboration with international tech companies, Iraq can position itself at the forefront of the digital revolution, creating high-value jobs and driving productivity gains across the economy.
However, realizing the full potential of economic diversification will require concerted efforts from both the public and private sectors. In other words, the government can implement supportive policies, such as tax incentives for investment, streamlined regulatory processes and investment in education and skills development. Meanwhile, the private sector must seize opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship, leveraging Iraq’s abundant resources and untapped potential. With its fertile lands, Iraq has the potential to become a regional powerhouse in agricultural production.
This also requires enhancing the business environment and promoting entrepreneurship, which will be critical in fostering a culture of innovation and enterprise. By reducing bureaucratic hurdles, improving access to finance and providing support for startups and small businesses, Iraq can unleash the creativity and ingenuity of its people, driving economic growth and job creation across the country.
Furthermore, attracting foreign investments will be crucial in fueling the diversification process. International partnerships can bring in much-needed capital, expertise and technology, accelerating the growth of non-oil sectors and facilitating knowledge transfer. Organizations like the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which Iraq became a member of last month, have already expressed interest in supporting Iraq’s economic diversification efforts, particularly in the banking sector, as part of a broader strategy for holistic economic and private sector growth.
Moreover, Iraq can explore diversification into renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. With ample sunlight throughout the year and vast open spaces, Iraq has the potential to harness solar energy on a large scale. By investing in solar infrastructure and incentivizing the adoption of renewable energy technologies, Baghdad can reduce its carbon footprint, mitigate the impact of climate change and create new opportunities in the green economy.
In addition, investing in education and skills development will be essential to equip the workforce with the capabilities needed for a diversified economy. By expanding access to quality education, vocational training and lifelong learning opportunities, Iraq can empower its people to thrive in emerging industries and adapt to evolving market demands. Ultimately, the benefits of economic diversification extend far beyond reducing the country’s reliance on oil revenues. By creating a more diverse and dynamic economy, Iraq can foster greater resilience to external shocks, reduce unemployment, alleviate poverty and promote social inclusion. Moreover, economic diversification can lay the foundation for a more sustainable and prosperous future for all Iraqis, unlocking new opportunities for growth and prosperity across the nation.
In conclusion, Iraq stands at a critical juncture in its economic development journey. By embracing economic diversification, it can chart a course toward greater stability, prosperity and resilience. Through strategic investments in agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, technology, renewable energy, education and entrepreneurship, Iraq can unlock new avenues for growth, create jobs and build a brighter future for generations to come. With determination and much effort, Iraq can indeed transform its economy and pave the way for a more prosperous tomorrow.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political scientist.
X: @Dr_Rafizadeh

AKP’s local election defeat may change several paradigms in Turkiye
Yasar Yakis/Arab News/April 07, 2024
The local elections held last week in Turkiye may herald the beginning of a new era in the country’s domestic politics.
The Republican People’s Party, known as the CHP, was established more than a century ago, in 1923, and ruled Turkiye as a single party until 1950. After that, it came to power only for brief periods or in coalition with other parties. Last week, however, it won the most provinces and the largest number of votes.
However, the results of last week’s elections look more like a consequence of the mistakes of the ruling party, the Justice and Development Party or AKP, rather than the main opposition party’s success. Beating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party was, of course, a major achievement for the CHP, but one swallow does not make a summer. Turkiye’s domestic politics is constantly moving. We have to see whether the CHP will be able to maintain stability. Erdogan’s ability to come up with creative ideas has to be reckoned with. We will be able to draw more stable conclusions after the next elections.
Several factors may explain the CHP’s success and AKP’s failure. The country’s economic difficulties is one of them. The unequal distribution of income is another. And the rule of law is far from being what it should be.
Erdogan announced during the recent election campaign that he might not run in the national elections in 2028. He may now have an additional reason to bring an end to his political career.
During a post mortem assessment meeting, Erdogan complained about the AKP making wrong choices for mayoral posts and members of the municipal councils. However, he was the top arbitrator for everything done during the elections. Therefore, he cannot blame others. He confessed that everyone has to assume their share of the responsibility. For a change, Erdogan did not blame so-called foreign actors for his party’s failures. The surprise of last week’s elections was the emergence of the New Welfare Party of Fatih Erbakan as the third-largest party with 6 percent of the total votes. Its constituency grew 50 percent from the last general elections. It won elections in one metropolitan city, one province, 38 districts and 19 suburbs. This party is the continuation of the one established by its leader’s late father, Necmettin Erbakan.
Fatih Erbakan aims at an ambitious foreign policy that ranges from sending Turkish troops to Gaza, expelling the Israeli ambassador from Ankara, ending bilateral trade with Israel and closing down two radar stations, one in Incirlik and the other in Kurecik. Such wide-ranging measures would change the paradigms in the Middle East and Turkiye could hardly implement such drastic measures. Beating Erdogan’s AKP was a major achievement for the CHP, but one swallow does not make a summer.
The AKP’s unofficial coalition partner, the Nationalist Movement Party or MHP, saw its vote share reduced to 4.99 percent. With this percentage in a national election, it would not be able to form a group in parliament, so the AKP may be tempted to reassess whether it should carry on its shoulders a right-wing party that does not do it any good. Meral Aksener’s IYI Party has been harshly criticized for all the mistakes she made during last year’s general elections. She said that she would convene the party’s convention to make a final decision on her future. The best option seems to be for her to bring an end to her political career. Her party, together with what remains of the MHP, still constitutes a sharpened segment in Turkiye’s active political life. At present, the right-wing electorate is slightly in disarray, but this group is composed of dedicated people. They are not likely to give up easily. Secular nationalists may gather again under the CHP, at least temporarily. Kurds continue to be a major issue in the southeastern region. In the province of Van, Abdullah Zeydan, the elected mayor, was preparing to assume his post, but the Ministry of Justice intervened five minutes before the closure of the offices. It said that, according to a decision made two years ago, there was a discrepancy that had to be corrected immediately. This was not possible. Fortunately, the Supreme Election Council decided in favor of the Kurdish party. Otherwise, Zeydan, who received 55 percent of the votes, was going to be deprived of his title in favor of the AKP candidate, who had received only 27 percent.
After last week’s election victory, the CHP may now prevail in many decisions adopted in the municipal councils. However, we might expect the central government authorities to block the implementation of some of these decisions.
In the recent past, we have witnessed cases where the central authorities delayed, sometimes for several months, the government’s approval of foreign credits. These funds were negotiated with foreign countries but the central Turkish authorities kept them on their desk for a prolonged period.
The results of these elections will necessarily raise the question of who is going to be No. 1 in the victorious party, the CHP. Ozgur Ozel, the party’s chairman, has not so far claimed that he hopes to become president of the republic. Meanwhile, the metropolitan mayor of Ankara, Mansur Yavas, seems to be happy to remain in his present post. Ekrem Imamoglu, the metropolitan mayor of Istanbul, has given several signals that he is very much interested in becoming president. Erdogan is scheduled to go to the US next month. However, he will now make this trip as leader of a political party that lost the most recent elections in his country. This is an important minus before he visits the US.
• Yasar Yakis is a former foreign minister of Turkiye and founding member of the ruling AK Party.
X: @yakis_yasar