English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For August 25/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
God has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction
First Letter to the Thessalonians 01,01-10./Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of people we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place where your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 24-25/2024
Video/The Maronites History and Liturgy/فيديو: تاريخ وطقوس الموارنة
Israel says it is prepared for any retaliatory attack from Iran or Hezbollah
Hezbollah accused of redirecting civilian fuel for military use in southern Lebanon
Southern Lebanon: A Relatively Calm Day
Adwan Calls for Army Deployment in South Lebanon
Former Aounists Reportedly Working to Form New Political Movement
UN Peacekeepers Caught in South Lebanon Crossfire
A Lebanese State That Mirrors… an Orchestra
Iran Will Fight Until the Last Arab
Fuel Imports: Diverging Dynamics Between the Private and Public Sectors

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 24-25/2024
Israel army says three officers killed in Gaza fighting
Gaza talks resume in Cairo as UN warns of worsening humanitarian conditions
Netanyahu in dispute with Israeli negotiators over ceasefire conditions, source says
Israeli strikes on Syria kill three pro-Iran fighters
Hamas says delegates going to Cairo but won't attend Gaza talks
Dozens killed in strikes in southern Gaza as preparations for cease-fire talks move forward
Israeli evacuation orders cram Palestinians into shrinking 'humanitarian zone' where food is scarce
Hamas weapons maker Taha Abu Nada killed in IAF airstrike
Hamas delegation headed to Cairo, to sit out ceasefire talks
US General Charles Brown makes surprise visit to Middle East, aims to prevent escalation
Millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims head to Iraq's Karbala to mark the death of Imam Hussein
Police officer hurt in suspected arson attack on French synagogue
Turkey and Russia resume joint patrols in northern Syria as Ankara seeks to mend ties with Assad
Zelenskiy touts new 'drone missile', calls Putin sick old man'
UAE mediates exchange of 230 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine
France hunts terror suspect after fire attack on synagogue
Houthi-struck oil tanker could spill ‘million barrels,’ US warns

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on August 24-25/2024
This is Biden's chance to end the war in Gaza. Just threaten to cut off weapons for Israel/Mark Ruffalo/Los Angeles Times/ August 24, 2024
Confronting the Threat of Iran's Regime/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/August 24, 2024
Kamala Harris has put a spring in the Democrats’ step/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/August 24/2024
Central Asia emerges as a priority for Gulf states/Zaid M. Belbagi/Arab News/August 24/2024
Foreign policy makes 2024 US race different from 1968/Andrew Hammond/Arab News/August 24/2024
Egypt’s key role in ending the civil war in Sudan/Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/August 24/2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 24-25/2024
Video/The Maronites History and Liturgy/فيديو: تاريخ وطقوس الموارنة
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/08/133560/
/The Maronites History and Liturgy/Fron Bouna Antonio youtube Channel
This short video gives a glance into the Maronites’ History and Liturgy.
Presented to : The Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas – Angelicum (Roma)
Prepared by : Br Charbel Nasr omm – Br Charbel Souaid omm – Br Ali Chameseddine omm
Narrator : Deacon Charbel Bteich omm

Israel says it is prepared for any retaliatory attack from Iran or Hezbollah
Dana Karni, CNN/August 24, 2024
Israel said Saturday its military was prepared for any possible retaliatory attacks by Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah or Iran for the killings of their senior leaders. The news comes amid claims in the Israeli media that there are situational assessments that Hezbollah could attack soon. Both Hezbollah and Iran have been threatening to retaliate against Israel since a string of figures in Iran-backed militant groups were killed over a span of weeks. Those killings included the death of Hezbollah’s most senior military commander Fu’ad Shukr in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut at the end of July and the assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Asked about the threats of retaliation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters Saturday that the military was prepared for any possible attack by either Hezbollah or Iran. “We take our enemies’ threats seriously and we’ve been ready for a long period. We’re highly prepared both in the offense and defense, but above all, any threat toward the citizens of Israel we identify, we eliminate, and that’s how we’ll continue. Any development that will be, we’ll update the public immediately,” Hagari said. Hagari was then pressed by a reporter from Israel’s state-run Kan 11 television channel, who said there were situational assessments that Hezbollah could attack soon. The IDF spokesperson did not say whether he was familiar with those assessments, nor did he give any indication of when an attack might be expected. “We’ve been, like I said, we’ve been ready, first of all, both in offense and defense, for a long time. We operate to eliminate threats and will continue to do so. With any change or development, we will immediately update the public. Our mission is to defend the citizens of Israel,” Hagari said. A major attack against Israel could risk disrupting the ceasefire talks that US officials have said were at an advanced stage prior to the assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran, which Iran has blamed on Israel. Israel hasn’t confirmed or denied responsibility. There are currently 109 Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, including 36 believed to be dead, according to data from the Israeli government press office. This week, the bodies of six Israeli hostages were retrieved from tunnels in Gaza in an Israeli military operation in the city of Khan Younis. Israel’s war in Gaza was launched after Hamas-led militants attacked the country on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. More than 40,200 people have died in Gaza during the war, according to Palestinian authorities.

Hezbollah attacks east Haifa after children die in Israeli strikes
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/August 24, 2024/
BEIRUT: Hezbollah on Saturday attacked Israeli cities, settlements, and military outposts, including some that were struck for the first time since hostilities erupted more than 10 months ago. The attacks were in response to Israeli army assassinations of Hezbollah members the previous day in strikes that also killed several children. Hezbollah’s first operations targeted the largest residential community in northern Israel, Kiryat Ata, north Haifa — the first time the city has been targeted since the outbreak of hostilities on Oct. 8. Israel’s Channel 12 said that interceptor rockets were launched over Kiryat Ata, while the Israeli army said that it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” launched from Lebanon toward the city.
BACKGROUND
The Israeli military has been trading fire with Hezbollah across Lebanon’s southern border in parallel with the Gaza war, with hostilities ramping up recently amid fears that a full-scale regional war could erupt. Explosions were heard in Tamra and I’billin, east Haifa, in the Lower Galilee, while sirens sounded as an incoming missile warning. “This is the first time Hezbollah has bombed the largest residential community in the north — known as the Krayot in the Zevulun Valley of the Haifa Bay area — with Kiryat Ata as its largest city by population,” Israeli media outlets reported.
No casualties were reported in the attack. Hezbollah said on Saturday afternoon that it struck Israeli soldiers in the Hermon site with an attack drone, and later said it also destroyed surveillance equipment in the Al-Raheb site with a drone strike. Subsequently, Hezbollah announced the death of its member Ibrahim Hassan Fadel, 21, from Tulin, south Lebanon, who “succumbed to his wounds.” Hezbollah also targeted Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Misgav Am outpost. According to its statements, the group carried out “an aerial attack with attack drones on the headquarters of the newly established western Brigade south of the Yaara settlement, targeting the positioning of its officers and soldiers.”Sirens sounded in the Kfar Yuval settlement and the Galilee Panhandle. The Israeli Army Radio said that “several rockets launched from Lebanon toward an army’s position in Shtula, west Galilee, exploded, causing no casualties.” Eight Hezbollah members were killed on Friday after they were pursued by Israeli military drones while riding motorcycles or traveling in vehicles in border regions. Israeli journalist Eddie Cohen wrote on his social media account about an Israeli intention to “prevent Hezbollah members from moving or traveling in vehicles within a 20-km radius of the Israeli border, and that our airplanes will attack any terrorist who violates this directive.”The outskirts of Aitaroun and Maroun Al-Ras in the Bint Jbeil district of Lebanon experienced sporadic artillery shelling from Israeli forces.
Sheikh Mohammed Yazbek, head of Hezbollah’s religious committee, said that Israel was still operating “within the established rules of engagement.”However, he said the group would respond accordingly, if Israel escalated the conflict.
“If they seek a comprehensive war, we are prepared for it.”Yazbek said that “since the July war until today, we have been preparing for an impending confrontation with the enemy, ensuring that we are not caught off guard.”He said: “The support front in southern Lebanon will only cease when the aggression and war against our people in Gaza come to an end, after which we will address each situation as it arises. “No matter how much Netanyahu attempts to present himself as strong and supported by America and the West, such efforts will be futile.”Yazbek said that “the front in southern Lebanon serves to support our people in Gaza, to engage the enemy, and also to protect Lebanon.”He added: “Israel, US, and their warships, aircraft carriers, and destroyers do not intimidate us, as we are confident that we are right.”Referring to the assassination of Hezbollah military leader Fuad Shukr late last month, he said that “revenge is inevitable.”He added: “However, we will determine the appropriate time. We will honor the blood of our martyrs and remember our captives.” Yazbek also said: “The actions taken by Israel through assassinations will not deter the resistance; instead, they will strengthen its resolve. “For over 40 years, America has sought revenge against Fuad Shukr because he caused them pain, just as he caused Israel distress.”

Hezbollah accused of redirecting civilian fuel for military use in southern Lebanon
Jerusalem Post/August 24/2024
Hezbollah is accused of administering a state-within-a-state by using independent and civilian systems, which sits in strong contrast to the weak Lebanese state. Hezbollah may be redirecting fuel from the Lebanese state to Shia villages in the south of the country as part of a charm offensive to shore up support, according to the Alma Research and Education Center on Thursday. Nearly 484,000 liters of fuel was delivered to 72, “distinctly Shiite,” communities in souther Lebanon from April to July of 2024, according to Alma. These communities are reportedly part of a Shiite base which supports the terror group. The fuel was supplied by Hezbollah and through the Al Amana fuel company - which has been accused of being a civilian front for Hezbollah activities in the country. Al Amana has been under US sanction since 2020 for its links with Hezbollah and has been accused of engaging in money laundering.
The Alma report indicated that the Al Amana company is a mechanism for Hezbollah to maintain supportive Shiite bases near Israel’s border. This has, according to the report, been an effective administrative tool to garner support because Hezbollah’s actions act “in contrast to the non-performing Lebanese state systems.”
Hezbollah's strategy: Fostering reliance
Hezbollah’s strategy, according to the report, is therefore to foster the Shiite communities’ reliance - which Alma claimed is why there has been a notable absence of criticism of the terror group despite damages incurred in attacks on and by Israel. In border villages such as Kafr Kala, ‘Adisa, Maroun a-Ras, Yaroun, and ‘Aita a-Shaab, the average fuel supply is 6,500 liters for the four months stated.  However, the aforementioned villages have seen populations flee amid escalating conflict with Israel. Based on this, Alma concluded that some of the 6,500 liters are likely used for Hezbollah’s operations. “The civilian platform enables the military operations,” Alma concluded.

Southern Lebanon: A Relatively Calm Day
This Is Beirut/August 24/2024 
Israeli airstrikes continued to target southern Lebanese villages and towns on Saturday. Hezbollah announced the death of one fighter from the town of Tulin in Southern Lebanon. In the early hours of Saturday, explosions were reported over the towns of Tamra and Iblin in Lower Galilee, northern Israel, coinciding with air raid sirens warning of incoming rockets. Israeli Channel 12 reported that interceptor missiles were launched over Kiryat Ata, east of Haifa in northern Israel. The Israeli military announced that it intercepted a suspicious aerial target fired from Lebanon towards Kiryat Ata. Israeli media noted that this marks the first time Hezbollah has targeted the largest population center in the north, known as the Kiryot in the Zevulun Valley on the shores of Haifa Bay, with Kiryat Ata being one of its largest cities by population.
A Relatively Calm Day
Israeli artillery shelled the outskirts of Aitaroun and Maroun al-Ras in the Bint Jbeil district on Saturday. At around noon, an Israeli drone launched an airstrike, targeting a house in the town of Aita al-Shaab in Bint Jbeil. In the afternoon, there was artillery fire directed at the Hamoul area and the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab. The National News Agency reported that a Hormuz 900 drone flew over Tyre and the surrounding areas of Qadmous, Tura, and Abbasiyah, reaching the northern coast of Tyre, coinciding with funerals of fighters in the town of Tura in the Tyre district. Additionally, the town of Kfar Kila was hit by Israeli mortar fire. In the evening, reports indicated artillery shelling targeting the outskirts of the town of Alma al-Shaab while airstrikes targeted Aita al-Shaab. The Israeli military also carried out a sweep operation using cannons targeting the town of Kfar Kila from the Misgav Am settlement. Hezbollah announced in a series of statements that its fighters targeted reconnaissance equipment at the Raheb site, as well as Israeli soldiers positioned at the Hermon and Misgav Am sites. “Our fighters launched an aerial attack with a diving drone on the newly established Western Brigade headquarters south of the Yiron settlement, targeting the locations of its officers and soldiers. We also targeted an Israeli soldier deployment around the Hadb Yaron site with artillery shells,” Hezbollah stated. The group also reported targeting the Zibdin site in the Shebaa Farms with rocket weapons at 4:40 PM. In addition, Hezbollah targeted an Israeli soldier deployment at the Bayad Bleda site and the Ramtha site in the Kfarchouba hills with rocket weapons. At 5:25 PM, Hezbollah targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers around the Hanita site with artillery shells.

Adwan Calls for Army Deployment in South Lebanon
This Is Beirut/August 24/2024 
George Adwan, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Administration and Justice, called on Lebanon’s outgoing Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, to convene the government and deploy the Lebanese army along the Southern border to prevent further escalation of the ongoing conflict. Adwan emphasized that “this would facilitate the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.”Adwan’s remarks were made during the inauguration ceremony of two new bridges connecting the regions of Aley and Chouf, specifically between the cities of Rachmaya and Amiq. Against the backdrop of the newly built infrastructure, Adwan highlighted the stark contrast between the progress represented by the bridges and the devastation currently facing the country. “In a context where the country is plunged into difficult war conditions, where martyrs and victims fall, where cities are destroyed, and where devastation is widespread, it is necessary that we come together and not give in to what is happening,” Adwan stated. He also stressed the importance of restoring the principles of a functional state. The Lebanese Forces MP lamented that the country is “subject to external decisions” and that “the decision of war and peace does not belong to us.”

Former Aounists Reportedly Working to Form New Political Movement
This Is Beirut/August 24/2024 
A meeting was held last week at the residence of Naim Aoun, the nephew of former President Michel Aoun, and was attended by over 25 political figures interested in public affairs, including former Aounist officials. This meeting is considered the first step in preparing for the launch of a sovereign Lebanese national political front, following earlier contacts made to announce it. At the end of the meeting, participants reportedly divided tasks to visit various Lebanese regions and establish contacts to attract individuals who believe in national principles to join this new movement.
Sources from the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) revealed that Gebran Bassil sensed discontent within the Aounist base following measures he took under the guise of “party discipline.” As a result, he decided to hold meetings with party officials, starting with the Metn region, where he conducted five meetings after being informed of a tendency among some officials to resign. It is worth noting that tensions have been escalating within the FPM, which has been cracking down on dissenters or those not aligned with the party’s “hard line.” MP Alain Aoun was expelled from the party on August 2. On August 7, MP Simon Abi Ramia announced his resignation, while the position of Ibrahim Kanaan, the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance and Budget, remains ambiguous despite his recent attempts to mend rifts within the party.

UN Peacekeepers Caught in South Lebanon Crossfire

This Is Beirut/August 24/2024 
On the deserted border between Lebanon and Israel, Spanish United Nations peacekeepers have for more than 10 months effectively been caught in a war zone. Several Blue Helmets have been wounded in the crossfire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, which has also left dozens of Lebanese civilians dead as a result of the war between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza. “Sometimes we need to shelter because of the shelling… sometimes even inside the bunkers,” said Alvaro Gonzalez Gavalda, a Blue Helmet at Base 964 of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). To reach the base, AFP journalists, escorted in a UNIFIL convoy, passed through virtually deserted villages. Only the occasional grocer or automotive repair shop was still open along the road where fields have been left charred by bombardment. The base, surrounded by barbed wire and protected by heavy stone-filled berms, is not far from the town of Khiam, where dozens of houses have been destroyed or damaged, about five kilometers (three miles) from the border. Over a wall that marks the frontier, the Israeli town of Metula is clearly visible. It has also been emptied of residents, as have other communities on both sides of the boundary.
Keeping watch
From a watchtower, binoculars help the peacekeepers see further, into the Golan Heights annexed by Israel. The area has been a frequent target of Hezbollah fire. Spanish Lieutenant Colonel José Irisarri said their mission, under Security Council Resolution 1701, is to “control the area” and help the Lebanese government and armed forces establish control south of the Litani River, which is around 30 kilometers from the border with Israel. The resolution ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. It called for all armed personnel to pull back north of the Litani, except for Lebanese state security forces and UN peacekeepers. While Hezbollah has not had a visible military presence in the border area since then, the group still holds sway over large parts of the south. When Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israel on October 7, triggering a war, Hezbollah opened what it calls a “support front” a day later, launching rockets and other fire from southern Lebanon against Israeli positions. Israel has hit back with air strikes and artillery fire. “Some of these villages are completely empty. There is no one living there because of the risk and the constant attacks they are suffering,” Irisarri said. The Security Council first established UNIFIL in 1978 after Israel invaded south Lebanon. Its mission was expanded after the 2006 war. Now, with fears of a wider regional war in which Lebanon would be on the front line, the UN’s Under Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said UNIFIL’s role is “more important than ever.”Spain’s contingent of 650 soldiers, based at several positions, are among around 10,000 troops from 49 countries in the mission. “It’s the only liaison channel between the Israeli side and the Lebanese side in all its components, such as Hezbollah,” Lacroix told AFP in early August.
UNIFIL’s mandate expires at the end of August and Lebanon has asked for its renewal. Cross-border violence since the Gaza war started has killed 601 people in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters, but also at least 131 civilians, according to an AFP tally. The Israeli authorities have reported the deaths of at least 23 soldiers and 26 civilians since the fighting began, including in the annexed Golan Heights.

A Lebanese State That Mirrors… an Orchestra
Alain E. Andrea//This Is Beirut/August 24/2024
Lebanon is mired in an increasingly unbearable chaos, partly due to the persistent neglect of music education. Yet, music could offer a clear path to peace and, above all, harmony. One person insists, “We need to restore our ties with the West,” in desperation, while another insists, “We must turn to the East,” pointing a finger. For patriots, Lebanon’s salvation inevitably lies in adopting strict neutrality; for extremists, the (alleged) strength of the country lies in its involvement in every possible and imaginable conflict. Nationalists see Lebanon as a message-bearing country to defend, while obscurantists view it merely as a historical mistake, worthy of being sacrificed on the altar of others’ interests. In the land of the Cedars, there are thus the opposing camps. All are Lebanese, yet each lives within their own tribe. They alternately hurl lessons of morality, principles and patriotism, never listening to dissenting voices. No truce. No respite. The cacophony is relentless, and the chaos is now unbearable. This is the harsh reality that accurately describes Lebanon. As surprising as it may seem, this dissonance appears to stem from the persistent neglect of music education in Lebanon.
Music and peace
He who sows music reaps peace. This has been reiterated on numerous occasions, yet it remains pertinent to emphasize in a nation that, regrettably, persists in adopting an ostrich policy and turning a deaf ear. Music provides a non-verbal means of expression that allows for the constructive management of emotions. In societies where music education is valued and integrated from a young age, children learn to express their feelings through music rather than through aggressive or confrontational behaviors. This art activates a complex brain network associated with reward and pleasure through the secretion of various neurotransmitters, notably, dopamine, also known as the “pleasure hormone.” By promoting music as a fundamental tool for expression and emotional management, we can hope to foster a culture of understanding and peace, countering dynamics of confrontation and division.
Cultural diversity
Music is also a powerful vehicle for promoting cultural diversity. By encouraging the study and practice of music from various traditions, societies foster better intercultural understanding. This process not only enriches individuals and communities but also plays a crucial role in reducing prejudice and misunderstanding. And which country could better embody this diversity than Lebanon? This small land actually has four non-commercial musical heritages: Lebanese traditional popular monodic modal music, Levantine traditional artistic monodic modal music, music related to Western classical traditions, and Lebanese music resulting from fusions with world music (including Jazz), without being commercially categorized. Through music, people are led to discover and appreciate different cultures. This openness fosters empathy, helping to ease tensions and build more respectful and cooperative relationships.
Sense of belonging
Collective musical practices, such as choirs, orchestras or chamber music ensembles, require close cooperation among musicians. Working together to achieve a common musical goal helps develop skills in collaboration, mutual listening and adaptation. These qualities are also relevant in other areas of social life, contributing to more respectful and harmonious interactions. Furthermore, collective engagement in artistic creation strengthens the sense of belonging and solidarity among participants. In an orchestra, there is neither majority nor minority, neither strong nor weak, neither preeminence nor subordination; each member contributes to the service of collective harmony. Maurice Ravel’s Boléro is a particularly illustrative example. A single melody unfolds repetitively throughout the work. From the beginning, some instruments establish simple and recurring patterns, while others introduce nuances and variations throughout the piece. The result is a harmonious and coherent accumulation where each instrument, though playing at different levels, contributes to the final texture. This cooperative model should serve as an example for a more balanced and equitable approach to political and social decision-making, promoting a more inclusive and attentive approach to common needs.

Iran Will Fight Until the Last Arab
Marc Saikali/This Is Beirut/August 24/2024
Tehran’s brief statement reads: “Israel may be waiting a long time for Iran’s counteraction.” The regime’s staunch supporters see this as a shrewd strategic move to fray Israeli nerves, which they believe are consumed with worry. Yet, the more skeptical consider that Iran might delegate response to its proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, among others, revealing the pragmatic approach adopted by Iranians. In reality, risking its own infrastructure and economy is not even an option for Iran. But as for others, they’re expected to die as martyrs for the cause, and dying any other way is unacceptable. The Maronite patriarch learned this the hard way when he voiced his concern for the 110,000 refugees from southern Lebanon, only to be swiftly rebuked that “the refugees are heroes fighting for Jerusalem.” That being said, the matter was closed.
It’s noteworthy that the highest Christian authority in the Near East is continuously under attack. Meanwhile, Lebanese Christians, the last remaining in the region, are mired in self-destructive internal divisions and the personal ambitions of some of their leaders. In essence, both Lebanese and Palestinians are left as mere cannon fodder. The Persians have always had an often-ambiguous relationship with the Arabs they once ruled for a long time. Meanwhile, the war shows no signs of ending soon. With Joe Biden’s administration winding down, there’s little interest in crediting him with any regional peace efforts. The focus is now shifting to the next leader of the US — Trump or Harris. The conflict is expected to alternate between high and low intensity until the investiture of the new US president in January 2025. In the meantime, populations are kindly requested to adapt to the tempo of the conflict, which may potentially extend to the West Bank. The assassination of Khalil al-Maqdah, a Fatah official in Lebanon, conveys a dual warning. To the Palestinians in Lebanon’s camps: “Stay quiet, otherwise…” To the Palestinian Authority: “Control Hamas and other organizations in the West Bank, or face Gaza’s fate.”
Mahmoud Abbas, who aspired to visit Gaza, has shelved the idea, realizing it would yield no tangible outcomes. Meanwhile, the Iranians are tallying their gains while pretending to be the spearheads of the “resistance.” At some point, someone needs to dare tell the Iranians: Gentlemen, do make the first move…

Fuel Imports: Diverging Dynamics Between the Private and Public Sectors
Christiane Tager/This Is Beirut/August 24/2024
How is the private sector able to import fuel while the Ministry of Energy struggles to pay for diesel to run the country’s power plants? Here’s why. The private sector is able to import fuel under the watchful eye of the Ministry of Energy, which sets and monitors prices, while the ministry struggles to afford diesel to keep the country’s power plants running. Maroun Chammas, president of the Association of Petroleum Importing Companies, told This is Beirut that the two sectors operate very differently: the public sector has its own mechanisms, while the private sector, which imports fuel for private use, follows a different approach. “We don’t operate in the same way,” he said. Indeed, the private and public sectors show deep differences in managing essential resources. The public sector, responsible for supplying fuel to power plants, operates with mechanisms that are often faulty and inefficient. “The problem lies with the state’s decision-making power,” Chammas says, pointing to ineffective subsidy policies. He notes that Électricité du Liban (EDL) hasn’t issued invoices for over a year, since June 2023, because the Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL) has not set the exchange rate. As a result, EDL has been facing a liquidity shortage.
Chammas also points out the political and bureaucratic conflicts and poor decisions that have impacted the finances of the public electricity provider. In contrast, he explains that the private sector has developed more direct and transparent methods. By dealing directly with oil companies, the private sector pays for fuel without intermediaries, while the Ministry of Energy oversees price regulation. “That’s why it works,” he says.
Debts of $1.7 billion
The Lebanese government has been struggling to meet its contractual obligations for years due to payment defaults. The issues range from malfunctions in the payment system to delays in opening lines of credit. The outcome is always the same: there’s still no electricity, and the threat of a blackout remains constant.
In short, by October, Lebanon will owe nearly $1.7 billion to Iraq for the fuel it has received over the past three years: $500 million from the first year, $460 million from the second, and $720 million for this year. The total shutdown of the two remaining operational power plants on Saturday, August 17, is due to a fuel shortage. The Deir Ammar plant has been out of service since August 7. However, the Zahrani plant has resumed minimal operations to supply essential facilities with five million liters of diesel from its reserves. Currently, Lebanon’s electricity production relies on the Zahrani and Deir Ammar plants, as the Jiyeh and Zouk plants are undergoing maintenance. Zahrani and Deir Ammar receive monthly diesel deliveries from the Ministry of Energy under an agreement with Iraq signed on July 23, 2021. This agreement, which began in September 2021, provides fuel to Lebanese power plants under favorable terms, with a monthly quota of 100,000 tons. The agreement was renewed in August 2022 and again in May 2023, with Iraq increasing its annual deliveries to 1.5 million tons. However, due to its high sulfur content, Iraqi fuel cannot be used directly in Lebanese power plants. Therefore, Lebanon buys compatible fuel from other suppliers selected through a tender process, and these suppliers receive the Iraqi fuel in exchange.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 23-24/2024
Israel army says three officers killed in Gaza fighting
AFP/August 24, 2024
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military announced on Saturday the deaths of three reserve officers killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip the previous day. The officers, two major generals and a lieutenant colonel, were killed in central Gaza, the military said. Two were killed in a bomb blast, while the third died in a gunbattle when militants opened fire on a group of soldiers, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing. In recent weeks, Israeli forces have been engaged in fierce fighting with Palestinian militants in central Gaza, particularly in the Deir el-Balah area. The latest deaths bring the military’s losses in the Gaza campaign to 338 since it launched a ground offensive in the Palestinian territory on October 27. The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Militants also seized 251 people, 105 of whom are still captive in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 40,334 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths. Most of the dead are women and children, according to the UN human rights office.

Gaza talks resume in Cairo as UN warns of worsening humanitarian conditions
Reuters/August 24, 2024
CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Gaza ceasefire and hostage negotiators discussed new compromise proposals in Cairo on Saturday, seeking to bridge gaps between Israel and Hamas as the UN reported worsening humanitarian conditions, with malnutrition soaring and polio discovered. Israeli military strikes in Gaza killed 50 people on Saturday, Palestinian health authorities said. Victims of hostilities over the past 48 hours remain lying on roads where fighting continues or trapped under rubble, the authorities said. A Hamas delegation arrived on Saturday to be nearer at hand to review any proposals that emerge in the main talks between Israel and the mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and the United States, two Egyptian security sources said. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was expected to attend. Months of on-off talks have so far failed to produce a breakthrough to end Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza or free the remaining hostages seized by Hamas in the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war. The Egyptian sources said the new proposals include compromises on outstanding points such as how to secure key areas and the return of people to north Gaza. However there was no sign of any breakthrough on key sticking points, including Israel’s insistence that it must retain control of the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, on the border between Gaza and Egypt. Hamas has accused Israel of going back on things it had previously agreed to in the talks, which Israel denies. The group says the United States is not mediating in good faith. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has locked horns with Israeli ceasefire negotiators over whether Israeli troops must remain all along the border between Gaza and Egypt, a person with knowledge of the talks said.A Palestinian official familiar with mediation efforts said it was too soon to predict the outcome of talks. “Hamas is there to discuss the outcome of the mediators’ talks with the Israeli officials and whether there is enough to suggest a change in the Netanyahu stance about reaching a deal,” the official said.
DISEASE SPREADING
Continuing the war will worsen the plight of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, nearly all of them homeless in tents or shelters among the ruins, with malnutrition rampant and disease spreading, and risk the lives of remaining Israeli hostages.
The Oct. 7 attack killed 1,200 people according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s Gaza campaign has killed more than 40,000 people, Palestinian health authorities say. UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a Friday update that the amount of food aid entering Gaza in July was one of the lowest since October, when Israeli imposed a full siege. OCHA said that in July the number of children with acute malnutrition in northern Gaza was four times higher than in May, while in the more accessible south, where fighting is less severe, the number more than doubled. The World Health Organization said on Friday a 10-month-old baby had been paralyzed with polio, the first such case in the territory in 25 years, raising fears of a wider outbreak given the lack of proper sanitation for people living in ruins. More warfare also risks major new escalations, with Iran still weighing retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its territory last month. Meanwhile, US Air Force General C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began an
unannounced visit
to the Middle East on Saturday to discuss ways to avoid any new escalation in tensions that could spiral into a broader conflict, as the region braces for a threatened Iranian attack against Israel. Fighting between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah since Oct. 7 has ramped up recently, including with Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon and into the Bekaa, and with more Hezbollah rocket fire into northern Israel.

Netanyahu in dispute with Israeli negotiators over ceasefire conditions, source says
Reuters/August 24, 2024
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has locked horns with Israeli ceasefire negotiators over his insistence that Israel will not pull out of the so-called Philadelphi Corridor in the south of the Gaza Strip, a person with knowledge of the talks said. The Philadelphi Corridor, along the border with Egypt, and the Netzarim Corridor cutting across the middle of the Gaza Strip, have been two of the main sticking points in talks backed by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. Netanyahu has repeatedly insisted that Israel will not give up control of the Philadelphi Corridor because it wants to prevent Hamas smuggling weapons and fighters across the border with Egypt. He has also said Israel must maintain checkpoints in the Netzarim Corridor to stop armed Hamas fighters moving from the southern section of the Gaza Strip into the north. The person said Netanyahu had agreed to shift one Philadelphi position by a few hundred metres but would retain overall control of the corridor, despite pressure from members of his own negotiating team for more concessions. "The prime minister insists that this situation will continue, contrary to pressure from certain elements in the negotiating team who are willing to withdraw from there," said the person, who has close knowledge of the negotiations. Israel's Channel 12 television reported this week that Netanyahu had been bitterly critical of the negotiating team, led by David Barnea, the chief of the Mossad intelligence service, for being willing to make too many concessions.More than 10 months after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war, the United States has been pressing Israel for an end to hostilities. Hamas-led gunmen killed some 1,200 people and abducted around 250 hostages on Oct.7, according to Israeli tallies, while Israeli bombardments have laid waste to Gaza and killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the enclave.Netanyahu has been under heavy pressure to reach a deal from families of some of the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza and many have been strongly critical of the failure to reach a deal, joining critics have accused him of hindering a deal for his own political purposes. But with pressure from hardliners in his own cabinet against any concessions, and with opinion polls indicating a pick-up in the disastrous ratings he had at the start of the war, the prime minister has said repeatedly he aims for total victory over Hamas.

Israeli strikes on Syria kill three pro-Iran fighters
Agence France Presse/August 24, 2024
A war monitor said Israeli air strikes on Syria targeting positions of the army and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah killed three Iran-backed fighters on Friday. "Israeli strikes have so far killed three pro-Iranian fighters and wounded about 10 others," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Britain-based war monitor said the strikes targeted "makeshift petrol stations affiliated to Hezbollah in the Homs countryside, and struck weapons depots belonging to the group as well as two Syrian army sites in the Hama countryside." The Syrian defense ministry said the attacks "wounded seven civilians." "At approximately 7:35 pm (1635 GMT), the Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of northern Lebanon, targeting a number of sites in the central region," it said. Since the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in the country, mainly targeting the army and its Iran-backed allies. The raids intensified after Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel sparked war in Gaza, then eased after an April 1 strike blamed on Israel hit the Iranian consular building in Damascus killing two generals of the Revolutionary Guard. Tensions have risen again since the killings of two senior Iran-backed militants last month, which sparked threats of reprisals from Tehran and its allies, who blamed Israel. Israeli authorities rarely comment on individual strikes in Syria, but have repeatedly said they will not allow arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence.

Hamas says delegates going to Cairo but won't attend Gaza talks
Agence France Presse/August 24, 2024
A senior Hamas official said the Palestinian militant group was sending a delegation to Cairo on Saturday but that they would not attend Gaza ceasefire talks in the Egyptian capital. Egypt, Qatar and the United States have for months tried to reach a deal to end more than 10 months of war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. "The delegation will meet with senior Egyptian intelligence officials to be briefed on developments in the ongoing round of Gaza ceasefire talks... but this does not mean it will take part in the negotiations," the Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk publicly on the issue. "Hamas has said from the beginning that it will not participate in this round of negotiations, which began last week in Doha."Hamas' decision to send a delegation to Cairo comes after the United States said progress had been made at the latest round of talks. Previous optimism during months of on-off truce talks has proven unfounded, and this time Israel's insistence on keeping troops on the Egyptian border has emerged as a key sticking point. The Hamas official said the Islamist group insisted that Israel withdraws its forces from across Gaza, including "from the border area with Egypt" -- a zone known as the Philadelphi Corridor. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted on keeping the troops along the corridor between Egypt and Gaza. On Friday, the White House said CIA chief William Burns was among U.S. officials taking part in the discussions in Cairo, joining the heads of Israel's spy agency and security service. "The discussions are taking place in Cairo... in preparation for an enlarged round of negotiations which will begin on Sunday," an Egyptian source close to negotiations told AFP on Friday. "Washington is discussing with mediators' new proposals to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas and for mechanisms to implement" the plan.

Dozens killed in strikes in southern Gaza as preparations for cease-fire talks move forward
Samy Magdy And David Rising/CAIRO (AP)/August 24, 2024
At least three dozen Palestinians were killed in multiple Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip, officials said Saturday, even as preparations moved ahead for high-level cease-fire talks in the Egyptian capital. Among the dead were 11 members of the same family, including two children, when an Israeli airstrike hit their home in the city of Khan Younis early Saturday, according to Nasser Hospital where the bodies and wounded were taken. The hospital received a total of 33 dead who were killed in three separate strikes in and around Khan Younis. The city's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said it had received another three bodies from an early Saturday strike. Seventeen others were killed when a strike hit a road south of Khan Younis, including the passengers on a tuk-tuk and passers-by, Nasser Hospital said. Another strike hit a tuk-tuk east of Khan Younis, killing at least five people.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports but had no immediate comment. First responders also recovered the bodies of 10 people from a residential block west of Khan Younis. The circumstances of their deaths were not immediately clear, the hospital said, but it was an area repeatedly bombed by the Israeli military over the past week. An Associated Press journalist at the hospital counted the bodies and filmed the funeral service in the hospital's courtyard. The war in Gaza broke out Oct. 7 when Hamas and other militants staged a surprise attack on Israel, killing some 1,200 people, primarily civilians. More than 100 hostages were released during a cease-fire last year, but Hamas is still believed to be holding around 110 more, about a third of whom are dead, according to estimates from Israeli authorities. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. It has also caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes.
Experts were meeting Saturday to work through technical issues and pave the way for the high-level talks Sunday on a possible cease-fire mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar. A Hamas delegation arrived Saturday in Cairo to meet with Egyptian and Qatari officials, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawy told the AP. He stressed that Hamas will not take part directly in the Sunday talks, but instead will be briefed by Egypt and Qatar. An Israeli delegation that arrived Thursday included David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad foreign intelligence service, the head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service, and top general Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano.
CIA Director William Burns and Brett McGurk, a senior adviser on the Middle East to President Joe Biden, are leading the U.S. side of negotiations amid major differences between Israel and Hamas over Israel’s insistence that it maintain forces in two strategic corridors in Gaza.
The White House on Friday said the talks had been constructive and that progress had been made, without providing specific details. The U.S. has been pushing a bridging proposal that aims at closing the gaps between Israel and Hamas, as pressure mounts for a cease-fire and fears grow over a wider regional war after the recent targeted killings of leaders of the militant Hamas and Hezbollah groups, both blamed on Israel. Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to stress the urgency of reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal, and discussed developments with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt on Friday. A major impasse has been the Philadelphi corridor alongside Gaza’s border with Egypt and the Netzarim east-west corridor across the territory. Hamas is demanding a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, while Netanyahu has insisted that Israel must retain control of the corridors. Hamas political official Bassem Naim said last week that the working proposal at the time had adopted Netanyahu's demands, including that Israeli forces remain in control of both the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors. Ahead of Sunday's talks, Merdawy said Hamas' position had not changed from accepting an earlier draft that would include the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

Israeli evacuation orders cram Palestinians into shrinking 'humanitarian zone' where food is scarce
Julia Frankel And Wafaa Shurafa/DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP)/Sat, August 24, 2024
Young girls screamed and elbowed each other in a crush of bodies in southern Gaza, trying desperately to reach the front of the food line. Men doled out rice and chicken as fast as they could, platefuls of the nourishment falling to the ground in the tumult. Nearby, boys waited to fill plastic containers with water, standing for hours among tents packed so tightly they nearly touched. Hunger and desperation were palpable Friday in the tent camp along the Deir al-Balah beachfront, after a month of successive evacuation orders that have pressed thousands of Palestinians into the area that the Israeli military calls a “humanitarian zone.”The zone has long been crowded by Palestinians seeking refuge from bombardment, but the situation grows more dire by the day, as waves of evacuees arrive and food and water grow scarce. Over the last month, the Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for southern Gaza at an unprecedented pace. At least 84% of Gaza now falls within the evacuation zone, according to the U.N., which also estimates that 90% of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents have been displaced over the course of the war.
Thirteen evacuation orders have been issued since July 22, according to an Associated Press count, significantly reducing the size of the humanitarian zone declared by Israel at the start of the war while pushing more Palestinians into it than ever before. The increased crowding of evacuees can be seen in satellite photos. “The food that reaches us from the charity is sufficient for the people in our camp,” said Muhammad Al-Qayed, who was displaced from Gaza City and now lives along the beach. “Where do the people who were recently displaced get food from? From where do we provide them?”
Another displaced Palestinian, Adham Hijazi, said: “I have started thinking that if there is no food, I will go and drink seawater to endure it. I am talking seriously. I will drink water and salt.”The military says the evacuations are necessary because Hamas has launched rockets from within the humanitarian zone. In posts on X, the military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, has instructed Palestinians to flee immediately, saying the military will soon operate “with force” against Hamas militants in the area. Yasser Felfel, originally displaced from northern Gaza, has watched his camp swell with waves of evacuees. “There were 32 people in my tent. Now there are almost 50 people, people I don’t know,” he said. “A week ago, there was a lot of food left over. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner. Today, because of the number of people who came here, it is barely enough for lunch.”In August alone, the evacuation orders have been issued roughly every two days and displaced nearly 250,000 people, the U.N. said. “Many people here have been displaced more than 10 times. They’re exhausted and broke," said Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza. A pair of satellite photos taken over the last month shows the impact of the orders. The imagery, obtained from PlanetLabs and reviewed by the AP, shows that tent camps along the coast grew more densely packed from July 19 to Aug. 19. On Aug. 19, tents covered nearly every available sandy patch and were pitched closer to the ocean. Even Palestinians living in the humanitarian zone Israel declared at the start of the war have been forced to move. On July 22, the military ordered the evacuation of most of the eastern edge of the zone, saying that Hamas had launched rockets at Israel. Then on Aug. 16, the military again shrank the zone, calling on Palestinians living in the center to flee. The evacuations come as international mediators struggle to bridge differences between Israel and Hamas over a cease-fire agreement that would stop the fighting in Gaza and exchange scores of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
The war began on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants blew past Israel's border, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 others hostage. Israel's retaliatory offensive has now killed over 40,000 people in Gaza and razed the strip's buildings and infrastructure. Water has been another casualty of the evacuations. The U.N. says the water supply in Deir al-Balah has decreased by at least 70% since the recent wave of evacuations began, as pumps and desalination plants are caught within evacuation zones.
The lack of clean water is causing skin diseases and other outbreaks. The U.N.'s main health agency has confirmed Gaza's first case of polio in a 10-month-old baby in Deir al-Balah who is now paralyzed in the lower left leg. Meanwhile, aid groups say it is only growing more difficult to offer help. U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Thursday that the U.N. World Food Program lost access to its warehouse in central Deir al-Balah because of a recent evacuation order. Standing in the water line Friday, Abu Mohammad observed the scarcity around him and prayed it would end soon. “There is no water, there is no food, there is no money, there is no work, there is nothing,” said Mohammad, who has now been displaced seven times. “We ask God, not the people, for it to end. We no longer have the capacity. Oh world, we no longer have the capacity.”

Hamas weapons maker Taha Abu Nada killed in IAF airstrike
Jerusalem Post/August 24/2024
According to the military, Nada was an operative in Hamas's weapons manufacturing headquarters. An Israel Air Force aircraft struck and eliminated Hamas terrorist Taha Abu Nada, the IDF stated on Saturday. The strike was reportedly conducted based on intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Directorate. According to the military, Nada was an operative in Hamas's Weapons Manufacturing Headquarters and was responsible for the production of both military ordnance and weapons production equipment. Separately, on Friday, the IDF commenced a "targeted operation against terrorist infrastructure" in the Gaza City area and has succeeded in eliminating both Hamas terrorists as well as infrastructure used by the terror organization, the military added. The elimination of Nada follows the June killing of Hamas terrorist Muhammad Salah, who the IDF stated was a significant" terrorist in Hamas's Weapons Manufacturing Headquarters.
Activities in southern Gaza
Additionally, in the Rafah Governate in southern Gaza, in the Tel al-Sultan camp, Israeli troops engaged and killed dozens of Hamas fighters in close-quarters encounters throughout Friday and Saturday morning, the IDF continued. Troops operating in the area reportedly located numerous weapons, mortars, and explosives in the vicinity. The Israeli military also noted that, in the Tel al-Sultan area, it struck several terrorists who were close to troops in the area. Soldiers also reportedly "dismantled" a structure used to store weapons there.

Hamas delegation headed to Cairo, to sit out ceasefire talks
Jerusalem Post/August 24/2024
Talks are expected to continue at an anticipated high-level summit in Cairo on Sunday. A senior Hamas official confirmed to AFP on Saturday that a delegation from the terror organization was headed to Cairo but noted that it would not participate in ceasefire talks. Talks are expected to continue at an anticipated high-level summit in Cairo on Sunday. Referring to the delegation, Izzat al-Rishq, a spokesperson for Hamas, reiterated on Saturday that the group was committed to US President Joe Biden's July 2 proposal. According to al-Rishq, the delegation, which Khalil al-Hayya will head, will arrive in the Egyptian capital in the evening to listen to the results of the negotiations that took place there. "While Hamas confirms its readiness to implement what was agreed upon, it calls for pressure on the occupation to obligate it to implement this and stop obstructing reaching an agreement," al-Rishq said. “The delegation will meet with senior Egyptian intelligence officials to be briefed on developments in the ongoing round of Gaza ceasefire talks… but this does not mean it will take part in the negotiations,” the anonymous Hamas official who spoke to AFP said. “Hamas has said from the beginning that it will not participate in this round of negotiations, which began last week in Doha.”
Israeli, Hamas demands at odds
The official added that Hamas insists Israel completely withdraw from Gaza, including from the Philadelphi Corridor. Israel has categorically rejected this demand numerous times. Despite the diametrically opposed positions of both sides, US National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said on Friday that hostage and ceasefire talks are ongoing. During the Hamas delegation's stay in Cairo, Egypt is expected to hand the Islamist group a new proposal regarding the Philadelphi Corridor, including the Rafah Crossing, which is located there. However, although the White House has expressed that progress has been made in the talks, US and Israeli officials have warned that a deal may be close to failing.
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.

US General Charles Brown makes surprise visit to Middle East, aims to prevent escalation

Reuters/August 24/2024
Brown began his trip in Jordan and said he will also travel to Egypt and Israel in the coming days to hear the perspectives of military leaders. Top US general, Air Force General Charles Brown, began an unannounced visit to the Middle East on Saturday to discuss ways to avoid any new escalation in tensions that could spiral into a broader conflict, as the region braces for a threatened Iranian attack against Israel. Brown, who is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began his trip in Jordan and said he will also travel to Egypt and Israel in the coming days to hear the perspectives of military leaders. His visit comes as the United States is trying to clinch an elusive Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which Brown said would "help bring down the temperature," if achieved. "At the same time, as I talk to my counterparts, what are the things we can do to deter any type of broader escalation and ensure we're taking all the appropriate steps to [avoid]... a broader conflict," Brown told Reuters before landing in Jordan. US President Joe Biden's administration has been seeking to limit the fallout from the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, now in its 11th month. In addition to the ongoing conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the war triggered border clashes between Israel and Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization and sparked attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis terrorist group on Red Sea shipping. Meanwhile, US troops have been attacked by Iran-aligned militia in Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. In recent weeks, the US military has been bolstering its forces in the Middle East to guard against major new attacks by Iran or its allies, sending the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group into the region to replace the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group. The United States has also sent an Air Force F-22 Raptor squadron into the region and deployed a cruise missile submarine. "We brought in additional capability to send a strong message to deter a broader conflict ... but also to protect our forces should they be attacked," Brown said, saying safeguarding American forces was "paramount."
Iranian response
Iran has vowed a severe response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which took place as he visited Tehran in late July, and which it blamed on Israel. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement. Hezbollah has also threatened a response after Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut last month. Iran has not publicly indicated what would be the target of an eventual response to the Haniyeh assassination. Nevertheless, US officials say they are closely monitoring for any signs that Iran will make good on its threats.
"We stay postured, watching the [intelligence] and force movements," Brown said. On Friday, Iran's new Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told his French and British counterparts in telephone conversations that it was his country's right to retaliate, according to the official Islamic Republic-affiliated IRNA news agency. On April 13, two weeks after two Iranian generals were killed in a strike on Tehran's embassy in Syria, Iran unleashed a barrage of hundreds of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles toward Israel, damaging two air bases. Israel, the United States, and other allies managed to destroy almost all of the weapons before they reached their targets. Brown did not speculate about what Iran and its allies might do but said he hoped to discuss different scenarios with his Israeli counterpart. "Particularly, as I engage with my Israeli counterpart, how they might respond, depending on the response that comes from Hezbollah or from Iran," Brown said.

Millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims head to Iraq's Karbala to mark the death of Imam Hussein
Salmon Ameen/KARBALA, Iraq (AP)/August 24, 2024
Millions of Shiite Muslims packed the streets of the Iraqi city of Karbala Saturday on their annual pilgrim to mark the death of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein, who became a symbol of resistance when he refused to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate, leading to his death in battle during the tumultuous first century of Islam’s history. Tahseen Al-Khafaji, head of the Iraqi security media cell, said that more than 3 million pilgrims had entered the country as of Friday, amid tight security measures.This year Arbaeen — Arabic for the number 40 and traditionally observes the end of a mourning period — was shrouded with sadness over the war in Gaza, now in its 11th month, and worries it may expand into a regional conflict with tensions spiking between Israel and Iran after a blast killed the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran last month. Hussein's death exacerbated the schism between Islam’s two main sects, Sunni and Shiite. However, for many Muslims, that division has now taken a back seat to shared anger and grief over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza where more than 40,000 have been killed. Pilgrims usually flock from all around the world to honor Arbaeen on the 20th day of Safar, the second month of the Islamic lunar calendar every year, which culminates at the spot where Hussein and his half-brother Imam Abbas were killed during the Battle of Karbala. Many view it as a reminder of the unity of the Shiite community through centuries of turmoil. “May God never take away this solidarity among us," said Amad Zarepoor, who arrived from Iran. On Saturday, the rhythmic sound of pilgrims pounding their chests and heads as they circled the Imam Hussein Shrine filled the air. One of the busiest points is the Iraq-Iran border crossing of Mandali in Iraq’s northern province of Diyala. Sinan al Shemmeri, a spokesperson for the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of mostly Shiite Iran-allied militias, said the crossing “is not only for Iranian brothers but for various other nationalities, such as Azerbaijan and Pakistan.” Volunteers could be seen lining the nearly 113-kilometer (70-mile) road from Iraq's capital, Baghdad, to Karbala, offering food to weary pilgrims."Everything we offer is to commemorate and serve our Master (Hussein),” said Hussein Ali, a volunteer in Baghdad. Iranian pilgrim Ali Bagheri expressed his happiness with Iraqi hospitality. “I’m again a guest of Iraqis,” he said, "I’m very happy I can walk down this path with Iraqis and we can make a pilgrimage.”Despite the celebration, this year’s Arbaeen was also marred by a bus accident in central Iran on Wednesday that left 28 passengers dead and 23 others injured, 14 critically.

Police officer hurt in suspected arson attack on French synagogue

Joshua Berlinger, CNN/August 24, 2024
French anti-terror authorities are investigating a suspected arson attack on a synagogue Saturday morning that injured a police officer, the latest in a series of attacks in recent months that have unsettled France’s Jews. The incident took place in La Grande-Motte, a southern seaside town not far from Montpellier. Observant Jews typically go to synagogue on Saturday morning to celebrate the Sabbath. French anti-terrorism prosecutors confirmed in an email to CNN that they had taken charge of the investigation. CNN has reached out to local authorities for comment.
Outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on X that a municipal police officer had been hurt in the incident. “Once again, our fellow Jewish citizens have been targeted,” Attal said. “In the face of antisemitism, in the face of violence, we will never be intimidated.”France’s Jewish community – the largest in Europe – has been subject to increasing harassment and violence since the October 7 terror attacks against Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza. Anti-Jewish incidents in the country nearly tripled in the first half of 2024 compared to the prior year, outgoing Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said earlier this month.
Attal said he would be traveling to the synagogue later in the day with Darmanin, who on X that the incident was “clearly criminal” and that “all means are being mobilized to find the perpetrator.”At the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, Darmanin has requested that prefects across France reinforce the already heightened security presence around Jewish institutions across the country, the ministry said. Francois-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of the Herault department where La Grande-Motte is located, said in a statement on Saturday morning that he denounced the incident in “the strongest possible terms” and was en route to the scene.

Turkey and Russia resume joint patrols in northern Syria as Ankara seeks to mend ties with Assad
ISTANBUL (AP)/August 24, 2024
Turkey and Russia have resumed joint military patrols in northern Syria after nearly a year's break, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced Saturday. Combined patrols began in the Operation Peace Spring area, the statement said, referring to a 30-kilometer (19-mile) -deep strip of land on the Syrian side of the Turkey-Syria border between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn. The territory was captured from Kurdish fighters by Turkish and allied Syrian forces in 2019. The renewed Turkish-Russian patrols come as Ankara is trying to repair its relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose regime draws support from Moscow. Assad has said he will only meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria and an end to Ankara’s support for Syrian fighters that Damascus considers terrorists. Turkish and Russian soldiers first began joint operations in the area in November 2019, conducting 344 patrols until October last year, when they were suspended, the ministry said.Some 24 Turkish personnel in four vehicles took part in the first resumed patrol on Thursday at the eastern end of the Operation Peace Spring area. “It is planned to continue the United Land Patrol … to ensure the security of our country’s borders and the civilian population in the region (and) to establish stability in northern Syria,” the ministry said in its statement. The operation would also identify “checkpoints, headquarters and military structures” of Kurdish fighters known as the YPG. Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organization due to its links to the PKK, which has fought a 40-year insurgency against Ankara, leading to tens of thousands of deaths. The United States, however, partnered with the YPG in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group in Syria and continues to support the Kurdish fighters under the umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The relationship has led to tensions between NATO allies Turkey and the U.S.

Zelenskiy touts new 'drone missile', calls Putin 'sick old man'
Tom Balmforth and Olena Harmash/KYIV (Reuters) /Sat, August 24, 2024
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy touted a newly developed Ukrainian "drone missile" on Saturday that he said would take the war back to Russia and scornfully derided Russia's Vladimir Putin as a "sick old man from Red Square". As Ukraine marked 33 years of post-Soviet independence, Zelenskiy said the new weapon, Palianytsia, was faster and more powerful than the domestically made drones that Kyiv has so far used to fight back against Russia, striking its oil refineries and military airfields."Our enemy will ... know what the Ukrainian way for retaliation is. Worthy, symmetrical, long-ranged," he said. Zelenskiy said the new class of Ukrainian weapon had been used for a successful strike on a target in Russia, but did not say where. He used derisive language to describe Russia's 71-year-old president and the nuclear rhetoric coming out of Moscow. "A sick old man from Red Square who constantly threatens everyone with the red button will not dictate any of his red lines to us," he said in a video on the Telegram messaging app. Russia, which has attacked Ukraine with many thousands of missiles and drones since it invaded in February 2022, has decried Ukraine's drone attacks as terrorism. Moscow's troops are advancing in Ukraine's east and occupy 18% of the country. Zelenskiy has been pressing Kyiv's allies to allow him to use Western weapons deeper in Russian territory such as to strike airbases used by Russian warplanes that pound Ukraine with missiles and glide bombs. "I want to stress once more that our new weapon decisions, including Palianytsia, is our realistic way to act while some of our partners are unfortunately delaying decisions," Zelenskiy told a news conference. Ukrainians say the word "Palianytsia", a type of Ukrainian bread, is too difficult to pronounce for Russians and it has been used - sometimes humorously - during the war as a way to tell Ukrainians and Russians apart. "It will be very difficult for Russia, difficult to even pronounce what exactly has hit it," Zelenskiy said of the drone missile.
TOP COMMANDER PROMOTED
In a decree, Zelenskiy promoted his top commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, to the rank of general, a tacit gesture of praise after Ukraine's lightning cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk region launched on Aug. 6. Slammed by Russia as an escalation and major provocation, Ukraine's incursion has captured more than 90 settlements in the Kursk region according to Kyiv, the biggest invasion of Russia since World War Two. Speaking at a joint news conference with Poland's and Lithuania's leaders, Zelenskiy told reporters the operation had in part been a preventive move to stop Russian plans to capture the northern city of Sumy. Apart from capturing prisoners of war and creating a "buffer zone", Zelenskiy said the operation had other objectives that he could not disclose publicly. Polish president Andrzej Duda confirmed that Polish PT-91 Twardy tanks given to Kyiv by Warsaw were taking part in the fighting in Kursk region. "We are touched to see how the PT-91 Twardy tanks, given by Poland (to Ukraine) more than one year ago, are defending today Ukraine on the battlefields, fighting in the Kursk region," he said. Russia has strongly condemned the use of western weapons for the incursion, which Putin has said will receive a "worthy response". Independence Day has surged in importance for Ukrainians during the invasion, which has spurred widespread patriotic sentiment. This year the public holiday took place after the U.S. and German embassies issued warnings of a heightened risk of Russian missile and drone attacks across the country. There had been no major strikes as of 2200 local time, but the air raid siren sounded at least twice in Kyiv over the afternoon and evening. To mark the date, Zelenskiy ratified the Rome Statute, paving the way for Ukraine to join the International Criminal Court, one of many steps needed to join the European Union, accession to which Kyiv sees as a priority. He also signed legislation banning the activities of religious groups linked to Russia, creating a legal instrument for the government to ban a branch of the Orthodox Church seen as linked to Russia. Ukraine and Russia also said they had each secured the release of 115 prisoners of war in an exchange. The Russian Defence Ministry said its freed servicemen had been captured during Ukraine's attack in the Kursk region.
(Reporting by Olena Harmash and Tom Balmforth; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

UAE mediates exchange of 230 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine
Arab News/August 24, 2024
ABU DHABI: The UAE mediated between Russia and Ukraine for the release of 230 prisoners of war, the first such prisoner swap since Ukraine launched its offensive inside Russia this month. It was the 7th such exchange that the UAE has mediated since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, bringing the total number of prisoners released under the country’s mediation efforts since the war started to 1,788. In a statement, the UAE foreign ministry said the country’s mediation efforts, which comes a month after a previous successful mediation, reflect the solid ties that it shares with both countries.
The ministry reiterated the UAE’s commitment to supporting all initiatives and efforts aimed at achieving a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war. “Dialogue and de-escalation are the only ways to resolve the crisis, which will contribute to alleviating the humanitarian impact caused by it,” the ministry said. Ukraine’s military on Aug. 6 launched a surprise attack into Russia’s Kursk region, the biggest attack inside Russian territory by a foreign power since World War Two. Kyiv has said it has carved out a buffer zone in an area that Russia, which sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022, has used to pound targets in Ukraine.

France hunts terror suspect after fire attack on synagogue
AFP/August 24, 2024
LA GRAND-MOTTE, France: Police were on Saturday hunting for a man who, draped in a Palestinian flag, was suspected of setting fires at a synagogue in southern France and triggering an explosion that injured a police officer. Authorities said the incident was being treated as a potential terror attack and “all means” were being deployed to find the perpetrator. France’s interim Prime Minister Gabriel Attal visited the site along with Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and said: “We narrowly avoided an absolute tragedy.” Attal said that “if the synagogue had been filled with worshippers... there probably would have been human victims.” Security around Jewish sites was tightened following the attack early on Saturday at Beth Yaacov synagogue in the seaside resort of La Grande Motte, near the city of Montpellier. Two cars outside the synagogue were set alight, with a gas canister then likely exploding inside one of the vehicles, police said. Two fires were also started at the entrance of the synagogue, but were quickly put out, with two doors damaged, investigators said. The wounded police officer was injured by the blast after rushing to the scene after the fires were started, police said. President Emmanuel Macron called the incident “an act of terror,” adding on X: “The fight against anti-Semitism is a daily fight.” He said “all means are being deployed” to apprehend the suspect. La Grande Motte’s mayor, Stephan Rossignol, said that CCTV had picked up images of an individual setting fire to the cars.
On part of the footage, watched and authenticated by AFP, a man is seen with a Palestinian flag draped around his waist, his head covered by a red Palestinian keffiyeh. The man carried two bottles filled with a yellowish liquid. The footage also seems to show the contours of a handgun. Sources close to the investigation said the suspect left the scene hurriedly on foot. The fires and explosion came amid a heightened state of alert in France and other European countries because of the war in Gaza. Attal said France’s national anti-terror prosecutors had been tasked with probing the incident. “La Grande Motte’s synagogue was the target of an attack this morning,” Attal said in a post on X. “An anti-Semitic act. Once again, our Jewish fellow citizens are being targeted.” Darmanin called the incident “an obviously criminal act.”He said “all means are being deployed to find the perpetrator.”The police presence outside Jewish sites in France would be increased following the explosion, the minister added. The blast occurred during Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest that runs from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, with many attending synagogue services. There was, however, no religious service ongoing at the time of the incident, a police source said. A rabbi and four other people were inside the synagogue at the time but all were unharmed, investigators said. The town of La Grande Motte has about 8,500 permanent residents but the population swells during the summer tourism season. Darmanin said this month that the government had counted 887 anti-Semitic acts in France in the first half of 2024, nearly three times as many as in the same period in 2023. France is home to the biggest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States, and also to the largest Muslim community in the European Union. The Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF) called the explosion “an attempt to kill Jews.” The use of a gas canister “in a car at a time when worshippers are expected to arrive at the synagogue is not simply a criminal act,” CRIF president Yonathan Arfi told AFP. “This shows an intention to kill.”

Houthi-struck oil tanker could spill ‘million barrels,’ US warns
AFP/August 25, 2024
WASHINGTON: The United States warned Saturday of a potential environmental disaster in the Red Sea after Houthi rebels struck an oil tanker off the Yemeni coast. The Greek-flagged Sounion was struck on Wednesday off the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, with the Iran-backed Houthis claiming to have hit the vessel with drones and missiles. On Friday, the UKMTO maritime agency said three fires had been spotted on the ship, while a video released by the Houthis on social media allegedly showed three explosions on the ship. The 274-meter long vessel had departed from Iraq and was destined for a port near Athens, carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil. “The Houthis’ continued attacks threaten to spill a million barrels of oil into the Red Sea, an amount four times the size of the Exxon Valdez disaster,” US State Department Matthew Miller said Saturday in a statement. The Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 released 257,000 barrels along the coast of Alaska. “While the crew has been evacuated, the Houthis appear determined to sink the ship and its cargo into the sea,” Miller said. The Sounian’s crew of 23 Filipinos and two Russians were rescued by a ship with the European Union’s Aspides mission. The naval mission also warned the unmanned vessel represented “a navigational and environmental hazard.” The Houthi rebels launched their campaign against international shipping in November, saying it is in support of Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war. In March, the Belize-flagged, Lebanese-operated Rubymar became the first ship targeted by the Houthis to sink during the conflict. The Rubymar sank in the Red Sea with 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer on board. The Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Tutor also sank in June after being struck by the Houthis. Multiple sailors have also been killed or wounded in the attacks, which have severely disrupted global shipping. “Through these attacks, the Houthis have made clear they are willing to destroy the fishing industry and regional ecosystems that Yemenis and other communities in the region rely on for their livelihoods,” Miller said Saturday.
“We call on the Houthis to cease these actions immediately and urge other nations to step forward to help avert this environmental disaster,” he added.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on August 24-25/2024
This is Biden's chance to end the war in Gaza. Just threaten to cut off weapons for Israel

Mark Ruffalo/Los Angeles Times/ August 24, 2024
Throughout his nearly four years in office, President Biden regularly consulted historians to measure his accomplishments against history, and did so again before stepping out of the presidential race. History will recognize among his many achievements his sweeping economic vision and legislative expertise, which quickly moved the country out of a pandemic recession, reduced wage inequality and created the longest period of full employment in more than 50 years.
Biden also brought about the most significant pro-worker policies in decades. He revitalized agencies that have aggressively moved to clean our air and water of deadly contaminants like toxic “forever” chemicals. And with the narrowest margins in Congress, he secured the votes to enact the first major law to combat climate change in U.S. history, which has created 330,000 good, safe clean-energy jobs so far.
Although Biden seems keenly attuned to his legacy, his foreign policy — like that of Lyndon B. Johnson before him — could forever haunt his record in history books and stain his standing among generations of Americans. Like America’s wars in Indochina, the bloody, nearly yearlong assault on Gaza has unleashed a level of carnage that has horrified the world. It has stoked resistance and division in America. And, like the wars of 50 years ago, it’s contributed to a one-term Democratic president who has, to date, been ineffectual at halting spiraling violence and brutality abroad.
With at least 40,000 Gazans killed by Israel’s offensive so far, seemingly constant reports of fresh bombardments of civilians with U.S. arms have made a mockery of the administration’s claims of concern for human rights. Preventable diseases such as polio as well as famine now threaten the blockaded enclave. Two million people remain trapped and denied adequate food and medical attention.
Israel’s provocative measures abroad — like its assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, with whom it was negotiating an end to hostilities and return of Israeli hostages — seem intended to sabotage cease-fire talks and draw the United States into a larger regional conflict. Such a war could be fought for years, with untold further civilian casualties.
It’s no wonder that Republicans seem to delight in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lawlessness and aggression, as they criticize Biden for supposedly not backing Israel more firmly. They cynically believe that the nonstop devastation of Gaza will discourage some Democratic voters from supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in an election that could once again be determined by a margin of just tens of thousands of votes. Republicans might also hope to benefit politically from a regional war before the presidential election, if it contributed to a jump in oil prices and U.S. involvement in an unpopular conflict.
And Republicans recognize that largely unconditional military support emboldens Netanyahu to exacerbate the suffering in Gaza, continue to strike neighboring countries and yet again reject the U.S. framework for a permanent cease-fire.
But it’s not too late for Biden, in the final months of his term, to act boldly. Freed from some political considerations because he is not running for reelection, he could use the necessary political capital to finally pressure Netanyahu into accepting a permanent cease-fire deal. If Biden acts swiftly and decisively, he could preserve his legacy as a statesman by ending the months of cruelty in Gaza, calming regional tensions and protecting the possibility of a two-state solution.
He would also, incidentally, position Harris to win the November election. A majority of U.S. voters support conditioning military aid on Israel accepting a cease-fire deal, and swing-state voters say they would be more likely to support Harris if a permanent cease-fire were achieved. With an election that could easily be determined by a razor-thin margin, regaining Democratic voters disaffected by Gaza policy could prove decisive to Harris’ victory. By resolving this major and ongoing political liability, Biden would also make room for Harris to credibly defend and expand on his domestic achievements in 2025.
Biden himself suggested Netanyahu is avoiding a permanent cease-fire for his own political self-preservation. That means only U.S. leverage can compel a just outcome for Gaza and the families of Israeli hostages. As Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant admitted in October, “We are not in a place where we can refuse” American demands. “We rely on them for planes and military equipment. What are we supposed to do? Tell them no?”
All Biden has to do is enforce — or simply threaten to enforce — existing U.S. law. As 88 House Democrats noted in May, Section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act prohibits security assistance or arms sales to any country that restricts U.S. humanitarian assistance. Section 502B of the same law prohibits security aid to any government engaged in a consistent pattern of gross human rights violations. And weapons restrictions in Biden’s own national security memoranda and conventional arms transfer policy provide additional tools of leverage needed to secure a permanent cease-fire. Biden already has the authority to condition or cut off offensive military aid to Israel — if Netanyahu refuses to accept a permanent cease-fire.
Biden can draw on his own experience staring down Netanyahu in 2021. After many phone calls over Israel’s prior assault on Gaza, Biden simply said: “Hey, man, we’re out of runway here. It’s over.” Author Franklin Foer noted: “And then, like that, it was. By the time the call ended, Netanyahu reluctantly agreed to a cease-fire that the Egyptians would broker.”
Biden should draw on history to avoid the pitfalls of the past: Antiwar protests occurred throughout this year’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, an echo of opposition to the Vietnam War in 1968. A Republican presidential nominee who, like Richard Nixon, disdains the rule of law hopes to take power. By acting now, Biden can end a humanitarian disaster, prevent a return of the authoritarian far right in the U.S. and ensure his righteous legacy in history.
*Mark Ruffalo is an actor and advocate for social justice.

Confronting the Threat of Iran's Regime
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/August 24, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/08/133567/
The exorbitantly lenient approach of the Biden-Harris administration has allowed Iran to reach unprecedented levels of power, influence and bellicosity.
Iran and Qatar have for decades been the source of all the instability in the region and much of it beyond.
Qatar has been poisoning American education with at least $6 billion in unreported "gifts and agreements," and Iran, while building forward bases in Cuba and Venezuela, is busy cyber-hacking the U.S. and trying to assassinate U.S. officials on American soil.
It is clearly time for America to go back to the policy of peace and prosperity in the Middle East and a pro-freedom agenda in American universities – as opposed to financing terrorists, their sponsors and especially Iran's virulently anti-Western and anti-American nuclear weapons program.
The exorbitantly lenient approach of the Biden-Harris administration has allowed Iran to reach unprecedented levels of power, influence and bellicosity, as it pursues its ultimate goals of annihilating Israel and disabling the United States. By contrast, President Ronald Reagan, did not hesitate to employ military force to send a powerful message to Iran's leaders, which successfully put a stop to their destructive activities. In 1988, Reagan launched Operation Praying Mantis, retaliating against Iran for its attack on a U.S. Navy ship, sent a strong message to Iran, and reduced the threat posed by Iranian naval forces in the Persian Gulf. The policies of the Biden-Harris administration, including turning a blind eye to Iran's nuclear advancements, its destabilizing actions in the Middle East and the release of billions of dollars to the Iranian terror empire, have undoubtedly empowered Iran's regime, granting it the freedom to pursue its Islamist fundamentalist ambitions, including its ultimate goals of annihilating Israel and disabling the United States.
The exorbitantly lenient approach of the Biden-Harris administration has allowed Iran to reach unprecedented levels of power, influence and bellicosity. Iran is now openly providing military support to Russia in its ongoing war to conquer Ukraine. Iran's regime has also activated its proxies—Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis — to launch attacks on Israel. Even more alarming is Iran's direct aggression towards Israel and the acceleration of its nuclear weapons program, scenarios that would have been unimaginable during previous administrations.
President Ronald Reagan, for instance, did not hesitate to employ military force to send a powerful message to Iran's leaders, which successfully put a stop to their destructive activities.
Operation Praying Mantis was a military action conducted by the US on April 18, 1988, in the Persian Gulf, in response to the mining of the U.S. Navy frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts by Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. The mining had taken place on April 14, 1988, causing damage to the frigate.
Reagan authorized Operation Praying Mantis to retaliate against Iran for the mining and to neutralize Iran's naval capabilities in the region. The operation, carried out by the U.S. Navy, marked the largest U.S. naval engagement since World War II. The primary targets were Iranian naval units, including warships and small boats, which were considered a threat to U.S. and international shipping in the Persian Gulf.
During the engagement, U.S. forces sank or severely damaged several Iranian naval vessels, including frigates, gunboats, and speedboats. Operation Praying Mantis aimed to demonstrate U.S. resolve in protecting its and its allies interests and maintaining freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf.
U.S. forces suffered no casualties. For the remainder of Reagan's term, there was not one further provocation from Iran.
The operation effectively achieved its objectives: it retaliated against Iran for its aggressive actions, delivering a strong message, significantly reduced the threat posed by Iranian naval forces in the region, and successfully deterred Iran from further malign action.
President Donald J. Trump took a similar firm stance against Iran by cutting off the financial lifelines of its regime. Through a "maximum pressure" policy, Trump imposed a series of economic sanctions that targeted Iran's primary source of income: its oil exports. Those sanctions led to a record low in Iran's oil sales and crippled its economy. The Iranian regime faced substantial economic challenges, both domestically and abroad, and was severely limited in its ability to finance its proxies and their military and terrorist operations.
Combining those strategies of military action and economic pressure offers a comprehensive approach to effectively stop or greatly reduce Iranian aggression. Military intervention would curb Iran's aggressive behavior, while economic sanctions would weaken its ability to fund its proxies abroad, as well as its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and hinder the country's ability to pursue nuclear weapons.
America's recent policies of appeasement have only served to embolden, strengthen and build up Iran and its terrorist agents.
It is perplexing why Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris chose destabilizing policies of empowering terrorist groups and their sponsors, Qatar and Iran, rather than continue Donald Trump's policy of peace and prosperity, which was in place and humming when the Biden-Harris administration took office in 2021.
Iran and Qatar have for decades been the source of all the instability in the region and much of it beyond.
Qatar has been poisoning American education with at least $6 billion in unreported "gifts and agreements," and Iran, while building forward bases in Cuba and Venezuela, is busy cyber-hacking the U.S. and trying to assassinate U.S. officials on American soil.
It is clearly time for America to go back to the policy of peace and prosperity in the Middle East and a pro-freedom agenda in American universities – as opposed to financing terrorists, their sponsors and especially Iran's virulently anti-Western and anti-American nuclear weapons program.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at [email protected]
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Picture Enclosed: The USS Enterprise, which played a key role in Operation Praying Mantis, in the Persian Gulf on December 15, 1998. (U.S. Navy photo by Michael W. Pendergrass)

Kamala Harris has put a spring in the Democrats’ step
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/August 24/2024
The passing of the Democratic Party torch from President Joe Biden to Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention last week was put together in a hurry but, in fairness, it should have been the party’s “project” from day one of this political partnership, four years ago.
Biden has enjoyed a long and distinguished political career in the service of his country and party but, as in any other walk of life, and especially in the ruthless world of politics, there comes a point when giving way to those who represent the younger generation becomes necessary and inevitable.
This is especially true when the stakes are enormously high, and none are more so than the forthcoming US presidential election. To ensure his legacy and safeguard US democracy, Biden had only one option, considering the polls were consistently suggesting that his time was up.
The prevailing view in 2020 was that Biden’s incoming administration was aiming from the outset to plug a hole in terms of the damage that had been caused to American democracy and the nation’s international credibility, which threatened to become a flood had Donald Trump won a second term.
Biden was there to help the country emerge successfully from the COVID-19 pandemic and heal the wounds inflicted by the divisive and disruptive term of his predecessor.
Few thought he would be a two-term president — except the president himself, who most definitely did. However, when it became apparent that the game was up and his chances of winning the election in November were rapidly dwindling, all credit is due to him for acting with dignity and grace and stepping aside.In his speech to the Democratic National Convention he was gracious in his endorsement of Harris, declaring: “Selecting Kamala was the very first decision I made when I became our nominee and it’s the best decision I made in my whole career.” He went on to say: “She’s tough, she’s experienced and she has enormous integrity.”They have had their differences in the past, and like many VPs before her Harris was not always comfortable in her job, but now, signaling a unity within his party, Biden has promised to be “the best volunteer” for her campaign against Republican rival Donald Trump.
Though it only happened two months ago, the televised debate between Biden and Trump in June now feels like ancient history, and the Democrats’ fortunes immediately turned around when the president declared he would not seek reelection and instead backed Harris as his heir presumptive.
The renewed spring in the Democratic Party’s step was instant, as was the change in voting intentions of so many who might otherwise have voted for Trump or, more likely, stayed home on election day rather than voting for either Trump or Biden to lead America for another four years.
For these voters, both of those candidates represent the past, not the future. Certainly, until recently Harris was not a popular vice president but the effect on voters when she received the blessing not only of Biden but other Democratic grandees, such as the Clintons and the Obamas, was instant.
The party’s rank and file, who after the presidential debate believed their project was doomed and had lost all motivation to campaign for a lost cause, responded to this changing of the guard with great relief and hope, channeling this new-found optimism into support for Harris’ candidacy.
The televised debate between Biden and Trump in June now feels like ancient history.
In strong contrast to her president, Harris is not only much younger and more energetic but also a woman of color, and should she be elected as US president in November she will likely shatter a multitude of glass ceilings.
One advantage of the endorsement of Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate coming relatively late in the process was that she did not have to endure the grueling process of the primaries, during which, win or lose, reputations can be dented, if not destroyed, by the time they conclude.
Instead, she received the almost universal endorsement of her party and quickly selected a running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, to complement what she offers the electorate but also to run alongside her as someone with no obvious ambition to succeed her.
While the energy and buzz around the Harris-Walz ticket — and more importantly their party’s instant surge in the polls, including in crucial swing states — seems to have justified the unusual decision to replace a presumptive nominee who had won the primaries by a mile, what is still missing from this partnership and their campaign is clear and detailed set of policies on the issues that most concern the American people.
As much as foreign affairs issues such as the wars in Gaza or Ukraine attract much political and media attention, and rightly so, Americans vote primarily on the merits of what their politicians promise and offer on domestic issues. It is generally the approaches candidates take to the economy, the cost of living, crime and violence, poverty and homelessness, and the availability and the affordability of healthcare that matter to voters, as much as their views on abortion rights.
While four years ago Biden had a task force writing for him a policy paper of more than 100 pages to back his bid for the White House, Harris is mainly cherry-picking from the current administration’s policies. In her defense, she can always argue that as part of the current administration, the successes of its policies are equally hers, and that considering she did not plan to run for president, at least for another four years, she was not able to develop more detailed policies in advance but mainly set her vision in terms of her own principles and values.
But she might find this argument under increasing scrutiny the closer it gets to polling day. To be sure, Trump is himself vague about specific policies and has no intention of presenting any clarity. He has clearly been rattled by the quick turn of events and, true to his character, has resorted to personal attacks on Harris’ looks, her laugh, and her ethnic background. He has also, absurdly, characterized her as a “communist,” which suggests he has never bothered to read the Communist Manifesto or any related literature.
By now, the Harris-Walz camp is very familiar with Trump’s crude and underhand tactics and is not fazed or threatened by them. Their road to the White House lies in the development of a social agenda that appeals to those who are being badly hurt by the high cost of living, who cannot afford housing, health or education, and who feel marginalized in American society. It lies in not scaring away those who are afraid of an agenda that is too progressive, and instead reaching out to them. And it lies, every step of the way, in rising above Trump’s personal attacks and treating them as no more than background noise.
• Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House.
X: @YMekelberg

Central Asia emerges as a priority for Gulf states
Zaid M. Belbagi/Arab News/August 24/2024
In the past decade, the Middle East has been marked by an era of diversification. The Gulf states, in particular, have embarked on ambitious economic diversification programs, transforming their traditionally hydrocarbon-dependent economies by enhancing their non-oil sectors. Regional actors have invested in diverse sectors from renewables to sports to tourism. The spirit of diversification has also been evident in the region’s foreign policy and international partnerships. As the Gulf states have increasingly sought to reduce their dependence on Western partners in recent years, Central Asia has emerged as a priority.
The Gulf and Central Asia have historically shared strong trade relations focused almost exclusively on oil and gas. The majority of the region’s oil and gas reserves are concentrated in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan also hold oil reserves, with further explorations underway. Kyrgyzstan has abundant coal reserves and, on the whole, the region is rich in mineral resources.
In recent years, this strategically vital region has received significant economic interest from the Gulf states. While both the Gulf and Central Asia are home to rich oil and gas reserves, the Gulf states have been more successful in establishing robust hydrocarbon industries. Consequently, their ability to use this expertise to develop the Central Asian hydrocarbon industry has encouraged strategic cooperation between the two regions. Beyond hydrocarbons, Gulf investments in infrastructure, agriculture, and manufacturing in Central Asia are also avenues for guaranteeing food security in the Gulf.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been at the forefront of Gulf investments in Central Asia, although Oman and Qatar have also joined these efforts. While the Gulf sovereign wealth funds have actively invested in domestic non-oil sectors, diversifying international investments is also key to secure post-oil economies in the region. Gulf cooperation with Central Asia is not only at the bilateral state level, but also at the interregional Gulf Cooperation Council level. The second Foreign Ministerial Meeting of the Central Asia-GCC Strategic Dialogue was held in Tashkent in April.
This interest in economic cooperation and diversification has emerged equally from both regions. Gulf investments have allowed the five Central Asian nations to diversify their economic partnerships and reduce dependence on any single power. The Central Asian states, which were historically a part of the Soviet Union and are located in China’s immediate neighborhood, have traditionally relied on Russia and China for much of their economic activities.
However, the Central Asian states are wary of the debt-trap diplomacy that has characterized China’s Belt and Road Initiative investments. China’s challenging economic conditions domestically have also made its appetite for international investment increasingly uncertain. At the same time, Russian influence in the region has waned since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, which has resulted in international sanctions and a reorientation of Russian resources toward the Ukrainian front. Seeking to avoid the cultural and economic expansionism of the two neighboring great powers and diversifying international partnerships, Central Asia has welcomed Gulf investments.
The growing relationship between the Gulf and Central Asia, however, comes with its own challenges. Central Asia is a crucial part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a major international trade route. Toward this end, China has made significant investments in infrastructure and energy projects in the region. In parallel, Russia is keen to preserve its historical economic and military influence in the region. Russia and China are also joined by Turkiye, a longstanding partner of Central Asia given their strong cultural and economic ties.
The recent spurt in Gulf investments in Central Asia has thus transformed the region into a new economic battleground.
There is, indeed, potential for Gulf investments in the region to coexist and collaborate with those of China, Russia, and Turkiye, particularly in the sphere of infrastructure and transportation. Gulf investments in transport and logistics infrastructure in countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan could facilitate easier access to European and Asian markets, providing all the competing states with alternative routes for exports.
However, given each actor’s outsized focus on the sphere of energy investments, this has emerged as a source of geopolitical tensions and competition. Hydrocarbons and renewable energy, two resources Central Asia is well endowed with, are particularly lucrative for international investors. The convergence of Central Asia’s natural resources, strategic location, and growing markets with the geopolitical ambitions of investing countries has inevitably turned the region into an economic battleground.
This is further complicated by the fact that the competing states share positive economic and strategic relations with each other. Turkiye, which in the past has had tense relations with the Gulf, in recent years has witnessed a diplomatic thaw with the GCC states. Notably, Saudi-China relations have grown significantly, with an increase in Chinese investment in diverse sectors in Saudi Arabia, including AI, automated vehicles, solar power, and infrastructure. This indicates that the Gulf states will be wary of any partnership with Central Asia that may jeopardize their own cooperation with China. The growing bilateral and multilateral cooperation between these states is contrasted with their competing interest in regional influence in Central Asia.
The recent spurt in Gulf investments in Central Asia has thus transformed the region into a new economic battleground. Gulf states are not only competing with Turkiye, China, and Russia, but also with each other for regional influence. Its geostrategic location and economic potential has positioned Central Asia as a natural arena for competition. The Gulf states seek to leverage their individual economic strength to position themselves as influential diplomatic players in the region.
This comes as states across the global south are actively building international influence and new partnerships to move away from the shadow of the West. As such, over the next decade Central Asia will remain a strategic battleground for the Gulf states, witnessing both collaboration and competition. For their part, the Central Asian states are unlikely to favor any one international partner given their interest in diversifying investments to secure their economies. The competing powers may, therefore, seek to maximize cooperation in the region, notably in energy security, transport infrastructure, and counterterrorism.
• Zaid M. Belbagi is a political commentator and an adviser to private clients between London and the Gulf Cooperation Council region.
X: @Moulay_Zaid

Foreign policy makes 2024 US race different from 1968
Andrew Hammond/Arab News/August 24/2024
The Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week drew sweeping comparisons, ahead of time, with the party’s gathering in 1968, which was held in the same city during the Vietnam conflict. While there are some similarities, the foreign policy context was significantly different, however.
The 1968 election, which pitted Republican Richard Nixon against Democrat Hubert Humphrey, took place toward the end of a distinctive political period during the early Cold War era running from 1948 to 1972. During this time, foreign policy was usually the single most salient issue in US elections, and this was certainly the case in 1968 against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.
The election that year came at an unusually turbulent time, framed not only by the conflict in Vietnam but by President Lyndon Johnson’s decision not to run for reelection (paralleled this year by President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek a second term); the assassination of Martin Luther King on April 4; and the killing of Robert Kennedy on June 5.
The turmoil was capped by riots at the Democratic Party’s convention in Chicago in August, and there was an important echo of this in recent days in the form of the high-profile, pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Since the 1970s, however, economic issues have tended to be the highest priority for the US electorate. Most recently, in the 2020 presidential race, during the first year of the pandemic, the American economy had spun into recession after more than a decade of growth, one of the longest periods of economic expansion in US history.
This is not to dismiss the importance of foreign policy to the 2024 presidential election campaign even though, unlike the situation in 1968, the US is not formally engaged in any wars.
Take for example an Associated Press-University of Chicago National Opinion Research Center survey this year in which 40 percent of voters cited foreign policy as a key issue. That is about double the proportion who highlighted international issues as a main concern in a similar AP-NORC poll in 2023.
The developments in the Middle East since the attacks on Israel by Hamas in October last year, and the subsequent Israeli military offensive in Gaza, have increased concerns among US voters about geopolitics. This is in addition to worries about the war in Ukraine and the possibility of wider challenges, including China’s posture on Taiwan.
While foreign policy is still not as important an issue to American voters in 2024 as it generally was during the early years of the Cold War, there are significant reasons why international affairs will play a prominent role over the coming months in the run-up to election day.
For one thing, there remains a very high risk of an escalation of violence in the Middle East, given the region is the most volatile it has been in years. The impact this is having internationally is not only geopolitical but also economic, with the possibility of an oil “shock” comparable to that experienced in the mid-1970s, when the price of oil quadrupled in less than a year.
No clear consensus between the parties in the US on foreign policy has emerged in recent years.
Turning to Ukraine, Kyiv this month launched a spectacular new offensive inside Russia, which at the time of writing has gained more than 1,000 sq. km of territory, estimates suggest. After months of Moscow making gains in Ukraine this has, at least temporarily, changed the narrative of the war.
In the Asia-Pacific, meanwhile, significant numbers of American voters are concerned about the potential for a crisis there, too, possibly over Taiwan. This could create a third major source of international conflict for the US and its Western allies, with their resources increasingly stretched.
Yet, even if foreign policy issues were to grow significantly during the remainder of this year, possibly as a result of heightened tensions in the Asia-Pacific, there is still one key difference between the situations now and during the first quarter-century of the Cold War: The earlier period was characterized by a relative consensus between Republicans and Democrats on policy, and widespread bipartisan cooperation, on foreign affairs.
Now, however, this policy domain is significantly more divisive. Certainly, the early Cold War consensus can be overstated. Nonetheless a significant degree of bipartisan agreement on foreign affairs, and wider political decorum, did exist at the time, at least until it fell apart in the late 1960s under the strain of the Vietnam debacle and the demise of the notion of monolithic Communism in light of the Sino-Soviet split.
No clear consensus between the parties in the US on foreign policy has emerged in recent years; if anything the gaps are widening. Even before Trump took office as president in 2017, many Republicans and Democrats differed significantly in their views on the power and standing of the US internationally; on the degree to which the country should be unilateralist in its approach; in their attitudes toward the fight against terrorism and the methods through which it was being fought; and on what the priorities of American foreign policy should be.
The divisions have only grown since Trump’s presidency, with significantly divergent US grand strategies evident this year: Trump’s “America First” agenda versus the more internationalist vision of the Biden-Harris administration, which is much more reminiscent of the foreign policy approach of Republican and Democratic predecessors in the early post-war era.
The increasing polarization of foreign policy reduces the scope for the longstanding tradition of Americans “rallying around the flag” in times of geopolitical tensions. This is illustrated by the attempt by some Republicans to blame the actions of the Biden-Harris administration for current geopolitical tensions.
It is, therefore, increasingly plausible, especially if the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine continue for the rest of the year, that the salience of international issues could remain high on election day.
Moreover, the partisan opinion splits on foreign policy will only reinforce the high degree of political polarization in the US, potentially increasing, even further, the global interest in the race for the White House.
• Andrew Hammond is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.

Egypt’s key role in ending the civil war in Sudan
Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/August 24/2024
Efforts by Egypt to address the conflict in Sudan between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces may eventually bear fruit and end a civil war that has lasted almost a year and a half. However, questions arise as to why, despite these efforts, there have been no tangible results so far. The repercussions of the war are not limited to Sudan, but have extended beyond its borders — placing Sudan, with its importance to regional security (particularly for Egypt), in a critical position.
Another question is whether Cairo can be an effective mediator and achieve a comprehensive political solution in Sudan. Could it establish a roadmap that restores security and stability to its southern neighbor?
The front lines in war sometimes advance and then retreat, and the Sudan negotiations resemble this battlefield tug-of-war. The US envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, unexpectedly canceled a meeting with a Sudanese government delegation in Egypt, in part because of the delegation’s composition. The US wanted to meet the Sudanese army, but the Sudanese government appointed Mohamed Bashir Abunomo — the Minister of Minerals and a significant figure in the army-allied movement led by Minni Arko Minawi — to lead the delegation. This same delegation had previously met mediators in Jeddah, an encounter that yielded no significant progress.
Negotiations between the warring parties in Sudan are essentially an accumulation of fears, akin to social anxiety disorder. This led one party to boycott the most recent peace talks in Geneva, and the other to be openly obstinate in attending many mediator councils. Cairo has overlooked these avoidance attempts more than once, but it remains engaged in mediation, thus proving its seriousness.
Cairo has maintained neutrality and continuously called for an end to the war between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. However, accusations of bias have plagued its efforts to play a calming role. The real problem has been the increasing intervention of external parties who lack sufficient understanding of the nature of the Sudanese people and the internal power dynamics.
The front lines in war sometimes advance and then retreat, and the Sudan negotiations resemble this battlefield tug-of-war
The complex relationship between Egypt and Sudan is rooted in a long history of shared borders, cultural ties, and intertwined political and economic interests. The two countries share a history of connections dating back to ancient civilizations along the Nile. In the modern era, this relationship was shaped by colonial history, the management of Nile waters, and shared security concerns. The two nations often found themselves aligned in regional politics, though they also faced tensions due to differing political paths, particularly after Sudan’s independence in 1956.
In the 20th century, the relationship was often viewed through the lens of Arab nationalism, with Egypt playing a significant role in shaping Sudan’s political landscape. However, after 2011, with the division of Sudan into two states — Sudan and South Sudan — the geopolitical dynamics of the region changed. Egypt’s interests in Sudan remained significant, but the complexities of Sudan's internal politics, particularly with the rise of various military and paramilitary groups, posed new challenges for Cairo.
In all these crises, Egypt has consistently taken a clear stance of not siding with any faction, even during Sudan’s darkest moments, while firmly supporting the principle of allowing the people to decide their fate without interference or dominance from any group. Egypt seeks to resolve the Sudanese crisis to protect several key interests. First is the Nile River, a lifeline for Egypt. Any instability in Sudan is a threat to Egypt’s water security.
Sudan’s political stability is also vital for Egypt's security, especially regarding the spread of extremism and armed conflicts along its southern borders. The third interest is economic: Sudan offers opportunities for investment and trade, and Egyptian companies are involved in various sectors in Sudan, from agriculture to telecommunications. Instability in Sudan threatens these economic interests and could disrupt trade routes and investment opportunities.
Egypt’s involvement in mediation to end the war is therefore crucial, but what tools does Cairo possesses to enforce peace?
The complex relationship between Egypt and Sudan is rooted in a long history of shared borders, cultural ties, and intertwined political and economic interests
Politically, Egypt has maintained strong relations with leading Sudanese figures over the years, allowing it to play the role of mediator in times of crisis. Economically, Egypt has leveraged trade relations, investments, and aid as tools of influence. In times of crisis, Cairo has provided humanitarian aid to Sudan, making it a key partner in Sudan’s recovery. This economic influence could play a significant role in persuading Sudanese factions to align with Egyptian interests.
Militarily, Egypt has a significant presence in the region and has previously provided support to the Sudanese army to maintain some level of stability, particularly in the face of increasing challenges from other armed groups.
Egypt’s traditional inclination toward the Sudanese army presents both opportunities and risks. On the one hand, it gives Egypt significant influence over one of Sudan’s strongest institutions. The army has historically been a key player in Sudanese politics, often controlling the government directly or indirectly. By maintaining close relations, Egypt ensures it has a role in Sudan’s political developments.
However, the perception that Egypt supports one side in the conflict carries obvious risks and challenges to any role as a mediator. Egypt is consistently trying to move beyond this perception to a more balanced approach by attempting to enforce a diplomatic strategy that acknowledges the significant presence of the Rapid Support Forces on the ground, while also pursuing Egypt’s long-term strategic interests. Egypt's stance is clear: it remains neutral but has the military capacity to maintain peace in Sudan in the future by cooperating with whichever authority is elected.
Egypt also seeks to leverage its relationships with regional and international actors to encourage a broader diplomatic effort aimed at resolving the conflict. By working with the African Union, the UN, and key Gulf states, Egypt can contribute to a multilateral effort to achieve lasting peace.
Egypt is well aware that its security starts with the security of its neighbors. The continuation of war in Sudan is harmful to Egypt on all levels, but the stalled negotiations between the warring parties are not Cairo’s fault. However, it is trying in every possible way to bring about reconciliation, and I believe it will succeed. Egypt certainly possesses the tools to be a successful mediator in this war. The main condition, however, is that the warring factions in Sudan engage with any reconciliation attempts.
• Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy is a journalist who has covered conflicts worldwide. X: @ALMenawy