English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For December 28/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2024/english.December28.24.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
The Magi, Wise men, prostrate & pay Homage to the child Jesus
Matthew 02/01-12./:”In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is
the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its
rising, and have come to pay him homage. ’When King Herod heard this, he was
frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief
priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to
be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by
the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least
among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my
people Israel.” ’Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from
them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem,
saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him,
bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the
king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen
at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they
saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the
house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him
homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to
Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on December
27-28/2024
Elias Bejjani: Article and Video - Commemorating the Assassination of
Martyr Mohammad Chatah
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Christmas and the Holy Obligation to Honor Parents
Barbaric Arson Attack on Ragheb Alama's School in Beirut Condemned/Elias Bejjani
Israel pursues Hezbollah weapons in Bekaa outskirts
ISF Arrests Sixty-Seven Illegal Syrians in Jbeil
Report: Hochstein to reject any Iran role in Lebanon reconstruction
Israel says struck 'infrastructure' on Syria-Lebanon border
Report: US vows to press Israel to end violations, withdraw from Lebanon
Hezbollah MP Fadlallah accuses Israel of exploiting ceasefire to target
front-line villages
Lebanese Red Cross rescues two missing Syrians from Wadi al-Hujeir, transfers
them to nearby hospital
Israeli forces demolish homes in Naqoura, artillery targets Aita al-Shaab
Assad Family Members Arrested at the Lebanese Airport for Fake Passports
Lebanon's General Security investigates wife and daughter of Duraid Rifaat
al-Assad over forged passports
Jumblat calls on security agencies to 'wake up'
Israel plans prolonged Lebanon stay past 60-day ceasefire: Key details
Berri says time for MPs to carry out their duties, elect president
Wadi al-Hujair transformed: Israel's incursion sparks fears of further advances
Israeli army withdraws from Qantara, Adsheet and Wadi al-Hujeir
Mikati denies Lebanon told that Israel won't withdraw after 60-day period
Souhaid from Damascus: What Unites Us Is Stronger Than Events
Ongoing Negotiations Ahead of the January 9 Presidential Election/Bassam Abou
Zeid/This Is Beirut
South Lebanon… A Tenuous Agreement/Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al Awsat
Question: “What sort of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make?”
Israeli jets attack Syria-Lebanon border crossings to stop arms smuggling
Lebanese journalist Abir Rahal killed by husband before his suicide
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on December
27-28/2024
New Damascus governor wants 'peace' with Israel, says its fears are
'natural'
Syria arrests top official who sentenced thousands to death in Sednaya, report
claims
Syrians Protest to Demand Answers about Loved Ones Who Disappeared under Assad’s
Rule
18,000 Syrians Returned Home from Jordan Since Assad’s Fall
US defense system intercepts Yemen missile for the first time since deployed
Fresh air strike hits Sanaa, say Houthis
Inside Israel’s largest Yemen strike: Control tower, power stations hit amid
tight US coordination
UN Chief Says Israeli Strikes in Yemen, Including at Airport, are Alarming
WHO: Crew Member Suffered Serious Injury in Yemen Airport Strike
Iran Rejects Accusations it Interfered in Syria
UN Official Denies Israeli Claim Yemen Airport was Military Target
Israeli Troops Burn Northern Gaza Hospital after Forcibly Removing Staff and
Patients, Officials Say
Israel considers opening the gates of hell to bring hostages home
Terrorist murders woman in Herzliya ...Security guards shot the attacker.
Italian journalist Cecilia Sala detained by police while reporting in Iran
Iran FM warns against 'destructive interference' in Syria's future
Engineer pleads not guilty in US case over deadly Iran-linked drone strike
Azerbaijani Minister Says Plane That Crashed Was Hit from the Outside, Possibly
by a Weapon
Germany’s President Dissolves Parliament, Sets National Election for Feb. 23
Turkey to permit pro-Kurdish party to visit jailed militant leader
Trudeau, Carney push back over Trump's ongoing 51st state comments
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on December
27-28/2024
Chaos or Restructuring?/Charles Elias Chartouni/December 27/2024
Europe: The Fall of the Holy Renewable Empire/Drieu Godefridi/Gatestone
Institute/December 27/2024
How the international community funds the Hamas war machine/Natan Galula/Israel
Today Staff/ December 27/2024
Inside the Palaces of Assad’s Entourage. The Elegance of Organized State
Crime/Damascus: Bissane Elcheikh/Asharq Al-Awsat/December 27/2024
2024: The Pendulum Swings in a New Direction/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/December
27/2024
Poverty — the world’s last great challenge/Emmanuel Macron, Mia Amor Mottley and
William Ruto/Arab News/December 27, 2024
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on December
27-28/2024
Elias Bejjani: Article and
Video - Commemorating the Assassination of Martyr Mohammad Chatah
With the Letter He Sent to the Iranian President Two Days Before His
Assassination in Arabic and English
Elias Bejjani / December 27, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/12/138425/
How Martyr Mohammad Chatah Exposed the Iranian strategic scheme
and the Reasons Behind His Assassination. What did his last tweet on Twitter say
just two hours before his assassination? He wrote: "Hezbollah intimidates and
pressures to achieve what the Syrian regime imposed for 15 years: forcing the
state to relinquish its sovereign role in security and foreign policy."
On December 27, 2013, Iranian, terrorist, and jihadist Hezbollah assassinated
Lebanese sovereign thinker and politician Mohammad Chatah. Today, we remember
this heinous and condemnable crime, one of hundreds of similar assassinations
committed by Hezbollah against free, honorable, and sovereign Lebanese
figures—parliamentarians, journalists, writers, activists, clerics, and
intellectuals—who opposed its occupation, exposed its crimes, and rejected its
Iranian criminal schemes
Many Lebanese politicians and activists inside and outside Lebanon strongly
believe that Minister Chatah was assassinated due to his firm stance against the
Iranian occupation, represented by Hezbollah. He boldly advocated for excluding
Hezbollah from governance, refusing to legitimize it through government
participation, and called for the implementation of all international
resolutions concerning Lebanon.
Notably, just days before his assassination, Minister Chatah sent a bold letter
to the Iranian president, rooted in sovereignty, independence, and
constitutional principles. The full text of the letter, in both Arabic and
English, is included at the end of this article.
We pray for the soul of Martyr Mohammad Chatah and for the hundreds of other
Lebanese victims assassinated by this criminal armed Iranian proxy.
We remind the public that numerous senior officials and politicians, including
ministers and parliamentarians, directly accused Hezbollah of this crime. Their
accusations are backed by verified information in the investigation file, which
Hezbollah forcibly shut down. This tactic is consistent with Hezbollah's ongoing
obstruction of all criminal investigations implicating it, including the Beirut
port explosion and the assassinations of figures like Lokman Slim, Hashem
Salman, Joe Bejjani, and Elias Hasrouni.
Today, with Hezbollah defeated, its crimes exposed, and its total allegiance to
Iran fully revealed, its destructive impact on Bekaa, South Lebanon, and the
southern suburbs is undeniable, resulting in thousands of deaths, injuries, and
permanent disabilities. There is no alternative but to dissolve Hezbollah and
prevent it from playing any political or social role in Lebanon. Its leaders
must be held accountable for their crimes.
Everyone in Iranian occupied Lebanon must recognize an essential truth: Lebanon
cannot be liberated from Iranian occupation without declaring it a failed state
and subsequently appealing to the United Nations Security Council to enforce
international resolutions. These include the armistice Accord with Israel and
Resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680.
It is both necessary and imperative to disband Hezbollah and to prohibit its
participation in Lebanese politics under any pretexts or excuses, as Martyr
Mohammad Chatah courageously demanded.
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video:
Christmas and the Holy Obligation to Honor Parents
Elias Bejjani/December 25, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngwpiN7eGwU&t=47s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siywseB77PM&t=323s
As we celebrate Christmas, the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is a
sacred symbol of humility, love, and sacrifice, we are called to reflect on the
profound importance of honoring our parents. This sacred duty is intrinsically
tied to honoring God, our Heavenly Father, who is the source of all life and
love. True gratitude to parents must be expressed not merely through words, but
through genuine and concrete deeds, embodying respect, acknowledgment of their
sacrifices, and a heartfelt sense of pride and conviction.
Failing to fulfill the duty and holy obligation of gratitude to parents,
especially during the holy season of Christmas and new year, amounts to blatant
ingratitude, rebellion against divine order, and a fundamental erosion of moral
values and self-respect. Such behavior dishonors the sanctity of the Lord
Himself, who is a loving and forgiving Father.
Ingratitude towards parents is not just a social failing practice, but a
profound spiritual sin. It is a deviance from faith and morality that leads to
spiritual and relational decay. Tragically, this moral impairment has become
alarmingly prevalent in our time, posing a direct challenge to the principles of
faith, love, and sacrifice that underpin our religious traditions.
Biblical Foundation for Honoring Parents
The Holy Bible, the eternal moral compass for millions, consistently emphasizes
the sanctity of the parent-child relationship. Honoring parents is enshrined as
a divine commandment. In the Ten Commandments, the fifth commandment explicitly
declares: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the
land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12). This commandment is
not merely a suggestion but a divine decree, elevating the respect for parents
to the same level as reverence for God Himself.
Christian teachings highlight the immense sacrifices parents make for their
children. By honoring these sacrifices, we align ourselves with the virtues of
humility, love, and obedience to God. The Bible glorifies parental love and
veneration, urging believers to embody these virtues in their daily lives.
Concerning Trends in Modern Times
It is deeply disheartening to witness a growing number of children who exhibit
ingratitude towards their parents, particularly during times of need, illness,
or old age. Such behavior starkly contrasts with the Biblical call for gratitude
and reveals a troubling erosion of familial and moral values. While parents
dedicate their lives to the well-being of their children, some children respond
with indifference or even contempt. This ingratitude tears at the fabric of
sacred family relationships and violates the divine principle of honoring
parents.
Biblical Verses Highlighting Gratitude and Respect for Parents
The Scriptures are replete with verses that emphasize the duty to respect and
honor parents:
Proverbs 23:22 : “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise
your mother when she is old". This verse underscores the sanctity of parental
life-giving roles and warns against neglecting them in their old age.
2 Timothy 3:2 : “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful,
proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy". Here the
verse starkly warns against the growing prevalence of selfishness and
ingratitude in society.
Luke 11:11-12 : “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give
him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?” The
Bible in this verse highlights the natural duty of parents to provide for their
children and the unnatural betrayal of ingratitude.
Restoring Family Values
As family values erode under the pressures of modern society, a return to the
foundational principles of faith and morality becomes imperative. The
commandment to honor parents is not just a moral guideline, but a divine
directive that fosters cohesive, compassionate, and spiritually grounded
families. Gratitude towards parents reflects gratitude towards God and
strengthens the bonds of love and respect within society.
While the phenomenon of ingratitude may appear widespread, it is not
insurmountable. By recommitting ourselves to the virtues of faith, love, and
sacrifice, we can reignite the spirit of gratitude and restore the sanctity of
the parent-child relationship. The Bible’s teachings call us to recognize and
appreciate the immeasurable sacrifices of our parents, equating the honor of
earthly parents to the honor of our Heavenly Father.
A Call to Action
This Christmas, let us reaffirm our commitment to honoring our parents as an act
of faith and obedience to God.
Let us demonstrate gratitude through tangible acts of love, support, and
respect, ensuring that our parents feel cherished and valued. By doing so, we
not only fulfill the fifth commandment, but also strengthen our relationship
with God, who commands us to honor Him by honoring our parents. In doing so, we
embody the true spirit of Christmas: humility, love, and sacrifice.
Barbaric Arson Attack on Ragheb Alama's School in Beirut
Condemned
Elias Bejjani/December 24/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/12/138303/
The heinous arson attack on the Saint George School, owned by renowned Lebanese
singer Ragheb Alama, by thugs affiliated with Hezbollah, marks a new low in the
ongoing campaign of violence and intimidation led by this jihadist
Iranian-backed terrorist militia and its supporters. This criminal act
reportedly stemmed from a leaked personal comment attributed to Mr. Alama, in
which he expressed relief over the hypothetical demise of Hezbollah's leader,
Hassan Nasrallah.
The deliberate targeting of a school—a symbol of education, hope, and
progress—is an egregious act that transcends all boundaries of decency. It is a
barbaric crime that endangers the lives of students and staff, undermines the
core values of free speech, and tears at the fabric of coexistence in Lebanon.
Resorting to violence to suppress dissenting voices is a hallmark of tyranny,
oppression, and moral bankruptcy—traits Hezbollah continues to exhibit unabated.
Reports that Hezbollah-affiliated thugs also assaulted the school’s caretaker
further underscore the criminality and lawlessness that have become synonymous
with Hezbollah's modus operandi. This incident is not merely an attack on Ragheb
Alama but a chilling message to all Lebanese citizens: dissent will be punished
with violence and destruction.
While some have misguidedly called for legal action against Ragheb Alama over
his private remarks, the real crime lies in the cowardly act of arson and
assault against a place of learning. The Lebanese judiciary must act decisively
to hold the perpetrators accountable, ensuring the safety and sanctity of all
educational institutions. Failure to do so will embolden further acts of
lawlessness.
It is both ironic and tragic that Hezbollah, which claims to "defend" Lebanon,
permits and encourages its supporters to behave as vandals, leaving destruction
in their wake. They flee battles in the south and retreat from Syria in
disgrace, yet turn their venom on the Lebanese people, destroying the very
institutions they claim to protect.
This incident starkly exposes the hypocrisy of a group that postures as a
resistance movement while terrorizing its own people. The free and patriotic
Lebanese—both at home and in the diaspora—stand united in solidarity with Ragheb
Alama. We call on the Lebanese government and international organizations to
intervene to protect freedom of expression, ensure justice is served, and
safeguard Lebanon’s educational institutions from such barbarism.
Israel pursues Hezbollah weapons in Bekaa outskirts
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/December 27, 2024
BEIRUT: Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes on Friday targeting the outskirts
of Qousaya in the eastern mountain range separating Lebanon from Syria.
The strikes hit three sites, with the Israeli military claiming Hezbollah
was “using a crossing in the town of Janta to transfer military equipment
through Syria.”
These areas, which include illegal crossings where Lebanese and Syrian territory
overlap, had turned into closed security zones used by militants from
Palestinian factions loyal to Syria, as well as Hezbollah. Tunnels were located
earlier this week in the areas linking Lebanon and Syria.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s press office denied reports that Israel has
informed Lebanon it will not withdraw from invaded areas after the expiry of the
truce. Israeli Air Force Commander Gen. Tomer Bar said: “Seven border crossings
between Lebanon and Syria were attacked this morning following attempts to
smuggle military equipment.” Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said
on social media that “the airstrikes targeted infrastructure at the Janta
crossing, which was used to transfer military equipment through Syria to the
terrorist organization Hezbollah.”
As part of what the Israeli army claims is the pursuit of Hezbollah weapons
caches, Israeli aircraft also struck early Wednesday morning in the plain of
Taraiyya, west of Baalbek, targeting an uninhabited house and a garage owned by
an individual from the Hamieh family.
HIGHLIGHT
The strikes hit three sites, with the Israeli military claiming Hezbollah was
‘using a crossing in the town of Janta to transfer military equipment through
Syria.’Meanwhile, Israeli operations continue in the southern border region of
Lebanon despite the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah. On Friday, the body of
75-year-old Najwa Ghasham was found in her home in the border town of Yaroun.
Ghasham had refused to evacuate and insisted on staying throughout the
hostilities, surviving until after the ceasefire took effect on Nov. 27. The
National News Agency reported that the Lebanese Red Cross retrieved her body,
and after examination, it was revealed that she had been shot multiple times.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Thursday that the Israeli military
“killed 44 Hezbollah members who violated the ceasefire within 30 days after it
took effect and carried out 25 attacks on Lebanese sites during this period.”
Israeli forces continue to target houses and sweep villages in southern Lebanon.
Dwellings and roads continue to be bulldozed, as part of efforts to create a
buffer zone, with residents and Hezbollah members denied entry.
Israeli forces hit the outskirts of Aita Al-Shaab with artillery shells on
Friday.
Contact was lost with two Syrian workers identified as Taher Rimi and Ahmed Amin
from Wadi Al-Hujair, following the withdrawal of the Israeli military on
Thursday from the area, which was invaded for a few hours. According to security
investigations, the missing workers might have been kidnapped by Israel.
A joint patrol of the Lebanese Armed Forces and a UNIFIL Indonesian unit
inspected the areas infiltrated by the Israeli forces in Wadi Al-Hujair,
Qantara, Adchit, Qsayr and the outskirts of Wadi Al-Salouqi toward Houla. The
patrol removed dirt mounds erected by the Israeli forces in the middle of the
road.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s press office denied on Friday reports
claiming that Israel has informed Lebanon through intermediates that it will not
withdraw from invaded areas in the south after the expiry of the 60-day truce.
In a statement, Mikati’s office said: “These reports are totally untrue. The
firm position that Mikati relayed to all the concerned sides, particularly the
US and France, which are sponsoring the ceasefire agreement, underlines the
necessity to pressure the Israeli enemy to withdraw from invaded Lebanese
territories and cease its violations and hostilities.”The statement continued:
“Mikati reiterated this position in the intensive diplomatic and military
contacts he held yesterday to push for the withdrawal of the enemy from Qantara,
Adchit, Qsayr and Wadi Al-Hojair in southern Lebanon.
“He also relayed this position to the representatives of Washington and Paris in
the five-member security committee overseeing the ceasefire agreement, during
the meeting last Tuesday. Moreover, Mikati called for the full withdrawal of the
Israeli enemy, stressing that the army carrying out its duty in its deployment
areas started to consolidate its presence in the south in accordance with the
agreement.”The General Directorate of State Security announced that “a patrol
from Akkar’s state security regional directorate arrested in the morning a
person, whose identity was not revealed, considered a key driver of arms
smuggling operations between Syria and Lebanon through illegal crossings in
Lebanon’s northern border.”The general directorate added that after searching
his house, it found and seized “25 Kalashnikov rifles, one PKM machine gun, and
ammunition.”In other news, the Lebanese judiciary ordered the arrest of the wife
and daughter of former Syrian ruler Bashar Assad’s cousin, Duraid Assad, at
Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport for possessing fake passports. A
judicial source clarified that “the Public Prosecution Office took the arrest
decision due to the fake passports, while Duraid Assad (the son of former Syrian
Vice President Rifaat Assad), who holds an authentic Syrian passport, was not
arrested.”The trio were heading to Cairo from Beirut, the source added.
ISF Arrests Sixty-Seven Illegal Syrians in Jbeil
This is Beirut/December 27/2024
The Internal Security Forces (ISF) on Friday said that they had intercepted a
truck carrying 67 Syrians who had entered Lebanon illegally at midnight on
Thursday.
A team from the Jbeil ISF station stopped and searched a truck that was thought
to be suspicious after working with the Barbara municipality, according to an
ISF press release. “Inside the vehicle were hidden 67 people, men, women and
children, including a 40-day-old infant. All had been smuggled into Lebanon and
were to be taken to Beirut,” the text said. The truck driver, a 32-year-old
Lebanese man identified only by his initials, M.A., was arrested. An
investigation has been opened, the statement added, indicating that “legal
measures will be taken against the illegal immigrants, under the supervision of
the competent judicial authorities.”
Report: Hochstein to reject any Iran role in Lebanon
reconstruction
Naharnet/December 27/2024
U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein will carry a "clear message" to Lebanon's
authorities during his upcoming visit to the country and will ask them to
"reject any role for Iran in reconstruction, neither through Iranian firms nor
through aid," a media report said.
The U.S. envoy will also "stress the need for the Lebanese state to prevent the
leakage of cash from any outlet because that would have major consequences,"
al-Akhbar newspaper quoted "sources who are in contact with the Americans" as
saying.
Israel says struck 'infrastructure' on Syria-Lebanon border
Naharnet/December 27/2024
The Israeli military said it conducted air strikes on Friday targeting
"infrastructure" on the Syrian-Lebanese border near the village of Janta, which
it said was used to smuggle weapons to the armed group Hezbollah. "Earlier
today, the IAF (Israeli air force) struck infrastructure that was used to
smuggle weapons via Syria to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon at
the Janta crossing on the Syrian-Lebanese border," the military said in a
statement
Report: US vows to press Israel to end violations, withdraw from Lebanon
Naharnet/December 27/2024
The co-chair of the five-party ceasefire monitoring committee, U.S. general
Jasper Jeffers, has received a phone call from caretaker PM Najib Mikati, who
protested against Thursday's Israeli incursion into Wadi al-Hujeir, Qantara and
Adsheet al-Qusayr, a prominent political source said. Jeffers "promised that the
Israelis would withdraw in five hours after carrying out a military mission that
has been added to the list of Israeli violations," the source told al-Joumhouria
newspaper in remarks published Friday. "The Americans pledged to press Israel to
halt its violations and withdraw from all Lebanese territory by the end of the
60-day deadline," the source added. The daily also
reported that Lebanon has moved toward the U.N. Security Council, which will
"issue a statement voicing support for the agreement and demanding commitment to
U.N. resolution 1701."
Hezbollah MP Fadlallah accuses Israel of exploiting ceasefire to target
front-line villages
LBCI/December 27/2024
Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc MP Hassan Fadlallah criticized Israel’s attempts
to exploit the ceasefire, claiming the Israeli military is using the opportunity
to carry out plans of destruction, leveling, and attacks on front-line villages.
Speaking at a ceremony honoring Hezbollah martyrs, Fadlallah emphasized the
responsibility of the Lebanese state, the monitoring committee, UNIFIL, the
Lebanese army, and the countries that brokered the ceasefire. He said Hezbollah
continues to follow up with relevant parties but reaffirmed that the people of
southern Lebanon, the resistance, and the wider Lebanese communities do not need
evidence of the resistance’s role in protecting the country, citing the
army-people-resistance equation. He also addressed the failure of the
international community to provide the promised protection during the 30-day
ceasefire period, stating that Hezbollah remains focused on the next 60-day
phase.
Fadlallah stressed the need for political pressure to ensure the implementation
of the agreement, calling for a continuation of actions that lead to respect for
the ceasefire terms.
Lebanese Red Cross rescues two missing Syrians from Wadi
al-Hujeir, transfers them to nearby hospital
LBCI/December 27/2024
The Lebanese Red Cross teams transferred two Syrian nationals on Friday
afternoon from the outskirts of the town of Houla. The individuals had been
missing since Thursday morning in the Wadi al-Hujair area. They were taken to
the Tebnine Governmental Hospital for medical examination and to assess their
health condition. This operation took place after
coordination and communication between the UNIFIL liaison team and the Lebanese
Red Cross, with a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross
also participating.
Israeli forces demolish homes in Naqoura, artillery targets
Aita al-Shaab
LBCI/December 27/2024
Loud explosions rocked Tyre and its surrounding areas in the western sector as
Israeli forces demolished several homes in the town of Naqoura, according to the
National News Agency. The agency also reported that Israeli army artillery
shelled the town of Aita al-Shaab, escalating tensions in the region.
Assad Family Members Arrested at the Lebanese Airport for
Fake Passports
This is Beirut/December 27/2024
The wife and daughter of Doureid al-Assad, son of Rifaat al-Assad, were arrested
at Beirut International Airport (BIA) for possession of fake passports. They
were brought before the Cassation Public Prosecutor’s Office, which ordered
their arrest for forgery.
According to Al-Markazia news agency, Doureid al-Assad, who had a genuine Syrian
passport, was accompanying his wife and daughter who were getting ready to take
a plane to Cairo. Rifaat al-Assad is the younger brother of the late Syrian
president Hafez al-Assad. He established the Defense Brigades, which he oversaw
during the 1982 Hama massacre, which claimed almost 40,000 lives. After a
dispute with his brother, he fled Syria, earning the nickname “Butcher of Hama.”
He returned in 2021 after 36 years of exile. In France, an arrest order has been
issued for him.
Alongside the regime, Doureid al-Assad took the lead in the struggle against the
opposition in all of its manifestations. To unite the Alawite community behind
the government of Bashar al-Assad, the former president and Hafez's son, he
employed sectarian agitation.
Lebanon's General Security investigates wife and daughter
of Duraid Rifaat al-Assad over forged passports
LBCI/December 27/2024
The Lebanese General Security is continuing its investigations with the wife of
Duraid Rifaat al-Assad and their daughter, who were arrested at Beirut's Rafic
Hariri International Airport while attempting to leave the country with forged
Syrian passports. The investigations are being conducted under the supervision
of the Lebanese judiciary and based on a lawsuit filed by the Mount Lebanon
Prosecutor's Office.
Jumblat calls on security agencies to 'wake up'
Naharnet/December 27/2024
Druze leader Walid Jumblat wrote Friday on the X platform that "the Lebanese
Foreign Ministry has finally woken up from its deep sleep and noticed that a
change has happened in Syria." He was apparently referring to the latest phone
talks between caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and the foreign
minister of Syria's new administration, Asaad al-Shibani."Can the security
agencies do the same thing and arrest the senior officials of the former regime
who are passing through the border and fleeing through the airport?" Jumblat
wondered.
Israel plans prolonged Lebanon stay past 60-day ceasefire:
Key details
LBCI/December 27/2024
The Israeli army is preparing to extend its presence in southern Lebanon beyond
60 days, in violation of the initial phase of the ceasefire agreement between
Lebanon and Israel. The extension is reportedly justified by claims that the
Lebanese army has failed to implement the agreement, specifically in preventing
Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities. During a security assessment session
Thursday evening following an attack in Yemen, attendees discussed UNIFIL's
protest against Israeli attacks. The meeting concluded that the 60-day timeline
was not "sacrosanct," and political leaders approved a plan for the army to
prepare for a prolonged stay in Lebanon. A security
report from the military intelligence alleged that Hezbollah has resumed using
the Syria-Lebanon border to smuggle weapons. Based on this claim, the army was
given approval to target smuggling operations as long as the ceasefire agreement
remains unimplemented in full, including the clause prohibiting arms transfers
to Hezbollah. At the same time, the Israeli military reinforced its forces along
the border with Lebanon. On Friday morning, the army announced it had targeted
weapons depots in southern Lebanon, claiming the sites contained 40 rocket
launchers aimed at Israel and were located in civilian buildings. Meanwhile,
several security officials said they could not take responsibility for
encouraging northern Israeli residents to return to their homes, citing
instability in the region and an inability to guarantee border security.
Berri says time for MPs to carry out their duties, elect
president
Naharnet/December 27/2024
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has called for a parliamentary session to elect a
president on January 9. The session will be open with successive rounds until a
president is elected, Saudi news channel Al-Hadath said. The Saudi channel said
sources quoted Berri as saying that the Quint - which comprises the U.S.,
France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt - has supported Lebanon to elect a
president. "Now we have to carry out our duties." According to the sources,
Berri called on the parliamentary blocs to fulfill their responsibility and
secure quorum for the January 9 session. The country has been without a
president since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022, with neither of the
two main blocs -- Hezbollah and its opponents -- having the majority required to
elect one, and unable to reach a consensus.
Wadi al-Hujair transformed: Israel's incursion sparks fears of further advances
LBCI/December 27/2024
In Wadi al-Hujair, a monument commemorates the start of resistance against
colonialism 104 years ago. In the same valley, the memory of the July 2006 war
endures, where Hezbollah ambushed the Israeli army in what became known as the
"Merkava massacre." On Dec. 26, 2024, the valley's landscape changed as Israeli
forces advanced without resistance or deterrence. Neither the ceasefire nor the
monitoring committee tasked with enforcing it managed to prevent the Israeli
army from advancing. Beginning at 5 a.m. Thursday, Israeli forces moved with
significant strength from Taybeh, through Qantara, to the heart of the valley.
An LBCI team toured about one kilometer into the valley, documenting the
destruction of several cafes, the bulldozing of lands and trees, and the
construction of earth mounds. In the valley, where Israel paved roads stretching
hundreds of meters, occupying forces worked for 10 hours before withdrawing. The
Israeli incursion extended beyond the valley to the town of Qantara, advancing
several hundred meters from the Taybeh side and causing damage to homes, cars,
and agricultural lands. Dozens of families fled when Israeli forces entered the
town, though some returned later. From Qantara, the
team moved to Aadchit El Qsair. The crew encountered no one in the
neighborhoods; only destruction remained. Reports indicate that the Israeli
incursion also targeted the town from the Deir Seryan side. On Thursday, Israeli
forces withdrew following communication with the ceasefire monitoring Committee.
However, security sources warn that the incursion may be a prelude to further
advances into a valley that holds significant military and symbolic importance
for Hezbollah.
Israeli army withdraws from Qantara, Adsheet and Wadi
al-Hujeir
Naharnet/December 27/2024
The Israeli army withdrew Thursday from the southern areas of Qantara, Adsheet
al-Qusayr and Wadi al-Hujeir after it made a several-hour incursion that forced
residents to flee and involved the abduction and wounding of a Lebanese UNIFIL
employee.
The Lebanese Army said the Israelis retreated after "a series of contacts by the
five-party committee overseeing the ceasefire agreement (Mechanism)." Lebanese
troops meanwhile removed sand barriers that the Israeli forces had erected to
block one of the roads in Wadi al-Hujeir, the Lebanese Army said, adding that it
is following up on the situation in coordination with UNIFIL and the ceasefire
committee
Mikati denies Lebanon told that Israel won't withdraw after
60-day period
Naharnet/December 27/2024
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Friday denied media reports claiming
that Lebanon has been indirectly informed that Israel will not withdraw from
south Lebanon after the end of the 60-day period stipulated in the ceasefire
agreement. These allegations are "totally baseless,"
Mikati's office said in a statement, noting that the premier has asked the U.S.
and France to press Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory and end its
violations. Sources in the Israeli army have told the Haaretz newspaper that the
Israeli military “will have to stay in Lebanon until the Lebanese army can
fulfill its commitments under the terms of the cease-fire deal, which include
attaining full control of southern Lebanon.” Thursday marked 30 days since the
cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect, as part of an
agreement brokered by the U.S. and other countries. “The IDF (Israeli army) says
that in the last 30 days, 44 Hezbollah militants who violated the agreement have
been killed in IDF strikes. Out of 120 such violations by Hezbollah, the army
attacked during 25 of them,” Haaretz reported. “At the moment, the IDF is
satisfied with the agreement's implementation and with the United States'
involvement in its enforcement, which has taken place in coordination with the
Lebanese army,” the newspaper added. The Israeli army
is currently present in all Lebanese villages near the border fence, and their
residents have not yet been allowed to return. The Israeli army has started
building the infrastructure for outposts along the northern border, some of
which will be located in Israeli-controlled enclaves beyond the border fence,
but which do not cross the international border between the two countries.
However, in certain locations considered vulnerable, outposts will be
established in enclaves situated beyond the Israel-Lebanon border, Haaretz said.
The Israeli army estimates that Hezbollah lost 30 percent of its manpower in the
war and 75 percent of the firepower it had on October 6, 2023. The defense
establishment assesses that Hezbollah still has hundreds of short-range rockets
alongside hundreds of longer-range missiles.
Souhaid from Damascus: What Unites Us Is Stronger Than
Events
This is Beirut/This Is Beirut/December 27/2024
In a speech in front of the Maronite Archdiocese of Damascus, former MP Fares
Souhaid declared, “We have come from Lebanon to tell everyone to look with hope
at the transformations in our region.”Souhaid added, “We came to tell our
brothers in Syria that what unites us is stronger than the events, to wish a
free and dignified life for all Syrians without discrimination, and to say that
we are entering a new phase.”Souhaid's remarks were made during a visit by a
delegation from the “Saydet El Jabal” meeting to the Maronite Archdiocese of
Damascus. The delegation included former MP Ahmad Fatfat and is scheduled to
continue with a visit to the Umayyad Mosque.
Ongoing Negotiations Ahead of the January 9 Presidential
Election
Bassam Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/December 27/2024
As of today, it appears unlikely that the parliamentary session scheduled for
January 9 will result in the election of a new president. However, the days
leading up to this session are expected to see intense political activity, with
hopes remaining high for a breakthrough—whether through consensus or by securing
the necessary 65 votes. Many are awaiting the crucial
decision from abroad, but both the United States and Saudi Arabia have yet to
make a firm move, despite their support for Army Commander General Joseph Aoun.
It is reported that Saudi advisor Yazeed bin Farhan, who has taken over the
Lebanese file from Nizar al-Aloula, has been in contact with Lebanese factions.
Meetings are also expected to take place in Riyadh in the coming days to discuss
the details of the Lebanese situation, particularly the presidential issue and
the formation of a government committed to a clear political, economic, and
reform agenda.
Under the Trump administration, the United States would favor postponing a
decision on the Lebanese presidential election until after January 20,
anticipating that evolving regional dynamics could facilitate General Joseph
Aoun's path to the Baabda Palace or lead to the selection of another candidate
more suitable for the circumstances. These positions,
shared by both Saudi Arabia and the United States, align with the stance of
internal opposition forces, particularly the Lebanese Forces (LF). They argue
that any compromise on the presidency with Hezbollah and its allies would
undermine the president’s authority and unjustly reward those aligned with the
moumana’a axis. In contrast, Speaker of Parliament
Nabih Berri continues his familiar strategy of refraining from endorsing any
candidate, particularly after distancing himself from Sleiman Frangieh, leader
of the Marada Movement. Instead, he maintains a policy of welcoming all
candidates without offering explicit support. As a
result, based on comments attributed to Berri, each candidate believes their
chances remain viable. However, Berri is acutely aware that the era of selecting
a president as a mere puppet has ended due to shifting dynamics in Lebanon and
the region. Consequently, he has ruled out many potential candidates, narrowing
his focus to a short list of individuals who possess a solid sovereigntist
ideology, a genuine commitment to state-building, and the ability to establish
robust international and Arab relations—qualities deemed essential for Lebanon’s
recovery.
Sources suggest that Berri is seeking political concessions in exchange for
supporting a candidate who meets these criteria. Chief among his demands is a
commitment from donor countries to fund the reconstruction of areas devastated
during the Hezbollah-Israel conflict. However, initial responses from
international stakeholders have stressed the necessity of a lasting framework to
minimize the risk of future conflicts with Israel. This framework would require
Hezbollah’s disarmament and the dismantling of its military infrastructure.
South Lebanon… A Tenuous Agreement
Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al Awsat/December 27/2024
Yesterday morning (Thursday), the 26th of December, the National News Agency
reported that the Israeli occupation forces had carried out an incursion into
areas south of the Litani River. They entered the villages of Adshit al-Qusair
and Qantara, which are close to the Litani River, and continued downward to Wadi
al-Hujeir. It coincided with an Al-Arabiya report that Tel Aviv had informed the
ceasefire monitoring committee that its forces might remain in the south after
the 60-day period ends. These field developments were preceded by a violent
airstrike in the northern Bekaa region a few days ago. Both add to over 270
violations of the agreement by Israel since it was signed, as it continues to
violate Lebanese airspace with drones and reconnaissance planes, especially over
the capital Beirut.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese government is awaiting US Special Envoy to Lebanon Amos
Hochstein. On his next visit, which might be his last, Hochstein will address
several issues, foremost among them the stabilization of the ceasefire, but in
Israel’s favor. The Jewish state seeks to impose new rules of engagement, which
may have been part of the agreement but have not been announced. The enemy wants
total freedom of movement in Lebanon by land, air, and sea. Hochstein will
discuss parliament’s election of a new president. Despite all the optimism that
it is imminent, it does not seem that the deal has been fully baked yet, and the
date set by Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri could well change.
In the south, Tel Aviv continues to dismantle Hezbollah's military
capabilities, hit Hezbollah movements south of the river, and take action to
prevent Hezbollah from returning, in addition to preventing its rearmament, even
if force is required. It is also exerting diplomatic
and security pressure, with the help of Western allies, to ensure the
implementation of the UN Resolutions that called for the disarmament of all
militias in Lebanon. That would entail the party handing over all the weapons it
has across Lebanon. The party’s response can be divided into two tracks. First,
imposing its own interpretation of the agreement, putting a spin on its
stipulations and insisting that it only applies south of the river, repeatedly
reiterating that it will not commit to some of the terms laid out in the
agreement that had been signed by the Lebanese government and approved and
overseen by Speaker Berri, the party’s main partner and only remaining ally.
Second, the party insists, on the premise of its interpretation, on maintaining
the other weapons to confront Israel’s intransigence in the future, that is, in
order to be prepared for the possibility of Israel not withdrawing to behind the
border or continuing to violate the agreement.
Indeed, the party clashed with enemy forces along the occupied strip of the
border before Israel pulled out of the country in 2000, and its fighters used to
infiltrate those areas. Its fighters now know the south like the palm of their
hand and are ready to move militarily when the opportunity arises.
So far, the party is trying to deny the major shifts that have unfolded in
Lebanon and the region. It has lost its domestic and regional allies, as well as
some support from its base, amid broad discontent within the Shiite community
due to the cost of the support war, the betrayal of allies, delays in reassuring
southerners about compensation and reconstruction, suspicions of corruption in
this regard, and political conditions set by donor countries that must be met
before any assistance is provided.
While southerners fear for their safety and worry that they may not be able to
return to their devastated villages, Hezbollah is seeking to re-legitimize its
arsenal and shore up its partner's share in the state; essentially it wants to
maintain the status quo and reproduce the regime’s corruption as though nothing
had happened. Meanwhile, Israel roams free in the south, justifying its actions
through the terms of an agreement sponsored by the party's partner in the
"Shiite duo" and approved by the government it imposed on the Lebanese people.
Thus, it could be said that the southerners will face heightened security risks
if the enemy decides to settle the score in Lebanon definitively.
Accordingly, the ceasefire will not necessarily collapse, but a
resumption of hostilities can no longer be ruled out. The enemy remains
obstinate and might insist on maintaining its occupation. For its part,
Hezbollah needs pretexts for its weapons. In this political equation, the crisis
would not remain confined to the border. It would seep into the country,
creating schisms between the community who reside south of the Litani River and
cannot return, those who live north of the river and want to avoid the same
fate, and between the party, which is clinging on to its weapons, and the
majority of Lebanese people who oppose its narrative.
Question: “What sort of New Year’s resolution should a
Christian make?”
GotQuestions.org/December 27/2024
Answer: The practice of making New Year’s resolutions goes back over 3,000 years
to the ancient Babylonians. There is just something about the start of a new
year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. In reality,
there is no difference between December 31 and January 1. Nothing mystical
occurs at midnight on December 31. The Bible does not speak for or against the
concept of New Year’s resolutions. However, if a Christian determines to make a
New Year’s resolution, what kind of resolution should he or she make?
Common New Year’s resolutions are commitments to quit smoking, to stop drinking,
to manage money more wisely, and to spend more time with family. By far, the
most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, in conjunction with
exercising more and eating more healthily. These are all good goals to set.
However, 1 Timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: “For
physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,
holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” The vast
majority of New Year’s resolutions, even among Christians, are in relation to
physical things. This should not be. Many Christians
make New Year’s resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to
attend church more regularly. These are fantastic goals. However, these New
Year’s resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because
there is no power in a New Year’s resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a
certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping
or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every
day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just
heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to
honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself?
Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do everything through Him who gives me
strength.” John 15:5 declares, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man
remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do
nothing.” If God is the center of your New Year’s resolution, it has chance for
success, depending on your commitment to it. If it is God’s will for something
to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. If a resolution is not
God-honoring and/or is not in agreement with God’s Word, we will not receive
God’s help in fulfilling the resolution. So, what sort
of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions: (1)
pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) regarding what resolutions, if any, He
would have you make; (2) pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God
gives you; (3) rely on God’s strength to help you; (4) find an accountability
partner who will help you and encourage you; (5) don’t become discouraged with
occasional failures; instead, allow them to motivate you further; (6) don’t
become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6 says, “Commit your
way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your
righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday
sun.”
Israeli jets attack Syria-Lebanon border crossings to stop arms smuggling
JERUSALEM (Reuters)/December 27, 2024
Israeli jets struck seven crossing points along the Syria-Lebanon border on
Friday, aiming to cut the flow of weapons to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group
in southern Lebanon. Israeli troops also seized a truck mounted with a 40-barrel
rocket launcher in southern Lebanon, part of a haul from various areas that
included explosives, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and AK-47 automatic
rifles, the military said. The commander of the
Israeli Air Force, Major General Tomer Bar, said Hezbollah was trying to smuggle
weapons into Lebanon to test Israel's ability to stop them.
"This must not be tolerated," he said in a statement. Under the terms of a Nov.
27 ceasefire agreement, Israel is supposed to withdraw its troops from southern
Lebanon in phases while unauthorised Hezbollah military facilities south of the
Litani River are to be dismantled. However, each side has accused the other of
violating the agreement, intended to end more than a year of fighting that began
with Hezbollah missile strikes on Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas-led
attack of Oct. 7, 2023, from Gaza. On Thursday, the
United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon called for Israeli forces to
withdraw, citing what it said were repeated violations of the deal.
Israel, which destroyed large parts of Hezbollah's missile stocks during
weeks of operations in southern Lebanon, has said it will not permit weapons to
be smuggled to Hezbollah through Syria. Israel has also conducted attacks
against the Iranian-backed Houthi movement in Yemen in recent days and pledged
to continue its campaign against Iranian-backed militant groups across the
region.
Lebanese journalist Abir Rahal killed by husband before his
suicide
Arab News/December 27, 2024
BEIRUT: Lebanese journalist Abir Rahal was shot to death by her husband inside a
courthouse before he committed suicide, reported the state news agency NNA.
The couple were at a Shariah court in the town of Shheem in Mount Lebanon
to complete their divorce proceedings after Rahal filed for separation from her
husband, Khalil Masoud, according to media reports. Masoud fled the scene after
shooting his wife at a close range, posting a video on his Facebook account an
hour later detailing their financial disputes over a local news website he
claimed to have founded. He also expressed his intent
to commit suicide after the video is posted. Security
officers later found his body in his car after he shot himself with a gun in his
possession.“When you watch this video, I will have departed this world,” said
Masoud. He was transported to the government hospital
in Sibline but succumbed to his injuries shortly afterward. The couple are
succeeded by their three children.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on December
27-28/2024
New Damascus governor wants 'peace' with
Israel, says its fears are 'natural'
Daniel Edelson, New York, Lior Ben
Ari|//Ynetnews/December 27/2024
Maher Marwan, appointed by Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, says many
Syrians wish for coexistence as Israel remains skeptical
Maher Marwan, the new governor of Damascus appointed by Syria’s de facto leader
Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly Abu Mohammed al-Golani), made a surprising statement
calling on the United States to establish peace between Syria and Israel. "There
exists a people who want coexistence. They want peace. They don't want disputes.
We want peace, and we cannot be an opponent to Israel or an opponent to anyone,”
he said in an interview with U.S. public radio network NPR. However, he
acknowledged Israel’s concerns, saying, "It's natural for Israel to be worried
about certain factions." He added, " Israel may have felt fear, so it advanced a
little, bombed a little, etc. We have no fear towards Israel, and our problem is
not with Israel. And we don't want to meddle in anything that will threaten
Israel's security or any other country's security." A U.S. official confirmed
that the new Syrian administration's message was relayed to Israel but noted
that the White House isn’t urging either side to take steps toward establishing
relations at this time. Direct dialogue between the U.S. and the Syrian rebels
has been ongoing since the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime, culminating in the
removal of the $10 million bounty on al-Sharaa’s head due to his past jihadist
activities. Israeli officials have indicated that while the Americans understand
Israel’s security needs and concerns, they believe Israel should give the new
regime a chance. Conversely, Israel maintains a far more skeptical stance.
Syria’s transitional government, led by al-Sharaa, recently announced several
appointments, including new governors for the country’s provinces, one of whom
is Maher Marwan. The governors will serve for three months in the timeframe
allocated to form the new government.
According to reports in Arab media, Marwan was born in Damascus in 1979. He
actively participated in the protests in Syria starting in 2011 and has lived in
Saudi Arabia, Damascus the city of al-Qaryatayn in the Homs countryside and
later in Idlib. He studied at Idlib University and held various positions under
the Syrian opposition, which now controls the country. Israeli officials appear
unfazed by the governor's remarks. Sources in Jerusalem told Ynet earlier this
week, "The burden of proof is on al-Sharaa and his people. We mustn’t forget
their ideological foundations."
According to these sources, the "warm" messages from Damascus’s new leadership
remain an enigma as no one knows which direction the new regime will take. While
al-Sharaa and his team are saying the "right things," the post-October 7 mood in
Israel is marked by skepticism and fears of a "charm offensive" meant to deceive
the West. Al-Sharaa isn’t affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS). He was once
active in al-Qaeda but left the organization years ago, pivoting toward other
jihadist yet more Syrian nationalist-oriented paths. In the past, he also led
al-Nusra Front during its affiliation with al-Qaeda and the group itself
maintained ties with Israel.
Syria arrests
top official who sentenced thousands to death in Sednaya, report claims
Tamsin Paternoster/Euronews/December
27, 2024
Syria's new government have arrested a top military official responsible for
issuing thousands of death sentences in the country's infamous Sednaya prison
under former leader Bashar al-Assad, UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights said. According to the organisation that has been monitoring the war in
Syria for over a decade, al-Hassan was arrested alongside 20 others on Thursday
after clashes erupted in the coastal province of Tartus between security
officials and al-Assad loyalists who sought to protect the former justice.
Fourteen members of the government forces were killed in clashes, according to
Mohammed Abdel Rahman, Syria’s interim interior minister. Al-Hassan would be the
highest-ranking official to be arrested since rebel fighters led by Hayat Tahrir
al-Sham, or HTS, led a stunning offensive that toppled long-time leader Bashar
al-Assad earlier this month.
In 2023, al-Hassan was sanctioned by the UK government for "repressing the
civilian population in Syria." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
al-Hassan was responsible for crimes in the country's infamous Sednaya prison --
where humanitarian organisations warned opponents of al-Assad's regime were
relentlessly tortured. NGO the Association of Prisoners and Missing Persons of
Sednaya Prison (ADMSP), said al-Hassan headed the Syrian military court from
2011 to 2014 during the first three years of civil war in Syria. He was then
promoted to head of the country's military justice system. ADMSP's co-founder,
Diab Serrija, said al-Hassan sentenced "thousands of people" to death during his
tenure whilst simultaneously extorting around €143 million from relatives of the
prisoners in exchange for information about their loved ones. The National
Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, founded in exile, said
al-Hassan was one of the "Assad regime's criminals" and that his arrest marked
an important step towards the investigation of crimes committed under al-Assad's
rule. The move indicates that members of HTS are stepping up efforts to hold
former members of the al-Assad regime accountable as they attempt to build a
system of governance in the fractured country. International organisations have
called for the urgent establishment of mechanisms of accountability in the
country where a new judiciary has not yet been organised by rebel fighters.
Instances of unrest in various parts of the country indicate that HTS may face
challenges in trying to implement peaceful governance. Over the past week,
members of al-Assad's minority Alawite community have staged protests in the
west and in the central city of Homs over a video posted online allegedly
showing an Alawite shrine set alight.
Alongside deadly clashes during the hunt for al-Hassan, protests also broke out
in the country's capital of Damascus over the burning of a Christmas tree —
sparking fears of sectarian conflict. HTS has promised to create a pluralist
system in the country home to multiple religious communities. Their group is,
however, rooted in a fundamentalist Islamist ideology, leading to concern that
minority communities, including Christians, Druse and Alawites, could face
prosecution. HTS' leader Ahmad al-Shara, previously known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani,
has promised that minorities will be protected. On Thursday, the interim
Ministry of Information said it was banning the publication of content with “a
sectarian character that seeks to spread division."
Syrians Protest to Demand Answers about Loved Ones Who Disappeared under Assad’s
Rule
Asharq Al Awsat/December 27/2024
The King Salman Relief and Humanitarian Aid Center (KSrelief) clinics provided
medical services to 2,578 patients in the Zaatari refugee camp for Syrians in
Jordan during the second week of December 2024. The general medicine clinics
received 552 patients who were examined and given the necessary medications,
while the internal medicine clinic received 137 patients with various health
conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, and asthma. The pediatric clinic
treated 265 children, while the emergency department received 249 patients. The
dental clinic received 154 patients, and 219 women were treated at the women's
clinic, SPA reported. The ear, nose, and throat clinic treated 57 patients
suffering from sinus, pharynx, tonsils, and middle ear infections. The
ophthalmology clinic provided the necessary treatment to 53 patients, while the
cardiology clinic treated 21 patients. The diagnostic radiology clinic dealt
with 21 patients, and the rehabilitation medicine clinic treated 35
patients.During the said period, 541 laboratory tests were conducted on 183
patients, and 141 X-rays were performed on 110 patients. At the vaccination
clinic, 147 vaccines were administered to 59 patients, and medications for
chronic diseases were dispensed to 321 patients. The health education department
received 74 patients, and the physical therapy department treated 68 patients.
The pharmacy recorded 1,665 prescriptions.
18,000 Syrians Returned Home from Jordan Since Assad’s Fall
Asharq Al Awsat/December
27/2024
About 18,000 Syrians have crossed into their country from Jordan since the
government of Bashar Assad was toppled earlier this month, Jordanian authorities
said on Thursday. Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya told state TV channel Al-Mamlaka
that “around 18,000 Syrians have returned to their country between the fall of
the regime of Bashar Assad on December 8, 2024 until Thursday.”He said the
returnees included 2,300 refugees registered with the United Nations. Amman says
it has hosted about 1.3 million Syrians who fled their country since civil war
broke out in 2011, with 650,000 formally registered with the United Nations.
Earlier this month, Al-Faraya said that security circumstances now allow Syrian
refugees to return to their country. "What prevented refugees from returning to
their country was the security issue and now this has changed,” he said.
The minister said information suggests that security conditions on the northern
border of the Kingdom with Syria are stable, adding that what is happening today
in Syria represents "the end of a tragedy and years of suffering."The
Jaber-Nasib border crossing, which is located about 80 kilometers west of Amman,
is currently the only functioning crossing between the two countries.
US
defense system intercepts Yemen missile for the first time since deployed
Yoav Zitun/netnews/December 26/2024
Deployed in October, the U.S.-supplied THAAD air defense system successfully
intercepted its first ballistic missile early Friday, launched by Houthi rebels
in Yemen; 'We’ve waited 18 years for this' says one of the American soldiers
operating the system
The U.S.-supplied Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, deployed
in Israel since October, successfully intercepted a ballistic missile launched
by Houthi rebels in Yemen early Friday—marking its first operational use in the
country.
The missile launch occurred against the backdrop of Israel's extensive air
operation, "Operation Sounds of the Vineyard," targeting Houthi positions in
Yemen on Thursday night. The operation, described as Israel's most significant
strike against the terror group to date, prompted the missile launch in
retaliation. Sirens blared across central Israel, including the Tel Aviv area,
Sharon, and Shfela regions, at 3:29 a.m. The interception prevented any
casualties or direct damage. However, Magen David Adom (MDA) reported treating
18 people for injuries sustained while rushing to shelters. Two others were
treated for anxiety. The missile launch briefly disrupted air travel. Four El Al
flights en route to Ben Gurion Airport from Paris, Athens, Berlin, and Munich
were rerouted over the Mediterranean. Landings resumed approximately 30 minutes
after the sirens ceased. Meanwhile, France condemned the Houthi attacks,
including the ballistic missile launch and ongoing drone strikes against Israel.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the attacks "unacceptable,"
stating they undermine regional stability and must stop. France reaffirmed its
commitment to Israel’s security and regional stability. The THAAD system,
operated by approximately 100 U.S. soldiers stationed in Israel, is designed to
intercept missiles at high altitudes, even outside the atmosphere, using kinetic
energy. Similar in capability to Israel’s Arrow missile defense system, THAAD
can target various stages of an enemy missile's flight path. The U.S. deployed
the THAAD system to Israel at its request, both as a strategic deterrent and a
display of military support in the region. Israeli officials view THAAD as a
significant enhancement to the country’s multi-layered air defense systems,
particularly in light of escalating threats, including from Iran.
Fresh
air strike hits Sanaa, say Houthis
AFP/December 27, 2024
SANAA: An air strike hit Yemen’s capital on Friday, a day after deadly Israeli
raids, according to the Iran-backed Houthis who blamed the US and Britain for
the latest attack.A Houthi statement cited “US-British aggression” for the new
attack, as witnesses also reported the blast. There was no immediate comment
from Israel, the United States or Britain. “I heard the blast. My house shook,”
one resident of the Houthi-held capital Sanaa told AFP. The attack followed
Thursday’s Israeli raids on infrastructure including Sanaa’s international
airport that left six people dead. The strikes came in response to a series of
Houthi attacks on Israel. The Houthis have also been firing on the Red Sea and
Gulf of Aden shipping route for months, prompting a series of reprisal strikes
by US and British forces.
Inside Israel’s largest Yemen strike: Control tower, power
stations hit amid tight US coordination
Itamar Eichner, Lior Ben Ari, Yoav Zitun/Ynetnews/December
26/2024
Israel’s Air Force launches largest Yemen strike yet, targeting Sanaa Airport
and other key locations; 'No Houthi leader will escape Israel’s reach,' Katz
says.
Israeli officials confirmed the country’s largest airstrike in Yemen since the
war began, targeting Houthi-controlled sites in Sanaa and other key locations.
The operation involved 25 aircraft, including fighter jets, reconnaissance
planes and tankers, and hit infrastructure critical to Houthi operations.
Targets included Sanaa International Airport, where the control tower and
landing aids were destroyed to prevent Iranian supply shipments. Civilian
aircraft used by the Houthi government were also hit. Additional strikes
targeted Hodeidah’s port, a power station with five turbines and oil facilities.
Damage reports from Yemeni media indicated the airport’s runways, terminal
buildings and the Haziz power station south of Sanaa were also struck. Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz observed the
operation from the Israeli Air Force command center alongside IDF Chief of Staff
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar. "We are
determined to cut off this terror arm of Iran’s axis of evil," Netanyahu said.
Katz added, "Those who harm Israel will be hunted. No Houthi leader will escape
Israel’s reach." Halevi emphasized the IDF’s long-range strike capabilities,
saying, "Once again, we’ve shown we can reach and eliminate any threat to
Israel’s citizens, with precision and power." Houthi-affiliated Yemeni network
Al Masirah reported three deaths and 16 injuries from the strikes on Sanaa
airport. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
was at the airport during the strike. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), he
said, "The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge – just a few meters
from where we were – and the runway were damaged. At least two people were
reported killed at the airport. One of our plane’s crew members was injured. We
will need to wait for the damage to the airport the be repaired before we can
leave."A senior Israeli official defended the operation: "If the Houthis don’t
understand force, they’ll understand even more force." Another source suggested
future escalations: "The Houthis only respond to direct action, and that action
will come." Israel emphasized close coordination with the U.S., which provided
intelligence for the strike. A source described the operation as a "Hanu-Christmas"
collaboration, underscoring the partnership between the two nations.
The strikes follow a series of Houthi ballistic missile launches, with four
incidents in the past week alone. These attacks triggered widespread nighttime
alarms across central Israel, causing destruction at a school in Ramat Efal and
in Tel Aviv. Israeli officials stressed that further measures are on the table
to address the escalating threat.
UN Chief
Says Israeli Strikes in Yemen, Including at Airport, are Alarming
Asharq Al Awsat/December
27/2024
The spokesperson of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday condemned
escalations between Israel and Yemen, saying Israel's airstrikes on Yemen's
Sanaa International Airport, the Red Sea ports and power stations were alarming,
Reuters reported. Israel said it struck multiple targets linked to the
Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen on Thursday, including Sanaa International
Airport, and Houthi media said at least six people were killed. "Israeli
airstrikes today on Sanaa International Airport, the Red Sea ports and power
stations in Yemen are especially alarming," the UN chief's spokesperson said in
a press briefing while expressing concerns about the risk of further regional
escalation.
WHO: Crew Member Suffered Serious Injury in Yemen Airport Strike
Asharq Al Awsat/December
27/2024
The UN air crew member hurt in an airstrike on Yemen's main international
airport on Thursday suffered serious injuries but is now recovering in hospital,
a spokesperson for the World Health Organization said on Friday.Israel said it
struck multiple targets linked to the Iran-aligned Houthi militias in Yemen,
including Sanaa International Airport, and Houthi media said at least six people
were killed. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was in the airport
waiting to depart when the aerial bombardment took place and said that a member
of his plane's crew was injured.
The injured man, who worked for the UN Humanitarian Air Service, had to be
operated on, the WHO spokesperson said. He appeared to be recovering
satisfactorily, the person added. Tedros, who was in Yemen to negotiate the
release of detained UN staff and to assess the humanitarian situation, would
continue working in the country until his flight is able to depart, the WHO
spokesperson said. That could be on Friday, but no decision has yet been made,
the WHO spokesperson said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an
interview with Channel 14 that Israel was only at the beginning of its campaign
against the Houthis. "We are just getting started with them," he said.
Iran
Rejects Accusations it Interfered in Syria
Asharq Al Awsat/December
27/2024
Iran's foreign
ministry on Thursday expressed “concern” over “the spread of chaos and violence”
in Syria and rejected accusations that Tehran interfered in Syria, after the new
Syrian foreign minister told Tehran not to spread chaos in his country. "We
reject the baseless accusations by some media ... against Iran over interfering
in Syria's internal affairs," Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil
Baghaei was quoted as saying by state media. "It is necessary to prevent the
spread of insecurity and violence ... and ensure the security of Syrian
citizens," he added. Syria's newly appointed foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani,
said on Tuesday that Iran must respect the will of the Syrian people and Syria's
sovereignty and security. "We warn them against spreading chaos in Syria and we
hold them accountable for the repercussions of the latest remarks," he said. On
Sunday, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Syrian youth to "stand with firm
determination against those who have orchestrated and brought about this
insecurity.”Khamenei forecast "that a strong and honorable group will also
emerge in Syria because today Syrian youth have nothing to lose,” calling the
country unsafe. The former commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps,
Mohsen Rezaee, said that the Syrian people “will not remain silent in the face
of foreign occupation and aggression” or “the tyranny of an internal group.”He
added: "They will revive the resistance in Syria in a new form in less than a
year."
"They will fail the malicious and deceptive plan led by America, the Zionist
entity, and the regional countries that have been manipulated,” he added.
UN Official Denies Israeli Claim Yemen Airport was Military Target
Asharq Al Awsat/December 27/2024
The top UN official for humanitarian aid in Yemen, who narrowly dodged an aerial
bombing raid by Israel on Sanaa's airport, denied Friday that the facility had
any military purpose. Israel said that it was targeting "military
infrastructure" in Thursday's raids and that targets around the country were
used by Houthis to "smuggle Iranian weapons" and bring in senior Iranian
officials. UN humanitarian coordinator Julien Harneis said the airport "is a
civilian location that is used by the United Nations.""It's used by the
International Committee of the Red Cross, it is used for civilian flights --
that is its purpose," he told reporters by video link from Yemen, AFP reported.
"Parties to the conflict have an obligation to ensure that they are not striking
civilian targets," he added. "The obligation is on them, not on us. We don't
need to prove we're civilians."Harneis described how he, World Health
Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and 18 other UN staff, were
caught up in the attack, which he said also took place as a packed airliner was
touching down nearby. One UN staffer was seriously wounded in the strikes, which
destroyed the air traffic control facility, Harneis said. The rest of the team
was bundled into armored vehicles for safety. "There was one airstrike
approximately 300 meters (985 feet) to the south of us and another airstrike
approximately 300 meters to the north of us," he said.
"What was most frightening about that airstrike wasn't the effect on us -- it's
that the airstrikes took place... as a civilian airliner from Yemenia Air,
carrying hundreds of Yemenis, was about to land," he said. "In fact, that
airliner from Yemenia Air was landing, taxiing in, when the air traffic control
was destroyed." Although the plane "was able to land safely... it could have
been far, far worse." The Israeli attack, he said came with "zero indication of
any potential airstrikes." Harneis said the airport is "absolutely vital" to
continued humanitarian aid for Yemen. "If that airport is disabled, it will
paralyze humanitarian operations." The United Nations has labeled Yemen "the
largest humanitarian crisis in the world," with 24.1 million people in need of
humanitarian aid and protection. Public institutions that provide healthcare,
water, sanitation and education have collapsed in the wake of years of war.
Israeli Troops
Burn Northern Gaza Hospital after Forcibly Removing Staff and Patients,
Officials Say
Asharq Al
Awsat/December 27/2024
Israeli troops
stormed one of the last hospitals operating in northern Gaza on Friday, igniting
fires and forcing many staff and patients outside to strip in winter weather,
the territory’s health ministry said. Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit multiple
times over the past three months by Israeli troops waging an offensive against
Hamas fighters in surrounding neighborhoods, according to staff. The ministry
said a strike on the hospital a day earlier killed five medical staff. Israel's
military said it was conducting operations against Hamas infrastructure and
fighters in the area of the hospital, without details. It repeated claims that
fighters operate inside Kamal Adwan but provided no evidence. Hospital officials
have denied that. The Health Ministry said troops forced medical personnel and
patients to assemble in the yard and remove their clothes. Some were led to an
unknown location, while some patients were sent to the nearby Indonesian
Hospital, which was knocked out of operation after an Israel raid this week.
Israeli troops during raids frequently carry out mass detentions, stripping men
to their underwear for questioning in what the military says is a security
measure as they search for Hamas fighters. The AP doesn’t have access to Kamal
Adwan, but armed plainclothes members of the Hamas-led police forces — tasked
with keeping security and officially separate from the group’s armed wing — have
been seen in other hospitals. The Health Ministry said Israeli troops also set
fires in several parts of Kamal Adwan, including the lab and surgery department.
It said 25 patients and 60 health workers remained in the hospital out of 75
patients and 180 staff who had been there. The account could not be
independently confirmed, and attempts to reach hospital staff were unsuccessful.
“Fire is ablaze everywhere in the hospital,” an unidentified member of the staff
said in an audio message posted on the social media accounts of hospital
director Hossam Abu Safiya. The staffer said some evacuated patients had been
unhooked from oxygen. “There are currently patients who could die at any
moment,” she said. Since October, Israel’s offensive has virtually sealed off
the northern Gaza areas of Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya and leveled
large parts of them. Tens of thousands of Palestinians were forced out but
thousands are believed to remain in the area, where Kamal Adwan and two other
hospitals are located. Troops raided Kamal Adwan in October, and on Tuesday
troops stormed and evacuated the Indonesian Hospital. The area has been cut off
from food and other aid for months, raising fears of famine. The UN says Israeli
troops allowed just four humanitarian deliveries to the area from Dec. 1 to Dec.
23.
The Israeli rights group Physicians for Human Rights-Israel this week petitioned
Israel’s High Court of Justice seeking a halt to military attacks on Kamal Adwan.
It warned that forcibly evacuating the hospital would “abandon thousands of
residents in northern Gaza.” Before the latest deaths Thursday, the group
documented five other staffers killed by Israeli fire since October. Israel
launched its campaign in Gaza vowing to destroy Hamas after the group’s Oct. 7,
2023, attack on southern Israel in which fighters killed around 1,200 people and
abducted some 250 others. Around 100 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, around a
third believed to be dead.
Israel’s nearly 15-month-old campaign of bombardment and offensives has
devastated the territory’s health sector. A year ago, it carried out raids on
hospitals in northern Gaza, including Kamal Adwan, Indonesian and al-Awda
Hospital, saying they served as bases for Hamas, though it presented little
evidence. Israel’s campaign has killed more than 45,400 Palestinians, more than
half of them women and children, and wounded more than 108,000 others, according
to the Health Ministry. Its count does not distinguish between civilians and
combatants. More than 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians have been driven
from their homes, most of them now sheltering in sprawling, squalid tent camps
in south and central Gaza. Children and adults, many barefoot, huddled Friday on
the cold sand in tents whose plastic and cloth sheets whipped in the wind.
Overnight temperatures can dip into the 40s Fahrenheit (below 10 Celsius), and
sea spray from the Mediterranean can dampen the tents just steps away.
Israel considers opening the gates of hell to bring hostages home
Ariel Kahana/Israel Today Staff/
December 27/2024
There is a sense Trump is focused on the captives and securing a decisive
victory to end the war. How this is achieved does not seem to concern him.
Beginning on Jan. 20, 2025, “it will be possible to take additional actions in
Gaza,” senior Israeli officials say. The prevailing impression in Israel is that
President-elect Donald Trump does not particularly care what measures Israel
employs in the Gaza Strip. He has two clear objectives: the release of the
hostages, and an Israeli victory to conclude the war. The methods to achieve
these aims appear irrelevant to him. In Jerusalem, as well as in the Kirya
military headquarters in Tel Aviv, preparations for the Trump era are being kept
under strict secrecy. When that moment arrives, if no deal has been reached by
then, Israel is expected to reset the rules of engagement against Hamas. Many of
the tools restricted by Biden’s administration, alongside specific demands on
Israel, will no longer apply. A senior Israeli official expressed hope that
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon—the head of
the Missing and Captive Soldiers Section in the Military Intelligence
Directorate—will seize the opportunity to operate “entirely out of the box.” The
official emphasized the need to break away from the current pattern, where the
terrorist organization sustains itself through hostages or uses terrorists
released by Israel to replenish its ranks.
What actions could Israel take that are currently off the table?
According to the source, humanitarian aid that the Biden administration has
insisted Israel deliver to Gaza will no longer matter to Trump. Reducing such
aid, or taking full control over what enters the Strip, could worsen Hamas’s
situation and increase pressure on the organization to release the hostages.
Another critical aspect is armaments. Trump has pledged to release all the
weapons shipments currently delayed under Biden on his first day in office. Once
the delayed bombs and shells arrive, the IDF will have the means to
significantly expand its operations. Additionally, the official noted that
population transfers—if deemed necessary by Israel for dismantling Hamas or
securing the hostages—would likely face little opposition under Trump. Israeli
officials believe that the new administration will not demand accountability,
with the message being: “Do what you need to do. We won’t dictate your actions.”
From Jan. 20 onward, Netanyahu would no longer need to justify measures such as
providing fuel and dual-use materials to Gaza under U.S. pressure. Instead, he
would have Trump’s support to halt these supplies entirely. Drastic measures
from the war’s early days, such as limiting electricity and water, could be
reinstated. If no agreement is reached in the coming weeks, Israel could
intensify alternative approaches, such as offering financial rewards or exile
deals. While the IDF and Shin Bet have so far pursued this strategy cautiously,
posters have been distributed across Gaza, and messages dictated by Hamas in
hostage videos suggest that the offer has reached them. However, deeper and more
sophisticated efforts in this direction remain possible. Israeli officials
believe Hamas understands what may happen on Jan. 20, and this recognition has
influenced its recent willingness to negotiate. Nonetheless, the organization’s
recurring inflexibility may leave Jerusalem with no choice but to fulfill
Trump’s expectations, opening the gates of hell on Hamas to bring the hostages
home.
*Originally published by Israel Hayom.
Terrorist murders woman in Herzliya ...Security guards shot the attacker.
Israel Today Staff/ December 27/2024
A 28-year-old terrorist from Tulkarem in Samaria stabbed and mortally wounded a
woman near the nursing home where she lived on Kedoshi Hashoah Street in
Herzliya on Friday morning. Magen David Adom emergency personnel treated the
victim, Ludmila Lipovsky, 83, and she was evacuated in critical condition to Tel
Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital), where doctors pronounced her
death. Security guards from the Israel Postal Company’s Brink’s courier unit
shot the lone attacker, who was then arrested by police. He was within the Green
Line illegally and had previously served time in an Israeli prison for a
security offense. His condition is described as serious.
Italian
journalist Cecilia Sala detained by police while reporting in Iran
Giada Zampano/The Associated
Press/December 27, 2024
An Italian journalist who was reporting in Tehran has been detained by the
Iranian police, Italy’s foreign ministry said in a statement Friday. Cecilia
Sala was reporting in the Iranian capital when she was detained on Dec. 19, the
ministry said, adding that it was working with Iranian authorities "to clarify
the legal situation of Sala and to verify the conditions of her detention.”Sala
is a reporter for Italian daily Il Foglio, which said she is being held in
Tehran’s Evin prison. Il Foglio said Sala was in Iran with a regular visa “to
report on a country she knows and loves.”The newspaper’s editor, Claudio Cerasa,
wrote on Friday that “journalism is not a crime,” asking to “bring Cecilia Sala
home.”Sala had been allowed to make two phone calls to her relatives, the
foreign ministry said. Italian Ambassador Paola Amadei visited Sala in prison
Friday, and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the journalist was “in good
health condition."
Iran has not acknowledged detaining Sala. However, it can take weeks before
authorities announce such arrests. Since the 1979 U.S. Embassy crisis, which saw
dozens of hostages released after 444 days in captivity, Iran has used prisoners
with Western ties as bargaining chips in negotiations with the world. In
September 2023, five Americans detained for years in Iran were freed in exchange
for five Iranians in U.S. custody and for $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets to
be released by South Korea. Western journalists have been held in the past as
well. Roxana Saberi, an American journalist, was detained by Iran in 2009 for
some 100 days before being released. Also detained by Iran was Washington Post
journalist Jason Rezaian, who was held for over 540 days before being released
in 2016 in a prisoner swap between Iran and the U.S.
Both cases involved Iran making false espionage accusations in closed-door
hearings.
Iran FM
warns against 'destructive interference' in Syria's future
Agence France Presse/December 27, 2024
Iran's top diplomat warned Friday against "destructive interference" in Syria's
future and said decisions should lie solely with the country's people, writing
in Chinese state media as he visited Beijing. Abbas Araghchi touched down in the
Chinese capital on Friday afternoon, Iranian state media reported, to begin his
first official visit to the country since being appointed foreign minister.
China and Iran were both supporters of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
Assad fled Syria this month after an Islamist-led offensive wrested city after
city from his control, with the capital Damascus falling on December 8. Iran
"considers the decision-making about the future of Syria to be the sole
responsibility of the people... without destructive interference or foreign
imposition," Araghchi wrote in a Chinese-language article in People's Daily
published on Friday. He also emphasized Iran's respect for Syria's "unity,
national sovereignty and territorial integrity". Iran's supreme leader -- a key
backer of Assad's administration -- predicted on Sunday "the emergence of a
strong, honorable group" that would stand against "insecurity" in Syria.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Syria's young men would "stand with strength and
determination against those who have designed this insecurity and those who have
implemented it, and God willing, he will overcome them". In People's Daily,
Araghchi said supporting the Syrian people was a "definite principle (that)
should be taken into consideration by all the actors."
'Suitable time'
Beijing had also built strong ties with Assad -- he met President Xi Jinping in
China last year, where the two leaders announced a "strategic partnership."China
has affirmed its support for the Syrian people and has said it opposes terrorist
forces taking advantage of the situation to create chaos. Araghchi's two-day
visit will include talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, according to
Iran's foreign ministry. China is Iran's largest trade partner, and a top buyer
of its sanctioned oil. Xi pledged in October to increase ties with Iran during
talks with his counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in Russia on the sidelines of a
BRICS summit. Araghchi told reporters in a video published by Iranian state
media as he arrived in Beijing that the visit was taking place "at a very
suitable time". "Now it is natural that there are sensitive situations, both the
region has various tensions, and there are various issues at the international
level, also our nuclear issue in the new year will face a situation that needs
more consultations," he said. "The invitation of our Chinese friends was for
this reason, that at the beginning of the new year... we should think together,
consult and be ready for the challenges that will come." He wrote in his
editorial that Iran and China shared the "common view" that calling for an
immediate ceasefire in Gaza was the biggest priority in the Middle East.
Engineer
pleads not guilty in US case over deadly Iran-linked drone strike
Nate Raymond/BOSTON
(Reuters)/December 27, 2024
A former engineer at a semiconductor manufacturer pleaded not guilty on Friday
to U.S. charges that he illegally procured technology for an Iranian firm that
made a key component of a drone used in a January attack by Iran-backed
militants in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members. Mahdi Sadeghi, who
was fired by Analog Devices after his Dec. 16 arrest, pleaded not guilty during
a hearing in federal court in Boston to charges that he engaged in a scheme to
violate U.S. export control and sanctions laws. He entered the plea nearly two
weeks after the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against the dual
U.S.-Iranian citizen and the head of an Iranian navigation systems manufacturer,
Mohammad Abedini, who was arrested in Italy. Prosecutors said Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps was the primary customer of Abedini's company, San'at
Danesh Rahpooyan Aflak Co, which made the navigation system used in its military
drone program. Prosecutors say that system was used in an unmanned drone that
struck a U.S. outpost in Jordan called Tower 22, near the Syrian border, in an
attack that killed three Army Reserve soldiers from Georgia and injured 47
others. The White House has said the attack was facilitated by the Islamic
Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization of hardline Iran-backed militant
groups. Iran has denied involvement in the attack, and its foreign ministry was
quoted in Iranian media on Saturday saying the arrests of Sadeghi and Abedini,
an Iranian citizen, violated international law. Prosecutors said that in 2016,
Sadeghi, a resident of Natick, Massachusetts, traveled to Iran to seek funding
from a governmental organization for a fitness wearables company that he had
co-founded. Through an affiliated Iranian company he established, Sadeghi began
helping procure U.S.-origin electronic components on behalf of Abedini, who is
also known as Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, prosecutors said. After taking a job
at Massachusetts-based Analog Devices in 2019, Sadeghi helped a Switzerland
front company for Abedini's Iranian firm enter into a contract with Analog
Devices, and assisted Abedini in procuring U.S. technology, prosecutors said.
The electronic components Abedini obtained included the same type used in the
navigation system found in the drone, prosecutors said. Sadeghi has been
detained since his arrest. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell set a Jan. 2
hearing to potentially grant his release after a defense lawyer reported
progress in talks with prosecutors on acceptable bail conditions.
Azerbaijani Minister Says Plane That Crashed Was Hit from the Outside, Possibly
by a Weapon
Asharq Al Awsat/December 27/2024
An Azerbaijani minister suggested Friday that an airliner that crashed this week
was hit by a weapon, citing expert analysis and survivor testimony indicating
that the plane was struck from the outside. The statement from Rashad Nabiyev
raised pressure on Russia. Officials in Moscow have said a drone attack was
underway in the region that the Azerbaijan Airlines flight was destined for but
have not addressed statements from aviation experts who blamed the crash on
Russian air defenses responding to a Ukrainian attack. The plane was flying from
Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian
republic of Chechnya, on Wednesday when it turned toward Kazakhstan and crashed
while making an attempt to land there. The crash killed 38 people and left all
29 survivors injured. Nabiyev, Azerbaijan’s minister of digital development and
transportation, told Azerbaijani media that “preliminary conclusions by experts
point at external impact,” as does witness testimony. “The type of weapon used
in the impact will be determined during the probe,” Nabiyev said. Passengers and
crew who survived the crash told Azerbaijani media that they heard loud noises
on the aircraft as it was circling over Grozny. Flight attendant Aydan Rahimli
said that after one noise, the oxygen masks automatically released. She said
that she went to perform first aid on a colleague, Zulfugar Asadov, and then
they heard another bang.
Asadov said that the noises sounded like something hitting the plane from
outside. He denied Kazakh officials’ claim that an oxygen canister exploded
inside the plane. Dmitry Yadrov, head of Russia’s civil aviation authority
Rosaviatsia, said Friday that as the plane was preparing to land in Grozny in
deep fog, Ukrainian drones were targeting the city, prompting authorities to
close the area to air traffic. Yadrov said that after the captain made two
unsuccessful attempts to land, he was offered other airports but decided to fly
to Aktau in Kazakhstan, across the Caspian Sea. But he didn’t comment on
statements from some aviation experts, who pointed out that holes seen in the
plane’s tail section suggested that it could have come under fire from Russian
air defense systems. Ukrainian drones have previously attacked Grozny and other
areas in the country’s North Caucasus.
Azerbaijan Airlines blamed the crash on unspecified “physical and technical
interference” and announced the suspension of flights to several Russian
airports. It didn’t say where the interference came from or provide any further
details. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the claims that
the plane was hit by Russian air defenses, saying that it will be up to
investigators to determine the cause of the crash. “The air incident is being
investigated, and we don’t believe we have the right to make any assessments
until the conclusions are made as a result of the investigation,” Peskov said in
a conference call with reporters. If it’s proven that the plane crashed after
being hit by Russian air defenses, it would be the second deadly civil aviation
accident linked to fighting in Ukraine. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed
with a Russian surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 people aboard, as it flew
over the area in eastern Ukraine controlled by Moscow-backed separatists in
2014. Russia has denied responsibility, but a Dutch court in 2022 convicted two
Russians and a pro-Russia Ukrainian man for their role in downing the plane with
an air defense system brought into Ukraine from a Russian military base.
Investigators from Azerbaijan are working in Grozny as part of the probe of
Wednesday's crash, the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s office said in a
statement.
Following Wednesday's suspension of flights from Baku to Grozy and Makhachkala,
Azerbaijan Airlines announced Friday that it would also halt service to eight
more Russian cities. The company will continue to operate flights to six Russian
cities, including Moscow and St. Petersburg. Those cities also have been
repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drone strikes in the past. Kazakhstan's Qazaq
Air also announced Friday that it was suspending flights from Astana to the
Russian city of Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains for a month. FlyDubai also
halted flights to Sochi and Mineralnye Vody in southern Russian for the next few
days. The day before, Israel's El Al carrier suspended flights from Tel Aviv to
Moscow citing “developments in Russia’s airspace." The airline said it would
reassess the situation next week.
Germany’s President Dissolves Parliament, Sets National Election for Feb. 23
Asharq Al Awsat/December 27/2024
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday ordered parliament dissolved
and set new elections for Feb. 23 in the wake of the collapse of Chancellor Olaf
Scholz's governing coalition. Scholz lost a confidence vote on Dec. 16 and leads
a minority government after his unpopular and notoriously rancorous three-party
coalition collapsed on Nov. 6 when he fired his finance minister in a dispute
over how to revitalize Germany’s stagnant economy. Leaders of several major
parties then agreed that a parliamentary election should be held on Feb. 23,
seven months earlier than originally planned. Since the post-World War II
constitution doesn’t allow the Bundestag to dissolve itself, it was up to
Steinmeier to decide whether to dissolve parliament and call an election. He had
21 days to make that decision. Once parliament is dissolved, the election must
be held within 60 days. In practice, the campaign is already well underway.
Polls show Scholz’s party trailing the conservative opposition Union bloc led by
Friedrich Merz. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the environmentalist Greens,
the remaining partner in Scholz’s government, is also bidding for the top job —
though his party is further back. If recent polls hold up, the likely next
government would be led by Merz as chancellor in coalition with at least one
other party. Key issues include immigration, how to get the sluggish economy
going, and how best to aid Ukraine in its struggle against Russia. The populist,
anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which is polling strongly, has
nominated Alice Weidel as its candidate for chancellor but has no chance of
taking the job because other parties refuse to work with it. Germany’s electoral
system traditionally produces coalitions, and polls show no party anywhere near
an absolute majority on its own. The election is expected to be followed by
weeks of negotiations to form a new government. It’s only the fourth time that
the Bundestag has been dissolved ahead of schedule under Germany’s post-World
War II constitution. It happened under Chancellor Willy Brandt in 1972, Helmut
Kohl in 1982 and Gerhard Schroeder in 2005. Schroeder used the confidence vote
to engineer an early election narrowly won by center-right challenger Angela
Merkel.
Turkey to
permit pro-Kurdish party to visit jailed militant leader
Reuters/December 27/2024
Turkey has decided to allow parliament's pro-Kurdish DEM Party to hold
face-to-face talks with militant leader Abdullah Ocalan on his island prison,
the party said on Friday, setting up the first such visit in nearly a decade.
DEM requested the visit last month, soon after a key ally of President Tayyip
Erdogan expanded on a proposal to end the 40-year-old conflict between the state
and Ocalan's outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Ocalan has been serving an
expanded life sentence in a prison on the island of Imrali, south of Istanbul,
since his capture 25 years ago.
Trudeau, Carney push back over Trump's ongoing 51st state comments
Alessia Passafiume/The Canadian
Press/December 27, 2024
Two senior members of the federal cabinet were in Florida Friday pushing
Canada's new border plan with Donald Trump's transition team, a day after
Trudeau himself appeared to finally push back at the president-elect over his
social media posts about turning Canada into the 51st state. Both Trudeau and
former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, who Trudeau has been courting to
become Canada's next finance minister, shared posts on X Thursday, a day after
Trump's latest jab at Canada in his Christmas Day message. It isn't clear if
Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who has repeatedly insisted Trump's 51st state
references are a joke, will raise the issue with Trump's team when he and
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly meet with them in Palm Beach. The two are
there to discuss Canada's new $1.3 billion border plan with just under four
weeks left before Trump is sworn in again as president. He has threatened to
impose a new 25 per cent import tariff on Canada and Mexico the same day over
concerns about a trade imbalance, as well as illegal drugs and migration issues
at the borders. The broad strokes of Canada's plan were made public Dec. 17,
including a new aerial intelligence task force to provide round-the-clock
surveillance of the border, and improved efforts using technology and canine
teams to seek out drugs in shipments leaving Canada. LeBlanc's spokesman, Jean-Sébastien
Comeau, said the ministers will also emphasize the negative impacts of Trump's
threatened tariffs on both Canada and the U.S. Comeau said the ministers will
build on the discussions that took place last month when Trudeau and LeBlanc met
Trump at Mar-a-Lago just days after Trump first made his tariff threat. It was
at that dinner on Nov. 29 when Trump first raised the notion of Canada becoming
the 51st state, a comment LeBlanc has repeatedly since insisted was just a joke.
But Trump has continued the quip repeatedly in various social media posts,
including in his Christmas Day message when he said Canadians would pay lower
taxes and have better military protection if they became Americans. He has taken
to calling Trudeau "governor" instead of prime minister. Trudeau had not
directly responded to any of the jabs, but on Thursday posted a link to a
six-minute long video on YouTube from 2010 in which American journalist Tom
Brokaw "explains Canada to Americans."The video, which originally aired during
the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, explains similarities between the two countries,
including their founding based on immigration, their trading relationship and
the actions of the Canadian Army in World War 2 and other modern conflicts.
"In the long history of sovereign neighbours there has never been a relationship
as close, productive and peaceful as the U.S. and Canada," Brokaw says in the
video. Trudeau did not expand about why he posted a link to the video, posting
it only with the words "some information about Canada for Americans." Carney,
who is at the centre of some of Trudeau's recent domestic political troubles,
also called out Trump's antics on X Thursday, calling it "casual disrespect" and
"carrying the 'joke' too far.""Time to call it out, stand up for Canada, and
build a true North American partnership," said Carney, who Trudeau was courting
to join his cabinet before Chrystia Freeland resigned as finance minister last
week.
Freeland's sudden departure, three days after Trudeau informed her he would be
firing her as finance minister in favour of Carney, left Trudeau's leadership
even more bruised than it already was. Despite the expectation Carney would
assume the role, he did not and has not made any statements about it. LeBlanc
was sworn in as finance minister instead the same day Freeland quit. More than
two dozen Liberal MPs have publicly called on Trudeau to resign as leader, and
Trudeau is said to be taking the holidays to think about his next steps. He is
currently vacationing in British Columbia.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 202
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on December
27-28/2024
Chaos or Restructuring?
Charles Elias Chartouni/December 27/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/12/138451/
The regional landscape is far from reassuring; none of the political and
military events has come to a closure, and none of the geostrategic and
political issues have found a way to deliberation. The situation in Syria is
under the pull and sway of strident political factionalism, clashing regional
power politics, and endemic instability. Lebanon is still unable to make a
transition towards a post-Hezbollah era, define the contours of an alternative
national consensus, and start post-war reconstruction.
Iran is still in a state of denial, attempting to reverse the calamitous fallout
of its politics of subversion and the loss of its foothold in the Near East.
Aside from the fact that Israel is diligently pursuing the destruction of the
operational platforms throughout the geostrategic continuum extending between
the Near East and Yemen. Whereas Turkey is striving to sanctuarize its borders,
eradicate the Kurdish autonomy in Syria while expanding its zones of influence,
and masterminding the jihadist movements.
The takeover of Syria by HTS was not only smooth but also ushered in a new stage
in the life of the Islamist movements and recast their narrative away from the
canonical definition of Muslim statehood based on the “Ummah” imperial scope
versus the territorial statehood and its implements. Ahmad al Shar’eh stated
vocally the notional and political differences between the two and defined his
program of governance on their very basis. While setting a clear difference
between the two sources, his political program was quite reflective of some
featured paradigmatic changes.
By being emphatic on national sovereignty and its attributes, societal and
political pluralism, a national convention to set the constitutional
stipulations, and negotiated peace with Israel, he has literally broken with the
conventional doxas of the Islamist movements and Arab autocracies and distanced
himself from their bitter legacy and disastrous outcomes and from the calamitous
consequences of the historical Shiite-Sunnite enmity leveraged in contemporary
conflicts. These political pronouncements are quite innovative and are going to
be tested in the immediate and distant future because the realities on the
ground are quite challenging. His statements are in full contrast with his
previous itinerary and reflect a major intellectual and behavioral shift.
His endeavor to unite the Islamist formations and dissolve the paramilitary
groups seems to work so far and impels further negotiations with non-Islamist
oppositions, the Kurds, the Alawites, and the Christians qua ethno-political
groups who are searching for more compelling political evidence in regard to
existential security, democracy, and pluralism. These issues are being
questioned by the colliding power politics (Turkish, Iranian, Qatari, Saudi),
the ethno-political irredentism (Alawite, Kurdish, Druze), and the Christian
communities’ embedded insecurity. The magnitude of challenges and their expanded
scope cannot be overlooked and easily dealt away with, especially in a context
of pervasive insecurity and enhanced instability.
The purported national convention is entrusted with the monumental undertaking
of pioneering the suitable framework for a fruitful and democratic dialogue that
guides Syria to its future destination. The looming security threats are quite
awkward and may put at stake the whole normalization process projected by the
emerging leadership. Ahmed al Share’h has to validate his featured credentials,
safeguard Syria’s strategic security, and move on with his political objectives
progressively and steadily if he is to overcome the pitfalls lying ahead.
The situation in Lebanon is still marred by the uncertainties of the unfinished
war, the Shiite politics of domination, the questioning of national sovereignty,
pluralism, and consociational democracy, and the perpetuation of the oligarchic
political foreclosures and entrenchments undermining the consensual political
culture, the constitutional state, and its statutory autonomy for the sake of
predatory statehood highlighted by the financial crisis and the systematic
plundering of public and private resources. The presidential vacancy, the rump
parliament, and the unraveling of constitutional governance account largely for
the state of curtailed sovereignty, endemic political instability, and
vulnerability to regional power politics and their deleterious consequences
showcased by the destructive warmongering of Hezbollah. Lebanon is direly in
need of a national convention to overhaul its institutions and redefine its
fundamentals, badly challenged by Shiite fascism.
Lebanon has no chance of overcoming its structural weaknesses unless the
fundamentals of statehood are restored and its international stature is
rehabilitated. The continuation of Shiite power politics and their attempt at
outmaneuvering their military defeat and recovering their political control are
inimical to any scenario of civil concord, political accommodation, systemic
reformation, and peace with Israel. Sadly enough, none of these requisites can
be enlisted so far and instrumented in a projected new dynamic that aims at
extracting Lebanon from its longstanding traps. To boot, we shouldn’t forget
that Iranian, Turkish, and Qatari power politics are not by any means helpful
whenever it comes to nation building, ideological de-radicalization, and
national reconciliation.
Europe: The Fall of the Holy Renewable Empire
Drieu Godefridi/Gatestone Institute/December 27/2024
Literally "flat, dark calm," Dunkelflaute is characterized by a simultaneous
lack of wind and sun in winter, when demand for electricity in Germany is at its
highest... On December 12 of this year, for example, German electricity
production from wind and solar power was thirty times lower than the demand for
it.
But this is "for the planet", right? Not even close. Despite its commitment to
so-called green energies, Germany still has a high carbon footprint due to its
increased reliance on coal and lignite to make up for energy shortfalls.
Germany's high electricity prices are leading to the relocation of its industry,
as companies look for sites where energy costs are more affordable. How can you
stay viable when you pay three times more for electricity than your competitors?
Whole swathes of Germany's proud industry are collapsing. We only remember the
big names -- VW, BASF, Mercedes-Benz -- but every big company that disappears or
downsizes takes with it a myriad of small and medium-sized enterprises that end
up collapsing along with it.
Dependence on unreliable energy sources (wind, solar), combined with the hasty
phase-out of nuclear power, has made Germany's electricity the most expensive in
Europe and compromises the country's -- and ultimately the continent's -- energy
autonomy.
Dependence on unreliable energy sources (wind, solar), combined with the hasty
phase-out of nuclear power, has made Germany's electricity the most expensive in
Europe and compromises the country's -- and ultimately the continent's -- energy
autonomy. Pictured: An array of solar panels operated by the multinational
energy company RWE, at the Hambacher Forst opencast lignite mine near Elsdorf,
Germany, photographed on November 12, 2024.
Solar and wind power production falls drastically during unfavorable weather
conditions. It happens, in fact, every year. This condition, however, now has
far-reaching economic and environmental repercussions, revealing the flaws in an
energy policy based on intermittent renewable energies. Why does Germany, while
having one of the highest carbon footprints, now consume the most expensive
electricity in Europe? How did the country lose its energy autonomy?
For the last fifteen years, Germany invested massively in solar and wind energy,
while sabotaging its own nuclear power stations. By 2023, renewable energies
accounted for 55% of electricity production in the country. In 2022, it was only
48%.
The main contribution to renewable energy has comes from wind power, at 31% of
total production, followed by solar power at 12%, biomass at 8%, and other
renewable sources such as hydroelectricity for the remaining 3.4%. In 2024,
renewable energy accounted for almost 60% of German electricity production in
the first half of the year. This production level, however, is smoothed out over
a given period and does not reflect moments of crisis such as the
"Dunkelflaute."
Dunkelflaute
Literally "flat, dark calm," Dunkelflaute is characterized by a simultaneous
lack of wind and sun in winter, when demand for electricity in Germany is at its
highest. These episodes last from a few days to several weeks, with wind and
solar production sometimes falling to less than 20% of their capacity, and
sometimes nothing. On December 12 of this year, for example, German electricity
production from wind and solar power was thirty times lower than the demand for
it.
Renewable policies would be bearable if they were based on a sustainable energy
source -- indifferent to the weather -- such as nuclear power. In 2011, however,
in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, Germany abruptly decided to phase out
nuclear power, and gradually shut down fully operational plants. This decision
reduced the country's capacity to produce stable, predictable electricity and
instead made heating, cooling and so on cruelly vulnerable to fluctuations in
renewable energy sources. In short, when there is neither wind nor sun in
Germany, the lights go out.
The phase-out of nuclear power has left Germany incapable of being
self-sufficient in energy, especially during Dunkelflaute. The country imports
electricity on a massive scale from France, Denmark and Poland, and has to use
coal and lignite to produce electricity. Germany's massive imports of
electricity also lead to colossal increases in electricity prices for its
neighbors.
The prices are indeed staggering. In 2024, the household price of electricity in
Germany was the highest in Europe, at €400/MWh, reaching peaks of €900/MWh
during Dunkelflaute episodes, compared to a much lower European average. By
comparison, the average price in nuclear-powered France and Finland was €250/MWh
over the same period (2024). And, in the United States, rates are 30% lower than
in France. How is all that "sustainable" for Europe?
But this is "for the planet", right? Not even close. Despite its commitment to
so-called green energies, Germany still has a high carbon footprint due to its
increased reliance on coal and lignite to make up for energy shortfalls. In
2024, the country remains the second-largest emitter of CO2 per unit of energy
produced in Europe, with a significant proportion of electricity coming from
fossil sources. Ten times more CO2 per unit of energy produced than France.
Economic and geopolitical repercussions
Germany's high electricity prices are leading to the relocation of its industry,
as companies look for sites where energy costs are more affordable. How can you
stay viable when you pay three times more for electricity than your competitors?
(Natural gas prices are even worse: five times more expensive in Europe than in
the USA.)
Whole swathes of Germany's proud industry are collapsing. We only remember the
big names -- VW, BASF, Mercedes-Benz -- but every big company that disappears or
downsizes takes with it a myriad of small and medium-sized enterprises that end
up collapsing along with it. Energy-intensive sectors such as metallurgy and
chemicals are particularly hard hit.
Finally, Germany's increased dependence on its neighbors for energy supplies has
been creating tensions in Europe. High electricity prices in Germany are being
passed on to neighboring countries, making electricity unaffordable there and
generating growing frustration. Discussions are emerging in Europe about
withdrawing from certain energy agreements, particularly those relating to
electricity imports.
In short, the Dunkelflaute is the symptom of a profound energy crisis, caused by
an ideological, authoritarian, irrational and failed energy transition.
Dependence on unreliable energy sources (wind, solar), combined with the hasty
phase-out of nuclear power, has made Germany's electricity the most expensive in
Europe and compromises the country's -- and ultimately the continent's -- energy
autonomy. The consequences are manifold: environmental, with high CO2 emissions;
economic, with industry in steep decline, and geopolitical, with Germany's
neighbors fed up with its failing energy diktat.
Given Germany's demographic and economic weight, this latest German misstep is
proving to be yet another European catastrophe.
**Drieu Godefridi is a jurist (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain),
philosopher (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain) and PhD in legal
theory (Paris IV-Sorbonne). He is an entrepreneur, CEO of a European private
education group and director of PAN Medias Group. He is the author of The Green
Reich (2020).
© 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.
How the international community funds the Hamas war machine
Natan Galula/Israel Today Staff/ December 27/2024
Experts about foreign aid that enters Gaza only for Hamas to plunder the
resources. There will be profound consequences if this persists.
Hamas
On Nov. 29, 2024, three Palestinians, a woman and two children, were crushed to
death while waiting in line outside a bakery in central Gaza. The images of
thousands of Palestinians huddled against each other, pressing inwards for a bag
of pita bread, with young girls on camera desperately gasping for air, made
headline news all over the world. Humanitarian organizations said that people in
Gaza were on the “brink of famine.” Ajith Sunghay, the head of the U.N. Human
Rights Office in the Palestinian territories, said, “The breakdown of public
order and safety is exacerbating the situation with rampant looting and fighting
over scarce resources.” He added that “prices of the meager commodities that are
available have skyrocketed.”The agency running the United Nations’ World Food
Programme warned in early December that the “humanitarian response in Gaza is
nearing collapse. For over 50 days almost no food has reached North
Gaza.”Similar warnings were proclaimed in the past. In March, the Food Security
Analysis Unit, which works under the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization,
released a report that stated, “Famine is now projected and imminent in the
North Gaza and Gaza Governorates and is expected to become manifest during the
projection period from mid-March 2024 to May 2024.”
But the projected famine never came to pass.
According to Eyal Ofer—a former government adviser, frequent guest commentator
on Israeli media outlets and an expert on “Hamas economics”—shortages of food in
Gaza are not due to a lack of foreign aid. Ever since the November 2023 hostage
agreement between Jerusalem and Hamas, Israel has opened at least five crossings
into the Gaza Strip, enabling the entry of thousands of aid trucks per month
into the Palestinian enclave, Ofer told JNS over the phone on Thursday.
The bakery scenes “were completely orchestrated by Hamas,” he said.
“Every bakery in the Gaza Strip produces tens of thousands of bags of pita bread
per day, and yet the bakery distributes only 300 bags per hour.”The rest, he
said, is “smuggled” to Hamas-controlled markets. Instead of selling a bag of
pita bread for three shekels ($0.82)—the typical price at the bakeries—it sells
for 50 or 60 shekels (~$16) due to artificially induced scarcity.
“Hamas intentionally created a situation of scarcity,” Ofer stressed. “The wheat
is sent into Gaza for free in the form of international aid. Even the cooking
gas used by the bakeries, I believe, is supplied by the World Food Programme.
This is how the typical bag of pita bread sells in the Gaza Strip for [the cheap
price of] three shekels [82 cents], even before the war.”When the war broke out,
he explained, “Hamas took over the bags of wheat and hoarded them in its own
warehouses or in UNRWA warehouses, which are de facto run by Hamas.”If a
55-pound bag cost $14 before the war, during the war prices rose typically to
$70 or $80, in rare cases even reaching $400, he said. Today, Ofer added, they
sell for about $30, depending on the location within Gaza.
Extorting the bakeries
After Israel took measures to stop Hamas from getting the wheat, the terrorist
group readjusted its method of operation and took over the bakeries, said Ofer.
There are a dozen large industrial bakeries that operate throughout the
Strip—four in the north and eight in the center and south—with several smaller
“tabuns” (outdoor stoves for baking) used in poorer communities, he explained.
“A bakery that produces 30,000 bags a day that are ready in the morning has no
problem distributing them to 30,000 people [throughout the day],” he noted.
However, because Hamas is so embedded in the population and controls it by
force, the terrorist organization can compel the bakeries to sell only a small
portion of their production at the regular price and smuggle the rest to the
markets.
“You have to think about this in purely economic terms. The monopolies [in the
markets] hoard the supply, even let some of the food rot, so they can create
artificially high demand and thus cut higher profits than if they sold
everything for lower prices,” he told JNS. “This is how you got photos on CNN of
large groups of people pushing each other all the way to the small hatch in the
bakery’s front or back doors for one bag of pita bread for three shekels.”Ofer
emphasized that those who argue Hamas is able to ensure its rule thanks to the
humanitarian aid are wrong. Hamas already rules Gaza, he noted, which is why it
controls pricing there.“You will not find anywhere Hamas members who are
distributing food to civilians. Hamas establishes its rule not by controlling
the food, but by the fact that it is the most powerful organization in Gaza,
that controls all of the economic activity under its rule. People are reversing
cause and effect,” he said.
Plundering aid
The bakery incident is a prime example of the “circular nature” of Hamas’s rule,
said Ofer: It exploits its power to plunder from the international resources
delivered into Gaza, using which it continues to sustain and fortify its
dictatorship.
“In 2017, the World Bank formulated a report that stated that the only way to
help Gaza’s civilians is to topple Hamas, which takes most of the money
transferred into Gaza,” said Haim Ramon, a long-time Knesset member (1983-2009)
and former vice prime minister, speaking to JNS on Friday. “I always said that I
am not responsible for the Palestinians, but the only way to increase their
welfare is to topple Hamas,” said Ramon. “According to the Shin Bet [Israel
Security Agency], about one third of all dollars that enter the Gaza Strip, be
it in the form of money or goods, goes to Hamas,” he added. Ramon was one of the
chief advocates of Israel’s 2005 unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, which involved
the evacuation of some 8,000 Jewish residents and a full withdrawal of the
military. He noted that the Jewish state has indeed mostly disengaged from the
Gaza Strip, but is still its main supplier of electricity, and handles the entry
of foreign aid. “But this is largely unimportant. If [Gaza] did not have a
terrorist government and would cooperate with us to improve the lives of its
citizens, we could have turned Gaza into, if not exactly Singapore, a much more
humane place,” he said.
UNRWA and Hamas
Einat Wilf, a former Israeli parliamentarian from the Independence and Labor
parties, political scientist and the author of several books on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, spoke to JNS on Friday about the role in Gaza of
the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near
East. In no other conflict or place in the world, she said, “can you find a
situation where an external body assumes the responsibility to finance all the
daily needs of the [local people] in a way that absolves them of any
responsibility for themselves.”While UNRWA takes care of the welfare of
Palestinians, Hamas can keep arming itself and bolster its military
capabilities, concentrating all of its efforts on the next massacre of Jews, she
added. “They face no [economic] consequences if in every round of fighting they
can go back to square one,” she stressed, referring to the funds that keep
flowing into Gaza regardless of whether Hamas decides to resort to violence or
pursue peace. UNRWA is a U.N. agency formed in 1949 in the aftermath of Israel’s
War of Independence. Unlike any other group of displaced persons supported by
the United Nations, all the descendants of Palestinians displaced as a result of
the war are registered by UNRWA as refugees. As stated on its website, UNRWA’s
purpose is to “carry out direct relief and works programs for Palestine
refugees.” Its mandate is “to respond to the needs of more than 5.6 million”
Palestinians in “areas of education, health, protection, relief and social
services, microfinance and camp improvement.”
The agency’s funding amounted to total pledges of $1.46 billion in 2023, with
the United States, Germany, the European Union and France as its top
contributors. Its headquarters are located in Gaza and Amman, Jordan.
Two weeks after Hamas launched the deadliest single-day attack in
Israel’s history on Oct. 7, 2023, senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk was
asked why his organization had not built bomb shelters for civilians if it could
construct 300 miles of underground tunnels for its fighters.
Marzouk replied that the tunnels were built to protect Hamas fighters,
while protecting the 75% of Gaza residents who are listed as refugees is “the
responsibility of the United Nations.”What he was saying, Wilf elaborated, “was
that ‘we’ [Hamas] concentrate on massacring Jews while ‘you’ [the world] fund
the things that should have been under our care, had we been expected to take
care of them.”The former Knesset member pointed to a poster found in a refugee
camp near Bethlehem that read: “UNRWA services are our right until the
Return.”The so-called Palestinian “right of return” calls for the resettling of
millions of descendants of Arabs who lived in the British Mandate of Palestine
before 1948 in current-day Israel. “You could not sum up the Palestinian
relation to UNRWA better than this one sentence,” Wilf stated. “Essentially it
means that the British, German or Australian taxpayer will fund the livelihood
of Palestinians until the day the Jewish state ceases to exist.”
Fueling the warmongers
“Gaza has no economic problem,” Wilf continued. “It sits on beautiful, white
sand beaches … and is situated on attractive trading routes. Its land is also
effective for agriculture. The problem [in Gaza] is political. Politics have
turned Gaza into a war machine. Gaza doesn’t really need outside help. Its
people need to decide if they prefer investing in themselves, rather than
destroying what the Jews have built.”She went on to say that the world needs to
stop financing the Palestinians. If UNRWA ceases to exist, Wilf stressed,
nothing significant will change on the ground. UNRWA workers are Palestinian,
“not European employees as most people imagine,” she said, noting that Gaza will
have the same workers with the same set of skills; the only thing that will
change is that they will have to start paying their own bills.
“This may be a radical idea,” Wilf continued sarcastically, “but if they
run their own economy, collect taxes like any other country, pay their own
salaries [and deal with real-life challenges], they will not have the time to
build hundreds of kilometers of tunnels and plot Oct. 7s.”Foreign supplies that
regularly enter Gaza serve as the basis of its current economy, from which Hamas
collects its salaries and continues its terrorist activities, she said. “The one
thing that Israel should not have compromised on [in the Iron Swords war] was
the issue of foreign aid,” she added. “Even if America threatened to withhold
weapons from us, we should have remained resolute. As far as I’m concerned, we
didn’t have to strike one house in Gaza, but declare instead: nothing goes in,
until the hostages come out.”The former lawmaker noted that the world’s message
to the Gazans after the war concludes will have profound consequences. If
Palestinians understand that the “destruction in Gaza is what happens when you
insist on holding onto your stupid ideology of destroying Israel,” she noted,
then things can change for the better. But if the message is that “the
destruction is horrible, Jews are bad, let’s hurry up and reconstruct
everything,” then things will continue as they were.
“The war is the result of [Gaza’s outside funding]. The message is: You
concentrate on ‘from the river to the sea’ and we will take care of everything
else.”
The mafia in Gaza
Eyal Ofer has been following the funding methods of Hamas and other terrorist
organizations for years, collecting data and writing about his findings. He told
JNS that Hamas’s financial conduct has not changed in a significant way over the
years. If before the war it extorted 25% from luxury car dealers, today in the
midst of war it extorts money from wheat merchants. “Hamas is present everywhere
in the Gaza Strip: the police, humanitarian associations, actors in the private
and public sectors, the contractors’ union—Hamas is networked within and across
Gaza. You can’t just vacuum Hamas out, it is everywhere,” he said.
In a tweet that went viral on Sunday, he wrote that “Hamas operates like
a mafia and a clan-based enterprise: one brother is in the military wing,
another in the police force, they ensure the sister works for UNRWA, a
noncombat-profile cousin becomes a driver for an aid organization, an uncle gets
a government position, another cousin is a ‘journalist’ for Al Jazeera, and the
grandmother is added to the list of welfare recipients.”The claim that Iran
provides 70% of Hamas’s funding is “nonsense,” he wrote. “In extreme cases, Iran
provides 5-10% of Hamas’s funding. The vast majority of Hamas’s funding comes
from its ability to funnel money that the world sends to the Palestinian
Authority (and other Gaza charitable causes) and Gaza for its own purposes.”As
an example, he attached a document from the P.A.’s Municipal Development and
Lending Fund (MDLF), a semi-governmental urban development fund, highlighting
the receipt of some $3 million from the government of Belgium in 2023 for a
project named, “Promotion of Green Services and Climate Action in Local
Governance—Green Gaza.”“What are the chances that Hamas’s regime in Gaza will
manage to place its members or their relatives among the beneficiaries of this
Belgian grant? In my opinion: 100%. … Multiply this story by 200, and you’ll see
how Hamas is funded,” Ofer said.
The money-laundering scheme
Ofer further explained that Hamas’s chief financial problem is not raising money
inside Gaza, but transferring its accumulated cash out of the region. The
primary currency in the Gaza Strip is the Israeli shekel. During the war, Hamas
acquired a monopoly on cash in Gaza, with local banks largely unserviceable.
Ofer told JNS that it is impossible to assess how much cash Hamas currently
holds. “Hundreds of millions, maybe even one to two billion shekels. It extracts
money from the population by force, which is how it continues to pay salaries to
its operatives [and recruit new fighters], but also how it established itself as
the monopoly on the supply of money,” he said. “Many Gazans today receive direct
donations from abroad, transferred via Western Union, the banks,
cryptocurrencies like USD Coin, Vodafone Cash Wallet [a mobile app], GoFundMe,
monthly stipends from the P.A., U.N. humanitarian agencies such as UNICEF. All
these transfers are deposited in bank accounts, and their holders need to
convert them into cash—whether the deposit is in dollars or shekels. Who do they
go to for cash? Hamas.” The Islamist organization developed an entire industry
of non-banking ATMs, Ofer explained. The Gazans transfer to Hamas their dollars
or shekels and Hamas provides them with cash, though with “unbelievably” high
fees, he said. “The fees started at 15% and have reached more than 30% in areas
with greater scarcity,” he added. “This is how Hamas manages to launder money to
unknown accounts.”
Ofer could not say with certainty that all money changers in Gaza are Hamas
operatives, but noted that it is hard to imagine a regular person moving about
in the Gaza Strip with hundreds of thousands of shekels in cash without fear.
The broken Gaza fallacy
In 1850, French economist Frédéric Bastiat published an essay titled “That Which
Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen.”
In it, he described what became known in the field of economics as the “broken
window fallacy.” The conceptual framework notes that while it is seen that a
child breaking a shopkeeper’s window, for example, will provide the glazier with
work to repair the window, what is not seen is the aggregate growth of the
economy through alternative work had the window not been broken (such as the
shopkeeper purchasing a new pair of shoes). The Palestinian case may demonstrate
a similar fallacy. That which is seen is the reconstruction of Gaza after every
war, believing that this helps the Palestinians. That which is unseen is letting
the Palestinians deal with the consequences of war alone, having to choose
whether to abandon their ideological battle against Israel or continue on their
path to destruction. “The Palestinians know that after every round of fighting,
the round of reconstruction begins,” Ofer said, adding that this causes perverse
economic incentives.
“If the Qataris come in and propose rebuilding a city that was destroyed in the
previous war and was now destroyed again, a private contractor has two jobs, not
one. The Hamas government cuts its share from the contractor, the residents who
received contributions and everyone else in the chain of rehabilitation,” he
noted. According to Ofer, many of the regular economic
metrics that economists use, such as GDP, are irrelevant in the case of Gaza,
because a huge section of its economy is nonproductive. “There is no question
that Gaza, in great percentages, is a charity-based economy. A private sector
emerges out of these donations, but the nucleus of the economy, maybe 40% to
50%, is based on external donations that fund Gaza’s welfare [programs] and the
public sector,” he told JNS. Ofer added that Israel lacks “political wisdom.
Instead of disengaging from Gaza, we keep opening more and more crossings into
the Strip in the hope that the world will see us as enlightened rulers. At the
start of the war, all aid came through the Rafah Crossing border with Egypt.
Israel should have stated: That’s it Gaza, from now on, you work with Egypt. You
are not our problem anymore.”
Inside the Palaces of Assad’s Entourage. The Elegance of
Organized State Crime
Damascus: Bissane Elcheikh/Asharq Al-Awsat/December
27/2024
A half-decorated Christmas tree stands in the middle of the large reception room
in the luxurious home of Major General Kamal Ali Hassan, head of the Military
Intelligence Division under deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, suggesting
that the family left in a hurry before finishing the decoration task. Asharq
Al-Awsat visited the house after it was taken over by one of the armed factions
affiliated with the Military Operations Department in the General Command of
“Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham”, about 4 days after it entered Damascus. The group’s
leader, who preferred not to be named, said: “We were assigned the task of
protecting the properties and palaces in this area (Assad’s villages) because
they were subjected to looting and plunder immediately after their owners
fled.”Mostly, things were left as they were, the gunmen slept on foam mattresses
in the living room near the fireplace and used the kitchen to prepare meals
while they spent the day outside on guard duty.
However, the signs of looting that preceded the group’s arrival were clearly
visible. Television screens, fridges, washing machines, and most electrical
appliances have disappeared. The militants do not appear to care about the
luxurious details of Italian crystal chandeliers, furniture, silk curtains,
plush beds, or the warehouse of imported alcohol, some of which contain boxes of
fine wine, of which a bottle costs $2,800.
All of this, to them, is further evidence of the extravagant life that the men
of power lived at their expense.
One of them says: “When their army enters our houses and our areas, they did not
leave doors, tiles, pipes, or electrical wires inside the walls. They
systematically looted our homes, leaving only skeletons... Did they really need
that?”He poses his final question as he points to the luxury of Hassan’s
four-story home, which can be navigated by elevator and has a private gym, a
large garden, and a swimming pool, as shown in the video below.
For those who do not know Kamal Ali Hassan, in addition to holding the rank of
Major General, opponents have called him many names, including “dirty missions
man,” “the billionaire of security,” and “the shepherd of the shabiha (regime
affiliated militias),” and other epithets that reflect the influence of the man
who is being pursued by accusations of corruption and abuse. His military
promotion to Major General came about a year ago, despite his inclusion on the
US sanctions list. Among the most infamous tasks that Hassan supervised were
torture operations, a large part of which were carried out in a security branch
under his command and documented in photos known as the “Caesar Files”. As for
his being a billionaire, it is because, according to the opposition’s
allegations, he constituted a “major node” in the narrow economic circle of
Assad, in addition to practicing extortion on a large scale, especially against
the families of detainees. Hassan played a role in sponsoring a number of
militias and gangs active across the Lebanese-Syrian border, specializing in
kidnapping for ransom, sexual extortion, and collecting fees, most notably the
gang of a person called “Shujaa Al-Ali.” “Assad’s Villages,” where Kamal Ali
Hassan’s palace is located, is, like the neighboring Yaafour, a collection of
palaces and villas owned by Bashar and Asma al-Assad’s entourage of businessmen,
security leaders, and high-ranking military personnel. It is located on a high
plateau in the western Damascus countryside, about half an hour from the capital
and the same distance from the Lebanese border, through which they fled when
their leader fled, leaving behind everything except their money and gold. An
Israeli drone reportedly targeted Maher al-Assad, the brother of the deposed
president and the second man in his regime, in one of his palaces in this area
at the end of last September. While small signs point
to alleys leading to some villas and private farms, the palaces of the inner
circle of the entourage stand behind high walls, with only their roofs or the
trees in the ornate gardens visible. Identifying them requires careful
cross-referencing of information with multiple parties. An example of this is
the luxurious Al-Qatirji complex, which belongs to the Syrian businessman close
to Assad, Muhammad Baraa Al-Qatirji, who was on the US sanctions list and was
killed by a suspected Israeli airstrike targeting him in this area in mid-July.
The white walls of these palaces, decorated with tall trees, ornate plants, and
the statues of two lions placed on both sides of the huge gate, contrast with
the barren and neglected areas surrounding it.
The complex is distributed on both sides of the road known among the residents
as “Al-Qatirji Street.” It seems that more construction work was taking place
there until recently, as this video shows.
The leader of the group tasked with protecting “Assad’s villages” told Asharq
Al-Awsat that “most of the palaces whose owners fled were emptied of everything
that could be carried and used.” The Syrian villages surrounding Assad’s
villages, even though housing loyalists, are living in abject poverty.”While
“Assad’s villages” or the palaces area as it is called, appear to be a spot at
odds with the rest of Damascus in terms of good civil organization, the sequence
of palaces and luxurious houses and their numbering, the dense trees and plants
and general cleanliness, the areas and villages adjacent to them shock you as
belts of blatant misery by all standards.
Even the electricity that used to feed that wealthy area with an uninterrupted
“golden line” did not include these destitute neighbors who formed a solid base
for the regime, on sectarian grounds in most cases. At the entrance of “Assad’s
Villages,” stands a police headquarters in a modern building, unlike the police
and security branches in the rest of the capital’s areas. However, the security
of the area did not depend on it, but on the headquarters of the “Fourth
Division” that extends along the highway leading to it, and the many military
checkpoints affiliated with it, which were taken over by factions from the
General Command of “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.” However, the tanks of this division
are still scattered on both sides of the road, as this video shows.
Assad Villages Police Station... and two deserted tanks from the Fourth Division
As the car drove us between the palaces hidden behind high walls, my companion
pointed to a site where a Captagon warehouse was found two days ago and said:
“We received news about a Captagon lab here among these palaces. An armed force
went to raid it, but it was empty and all that remained of it were traces of
bags and packages.” “Most of the informants and snitches who used to work for
the regime have raised the new flag and are now courting us and want to work for
the organization now, but we cannot trust them much,” he said. “The best thing
they do is inform about a theft or someone entering a palace to burn evidence
and hide documents,” he added.
Indeed, after days of searching for the palace of Yasar Ibrahim, the financial
arm of former first lady Asma al-Assad and who reportedly accompanied Bashar to
Moscow on the day of the escape, news came that there was a fire in his palace’s
garden.
A group of the gunmen headed there and found a woman who works for the Ibrahim
family, accompanied by a member of the Republican Guard, according to his
military identification, burning all the documents and papers left in the house.
They were terrified and handed over the remaining papers, their car, and weapons
to the gunmen.
It is noteworthy that much of what Asharq Al-Awsat saw among the seized
documents and papers was related to Lebanon, including maps of specific areas
and detailed newspaper clippings of press coverage of the assassination of
former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and its repercussions.
Newspaper clippings about Hariri's assassination in Yasar Ibrahim's house
Yasar Ibrahim is a businessman whom Asma al-Assad tasked with the overthrow of
the empire of Rami Makhlouf, Bashar’s cousin, and he was the economic and
financial front for the ruling family’s new empire.
Ibrahim began his career by establishing a telecommunications company, a large
part of which was owned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, then he seized
control of the two main telecommunications companies in Syria, MTN and Syriatel
(which was part of Makhlouf’s share). He also established several companies in
tax havens to circumvent international sanctions and manage the money generated
from the Captagon trade. It is interesting that a man of Yassar Ibrahim’s
caliber would keep newspaper clippings about the Hariri assassination and a map
of the Lebanese towns of Marjeyoun and Hermoun, carefully archived with
handwritten notes at the top of the pages.
The confiscated documents at his palace raise questions about other’s archives.
What do the destroyed papers and documents hide or what has yet to be
discovered?
Many questions may not be answered unless these men and women of Assad’s brutal
regime are prosecuted and referred to trials in which they reveal their past and
the past of two countries whose fates were sometimes linked by desire and
sometimes by coercion.
A distant possibility. At least for now.
2024: The Pendulum Swings in a New Direction
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al Awsat/December 27/2024
As 2024 draws to a close, one thing is certain across the globe: the pendulum of
history is swinging away from the direction it had taken since the 1990s.
For almost three decades, it had swung towards what one might call soft left in
its latest epiphanies as globalism, political correctness and multiculturalism-
all versions of collectivism. By collectivism we mean ideologies that see
humanity in terms of groups or herds rather than individuals, and nation-states
as pawns for self-perpetuating global elites to move on their imaginary
chessboard. The first institution to get hit was the
United Nations’ Organization that, as its name suggests, was supposed to be a
nonpartisan grouping of sovereign nation states working together within a
commonly accepted framework of rules and traditions in the service of peace and
international cooperation. In the past few years,
however, the UN has morphed into a partisan club for soft-left ideologues. In
those years one of its veto-holding members, Russia, has invaded two countries
while the other, the United States, tried to prop-up a moribund Islamist regime
in the vain hope of bringing it in from the cold. A third veto-holding member,
China, has acted like a neighborhood bully wielding a knife and threatening
everyone from the Strait of Malacca to South China Sea. The nadir came when UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cast himself as an apologist-cum-advocate for
Hamas in the name of “Palestinian rights.”Another major institution of
globalism, the European Union, has also been hit by corruption scandals,
political skullduggery, bureaucracy and its members pulling in opposite
directions even on key issues such as support for Ukraine.
Elsewhere, the Organization of American States, another collectivist outfit, has
ceased to exist in a meaningful way. Its African version, the African Union, is
also paralyzed, unable even to mediate among its members. On a smaller scale,
the West African Cooperation for Development (CDAO) split when three members
left after military coups. A number of other pseudo-collectivist outfits that
had never been anything but expensive ghosts have continued to fade away, among
them the Southeast Asian economic pact, the Shanghai Group, Brics+, the
Russian-led Eurasia phantom, various pan-Islamic money-spenders and
time-wasters, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the
Arab League.
All that not to mention the so-called Axis of Resistance that the Islamic
Republic had created at huge expense to “export revolution” to the four corners
of the world. The pendulum is swinging towards the old
model of the nation-state that, first shaped in the 17th century, developed into
the standard concept for organizing human societies within geopolitical borders
set by historical processes. Even a few years ago,
mentioning the word “border” was tantamount sacrilege.
Borderlessness was a la mode: Doctors without Borders, Reporters without
Borders, Lawyers without Borders and, even Border Guards without Borders, the
latter in Europe. In 2024, many borders that had disappeared have been
re-installed even between European nation-states. In general, in elections held
in Germany, Britain, France, Poland, and Austria, and the US presidential
election, a key word was: border. In 2024, Türkiye completed a 320-kilometer
wall to seal off its border with Iran which, in turn, unveiled a plan for a
925-kilometer-long wall on its border with Pakistan.
The year’s big surprise was Donald J Trump who, against all predictions by the
global glitterati won a rare victory by not only returning to the White House
with a majority both of votes and of the Electoral College, but also gaining
control of both houses of the Congress plus a majority of state governorships.
The big loser of the year was Iran who saw its 30-year investment in its
imaginary Axis of Resistance buried under Syrian rubble.
The year’s revenant was Benjamin Netanyahu, who before the October 7 attack by
Hamas seemed to be on his way into oblivion via a possible stunt in the can.
Within a few months, however, the world discovered a brand new Netanyahu casting
himself as an international statesman. British historian Andrew Roberts even
compared him to Sir Winston Churchill who was branded a sad failure in 1939 but
praised as a hero a year later. The year’s gambler was Türkiye’s Recep Tayyip
Erdogan who got his nation involved in Syria’s dicey destiny, a gamble that
could produce big pickings for him but might also end up serving him the same
cup of poison that Iran had to imbibe.
The year’s yellowest of yellows was the Syrian despot, Bashar al-Assad, who took
his family and money and fled without telling his entourage let alone his
Iranian allies to also run for cover, leaving them exposed to humiliation,
revenge and death.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy remained the romantic figure of the
year, to collect air miles by flying all over the world to seek assistance from
mostly cynical techno-bureaucrats masquerading as political leaders, and ending
with little more than photo-ops for them. The title cynic of the year could be
shared by French President Emmanuel Macron and the outgoing German Chancellor,
Olaf Scholz. Both have refined the affliction into an art to help them hang on
to power a bit longer.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Argentine President Javier Milei, of
Italian origin, might share the title of the pragmatist of the year by adding
water to their respective ideological wines and practice politics as the art of
the possible.
Russian President Vladimir Putin may get the title of hard-to-boil figure of the
year. His war in Ukraine isn’t proceeding as he imagined and the ultimate
outcome of his ill-advised involvement in the Syrian imbroglio remains
uncertain. His call for help to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un is humiliating
by all accounts and his growing dependence on Xi Jinping’s China is a matter of
concern in Moscow. Yet most polls show that almost 70
percent of Russians still trust Putin even if they disagree with his attack on
Ukraine.
The title Comedian of the Year must go to South Korean President Y Yoon Suk
Yeol, who declared martial law and sent the army to close the parliament but
quickly changed tone by saying sorry, I didn’t mean it. All in all, not a bad
year and if the pendulum swings in the current direction, the best may yet to
come.
Poverty — the world’s last great challenge
Emmanuel Macron, Mia Amor Mottley and William Ruto/Arab News/December 27, 2024
In an era where technological advances and economic integration promise
unprecedented opportunities, nearly 700 million people worldwide continue to
live in extreme poverty — surviving on less than $2.15 per day. This staggering
figure not only signifies a monumental humanitarian failure, it also highlights
the complexity and multidimensional nature of poverty, which remains deeply
entrenched globally. Despite decades of progress, the
reduction in global poverty has slowed to a virtual standstill, exacerbated by
periods of sustained low economic growth, the still-palpable repercussions of
the COVID-19 pandemic and increased fragility in vulnerable regions.
But just what is poverty?
Poverty, often perceived in simplistic terms as mere economic deprivation, is a
multifaceted phenomenon. Beyond the immediate lack of financial resources,
poverty encompasses a range of deprivations, including limited access to
education, healthcare and basic amenities. It entrenches social exclusion,
stifles potential and perpetuates intergenerational cycles of disadvantage.
For instance, about 3.5 billion people, or 44 percent of the global
population, grapple with poverty by the standard of $6.85 per day. This reveals
a chilling reality: economic growth alone has not been sufficient to uplift
large swaths of humanity.
Poverty, far from being a mere statistic or a transient economic shortfall, is
an omnipresent attribute of all societies across the planet, with extensive
implications. It does not just manifest as mere lack or a myriad other
deprivations, it also encompasses deficits in nutrition, education and
healthcare — cornerstones of human development. A critical understanding of
poverty’s persistent and pervasive nature reveals its ability to perpetuate
cycles of disenfranchisement and exclusion.
This self-reinforcing loop is responsible for some 1.1 billion people living
multidimensionally impoverished lives around the world — with nearly half of
them trapped in conflict zones, where barriers to poverty alleviation are
impossibly high.
Despite an extensive array of analytical tools, policy frameworks and
development programs proposed over decades, the eradication of poverty remains a
formidable challenge. In other words, while our understanding of poverty may
have vastly evolved — with the global community even sharing a deep awareness of
poverty’s roots and its repercussions — finding a universal remedy remains as
elusive as ever.
The persistence, elasticity and complexity of poverty are nowhere more evident
than in sub-Saharan Africa, where 67 percent of the global population living in
extreme poverty resides, despite the region accounting for only 16 percent of
the world’s population. The implications are profound: without significant
changes to the current trajectory, an estimated 622 million people are projected
to remain in extreme poverty by 2030. Moreover, about 3.4 billion people will
subsist on less than $6.85 a day, illustrating that the scope of poverty extends
far beyond the extreme, affecting nearly half of the global population.
The Middle East and North Africa region, on the other hand, faces a deeply
embedded crisis of poverty and inequality driven by structural failures in
governance and persistent socioeconomic disparities. Chronic poverty afflicts
nearly two-thirds of the region, with key indicators revealing 41 percent of
citizens in some states classified as poor and 25 percent as vulnerable. In
addition, the middle class is shrinking, notably in non-oil-producing countries,
where it has decreased from 45 percent to 33 percent. This widespread economic
struggle is compounded by systemic issues such as labor informality, with more
than half of the region’s workforce engaged in the informal sector, where pay is
often low and erratic, without any protections.
Furthermore, the region’s demographic pressures, heightened by recent increases
in fertility rates, further strain inadequate social services and stagnant
economic systems, entrenching poverty across generations. Poor governance in
addressing corruption and deploying effective reforms worsens prevailing crises.
It is fostering a sense of perceived injustice and helplessness among citizens
given the still-growing disparity in wealth — where the top 10 percent of
individuals hold nearly two-thirds of the region’s wealth. While our
understanding of poverty may have vastly evolved, finding a universal remedy
remains as elusive as ever. Going forward, poverty
must be understood as a multidimensional threat. It undermines social cohesion,
exacerbates vulnerabilities to climate change and fosters inequality. High
inequality remains concentrated in the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin
America, reflecting a dearth of socioeconomic mobility and inclusive growth.
Today, about a fifth of the global population lives in countries grappling with
significant inequality, hindering their prospects for economic advancement and
poverty reduction.
Furthermore, the climate crisis looms large as a formidable barrier to poverty
alleviation. One in five individuals globally faces the risk of extreme weather
events during their lifetime, threatening to dismantle the fragile gains made in
poverty reduction. Climate change amplifies existing vulnerabilities and
necessitates a dual approach: reducing greenhouse gas emissions while
simultaneously enhancing risk management to protect the most vulnerable
populations.
As we look toward 2025 and beyond, the future of global poverty is painted with
a cautious yet necessary pessimism. Despite incremental advances in poverty
reduction, fast-growing populations in the world’s most vulnerable regions
threaten to outpace these modest improvements. While statistics may show a
decrease in the percentage of people living in extreme poverty, the absolute
number of individuals facing dire economic conditions remains daunting.
Population growth in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia particularly
exacerbates this issue, with millions more expected to struggle with inadequate
access to sanitation, healthcare and education. Such complexities require the
global community to rethink its approach and scale up investments radically if
it is to have any hope of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by the
2030 deadline.
At present, tackling acute poverty necessitates an unprecedented level of
international cooperation and investment. Smart investments in health,
education, energy, agriculture, infrastructure and digitization have been
identified as critical drivers to markedly improve living conditions. Funds
should be redirected from military expenditures to allow a push forward with the
“Pact for the Future,” a strategic UN framework aimed at addressing global
challenges. The pact outlines actionable interventions across sectors vital to
human security and development, while offering structural financial foundations
to address poverty at its roots. To feasibly combat
acute poverty, the world must also ensure that financial assistance,
technological support and development aid are not just increased but
strategically targeted. Enhancing social protection, fostering climate
resilience in agrarian communities and implementing fair trade policies
represent some of the concrete steps that could transform the current
trajectory.
Despite these actions, the global community’s failure to classify
multidimensional poverty as a planetary threat akin to climate change is
perplexing. Multidimensional poverty encompasses various deprivations beyond
mere income, including health deficiencies, educational gaps and a lack of basic
services, yet it has not galvanized the same global urgency as climate issues.
This lack of recognition might stem from a segmented approach to policymaking,
in which economic development, social welfare and environmental sustainability
are often treated as separate domains rather than interconnected crises.
Addressing this misalignment is vital as we move forward; otherwise, we risk
superficial improvements that fail to address the broader, underlying causes of
poverty. Indeed, the grim reality faced by millions, especially women and rural
populations, suggests that a real-world perception of improvement will remain an
elusive goal without deeper systemic changes.
In sum, poverty remains the world’s last great challenge due to its profound,
interconnected impacts and the sheer scale of those affected. Breaking the cycle
of poverty requires more than just economic growth; it demands targeted,
inclusive and sustained efforts to improve education, healthcare, infrastructure
and job creation. International cooperation and innovative policies tailored to
the unique needs of different regions are imperative. Achieving a world free of
poverty on a livable planet is not merely a matter of economic expedience but a
moral imperative. The journey will be arduous and fraught with complexities, yet
it is the definitive test of our collective resolve and humanity.
**Hafed Al-Ghwell is a senior fellow and executive director of the North Africa
Initiative at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins University
School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC. X: @HafedAlGhwell