Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 24-25/2024
On Lebanon border, Israel and Hezbollah's deadly game of patience
Israeli Schools in Hezbollah Firing Line Won’t Open in September, Education Minister Says
Iran summons German envoy over closure of 'Hezbollah, Iran-linked' center
Germany bans Muslim association for pursuing radical Islam
Germany bans 'Hezbollah, Iran-linked' Islamist group
Diplomats in Lebanon assess magnitude of damages in the south
Hezbollah releases drone footage of Israeli Ramat David Airbase
Hezbollah's Hodhod takes footage of Israel's Ramat David airbase
Hezbollah's Drone Incursion: A Signal of Resistance Amidst Gaza Truce Negotiations
Israel-Hezbollah border clashes: Latest developments
Israeli leaders tell UNIFIL chief no decision to wage war on Lebanon
Mouawad to Craft the Miss Lebanon 2024 Crown: A Tribute to Resilience, Unity, and Optimism
MP Fadi Alameh: Number of Israeli attacks exceeds 5,736 as of July 15th
Sami Gemayel blasts Hezbollah, says Lebanon fate now depends on Sinwar and Netanyahu
Bassil says 'open to everyone' to end presidential void
South American enablers amplify Hezbollah’s threat/Peter Marko Tase/Jerusalem Post/July 24/2024
Brazil’s Hezbollah threat: Why sanctioning the terrorist group is crucial/Emanuele Ottollenghi/Jerusalem Post/July 24/2024

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 24-25/2024
Biden speech live updates: President addresses nation on his decision to drop out of race; confirms he is not resigning
'Unbowed, undaunted, unafraid': PM Netanyahu addresses US Congress
Israel carries out new raids in Gaza
Bodies of murdered hostages extracted from Gaza
What is the human cost of Israel’s relentless pursuit of Hamas commanders in Gaza?
Israeli delegation heads to Cairo ahead of planned cease-fire talks in Doha
Iran’s militias in Iraq threaten Israel amid Houthi, Hezbollah attacks
Unknown suspect attempts assassination of Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - report
Gantz: 'Current hostage deal has been stalled by political considerations for over two months'
Majority of Israelis want hostage deal over defeat of Hamas - poll
Israel tells Egypt it agrees to conditions regarding Philadelphi Corridor, Rafah - report
Republicans attack Harris for skipping Netanyahu’s Congressional address
Nine arrests during London protest against Israel arms exports
Global media watchdogs, human rights groups call on Biden to pressure Netanyahu regarding rising journalist deaths in Gaza
Netanyahu says 'confident' in efforts to free hostages
Fox News suggests Trump-Harris debate on Sept. 17
US destroys 3 Houthi missile launchers in Yemen
First ships dock in Yemen harbor after Israel strike: Houthi media
French authorities detain Russian man on accusations of planning to ‘destabilize’ Olympics
Iran condemns UN expert report on 1980s ‘atrocity crimes’
No plan for Erdogan to meet Assad in Moscow, Turkish source says
Salman Rushdie's alleged attacker faces federal terrorism charges

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 24-25/2024
Biden Administration Gives Another $100 Million for Terror: Prefers Aiding Palestinian Terrorists Such as Hamas to Supporting Israel/Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/July 24, 2024
Don’t be fooled by Iran’s new president, extremist policy is the same/David Ben-Basat/Jerusalem Post/July 24/2024
A tale of two US departures/Faisal J Abbas/Arab News/July 24, 2024
Vance may be a real asset to Trump campaign/Maria Maalouf/Arab News/July 24, 2024
Israeli PM is not interested in a ceasefire — full stop/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/July 24, 2024
Netanyahu in a politically unfamiliar Washington/Osama Al-Sharif/Arab News/July 24, 2024
Will Pope Francis Ever Speak Honestly about the Muslim Persecution of Christians?/Raymond Ibrahim/LifeSiteNews/July 24, 2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on July 24-25/2024
On Lebanon border, Israel and Hezbollah's deadly game of patience
James Mackenzie/KIBBUTZ EILON, Israel (Reuters) /July 24, 2024
In deserted villages and communities near the southern Lebanon border, Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters have watched each other for months, shifting and adapting in a battle for the upper hand while they wait to see if a full scale war will come. Ever since the start of the Gaza war last October, the two sides have exchanged daily barrages of rockets, artillery, missile fire and air strikes in a standoff that has just stopped short of full-scale war. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border, and hopes that children may be able to return for the start of the new school year in September appear to have been dashed following an announcement by Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch on Tuesday that conditions would not allow it. "The war is almost the same for the past nine months," Lieutenant Colonel Dotan, an Israeli officer, who could only be identified by his first name. "We have good days of hitting Hezbollah and bad days where they hit us. It's almost the same, all year, all the nine months." As the summer approaches its peak, the smoke trails of drones and rockets in the sky have become a daily sight, with missiles regularly setting off brush fires in the thickly wooded hills along the border. Israeli strikes have killed nearly 350 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and more than 100 civilians, including medics, children and journalists, while 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Even so, as the cross border firing has continued, Israeli forces have been training for a possible offensive in Lebanon which would dramatically increase the risk of a wider regional war, potentially involving Iran and the United States. That risk was underlined at the weekend when the Yemen-based Houthis, a militia which like Hezbollah is backed by Iran, sent a drone to Tel Aviv where it caused a blast that killed a man and prompted Israel to launch a retaliatory raid the next day. Standing in his home kibbutz of Eilon, where only about 150 farmers and security guards remain from a normal population of 1,100, Lt. Colonet Dotan said the two sides have been testing each other for months, in a constantly evolving tactical battle. "This war taught us patience," said Dotan. "In the Middle East, you need patience." He said Israeli troops had seen an increasing use of Iranian drones, of a type frequently seen in Ukraine, as well as Russian-made Kornet anti tank missiles which were increasingly targeting houses as Israeli tank forces adapted their own tactics in response. "Hezbollah is a fast learning organization and they understood that UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are the next big thing and so they went and bought and got trained in UAVs," he said. Israel had responded by adapting its Iron Dome air defence system and focusing its own operations on weakening Hezbollah's organizational structure by attacking its experienced commanders, such as Ali Jaafar Maatuk, a field commander in the elite Radwan forces unit who was killed last week. "So that's another weak point we found. We target them and we look for them on a daily basis," he said. Even so, as the months have passed, the wait has not been easy for Israeli troops brought up in a doctrine of manoeuvre and rapid offensive operations. "When you're on defence, you can't defeat the enemy. We understand that, we have no expectations," he said, "So we have to wait. It's a patience game."

Israeli Schools in Hezbollah Firing Line Won’t Open in September, Education Minister Says
FDD/July 23, 2024
Latest Developments​
Schooling will be disrupted for a second straight year in communities on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon as Hezbollah attacks continue, Israeli education minister Yoav Kisch said on July 23.
A day after Hamas launched its war on Israel from Gaza on October 7, Hezbollah joined in with shelling attacks on the north of the country, driving tens of thousands of residents from their homes. Indications from Hezbollah that it would hold fire in the event of a truce in Gaza, along with the renewal of mediated talks between Israel and Hamas, led the Israeli government to suggest that evacuees could be returned in time for the new school year on September 1. However, Kisch’s announcement confirmed that schools within the range of the Hezbollah attacks would remain shuttered indefinitely and that evacuee children would instead continue studying where they have been relocated. “This is a regrettable decision that has been forced upon us and is being made with heavy heart,” Kisch said in a statement, calling on the government to deal with the Hezbollah threat from Lebanon “to restore quiet and stability for residents of the north, and for the sake of the State of Israel’s future.”
Expert Analysis
“Hezbollah’s strategic victory in this conflict has been to create a de facto ‘security zone,’ purged of civilian life, within Israeli territory. That is proving more painful and protracted than expected. The Israelis have adapted by moving their citizenry to safety even as they whittle Hezbollah’s ranks with precision strikes. On balance, the former can clearly outlast the latter, and being relieved of the September 1 deadline may in fact give Israel breathing room to ensure whatever accommodation emerges in Gaza is advantageous.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO. “Following the October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack, Israeli officials have consistently emphasized their intolerance for Hezbollah’s presence along its northern border. The delay in the start of the school year suggests that Israel may be preparing for a prolonged conflict in the north until the Jewish state can ensure a safe environment for civilians to return home. This decision underscores Israel’s commitment to protect its citizens and secure its borders against Hezbollah’s persistent threats.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal
Education Ministry Presents Plan for Displaced Students
More than 60,000 civilians, including 14,600 children, have been displaced from their homes in Israel due to Hezbollah’s attacks, The Times of Israel reported. At a meeting between Kisch and local authority chiefs, Haim Bibas, the chair of the Federation of Local Authorities, said that the education minister had been briefed on a range of concerns voiced by regional authorities in recent months. The federation added that Kisch had presented a NIS 152 million plan for alternate schools for the affected students, enabling them to attend classes in a more familiar environment.

Iran summons German envoy over closure of 'Hezbollah, Iran-linked' center
Agence France Presse/July 23, 2024
Tehran said it summoned the German ambassador on Wednesday after the closure of an Islamic center in Hamburg over alleged support for Lebanon's Hezbollah and links to Iran. "Following the action of the German police which closed a number of Islamic centers, the German ambassador was summoned today to the ministry of foreign affairs," the ministry said in a statement on X.

Germany bans Muslim association for pursuing radical Islam
Reuters/July 24/2024
Germany claimed the IZH acted as a direct representative of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei, with the interior ministry also accusing promoting antisemitism and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Germany has banned the Islamic Centre Hamburg (IZH) and its subsidiary organizations for pursuing radical Islamist goals, the interior ministry said on Wednesday. In a statement, it said the IZH had acted as a direct representative of Iran's Shi'ite Muslim Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and sought to bring about an Islamic revolution in Germany to impose theocratic rule. The IZH was not available for comment by phone on Wednesday morning, and its website was not accessible to the public. Iran's foreign ministry said it had summoned the German ambassador in Tehran on Wednesday in protest at the ban. "Unfortunately what happened in Germany is an example of Islamophobia and is in opposition to the teachings of the Abrahamic faiths," it said on X, referencing Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The ministry said the ban violated freedom of expression and promoted violence and extremism. Asked about the summoning of the ambassador, a German foreign ministry source said that it was up to the Iranian side to take concrete steps towards improving ties between the two countries that have been downgraded in recent years.
Interior Ministry investigation
The German interior ministry said 53 of the IZH's premises had been searched early on Wednesday in eight German states by investigators acting on a court order. In addition to the Hamburg-based IZH, which includes one of the oldest mosques in Germany known for its turquoise exterior, subsidiaries in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin were also banned, with four Shi'ite mosques to be closed, said the ministry. The interior ministry said evidence from an earlier search of 55 properties conducted in November provided the basis for Wednesday's ban of the IZH, known in German as Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg. "Today, we banned the Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg, which promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany," said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser."This Islamist ideology is opposed to human dignity, women's rights, an independent judiciary, and our democratic government."She said she wanted to make clear "this ban absolutely does not apply to the peaceful practice of the Shi'ite religion."A 2020 report on Islamic life in Germany said there were about 5.5 million Muslims in Germany's 83 million population. The interior ministry also accused the IZH of promoting antisemitism and the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, which is also banned in Germany and classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union.

Germany bans 'Hezbollah, Iran-linked' Islamist group
Associated Press/July 23, 2024
The German government on Wednesday banned a Hamburg-based organization accused of promoting the Iranian leadership's ideology and supporting Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, as police raided 53 properties around the country.
The ban on the Islamic Center Hamburg, or IZH, and its various suborganizations elsewhere in Germany followed searches in November. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said material gathered in the investigation "confirmed the serious suspicions to such a degree that we ordered the ban today."The IZH "promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany," while it and its sub-organizations "also support the terrorists of Hezbollah and spread aggressive antisemitism," Faeser said in a statement. Her ministry alleged that "as the direct representative of Iran's 'Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution," the IZH disseminates "the ideology of the Islamic Revolution in an aggressive and militant way and seeks to bring about such a revolution in the Federal Republic of Germany."The group, which runs a mosque in Hamburg, has long been under observation by Germany's domestic intelligence agency. The IZH said last fall that it "condemns every form of violence and extremism and has always advocated peace, tolerance and interreligious dialogue." The Interior Ministry said that because of the ban, four Shiite mosques in Germany will be closed. The IZH's assets are also being confiscated.

Diplomats in Lebanon assess magnitude of damages in the south
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/July 24, 2024
BEIRUT: The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Lebanese Parliament, MP Fadi Alama, revealed that “the number of attacks on South Lebanon has exceeded 5,736 until July 15, resulting in 538 martyrs, and 1,850 injuries.”The Foreign Affairs Committee met on Wednesday with several ambassadors from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Britain, and Canada to present the results of the ongoing Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, as part of preparations for “the government’s work in the post-ceasefire phase.”MP Alama said that “representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations were surprised when we talked about 1,800 hectares intentionally burned by the Israeli enemy. They were also surprised by the number of schools that were targeted and the number of students who were unable to complete their education and moved to other places. Additionally, they were informed of the 28,000 new families who have been displaced from areas that are being targeted daily.”The parliamentarian said there was urgency for the government to develop a plan and a roadmap as soon as possible. MP Wael Abu Faour, a member of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, stated that “the human, health, urban, agricultural, and environmental losses as a result of Israeli attacks have become enormous. Initial estimates from Lebanese institutions indicate a cost of approximately two $2 billion so far, in addition to other damages and losses.”Abu Faour said: “This is a new challenge for the Lebanese state that must be dealt with in Lebanon’s Arab and international relations. The state is bankrupt and unable to bear such responsibilities, but at the same time, it cannot abandon its responsibilities towards its citizens regardless of any controversial local political considerations regarding the feasibility of war or its justifications among some parties.”Hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army continued on Wednesday. According to Israeli media, “43 settlements were evacuated in the north, (and) more than 1,500 buildings, cars, and infrastructure were damaged in the north. Additionally, six industrial zones were affected, and hundreds of businesses were forced to close due to Hezbollah strikes.”Israel targeted the towns of Kafr Shuba, Tayr Harfa, and Hula on Wednesday with airstrikes and artillery shelling. A raid also targeted a house in the town of Kfar Hammam, leading to its destruction. This small village is located in Hasbaya District on the eastern side of Nabatieh Governorate. Hezbollah released a new video recorded by the Hudhud drone within Israel, showcasing footage from inside the Ramat David Air Base, located approximately 50 km from the Lebanese border. According to Hezbollah, “the footage was captured on Tuesday using a drone.”
The new eight-minute video released by Hezbollah showcases several sensitive areas within the base, including aircraft fuel tanks, the headquarters of Squadron 109, an Iron Dome missile defense platform, and ammunition depots. It also reveals the locations of the Squadron 157 and Squadron 105 headquarters. Hezbollah included an image of the base commander’s office, exposing intricate details of the facility.
This is not the first time Hezbollah has employed such tactics. Previously, the group broadcast aerial footage of critical installations captured by similar unmanned aerial vehicles in Haifa and the Golan Heights. Israeli media reacted strongly, with one outlet stating: “Over eight minutes of Hezbollah video exposing our vulnerability is a disgrace.” The Israeli military, however, downplayed the incident, claiming the footage was captured by a drone designed solely for photography and did not affect base operations. A Hezbollah source linked the timing of the video release to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington. Amid these developments, the Israeli military announced on Wednesday that its “reserve brigade has completed a drill simulating war scenarios in Lebanon.”Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir expressed support for a comprehensive war against Hezbollah, stating: “The sooner, the better.”However, Israel’s Ambassador to Russia Simona Halperin maintained that while Tel Aviv is prepared for military confrontation with Lebanon, it still prefers a diplomatic solution. She emphasized that Israel is not interested in a large-scale war. “We cannot dismiss a scenario where Israel might be compelled to engage in a wide-ranging war on the northern front,” she added. Coinciding with Israel’s war rhetoric, the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon issued a renewed advisory to its citizens. It called on “Canadians, permanent residents, their spouses, and dependent children to heed travel advisories and leave the country while commercial flights are available.”The embassy emphasized its focus on assisting individuals in obtaining necessary travel documents and keeping families together during this process.This escalation comes as thousands of Lebanese expatriates with dual citizenship from Canada, the US, and Europe have arrived in Lebanon for summer vacations.

Hezbollah releases drone footage of Israeli Ramat David Airbase
LBCI/July 24, 2024
Hezbollah released on Wednesday footage from a drone it claims captured images of the Israeli Ramat David Airbase, situated approximately 50 kilometers south of the Lebanese border.

Hezbollah's Hodhod takes footage of Israel's Ramat David airbase
Naharnet/July 24, 2024
Hezbollah on Wednesday released a video showing footage captured by the group’s drones over the Ramat David base in northern Israel. Hezbollah had released in June a video showing sensitive military and economic sites in Israel's northern strategic city of Haifa and published another video earlier this month captured over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The group called its drone "al-Hodhod" - Arabic name for the hoopoe bird, which is mentioned in the Quran as it brings news to Prophet Suleiman about the Queen of Sheba. Hezbollah captioned its "special episode" video "some of what al-Hodhod came back with on Tuesday." The Ramat David base in the only airbase in northern Israel, the video said. It is located some 60 kilometers from the border.

Hezbollah's Drone Incursion: A Signal of Resistance Amidst Gaza Truce Negotiations
LBCI/July 24, 2024
Hezbollah deliberately has sent a drone back into Israeli airspace during a peak in Israeli military alertness. This coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's talks in Washington, and just hours before his speech to Congress.  All this happened amid discussions of an imminent hostage exchange deal in Gaza. The message of the new drone operation is that Hezbollah will not be interested in a truce in Gaza unless Israel is also interested in a truce in southern Lebanon. It asserts that, as Hezbollah was able to breach this important airbase's airspace for the first time in Israel's history and reveal its commander's identity, it will continue gathering intelligence to counter Israeli terrorism and is capable of reaching and striking any desired point. At this time, Hezbollah reassures its tripartite alliance with Speaker of the House Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati that there will be no cessation of military operations on the Lebanese-Israeli border before they stop in Gaza. Discussions about the southern situation will follow once operations cease. Reports indicate that Hezbollah has charted a roadmap for the phase concerning military operations, emphasizing that it will not seek to drag Israel into a full-scale war. The agreement focuses on halting Israeli violations and addressing breaches along the Blue Line, including the Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shuba Hills. However, the ambiguity surrounding Hezbollah's military status south of the Litani River remains. Hezbollah has not provided any indications on this matter, except that it will not accept withdrawing its personnel behind the Litani or a few kilometers from the border, considering that its fighters are from these areas. Regarding Hezbollah's military deployment, the presence of its heavy weapons, and the movement of the Lebanese army and international forces in the area per Resolution 1701, the issue has not yet been discussed, and Hezbollah has not given any commitments in this regard. Tying the negotiations to the state reflects, firstly, confidence in the negotiators, and secondly, Hezbollah's openness to discussions on the post-war situation. Hezbollah likely recognizes the difficulty of returning to the pre-October 8 status quo and that new arrangements will be made. The maritime border demarcation experience indicates that Lebanon, along with Hezbollah, is ready to pay a certain price in exchange for significant concessions from Israel that are crucial for Lebanon.

Israel-Hezbollah border clashes: Latest developments
Naharnet/July 24, 2024
Israeli drones raided Wednesday Kfakila while artillery shelled Kfarshouba, Houla, and the outskirts of Kfar Hamam, and warplanes broke the sound barrier over Nabatieh and Iqlim al-Toffah. Israeli jets had raided late Tuesday the southern town of Shihine, targeting the Amal-affiliated Islamic Risala Scout Association. No casualties were reported. Warplanes launched incendiary balloons overnight over south Lebanon, the National News Agency said. Hezbollah had carried out attacks with drones and rockets on two military posts in northern Israel Tuesday after an Israeli drone strike killed a member of the group’s elite force in the southern village of Shaqra. Since early October, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have killed more than 450 people, mostly Hezbollah members, but also around 90 civilians and noncombatants. On the Israeli side, 21 soldiers and 13 civilians have been killed.

Israeli leaders tell UNIFIL chief no decision to wage war on Lebanon
Naharnet/July 24, 2024
UNIFIL Force Commander and Head of Mission Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro visited Israel ten days ago to meet with Israeli generals and some foreign ambassadors on an “exploratory visit,” following a similar visit at the end of last winter, a media report published Wednesday said. “The initial impression that the Spanish commander returned with was more positive than that he had last winter, seeing as the enemy’s leaders have decreased their threats and intimidation rhetoric against Lebanon,” al-Akhbar newspaper quoted sources informed on the visit as saying. “The enemy’s leaders reiterated that they want a diplomatic solution with Lebanon to return the settlers who were forced to leave the northern settlements due to the resistance’s strikes,” the daily added. They, however, stressed that Israel “will be ready to wage a war on Lebanon to push Hezbollah away from the south Litani region should the diplomatic solutions fail to reach a result.”“Despite the repetition of the classic, old stances, the rhetoric of the enemy’s leaders seemed more rational in terms of confirming that there is no decision to wage a war on Lebanon,” the report added. “This relative calm is due to the fatigue that the enemy’s army is suffering after months of war on the fronts of Gaza and Lebanon in addition to the U.S. pressures,” the sources said.

Mouawad to Craft the Miss Lebanon 2024 Crown: A Tribute to Resilience, Unity, and Optimism
LBCI/July 24, 2024
Mouawad, the globally renowned luxury jeweler, in partnership with the Lebanese TV channel LBCI, the Miss Lebanon beauty pageant 2024 organizer, is honored to announce the crafting of the exquisite crown for Miss Lebanon 2024 and entrusting her with the role of an ambassador of hope. Inspired by the enduring spirit of the Lebanese culture, the ‘Cedar of Hope’ embodies resilience, unity, and unwavering optimism. Designed by Robert Mouawad, the crown is a vibrant tribute to the Lebanese spirit of perseverance. The meticulous selection of red, white, and green gemstones poetically reflects the colors of the Lebanese flag. The design draws inspiration from the majestic cedar tree, a revered national emblem that has stood tall for millennia in the Lebanese landscape. “Lebanon has a long and rich history, and we are committed to crafting a crown that reflects the country's strength, beauty, and enduring hope for a brighter future. The crown will be bestowed upon the winner, who will then become an ambassador for the nation, carrying the hopes and dreams of the Lebanese people with her.” - Robert Mouawad, 3rd generation co- guardian of Mouawad.
The ‘Cedar of Hope’ is a unique expression of Mouawad’s deep admiration for the Lebanese spirit and serves as a powerful symbol of national pride, crafted with Mouawad's signature artistry and coupled with a profound admiration for the nation’s heritage. The crown’s centerpiece features a scrupulously crafted cedar tree which evokes strength and unwavering optimism. Upward-pointing gem-set motifs delicately surround the cedar, representing the boundless aspirations and desires of the Lebanese society. Through the captivating language of gemstones, the crown reflects the innate power within every Lebanese – the strength to shine, inspire, and lead with unwavering determination. This collaboration is a testament to the enduring spirit to overcome all challenges and obstacles. It also serves as an inspiration for the nation to persevere through challenges and the spirit to dream boldly.
About Mouawad
Mouawad is a renowned luxury jewelry brand recognized for its timeless elegance, exceptional craftsmanship, and rich heritage. With a legacy spanning over a century, Mouawad has epitomized excellence in jewelry, crafting the extraordinary with artistic mastery and trusted expertise. From its exquisite diamond creations to its iconic world records, Mouawad continues to captivate discerning individuals worldwide, embodying the pinnacle of luxury and artistry. Guided by the endeavors and visions of five generations, Mouawad’s heritage spans more than a century of creations and traditions in masterful jewelry design and watchmaking. Since its inception in Lebanon in 1890, the revered values of the brand have been revived over the years to offer true luxury and refinement to a discerning clientele, penetrating continents across the world.

MP Fadi Alameh: Number of Israeli attacks exceeds 5,736 as of July 15th
LBCI/July 24, 2024
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Lebanese Parliament held a session chaired by MP Fadi Alameh and attended by member MPs, along with several ambassadors from EU countries, Switzerland, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The committee then held a session with representatives from several UN agencies, during which the health, social, economic, and environmental impacts of Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon were discussed. After the two sessions, MP Alameh said: "Today we concluded a series of meetings. [...] The goal of these meetings was to highlight the extent of the suffering and attacks that occurred in southern Lebanon on displaced Lebanese people from economic, social, health, and psychological aspects."He pointed out that most of the meetings were supported by documented and scientific reports from official bodies such as the National Council for Scientific Research, the Council for the South of Lebanon, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Health. He expressed, "As we have seen, there was some surprise at the extent of the attacks, with the number of incidents surpassing 5,736 as of July 15th. Those concerned, including diplomatic missions and UN institutions, were taken aback when we mentioned that 1,800 hectares were deliberately burned by the Israeli enemy."He continued, "They were also surprised by the number of schools targeted, which resulted in students being unable to continue their education and having to move elsewhere. Additionally, they heard that there are 28,000 families displaced from areas subjected to daily attacks." Alameh added, "We wanted to highlight all this and clarify that more than 538 people have been martyred and 1,850 injured, according to the Ministry of Health. Hospitals and numerous healthcare centers have been targeted. We repeated this information in every meeting with ambassadors."He resumed, "Today, we also met with several UN institutions. We believe these meetings are helpful for the government, allowing it to prepare for its role after the ceasefire. As the Foreign Affairs Committee, we will prepare a report and present it to Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Najib Mikati to be ready for the post-war phase."

Sami Gemayel blasts Hezbollah, says Lebanon fate now depends on Sinwar and Netanyahu
Naharnet/July 24, 2024
Kataeb leader Sami Gemayel has criticized Hezbollah for putting Lebanon at the mercy of Hamas and Israel and for trying to influence the presidential file. Gemayel said in a televised interview on Tuesday night that Hezbollah has failed to impose its hegemony over the presidential file because the opposition, including the Free Patriotic Movement, rallied against it. He said he is open to finding a middle ground and that he would welcome any settlement on the condition that it be in Lebanon's interest. Gemayel criticized Hezbollah for starting a war with Israel, despite Lebanon's crisis. "Hezbollah’s calculations are not in Lebanon's interest as the group considers Iran's influence and the resistance coalition more important," he said. Gemayel went on to say that "the southern front did not affect at all" the course of the war in Gaza. "This front has no meaning at all," he added. "Hezbollah has leased Lebanon to (Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya) Sinwar and (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu, and now our fate depends on these two men," Gemayel charged.

Bassil says 'open to everyone' to end presidential void
Naharnet/July 24, 2024
The Free Patriotic Movement is "open to everyone", its leader Jebran Bassil said during a dinner ceremony Tuesday. "We are open to everyone to end the presidential void," Bassil said, adding that he is determined to continue his efforts to end the crisis in Lebanon through dialogue and consultations. "We talk to people wherever we are," Bassil said. "We have never refused to talk to someone, and those who refuse to talk to others are weak," he added. Crisis-hit Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022. Both parties -- Amal-Hezbollah and the opposition -- accuse each other of refusing dialogue and of obstructing the presidential election. The Lebanese Forces refuse a presidential dialogue chaired by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Bassil accepted to participate in Berri's dialogue. In a bid to break the impasse, opposition lawmakers started their own initiative, announcing two suggestions to facilitate the election of a president. They met with the FPM's Strong Lebanon bloc and other lawmakers, while Amal and Hezbollah MPs cancelled their scheduled meetings with the opposition. Bassil in his speech paid homage to the "martyrs" in south Lebanon, although he said he does not agree on the offensive strategy but rather on a defensive strategy. "They are dying as martyrs, and if they hadn't done so, Israel would have invaded us," he said. Hezbollah has traded near-daily cross-border fire with Israeli forces in support of Hamas since the Palestinian group's October 7 attack on southern Israel triggered war in the Gaza Strip. The violence since October has killed at least 518 people in Lebanon. Most of the dead have been fighters, but they have included at least 104 civilians.

South American enablers amplify Hezbollah’s threat - opinion
Peter Marko Tase/Jerusalem Post/July 24/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/07/132431/
It is time for Israeli and American leaders alike to end their timid posture on this issue and work to root out the corruption of Hezbollah’s South American enablers. Amid the brewing war at Israel’s northern border, it would appear exceedingly difficult for Hezbollah to fly under the radar in any respect. Yet the Lebanese terror group is doing precisely that, with the help of one of its South American enablers. The roots of the problem are planted in the Triple Frontier – the tri-border region connecting Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay that is a hub for terrorism financing through money laundering of illicit activity. The United States government has described Hezbollah operatives as utilizing companies in that region as fronts to finance terrorist activities in the Middle East. In January 2023, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara, former president of Paraguay, and Hugo Adalberto Velazquez Moreno, then Paraguay’s vice president, for their participation in “systemic corruption that has undermined democratic institutions in Paraguay.”At the time, US Ambassador to Paraguay Marc Ostfield acknowledged Cartes’ and Velazquez’s ties to Hezbollah, while the Treasury Department alleged that “representatives of both Cartes and Velázquez have collected bribes” at private events held by Hezbollah in Paraguay. However, the underground financial operations that benefit Hezbollah’s war machine in the Middle East will likely continue to grow for as long as Paraguay’s current attorney general, Emiliano Rolón Fernández, remains in office. This is in no small part due to the communication facilitated by Cartes’ private envoy to Rolón, attorney Victor Manuel Galeano Perrone.
Known to frequently vacation with Rolón, Perrone is the link between Cartes’ pro-Hezbollah policies and Rolón’s refusal to investigate the terrorist organization’s money laundering network in Paraguay. Consider the other crimes that remain unresolved under Rolón’s tenure. The masterminds behind the murder of Paraguayan Prosecutor Marcelo Pecci, who was killed in Colombia in May 2022, are still unknown. Rolón has flippantly remarked that “not even Mandrake the Magician” could solve the Pecci case. According to Dr. Benjamín Fernández Bogado, a distinguished Paraguayan philosopher and international lecturer, such comments indicate that Rolón “has not displayed the will, nor the determination, to know and investigate who is behind the crime of prosecutor Marcelo Pecci,” and that the attorney general “is afraid to investigate and reveal the truth.”
Now, with Israel facing the daunting prospect of a multi-front war, Rolón’s presence also means that Cartes and Velazquez can continue to scoff at Washington while they conduct influence peddling in favor of the money-laundering operations that support Hezbollah. Despite the Treasury sanctions, the Department of Justice and other US law enforcement authorities have not taken immediate action to clearly confront and disrupt the involvement of Cartes and Velazquez with terrorist organizations in the Middle East.
The White House's failures
HISTORICALLY, THE White House has failed to combat Hezbollah’s financial ties with South America and with Paraguay in particular. The Biden administration is no exception. President Joe Biden has failed to send a clear message to Iran and to publicly commit that the US will take military action against Iran if Hezbollah attacks Israel from Lebanon. Over the past three years, Washington’s appeasement toward Tehran has emboldened countries such as Paraguay to ensure that a growing stream of funding continues to flow from South America to the pockets of Hezbollah. Consequently, Hezbollah’s rockets are now raining down on Israel. The Biden administration should not shoulder all the blame, as the Paraguay-Hezbollah nexus is overlooked on both sides of the aisle in Washington. US Rep. Mark Green, the Republican from Tennessee who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, penned an August 2023 letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas that details the illicit tobacco trade of Mexican cartels – in which the congressman also notes a prior case of two brothers trafficking cigarettes in the US to raise funds for Hezbollah. The letter makes no mention, however, of Hezbollah’s South American money-laundering operation. Green had visited Paraguay’s capital of Asunción in August 2022, meeting with president Mario Abdo Benítez and law enforcement officials. It appears that the leaders in Asunción successfully diverted Green’s attention away from Hezbollah’s deeply ingrained presence in Paraguay.
ESPECIALLY DURING this tense time in northern Israel, the ongoing concerns regarding Hezbollah activities in Paraguay will also continue to cast a cloud over what could otherwise be promising relations between Jerusalem and Asunción. In August 2023, Paraguay’s newly inaugurated President Santiago Peña announced plans to reopen the country’s embassy in Jerusalem and declared himself to be “Israel’s greatest friend.”On the surface, there is no reason to doubt Peña’s intentions. And yet, Rolón stands in the way of Israel-Paraguay ties reaching their full potential, given the attorney general’s penchant for giving cover to Hezbollah’s South American money laundering operation. It is time for Israeli and American leaders alike to end their timid posture on this issue and work to root out the corruption of Hezbollah’s South American enablers.
It is incumbent upon them to grasp the full extent of the threat that Hezbollah’s foothold in Paraguay poses to their countries’ national security interests.
Until then, that foothold will remain strong – and Israeli civilians will be the ones to suffer the consequences.
**The writer is the founder of the Azerbaijan-United States Economic and Education Council, an expert on South American geopolitics, and the author of six books on international relations.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-810975

Brazil’s Hezbollah threat: Why sanctioning the terrorist group is crucial - opinion
Emanuele Ottollenghi/Jerusalem Post/July 24/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/07/132427/
Brazil is a critical node in Hezbollah’s regional activities. However, for years, the Brazilian government has refrained from declaring Hezbollah a terrorist group. Brazil has a Hezbollah problem. It directly threatens Brazil’s domestic security and the integrity of its financial system. Brazil should recognize this threat and sanction Hezbollah as a terror organization. Brazil, the largest and most populous country in Latin America, is a critical node in Hezbollah’s regional activities. However, for years, the Brazilian government has refrained from declaring Hezbollah a terrorist group.
By designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, Brazil would instantly enhance powers already vested in its intelligence and law enforcement communities to preventively conduct surveillance and investigations of Hezbollah’s activities, without having to wait for actionable intelligence of impending plots to move against them. Terrorist designations also allow financial sanctions, asset freezes, and travel bans – powerful weapons that Brazil can deploy to protect its national security and financial integrity. Without such a declaration, the government lacks a legal framework to monitor Hezbollah’s support networks. Consequently, Brazilian authorities have only investigated and prosecuted individuals engaged in criminal conduct, without paying much attention to the vast support networks Hezbollah has established among the local Shi’ite Lebanese diaspora. This is a mistake. Since its creation, Hezbollah has heavily invested in diaspora communities, often capitalizing on the blood ties and political sympathy that bind them to the terror group, to fundraise and ensure logistical support for intelligence gathering and terror plots, including one recently foiled in the country’s capital, Brasilia.
Hezbollah threats in Brazil?
Some evidence of the extent to which Hezbollah commands loyalty among Shi’ite Lebanese communities in Brazil comes from death announcements and vigils. Since October 7, 2023 – when, hours after Hamas massacred 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds more hostage, Hezbollah opened a second front against Israel on its northern border – Shi’ite communities in Brazil have lost relatives in the fight. And as Hezbollah’s media department announces the names of its fallen fighters, social media accounts and mosque announcements in Brazil echo the lament of mourners across the ocean. However, their grief, expressed in social media and communal events at mosques, is not just personal but political as well; it’s not just for family, but also for Hezbollah and Iran and their holy war against the Jews and America. Communal institutions and their members identify with Hezbollah’s and Iran’s worldview and goals, confirming the close ties that bind Shi’ite Lebanese diaspora communities to the resistance movement that has turned their country into a vassal of Iranian expansionism.
THE LATEST example of this is Muhammad Hussein Sabra, a senior Hezbollah commander from Haddatha, in south Lebanon, who was killed on June 11 in an Israeli strike that also eliminated three other top Hezbollah officers. His younger brother, Mustafa, runs a video game shop in São Paulo. When news of Muhammad’s martyrdom reached São Paulo, the social media of the Lebanese community in Brazil came alive with grief. While Mustafa was in Lebanon to attend his fallen brother’s funeral procession, Mustafa’s wife, a Brazilian-born convert to Shi’ite Islam from the Tri-Border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, eulogized the martyr on Facebook and the community shared in her family’s mourning, congratulating the family on their relative’s martyrdom. Alongside the mourning, there is piety and rage at the death of fallen Hezbollah fighters. Ibrahim Hammoud, a Lebanese resident of São Paulo, published the martyrdom photo of his friend, Hussein Nabih Fawaz, on May 26, hours after Hezbollah media announced his death. Hammoud then mourned his friend’s death at the hands of “terrorist Israel.” Such postings, and mournful vigils, have become routine in recent months. São Paulo’s Shi’ite mosque organized an evening of remembrance for two Hezbollah fallen commanders, Muhammed Hussein Mustafa Shehoury and Haji Ismail Yousef Baz, shortly after an Israeli strike killed them on April 16. Shehoury’s brother and first cousin both live in São Paulo. They were not the only ones to mourn a family member who died wearing a Hezbollah uniform. On April 20, it was Mubarak Ali Hamiyah who joined the martyrs, to be mourned by Brazil’s resident Ali Hamie, who only two weeks before had lamented the death of another relative, Hezbollah fighter Haj Ismail Ali El Zein.
NOT ONLY do the Lebanese Shi’ites of Brazil mourn and lionize their fallen friends and relatives; they also cheer and cry for their political leadership. On May 24, Hezbollah media announced the passing of Hajja Um Hassan – mother of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary general – the oldest Shi’ite mosque in Brazil, in the southern city of Curitiba, expressed its heartfelt condolences to the “leader of the Resistance” and invited the faithful to a vigil at the mosque on May 28. Among those voicing sorrow was Nizar Hussein Hachem, a local Lebanese businessman who is also the mosque’s president and Lebanon’s honorary consul in the city. This came a few days after the same congregation had gathered to mourn the death of Iran’s president Ebrahim Raisi and Iran’s foreign minister, Hussein Amir Abdollahian. Members of the congregation were not alone in their desire to mourn Iran’s fallen leaders. The much larger Shi’ite mosque in São Paulo did as well. Brazilian authorities need to open their eyes to this reality. The Shi’ite Lebanese community’s militancy is not limited to mourning Hezbollah martyrs and Iranian leaders. Many of its members play an active role in fundraising for Hezbollah, helping perpetuate conflict in the Middle East, providing intelligence and logistics support to the terror group, and supporting its disinformation and propaganda campaigns in the country. It is time for Brazil to acknowledge it has a Hezbollah problem, which law enforcement measures alone cannot fully address. Recognizing Hezbollah as a terror group is a first step in the right direction.
**The writer is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based non-partisan research foundation focusing on national security. Please follow him on X @eottolenghi.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on July 24-25/2024
Biden speech live updates: President addresses nation on his decision to drop out of race; confirms he is not resigning
Yahoo News Staff/Wed, July 24, 2024
President Biden spoke to the nation in a primetime address from the Oval Office tonight, three days after dropping his reelection bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement to take on former President Donald Trump this fall. Biden explained his decision to drop out of the 2024 race, telling the American people that the "defense of democracy is more important than any title."“I have decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation," Biden said. "That is the best way to unite our nation."“Over the next six months I will be focused on doing my job as President," he said, confirming that he plans to remain in office through the end of his term. "That means I will continue to lower costs for hard-working families and grow our economy. I will keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights — from the right to vote to the right to choose.”

'Unbowed, undaunted, unafraid': PM Netanyahu addresses US Congress
GADI ZAIG/Jerusalem Post/july 24/2024
Protesters have gathered in the thousands outside of the US Capitol.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the US Congress in Washington, DC, on Wednesday for the first time since Hamas launched its brutal attacks on southern Israel last year, triggering the ensuring Israel-Hamas War in Gaza. It is estimated that more than 80 Democratic politicians in Congress will not come to watch the speech, according to KAN. Netanyahu began his speech by thanking Congress for allowing him "to visit the great citadel of democracy for the fourth time."It's a clash between barbarism and civilization. It's a battle between glorifying death and those who cherish life. America and Israel must stand together. Because when we stand together, something very simple happens, we win, they lose. I came to assure you, my friends, of one thing, we will win." Netanyahu also referenced rescued hostage Noa Argamani, who also visited the capital and was seen standing next to the prime minister's wife, Sara Netanyahu. Also in attendance for the speech was Elon Musk. Netanyahu referenced Noa's mother, Liora Argamani, who had recently died from cancer and noted her one wish to see her daughter again.
"When Noa was reunited with her mother, Liora, her wish came true. Noa, we are so thrilled to have you here with us today.
"Many hostage families are also here with us today, including Eliyahu Bibas" - referencing the Bibas family, many of whom were taken hostage by Hamas, including a 1-year-old. "We also have families with American hostages here. The pain these families have endured is beyond words. I will not rest until all of their loved ones are home. "As we speak, we are currently engaged in efforts to secure their release. I want to thank President Biden for his heartfelt support for Israel. He rightly called Hamas 'sheer evil.' He came to Israel to visit us during our darkest hour, which will never be forgotten. "I have known Biden for 40 years. I want to thank him for his friendship."Netanyahu mentioned Avichai Reuven, who also visited the US Capitol, where the prime minister praised him for his heroic efforts on October 7, where he said, "he ran eight miles towards the incident, killed many terrorists, and saved countless lives."Other IDF soldiers were also present in the US Capitol building, where Netanyahu praised them for their heroic efforts and bravery during October 7 and the ongoing Gaza war. "These are the soldiers of Israel, unbound, undaunted, unafraid!" he continued.
"The men and women of the IDF come from every corner of Israeli society, religious and secular, every ethnicity. I promise to all the bereaved families in Israel that the sacrifice of your loved ones will not be in vain. "Never again must not be an empty promise, and after October 7, never again is now!" Netanyahu continued. "Defeating our enemies requires courage and clarity., which includes knowing the difference between good and evil." Netanyahu later references anti-Zionist Jews who "stand with Hamas, who stand with evil. These protesters stand with them. They should be ashamed of themselves."
"They make no distinction between terrorists and civilians. We recently learned that Iran is funding anti-Israel protests. So I want to salute the fraternity brothers at the University of North Carolina for standing up to them.""When the tyrants of Tehran hang gays from cranes and execute women for not covering their hair, they are silent. They are Iran's useful idiots.
"Some of these protesters hold up signs saying: 'Gays for Gaza' they might as well hold signs saying 'Chickens for KFC.
They keep talking about 'from the river to the sea.' They don't even know which river or which sea. "For 4,000 years, Israel has been the home of the Jewish people. It will always be our home.""It's not only campus protesters who get it wrong. It's also the people who run those campuses. It's a shame that the heads of those campuses couldn't bring themselves to condemn calls for the genocide of Jews," referencing the heads of Harvard, Penn, and Netanyahu's alma mater - MIT. "Just as malicious lies are being held against the Jewish people for centuries, malicious lies are being held against the Jewish state today. We must unequivocally condemn antisemitism and fight it everywhere. "The prosecutor of the ICC has shamefully accused Israel of intentionally starving the people of Gaza. This is, of course, nonsense. If there are Palestinians in Gaza that aren't getting enough food, it's not because Israel is blocking aid - it's because Hamas is stealing it."Netanyahu also encouraged US politicians to listen to John Spencer, the researcher of urban warfare at West Point, who said that "Israel has done more than anyone else to prevent civilian casualties - even more than international law requires. The war in Gaza has one of the lower civilian to combatant ratios in the history of urban warfare." Netanyahu said that the lowest civilian-to-combatant ratio is in the city of Rafah. "The soldiers shouldn't be condemned for their efforts for their war in Gaza; they should be commended," he continued.
"The ICC lies are not only libels but are dangerous. America is next, as well as all democracies fighting terrorism. The state of Israel will never be shackled. Israel will always defend itself.""Iran is virtually behind all the terrorism, chaos, and killing. Ask yourself: who is in Iran's way to impose radical Islam on the world? It is America."
"Iran realizes that to challenge America, it must first conquer the Middle East. - with the use of all its proxies. But Israel stands in its way. That's why the mobs in Tehran chant 'Death to Israel' before 'Death to America.'"When we fight Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, we fight Iran. When we fight Iran, we fight America's biggest enemy. We are not only protecting ourselves. We are protecting you.""If you remember one thing from this speech, our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory is your victory. That victory is in sight. Hamas's defeat will be a devastating blow to Iran."Netanyahu took note of Hezbollah's terror and how "80 thousand of Israel's citizens in the north became refugees in their own home."Netanyahu also mentioned the Houthi attack on Tel Aviv and how he issued "a swift response to the attack."I know that America has our back on both sides of the aisle. We've jointly developed the most sophisticated weapons on Earth to protect our countries."Netanyahu mentioned Winston Churchill's appeal to the US during World War Two: "Give us the tools, and we'll finish the job." referring top US military aid of Israel.  "The war in Gaza can end tomorrow if Hamas surrenders its arms and releases all of the hostages. But if they don't, Israel will fight until all of Hamas's military capabilities are destroyed. "Gaza should be run by Palestinians who don't want to destroy Israel. That should not be too much to ask. A new generation of Palestinians must not be taught to hate Jews but to live next to us."Netanyahu also presented his vision for a postwar Gaza, noting that "deradicalization and demilitarization" were the only paths to peace.
"The Abraham Alliance"
Netanyahu also presented his idea of an "Abraham Alliance" - an extension of the Abraham Accords, he claimed, in which all countries with diplomatic relations with Israel, and those who will in the future, should join and "stand against Iran's terror. "The new alliance I envision could be an extension of the Abraham Accords - which was supported by Republicans and Democrats alike. I have a new name for this alliance: The Abraham Alliance. I want to thank Trump for his efforts in the Abraham Accords."He also went on to say that "There is no room for political violence in democracies," referring to Trump's near assassination. "I want to thank Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moving the US embassy there, as well as our sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Jerusalem - our eternal capital, is never to be divided again.""Israel will always remain America's ally, through thick and thin, in good times and in bad; Israel will always be your friend and steadfast partner. Thank you for standing with Israel in its hour of need. Together, we shall secure a future for both our nations. May God bless Israel, God bless America, and God bless the alliance between our two nations."

Israel carries out new raids in Gaza
Reuters/July 24, 2024
CAIRO/GAZA: Israeli forces carried out new raids in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to address the US Congress. The latest Israeli attacks destroyed homes in towns east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza and thousands of people were forced to head west to seek shelter, residents said.The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said it had received distress calls from residents trapped in their homes in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, but were unable to reach the town. Medics later said two Palestinians had been killed in an airstrike on Bani Suhaila, where the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas said fighters had detonated a bomb against an Israeli army personnel carrier. The Israeli military, which is trying to eradicate Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, said it had been operating in areas from which fighters had been able to fire rockets into Israel and attack Israeli troops. Gaza health officials said Israeli military strikes in the past 24 hours had killed at least 55 people, the latest casualties in a war that health authorities in the enclave say has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians. “Where should we go? Shall we cross into the sea?” said Ghada, who has been displaced with her family six times during the war, via a chat app from Hamad City in northwestern Khan Younis. “We are exhausted, starved, and want the war to end now, now not an hour later.” Residents said they had been ordered to head west toward a designated humanitarian area but that the area was now unsafe. The Israeli military issued the evacuation orders on social media, and some residents received orders to leave by phone. Israeli forces also mounted airstrikes on several areas of central and northern Gaza, including one on Al-Bureij camp in central Gaza which health officials said killed nine people. In the southern area of Rafah, the military said it engaged in close-quarter combat with militants. “During scans in the area, the troops located a tunnel shaft, a large number of weapons, and night vision equipment inside a children’s bedroom in a civilian building,” the military said. One soldier was seriously hurt during combat on Wednesday, said the military, which has so far lost 326 troops in Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry does not distinguish between combatant and non-combatants in its fatality reports but local health officials say most of the Palestinians killed have been civilians. Israel says at least a third are fighters.

Bodies of murdered hostages extracted from Gaza
Matan Tzuri/ynet news/July 24/2024
The bodies of hostages Maya Goren, Oren Goldin and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas were returned from Gaza by the IDF.
More than nine months after they were murdered on October 7, the IDF on Wednesday returned to Israel the bodies of hostages Maya Goren and Oren Goldin. After their families were informed, announcements were made by the Nir Oz and Nir Yitzhak kibbutzim. Maya Goren cared for the kibbutz's children
Nir Oz's announcement states that Maya Goren "will return to the land of the kibbutz she loved and will be buried next to her husband Avner Goren, who was also murdered and abandoned on the Black Shabbat." Goren, 56, a mother of four, worked as a kindergarten teacher and nanny and took care of the kibbutz children for many years. She was murdered and kidnapped from the children's home on the kibbutz on October 7. "The recovery of her body by the security forces is an important closure for the Goren family and the community of Kibbutz Nir Oz," said the kibbutz. "Bringing her back for burial is a meaningful stage in the rehabilitation of the kibbutz and the country, which will never be complete until all of the hostages are home, the dead to be buried and those alive to be healed," the statement said. Dad told us on WhatsApp that the terrorists entered their home and he fought them as they tried to force their way into the shelter," Goren's daughter Dekel told Ynet in an interview. "My last conversation with my mom was when she said they had entered the nursery and that she was hiding under a bead. Ten minutes later her phone was disconnected," son Bar said. A week after the massacre they were told officially that their parents were taken hostage and were in Gaza. Days later word came that their father's body was identified and, later still, they were informed that their mother was also murdered.
Oren Goldin left behind two-year-old twins
Goldin, 33, a member of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak who was identified as a hostage, was murdered in the massacre on October 7, and his body was held by Hamas, his family was updated on November 10, 2023. Goldin, married to Oshrat and father to Aviv and Ilai, two-year-old twins, ran the garage in the kibbutz. He grew up in Nir Yitzhak and chose to raise his family there alongside his parents and brothers. Goldin was a member of the settlement's emergency security squad, which fought bravely against dozens of terrorists and protected the residents with their own bodies. Nir Yitzhak's statement read: "Tonight we were informed of the rescue operation of Oren Goldin, a member of the kibbutz's emergency security squad, who fell on October 7. Oren was the first to go out that terrible morning, even before we knew how serious was the danger lurking outside. In November, after about a month and a half, we were hoping for a sign of life, we were told that Oren was killed on 10/7 and that his body was being held captive. For almost 10 months we wished for the day when his body would be buried in the home he loved so much, Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. He left behind a large and loving family - we are with you in your heavy sorrow."
Tomer fought bravely on October 7and fell in battles in Nirim
Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas fell on October 7. Some 53 days after the surprise attack by Hamas, the IDF announced that the terrorist organization was holding his body hostage in Gaza. Ahimas, 20, from Lehavim, was a brigade commander's liaison officer. "You never needed me to protect you, you knew how to manage on your own," his older brother Eyal eulogized him at the time. "Sorry Tomer, for the one moment in your life when you needed it I wasn't there to protect you." His sister Maya spoke at his funeral about the longing and the attempt to return him home. "We have been going through hell for 54 days. We became a family of a kidnapped person, and yesterday of a fallen soldier. I tried to hold hope with all the people, hold up signs with your face and beautiful eyes, to sit on sidewalks in the Hostages Square, shout with all my might. So many people prayed for you, for us, that the script would end differently."

What is the human cost of Israel’s relentless pursuit of Hamas commanders in Gaza?
ANAN TELLO/Arab News/July 24/ 2024
LONDON: Israel’s military has killed dozens of Palestinian civilians and wounded hundreds more, including children, in its relentless pursuit of Hamas commanders in Gaza, despite designating many of its areas of operation as “safe zones.”
Palestinian health officials said on Monday that 16 civilians were killed in eastern Khan Younis under Israeli shelling, even after Israel issued new orders to evacuate some neighborhoods to keep the civilian population away from areas of combat.
This latest bloodshed followed Israel’s July 13 airstrike on Al-Mawasi camp, another designated safe zone in southern Gaza, which killed at least 90 Palestinians and wounded 300 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel said the target of this strike was Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, as well as Rafa Salama, commander of the group’s Khan Younis Brigade, whom Israel believes was a mastermind of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack.
Denying reports of his death, a Hamas official told the AFP news agency following the strike that Deif was “well and directly overseeing” operations, but he provided no proof for the claim. Meanwhile, Daniel Hagari, the spokesman for the Israeli military, has said “there are increasing signs that we succeeded in the elimination of Mohammed Deif.”
Speaking to Al-Arabiya TV channel on Friday, he said: “Rafa Salama was certainly eliminated; Mohammed Deif and Salama sat side by side during the strike. Hamas is hiding what happened to Deif.”Herzi Halevi, Israel’s chief of the general staff, has also accused Hamas of “concealing the results” of the strike on a west Khan Younis compound, where both Deif and Salama were purportedly hiding.
Regardless of whether the strike on Al-Mawasi was successful or not, the attack on an area packed with civilians drew global condemnation, with observers accusing the Israeli military of violating international humanitarian law. Josep Borrell Fontelles, the high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, wrote on the social media platform X: “Wars have limits enshrined in international law; end can’t justify all means. We condemn the violation.”He added: “Once again we call for access to independent investigations and accountability, and for an end to the appalling situation of innocent civilians in Gaza.”On the day of the attack, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi “to express our serious concern about the recent civilian casualties in Gaza.”
The deadly Al-Mawasi strike was not the first incident since the conflict began on Oct. 7 in which the Israeli military has been accused of disregarding the safety of civilians and violating international humanitarian law in the pursuit of Hamas commanders. In the fighting since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack, at least 38,900 Palestinians, including more than 13,000 children, have been killed, according to the UN Human Rights Office. The proportion of the dead who were combatants is a matter of dispute. The Israeli army’s bombing campaign, which Israeli officials say is aimed at Hamas and not civilian targets, has also destroyed medical, sanitation, and educational infrastructure across the Palestinian enclave.
Last month, in an operation that rescued four hostages, the Israeli military killed and injured hundreds of Palestinians in the densely populated Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. The Israeli military said there were “under 100” Palestinian casualties but was uncertain how many of them were “terrorists.”
But almost a quarter of the 142 killed in the operation were women and children, Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat told BBC Arabic’s “Gaza Today” show, adding that 250 others were injured. Expressing “profound shock” at the impact on civilians in Nuseirat, UN spokesman Jeremy Laurence said the Israeli forces’ actions “seriously call into question whether the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution … were upheld.”
In March, the Israeli military mounted a raid on Gaza’s largest medical facility, Al-Shifa Hospital, where it claimed Hamas fighters and other Palestinian militants were hiding.
Some 3,000 people were sheltering in Al-Shifa at the time of Israel’s raid, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said. At least 1,500 Palestinians, including 13 children and 21 patients, were killed in the two-week raid, according to the Euro-Med Monitor, a nongovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva.
Israeli officials said that “over 200 terrorists” were killed in and around Al-Shifa, as well as hundreds detained, including several Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives. It has been impossible to independently verify the reported numbers due to a lack of reporting access to Gaza. Between July 8 and 12, Israel attacked six schools operated by the UN Relief and Works Agency, killing dozens of civilians sheltering in the area, before reportedly razing the UN agency’s headquarters in Gaza City on July 15. Israel has accused local staff at UNRWA of participating in the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, prompting the UN agency to launch an internal investigation and several major donors, including the US, to suspend funding for its operation in Gaza and throughout the region.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini called Israel’s attack on his agency’s Gaza headquarters “another episode in the blatant disregard of international humanitarian law.”In a post on X, he said: “UN facilities must be protected at all times. They must never be used for military or fighting purposes. Every war has rules. Gaza is no exception.” In a separate post, Lazzarini stressed that “schools must never be used for fighting or military purposes by any party to the conflict.”
NOTABLE CIVILIAN CASUALTY EVENTS
• Oct. 7, 2023: 1,200 Israeli and other nationals killed in southern Israel, hundreds taken hostage, in Hamas-led attack.
• Oct. 31, 2023: 110+ Palestinians killed in Israeli strike targeting ‘senior Hamas commander’ in Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza.
• Feb. 29, 2024: 112 Palestinians waiting for aid killed, 760 more injured outside Gaza City amid Israeli gunfire and panic.
• April 1: 7 World Central Kitchen workers killed in Israeli strikes in violation of military procedures on convoy delivering aid in Gaza.
• May 27: 45+ Palestinians killed in Israeli strike targeting ‘two senior Hamas commanders’ in Rafah.
• June 9: 274 Palestinians killed in Israeli military raid that freed 4 hostages who were held in Nuseirat refugee camp.
• July 13: 90+ Palestinians killed, 300 wounded in Israeli airstrike targeting Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif in Al-Mawasi.
Source: Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli govt.
Warning that “all rules of war have been broken in Gaza,” he said: “The blatant and constant disregard of international humanitarian law continues unabated.”
Israel has consistently denied accusations that it targets civilian infrastructure, accusing Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups of using tunnels under Gaza’s hospitals to mount attacks and conceal weapons, thereby using the population as human shields.
Commenting on Israel’s conduct, a New York-based international lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous, told Arab News that in the Gaza war, “international law remains relevant as a framework for accountability and justice by providing mechanisms to hold perpetrators accountable for war crimes, genocide, and other atrocities.”The International Criminal Court, which prosecutes individuals accused of war crimes, has made an attempt to hold “both parties to the conflict” accountable for alleged war crimes.
Israeli officials believe the ICC is likely to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant within the next two weeks, Israeli media reported on July 17. Karim Khan, ICC chief prosecutor, filed an application in May for arrest warrants against two Israeli and three Palestinian individuals suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Hamas commander Deif was among the Palestinians listed in the ICC’s arrest warrant, alongside Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, and Yahya Sinwar, head of the Islamist movement in Gaza.
The arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant accused them of using starvation as a tool of war, extermination, and deliberately attacking civilian populations, alongside other war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Israeli delegation heads to Cairo ahead of planned cease-fire talks in Doha
Associated Press/July 24/2024
An Israeli delegation will head to Cairo on Wednesday for negations with Egyptian officials, according to Lebanon’s daily al-Akhbar newspaper, which is close to Hezbollah. According to Egyptian sources, the negotiations will focus on the Rafah border crossing and Philadelphi corridor. On Thursday, officials from Egypt, Israel, the United States and Qatar will meet in Doha with the aim of resuming talks for a proposed three-phase cease-fire to end the war between Israel and Hamas, al-Akhbar said. It added that Egyptian and Qatari mediators see that the first phase of the deal is close but they are concerned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might destroy a possible deal in the final hours. A spokesperson for Netanyahu’s office confirmed that a delegation is expected in Cairo.

Iran’s militias in Iraq threaten Israel amid Houthi, Hezbollah attacks
Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/July 24/2024
Kataib Hezbollah and the Houthis have both slammed Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, accusing them of working with Israel. The Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah terror group in Iraq has said it would support the Houthis in more attacks on Israel. This statement comes amid reports that the Houthis and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq want to conduct more “joint” operations against Israel. In the wake of the Houthi attack on Tel Aviv on July 19, the Houthis and Iraqi militias have sought to highlight how they might increase their threats to the region. For instance Kataib Hezbollah and the Houthis have both slammed Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, accusing them of working with Israel. They use similar language in their condemnation of Saudi Arabia and regional Arab states. In addition, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of pro-Iranian militias, claimed on July 24 that it had targeted Eilat. The pro-Iranian Al-Mayadeen reported that “similarly, the Resistance in Iraq is conducting joint operations with the Yemeni Armed Forces to target the occupied Palestinian territories. Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen, confirmed in his speeches that ‘these joint operations between the Yemeni army and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have had a direct and significant impact on the enemy,’ emphasizing that they will continue and escalate.
Drone attacks
The reports of the joint work of the Iraqi militias and Houthis comes amid escalation by Hezbollah. Hezbollah has continued its rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel. Al-Mayadeen news network reported that a “squadron of the Islamic resistance [Hezbollah] drones from Lebanon entered the West Galilee region in northern occupied Palestine and sirens sounded in the Zionist settlements.”The attacks on northern Israel wounded a soldier recently. It also appears Hezbollah is increasing the range of its attacks. This would coincide with the Iranian attempt to push the Houthis and Iraqi militias to expand their attacks.

Unknown suspect attempts assassination of Iran's former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - report
Jerusalem Post/July 24/2024
Repairmen who claimed to fix a faulty air conditioner in the former president's vehicle, which was allegedly sabotaged two days earlier, are the primary suspects in the assassination attempt. Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the target of an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Monday, IRGC-affiliated Iran International reported. The individuals attempted to sabotage his Toyota Land Rover. Before departing for an event in Zanjan, Ahmadinejad’s security head complained that the vehicle’s air conditioner had not been repaired and asked the former president to ride in a different car. These checks by the security head before the former president enters his vehicle are routine. While on the highway near Tehran, after completing a quarter of the journey, the driver of the Land Rover suddenly lost control of both the steering wheel and the brakes simultaneously. The Land Rover spun around three times on a road crowded with several other vehicles and collided with the highway's central concrete barrier and another car from Ahmadinejad’s entourage. Although Ahmadinejad was not in the car, several associates and bodyguards were traveling in that vehicle. Ahmadinejad’s guards are members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Vehicle ended up in an unknown location for repairs
Ahmadinejad’s security team sent the main vehicle for repairs two days before this trip due to the faulty air conditioner. After the vehicle was sent to the presidential institution for repair, it was sent to an unknown location instead of the usual repair shop. According to Iran International, the sabotage attempt was allegedly carried out at this unknown location. When the vehicle was returned to Ahmadinejad’s team, those who returned it claimed that the airconditioner had been repaired, even though it was still broken at the time of the accident. A day after the assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad posted on X, formerly Twitter, “Acts of terror and terrorism, both state and non-state, are among the most heinous anti-human actions, the depth of whose evil, words cannot fully express. Humanity is suffering such severe pains all over the world.”

Gantz: 'Current hostage deal has been stalled by political considerations for over two months'
Jerusalem Post/July 24/2024
Gantz accuses Netanyahu of political maneuvering concerning hostage deal, claims finished deal in place for over two months. In a statement given in the Knesset to Israeli media, and in light of Netanyahu's awaited Congressional speech, MK Benny Gantz called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop stalling the pending hostage deal, which has been contested and in progress for months. Gantz goes on to state that during the last two months, a quarter of the hostages have died, with this stalling being explicitly due to the Prime Minister's political interest.
Bibi, get on with it
Gantz urged Netanyahu in English to "put your money where your mouth is" regarding the hostage deal, promising full political support for the already approved deal. In response to the statement, National Security Minister Ben-Gvir voiced his concern: "He [Gantz] has no idea of the strategic consequences of his words." These comments are another example of the internal political turmoil revolving around how a hostage deal should be carried out in tandem with the permanent elimination of Hamas, two pinnacle goals of the current war in Gaza.

Majority of Israelis want hostage deal over defeat of Hamas - poll
Eve Young/Jerusalem Post/July 24/2024
Just 21% of Israelis supported prioritizing toppling Hamas over bringing the hostages home, when asked what Israel's government should do now. Public support for prioritizing a hostage deal over destroying Hamas climbed to 72% in July after being at 67% in June and 46% in May, the Hostage Family Forum announced Wednesday, citing a survey from Midgam Research and Consulting. In July, just 21% of Israelis supported prioritizing toppling Hamas over bringing the hostages home, when asked what Israel's government should do now. In June, 27% of Israelis supported toppling Hamas as the government's first priority. "We remind the prime minister that bringing home the hostages is a moral, security, national imperative of the first order," the forum said. "We call on him to open his speech to congress with the simple words 'there is a deal,'" the forum said Wednesday, just before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled speech to the US congress.
Views on PM, hostage deal
In May, over half (51%) of center-right and right-wing voters support the signing of a deal to release the hostages being held by Hamas, even at the risk of disbanding the coalition and going to elections, according to a poll published by the Berl Katznelson Foundation and Midgam Research and Consulting.
The same poll from May found that 57% of Israelis believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct is delaying efforts to reach a hostage deal, with 38% of center-right and right-wing voters holding the same view. In contrast, another 38% of center-right and right-wing voters believe that Netanyahu's conduct is helping, not harming, efforts to reach a hostage deal.

Israel tells Egypt it agrees to conditions regarding Philadelphi Corridor, Rafah - report
Maariv/Jerusalem Post/July 24/2024
According to the report, Israel informed Cairo that it agreed to the conditions regarding the Philadelphi corridor and Rafah. Israel informed Egypt on Tuesday that a security delegation would arrive in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss several points in the hostage deal negotiations with the Egyptians, according to local Egyptian media. According to the report, Israel told Cairo it agreed to the conditions regarding the Philadelphi Corridor and Rafah. The Egyptian newspaper did not specify what the conditions were. Still, it emphasized that the most important aspect of completing negotiations was Hamas's demand that what was built in the area be dismantled. It was also reported that an Egyptian security delegation would travel to Doha on Thursday to participate in meetings for a deal and a temporary ceasefire for a period of six weeks. Hamas's demands
Before this, Hamas informed Egypt that it was waiting for and expecting a complete cessation of military activity inside the Gaza Strip to continue negotiations. Hamas also demanded the release of about 1,000 prisoners in exchange for a third of the living hostages and also stipulated the entry of 600 trucks every day for 42 days. An additional Hamas demand was the beginning of aid operations, infrastructure restoration, and the introduction of fuel and gas. Also, Hamas demanded that the Rafah crossing be reactivated without an Israeli presence. Lt.-Col. (res.), Avi Kalo, former head of the MIA (Missing in Action) Department in the IDF's intelligence unit, said in a conversation with radio 103FM, "We are in a space where all the signs indicate that we are at a decision point in the direction of a deal. "One can argue that there seems to be maturity, and there is real feasibility in the deal. At least in the framework and outline, we are in a place that is quite clear," he added. "From my experience with Gaza, the center of gravity that broke many elements of Hamas, that turned Hamas from a military organization into a guerrilla organization, is here to stay. I fear that the six-week period within the agreement will mean that various factors may drive a wedge into this process. It will certainly not be a sealed and final act," he added. At a meeting with the hostages' families on Tuesday at his Washington hotel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "The conditions for a deal are ripe. This is a good sign. Months of efforts mediated by Egypt and Qatar to reach a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas have gained momentum in recent weeks."He added, "Unfortunately, it won't happen all at once. There will be stages."Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters there was nothing new in Netanyahu's stance. "Netanyahu is still stalling, and he is sending delegations only to calm the anger of Israeli captives' families," he said.

Republicans attack Harris for skipping Netanyahu’s Congressional address
Tovah Lazaroff/Jerusalem Post/July 24/2024
Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) noted that Harris had not greeted Netanyahu on the tarmac when his plane landed. Republicans attacked Vice President Kamala Harris for skipping Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint Congressional address on Wednesday to campaign in Indiana. “You want to be the leader of the free world, and yet you can't bring yourself to sit behind our most important and strategic ally in this moment. That is not a good look for you,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). “It’s not a good look for America and it's not a good look for her party that she aims to lead," Johnson said, adding that it was her duty as the Vice President to oversee joint sessions of Congress. “It’s outrageous,” he said, that she is not going to be there.
Harris delivers Netanyahu a cold welcome
Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) noted that in addition, Harris had not greeted Netanyahu on the tarmac when his plane landed. “Republicans stand with Israel,” he wrote in a post on X, “the Left doesn’t.”Harris, who became the presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee only on Sunday when US President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, is set to meet with Netanyahu on Thursday afternoon and has hit the campaign trail running She is not the only candidate who chose to stump for votes rather than attend the speech. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s new pick for vice president Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) will also be on the campaign trail.He is a strong supporter of Israel, but his decision not to attend even though he is the only person on the ticket who could have gone to the event. A small but growing number of Democratic members of the House and Senate have chosen to boycott the speech to protest Netanyahu’s actions in the Gaza war. Netanyahu is for Democrats one of the more contentious leaders among the United States’s allies due to the Gaza war, his judicial reform plan, and his refusal to support a two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His last joint address to Congress in 2015, however, also made waves given that he had turned to that parliamentary body asking it to oppose the Iran agreement negotiated by then US president Barack Obama. According to CNN, 58 democrats boycotted the speech, including some who are chasing to skip it this time around as well. Biden who at the time was Vice President, was in a manner similar to Harris absent from Congress when Netanyahu delivered his joint address there....

Nine arrests during London protest against Israel arms exports
Reuters/July 24, 2024
LONDON: British police on Wednesday arrested nine people during a protest against arms exports to Israel that briefly blocked the street outside the foreign ministry, highlighting pressure on the new Labour government over its stance on the Gaza war. Pro-Palestinian protesters in Britain have been campaigning for a government ban on arms sales to Israel following its offensive on Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 attack. Last week new Foreign Minister David Lammy, who has said he wants a balanced position on Israel and Gaza, said a blanket ban on arms exports to Israel would not be right, but he would follow a quasi-judicial process in assessing whether sales of offensive weapons that could be used in Gaza could proceed. London’s Metropolitan Police said protesters arrived outside Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and blocked pedestrian and vehicle access. Police then said the protest could only continue if it left the central arch of the street clear. “When the group failed to comply with the conditions, officers intervened and made nine arrests, quickly restoring access,” a Met Police spokesperson said. While in opposition, Lammy earlier this year said the government should suspend the sale of UK arms if there were a clear risk they might be used in a serious breach of humanitarian law. Now in government, he said last week he requested on his first day in office an assessment of the legal situation and that he hoped to be able to communicate any decisions with “full accountability and transparency.”Labour was elected with a huge majority earlier this month, but lost some seats to pro-Gaza candidates. Campaign group Workers for a Free Palestine, which organized the protest, said that was a sign the government should take a stronger stance on restricting arms sales, and called on Lammy to “practice what he preached in opposition.” While the previous Conservative government was a strong supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself following the Oct. 7 attack, Reuters found that the value of Britain’s approvals of new arms licenses dropped sharply after the start of the war.

Global media watchdogs, human rights groups call on Biden to pressure Netanyahu regarding rising journalist deaths in Gaza
ARAB NEWS/July 23, 2024
CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg: Nine months into the war in Gaza, journalists … continue to pay an astonishing toll
Ginsberg: More than 100 journalists have been killed. An unprecedented number of journalists and media workers have been arrested, often without charge
In letters signed by the Committee to Protect Journalists and seven other human rights and press freedom organizations, President Joe Biden is being urged to press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the rising number of journalists killed in the Gaza Strip and the near total ban on international media entering the enclave.
The letters call on Washington to “ensure that Israel ceases the killing of journalists, allows immediate and independent media access to the occupied Gaza Strip, and takes urgent steps to enable the press to report freely throughout Israel and the Occupied Territories,” while also detailing the number of grave press freedom violations and the response of total impunity.
The letters were signed by Amnesty International USA, Freedom of the Press Foundation, Knight First Amendment Institute, the National Press Club, PEN America, Reporters Without Borders, and the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.
The Israeli PM is expected to meet with Biden on Tuesday and is scheduled to attend a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.
Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war last October, the Israeli government’s actions have created what the letter describes as a “censorship regime.”
In a video message to Netanyahu last week, CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said: “Nine months into the war in Gaza, journalists … continue to pay an astonishing toll.
“More than 100 journalists have been killed. An unprecedented number of journalists and media workers have been arrested, often without charge. They have been mistreated and tortured.”
Israel’s persistent impunity in attacks on journalists has also affected the rights and safety of two American journalists: Shireen Abu Akleh, who was murdered in 2022, and Dylan Collins, who was injured in an Oct. 13 strike by Israel on journalists covering the conflict in south Lebanon. The strike killed Reuters photographer Issam Abdullah and wounded others who were visibly wearing press insignia.
Investigations conducted by Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, AFP and Reuters found the attack was more than likely targeted.
On Sunday in Vincennes, France, Collins joined his AFP colleague Christina Assi who lost her right leg in the same attack as she carried the Olympic flame in honor of journalists killed.
CPJ, which continues to urge decisive action by the US government on journalist safety and media access to Gaza, called on Biden to guarantee in his meeting with Netanyahu that the Israeli government take the following steps:
— Lift its blockade on international, Israeli, and Palestinian journalists from independently accessing Gaza.
— Revoke legislation permitting the government to shut down foreign outlets and refrain from any further legal or regulatory curtailment of media operations.
— Release all Palestinian journalists from administrative detention or who are otherwise held without charge, including those forcibly disappeared.
— Abjure the indiscriminate and deliberate killing of journalists.
— Guarantee the safety of all journalists and allow the delivery of
newsgathering and safety equipment to reporters in Gaza and the West Bank.
— Allow all journalists seeking to evacuate from Gaza to do so.
— Transparently reform its procedures to ensure that all investigations into alleged war crimes, criminal conduct, or violations of human rights are swift, thorough, effective, transparent, independent, and in line with internationally accepted practices, such as the Minnesota Protocol. Investigations into abuses against journalists must then be promptly conducted in accordance with these procedures.
— Allow international investigators and human rights organizations, including UN special rapporteurs and the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, unrestricted access to Israel and the Occupied Territories to investigate suspected violations of international law by all parties.
The letter was also sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Netanyahu says 'confident' in efforts to free hostages
AFP/July 24, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed confidence Wednesday in efforts to secure the release of hostages seized by Hamas, in a speech to US lawmakers attended by Noa Argamani, who was held by the militants.
"I'm confident that these efforts can succeed, some of them are taking place right now," Netanyahu said. "I want to thank President (Joe) Biden for his tireless efforts on behalf of the hostages."

Fox News suggests Trump-Harris debate on Sept. 17
Reuters/July 24, 2024
Fox News proposed a presidential debate between US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 17, the network said in a statement released on Wednesday.

US destroys 3 Houthi missile launchers in Yemen
SAEED AL-BATATI/Arab News/July 24, 2024
AL-MUKALLA: The US Central Command said on Wednesday that it destroyed three missile launchers on territory in Yemen held by the Houthi militia. It was the latest in a series of military operations targeting Houthi sites in response to continuing attacks by the militia on international shipping. “It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to US (and) coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” the US military said in a message posted on social media platform X. It added that by destroying the launchers it was taking preemptive action to prevent Houthi attacks on international shipping and protect freedom of passage. US and UK forces have carried out dozens of attacks since January on sites in Sanaa, Hodeidah and other Houthi-held parts of Yemen being used to store missile launchers, unmanned aerial vehicles and drone boats, in an effort to prevent threats to international maritime routes off the coast of Yemen. Meanwhile, the Houthis said operations at Hodeidah Port, on Yemen’s Red Sea coast, have resumed at “full capacity” after fires in fuel tanks, caused by an attack by Israel at the weekend, were extinguished. Houthi governor Mohammed Quhim reported on Tuesday night that the blazes were under control, and Houthi officials at the port said it was operational and two ships carrying hundreds of cargo containers and thousands of tonnes of steel had docked. In response to a Houthi drone strike that killed one person and injured at least 10 in Tel Aviv, Israeli warplanes bombed several parts of Hodeidah on Saturday, including the port, a power station and an area on the city’s northern outskirts. The Houthis said six people were killed and more than 80 injured by the attacks, which destroyed dozens of fuel tanks and a crane at the port.
The militia have demanded that foreign organizations operating in regions under their control provide them with the names and jobs of all employees, as the Houthis intensify their crackdown on Yemenis who work with international organizations or at Western embassies, amid accusations of espionage. In a letter dated July 17 that circulated on social media this week, the Houthi Supreme Council for the Management and Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and International Cooperation ordered international organizations active in Yemen to provide staffing structures within a week, including the names of workers, their positions and nationalities, and lists of prospective employees for approval. The Yemeni government’s information minister, Muammar Al-Eryani, said the demand reflects the growing Houthi pressure on foreign organizations to employ workers loyal to the militia so that they can control the flow of international aid to Yemen. In a message posted on X, he urged international groups operating in the country to transfer their offices from Houthi-controlled regions to the government-controlled southern port city of Aden, the nation’s temporary capital, to protect their staff from Houthi persecution. “The terrorist Houthi militia considered the hesitant international positions a green light to continue its crimes and violations, and to further escalate its repressive measures towards international and humanitarian organizations working in the areas under its control,” he added. The Houthis have abducted more than 60 Yemenis working for international organizations and Western missions in recent months, including more than a dozen employees of the UN. They claim Yemeni workers at such organizations are part of a large Israeli and US spy network.

First ships dock in Yemen harbor after Israel strike: Houthi media
AFP/July 24, 2024
HODEIDA, Yemen: Two container ships have docked in Yemen’s Hodeida harbor, the first since a deadly Israeli strike hit fuel storage tanks at the militant-held port, according to Houthi media and ship trackers. The strikes on Saturday, the first claimed by Israel on Yemen, triggered a massive blaze that burned for days at the dock amid slow firefighting efforts. It destroyed some cranes and dozens of oil tanks, according to experts. Another tank exploded overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, reigniting some flames at the harbor, a critical gateway for fuel imports and humanitarian aid into Houthi-held areas. Despite the ongoing threat, “the port of Hodeida is working normally around the clock” to receive commercial ships, Ahmed Al-Murtada, the deputy director of the container terminal, told the Houthi-run Saba news agency on Tuesday. The port’s director of maritime operations, Mohamed Al-Sais, told Saba that two ships had docked at the harbor on Tuesday. He identified them as “Marsa Zenith,” a vessel that carried 514 containers of “various goods,” and “Brother 1,” which was loaded with 22,803 tons of iron, Saba said. Ship tracking website marinetraffic.com confirmed the arrival on Tuesday of Marsa Zenith, identifying it as a Panama-flagged vessel that departed from the port of Djibouti.It additionally reported the arrival of the Tanzania-flagged Brother 1, which also sailed from Djibouti, according to the website. The quays of Hodeida were spared major damage in the Israeli strike that militants say killed nine people and targeted a fuel storage depot owned by the Yemen Petroleum Company as well as a power plant north of the port. Maritime security firm Ambrey said there were no reports of major damage to vessels in or near the harbor following the strike. The port, however, is still at risk of another “catastrophe,” said Mwatana for Human Rights, a Yemeni right group which dispatched an assessment team to the dock. “Based on (the findings of) our field team, the risk of more fuel tanks exploding still remains,” it told AFP in an emailed statement. “Whenever the firefighting teams tried to extinguish the fires, the explosions and flames reignited,” Mwatana said. “There are major concerns that the teams may not be able to... prevent another explosion.”

French authorities detain Russian man on accusations of planning to ‘destabilize’ Olympics
AP/July 24, 2024
PARIS: French authorities say they have detained a Russian man on suspicion of planning to “destabilize the Olympic Games.” A 40-year-old Russia-born man was arrested on Tuesday at his Paris apartment, a statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office said Wednesday. He was charged with “conducting intelligence work on behest of a foreign power” with an aim to “provoke hostilities in France,” crimes punishable with 30-year sentence in France, the statement said. During an official search of the suspect’s home in Paris, police agents found items that “raised fears of his intention to organize events likely to lead to destabilization of the Olympic Games,” prosecutors said. It comes after the interior minister said earlier Wednesday that security authorities made an arrest and foiled a separate plot to attack the Olympics. Minister Gérald Darmanin said the security authorities thwarted a plot against the Paris Olympics, two days before the official start of the Summer Games. France has been on high alert over the past few weeks as preparations to host the 2024 Olympics hit the final stretch. The Games officially kick off with a lavish and high-security opening ceremony on the River Seine on Friday. The Games’ organizers face security challenges, including cyberattack concerns, amid high international tensions because of the Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. There are also elaborate disinformation campaigns orchestrated out of Russia, targeting the Olympics and France’s recent elections, according to French officials and cybersecurity experts in Europe and the United States. Darmanin said in an interview Wednesday with French broadcaster BFMTV that a young man was arrested in Gironde, a region in the southwest of France, on suspicion of “planning a violent action against the Olympic Games.”
Police arrested an 18-year-old man Tuesday on accusations that he was planning to target the “organization of the Games,” Darmanin said. He did not give details on the suspect’s potential targets or whether they were in Paris or in other French cities hosting Olympic events that run through Aug. 11. “We are still working on this case ... (we) avoid giving details ... but we think there is a link,” Darmanin said. “It’s been established that this person wanted to attack the Olympic Games.” Paris has deployed 35,000 police officers each day for the Olympics, with a peak of 45,000 for the opening ceremony. In addition, 10,000 soldiers are taking part in security operations in the Paris region. A 10,000-strong military force is patrolling streets and sites in the Paris region and carrying out other security missions. France also is getting help from more than 40 countries that together have sent at least 1,900 police reinforcements.

Iran condemns UN expert report on 1980s ‘atrocity crimes’
AFP/July 24, 2024
UN’s independent special rapporteur on the rights situation in Iran, on Monday called for a probe into allegations Iran committed summary, arbitrary and extra-judicial executions
Tehran: Iran on Wednesday condemned a report by a United Nations expert that accused the country of “atrocity crimes” against minorities and killings in the 1980s. Javaid Rehman, the UN’s independent special rapporteur on the rights situation in Iran, on Monday called for a probe into allegations Iran committed summary, arbitrary and extra-judicial executions in 1981-1982 and in 1988. He said in a statement, after releasing a report with his detailed findings, that the actions “amounted to crimes against humanity of murder and extermination, as well as genocide.”Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani dismissed the report as an attempt by Tehran’s “enemies to tarnish the image of the Islamic republic.”“The claims lack any legal basis and are completely rejected,” said Kanani, accusing Rehman of “abusing his position” and spreading “false news.”In his report, Rehman said there should be “no impunity for such gross human rights violations, regardless of when they were committed.” “The Iranian regime and its leaders should not be allowed to escape the consequences of their crimes against humanity and genocide,” he added. The expert, whose mandate ends on July 31, said that “the targeting and victimising of religious, ethnic and linguistic minorities and political opponents continued with complete impunity during, and since, the first decade of the establishment of the Islamic republic in 1979.”He highlighted in particular attacks on the Bahai — Iran’s largest non-Muslim minority — which he said was “targeted with genocidal intent and persecution.”In response, Kanani said: “Iran reserves its legal right to protest this wrong process in some human rights institutions.”

No plan for Erdogan to meet Assad in Moscow, Turkish source says
Reuters/July 24, 2024
MOSCOW: A newspaper report that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will meet Syrian President Bashar Assad in Moscow next month is incorrect, a Turkish diplomatic source said. Turkiye’s Daily Sabah newspaper cited an unidentified source as saying that such a meeting could take place in August in Moscow, with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a mediator. The diplomatic source, speaking to a group of journalists on Monday after the report appeared, said there was no plan for an Erdogan-Assad meeting in August in Moscow. Turkiye has long been one of the main backers of Assad’s opponents in the Syrian civil war which began in 2011, while Russia is one of Assad’s main battlefield allies, having helped him restore control over most of Syria. Assad’s government has restored diplomatic relations with some Arab states that were severed during the war, but Damascus remains at odds with Ankara, which still protects some anti-Assad rebels in Syria’s northwest. Erdogan said earlier in July he would extend an invitation to Assad “any time” for possible talks to restore relations, and Putin could help facilitate the contact. Assad said he would meet Erdogan only if they could focus on core issues including a pullout of Turkish forces from Syrian territory. Asked about the report of a potential meeting in Moscow between Assad and Erdogan, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not confirm any specific plans but said Russia would like to see improved relations between the two countries. “The issue of facilitating the organization of certain contacts between Turkish and Syrian representatives at various levels is really on the agenda. “Many countries, and of course Russia as a country that plays a significant role in the region, are interested in helping the two countries to establish relations. This is very important for the whole region.”

Salman Rushdie's alleged attacker faces federal terrorism charges
Brad Brooks/Reuters/July 24, 2024
The man accused of attempting to kill author Salman Rushdie in New York two years ago now faces federal terrorism charges for his alleged support of Hezbollah, according to an indictment unsealed on Wednesday. The grand-jury indictment charges Hadi Matar, the New Jersey man already facing state murder and assault charges for a 2022 knife attack on Rushdie, with three terror charges, including carrying out an act of terrorism and providing material support to Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group that was founded by Iran in Lebanon during the early 1980s. Matar, who has Lebanese roots, has pleaded not guilty on the state murder and assault charges and is awaiting trial. He remains jailed in the Chautauqua County Jail in Mayville, New York. Matar's public defender, Nathaniel Barone, said that his client plans to plead not guilty to the federal charges. Matar is expected to be arraigned later on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Buffalo, New York. Iran's supreme leader at the time, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, pronounced a fatwa, or religious edict, calling upon Muslims to kill Rushdie upon publication of Rushdie's 1988 book, "The Satanic Verses," considered blasphemous by some Muslims. Rushdie, the acclaimed India-born novelist, then spent a decade in hiding.Matar is a Shi'ite Muslim. Hezbollah is a Shi'ite Islamist group and shares the ideology of the Islamic Republic of Iran. While Iran's pro-reform government of President Mohammad Khatami distanced itself from the fatwa in the late 1990s, it was never lifted. Rushdie was blinded in his right eye and his left hand was badly injured by the stabbing attack in August 2022 on a stage just as Rushdie was to deliver a lecture at an educational retreat near Lake Erie.Rushdie released this year his memoir on the attack, "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder".

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on July 24-25/2024
Biden Administration Gives Another $100 Million for Terror: Prefers Aiding Palestinian Terrorists Such as Hamas to Supporting Israel
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/July 24, 2024
Nothing better illustrates the perversity of the Biden administration's attitude to the Gaza conflict that, at the same time that Washington is limiting arms exports to Israel, the US is increasing its aid to the Palestinian Authority.
One of the key lessons that the US should have learned from Hamas's deadly terrorist attack against Israel on October 7... is that aid donations made by foreign donors invariably end up being used to fund Palestinian terrorists. With awkward timing, the Biden administration announced its latest $100 million aid package for the Palestinians just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was preparing to leave for his visit to Washington this week. While aid officials blame Israel and the continuing war in Gaza for preventing the delivery of vital supplies from reaching Palestinian civilians, the real culprit is Hamas, which controls all the delivery networks. This means that much of the aid is diverted to those who support its terrorist operations.
Biden may have announced his intention to not seek re-election, but so long as his administration remains in power, there appears little prospect of any dramatic revision taking place to its deliberately icy -- and potentially dangerous -- attitude not only towards Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza, but also its turning a blind eye toward Iran's destabilizing nuclear weapons, possibly coming soon, with the missiles to deliver them to the Middle East, Europe, and -- from Latin America and the Caribbean -- to the United States.
Aid donations made by foreign donors to the Palestinian Authority and Gaza invariably end up being used to fund Palestinian terrorists. Despite the mounting evidence that US aid supplies for the Palestinians, together with donations made by other Western nations, are failing to be used for their designated humanitarian purposes, the Biden administration appears determined to maintain its aid policy. (Image source: iStock/Getty Images)
Nothing better illustrates the perversity of the Biden administration's attitude to the Gaza conflict that, at the same time that Washington is limiting arms exports to Israel, the US is increasing its aid to the Palestinian Authority.
One of the key lessons that the US should have learned from Hamas's deadly terrorist attack against Israel on October 7, in which 1,200 Israelis were murdered and more than 250 taken captive and held as hostages in Gaza, is that aid donations made by foreign donors invariably end up being used to fund Palestinian terrorists.
Prior to October 7, key supporters of Hamas, such as Iran and Qatar, sent hundreds of millions of dollars to Gaza, and claimed it was to be used for humanitarian purposes such as funding schools and hospitals.
Instead, it was used to build the formidable underground tunnel network Hamas constructed in Gaza that ultimately enabled it to carry out the worst terrorist attack Israel has suffered in its history.
Even though US President Joe Biden has finally decided to step aside from the presidential election contest in favour of Vice President Kamala Harris, his administration continues to sustain its policy of giving handouts to Palestinian groups in Gaza and the West Bank without having any guarantees that the funds will be used for humanitarian purposes, and not to fund terror.
With awkward timing, the Biden administration announced its latest $100 million aid package for the Palestinians just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was preparing to leave for his visit to Washington this week.
A statement issued by USAID said the new funding was to assist the United Nations' World Food Programme, as well as providing "logistics support for the safe and efficient delivery of lifesaving humanitarian aid across Gaza." The US aid agency said the additional funding brings US contributions to the Palestinians since the war began to more than $774 million.
While aid officials blame Israel and the continuing war in Gaza for preventing the delivery of vital supplies from reaching Palestinian civilians, the real culprit is Hamas, which controls all the delivery networks. This means that much of the aid is diverted to those who support its terrorist operations.
One of the main reasons the US military was forced to abandon its efforts to deliver aid to Gaza using a specially-constructed floating pier off the Gaza coast was the difficulties it experienced getting aid to Palestinian civilians because Hamas controlled aid distribution networks.
Despite the mounting evidence that US aid supplies for the Palestinians, together with donations made by other Western nations, are failing to be used for their designated humanitarian purposes, the Biden administration appears determined to maintain its aid policy.
Moreover, reportedly neither Biden nor Harris came to greet Netanyahu at the airport in Washington, DC on July 22, and Harris, now a presidential candidate, will not be attending Netanyahu's address to Congress.
Whether the decision to announce the new aid package was a deliberate snub to Netanyahu on the eve of his Washington visit, or simply bad timing, the fact that the White House appears more interested in shipping aid to the Palestinians -- most likely the terrorists -- than supporting America's long-standing ally Israel, highlights the Biden administration's dismaying priorities on the Gaza issue.
Netanyahu last month claimed that the Biden administration was deliberately withholding weapons supplies from Israel in an attempt to pressure Israel into accepting its latest ceasefire plan for Gaza -- a plan that has so far been rejected by Hamas. What did the Biden administration threaten Hamas with? Anything? Or just a reward for intransigence of $100 million more dollars from American taxpayers? The claim is that the money is being given to aid agencies to distribute to Palestinians in Gaza -- but Hamas controls the distribution networks.
A ceasefire for Israel would mean leaving several battalions of Hamas terrorists in place, ready to regroup, re-arm and attack Israel again.
Addressing the Israeli cabinet one month, Netanyahu said there had been a "dramatic drop" in US weapons deliveries for Israel's war effort in Gaza.
Netanyahu also told his cabinet that the drop had begun four months prior, without specifying which armaments, saying only that "certain items arrived sporadically but the munitions at large remained behind."
The Biden administration, which has been pressing for a ceasefire since the start of the year, remains highly critical of Israel's handling of the war in Gaza, claiming it is responsible for too many civilian deaths.
Israel's response is that Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, deliberately provides misleading figures about the civilian death toll as part of its propaganda war against the Israelis. The main purpose of Netanyahu's trip, during which he has been invited to give his first address to both houses of Congress since 2015, will be to revive support among US lawmakers for Israel's military offensive, which is aimed at achieving the complete destruction of Hamas as a terrorist organisation, and, one hopes, to discuss the emerging nuclear weapons threat from Iran.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking of Iran's nuclear programme, said on July 19:
"Instead of being at least a year away from having the breakout capacity of producing fissile material for a nuclear weapon, it is now probably one or two weeks away from doing that."
Former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in 2002, effectively called Israel, which is smaller than the state of New Jersey, a one-bomb country: "[T]he use of a nuclear bomb in Israel will leave nothing on the ground, whereas it will only damage the world of Islam."
In trying to win back US support for Israel's military campaign, Netanyahu clearly faces an uphill struggle, judging by the reception -- or lack of it -- he received on arrival in Washington this week.
This glacial reception seems a holdover from the Obama administration. Then President Barack Obama, seemed to believe, despite all evidence to the contrary, that expansionist Iran having nuclear bombs is a fine idea, so long as it is "not on my watch." The "sunset clauses" in his unlawful 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) "nuclear deal" therefore allow Iran, after a few years, legitimately to have as many nuclear bombs as it can produce.
Obama reportedly loathed Netanyahu, apparently for being concerned that an Iran with nuclear bombs might present an existential threat not only to Israel, but also to its Arab neighbours in the region. In fact, Iran, its militias and its terrorist proxies, most recently the Houthis in Yemen, have, even without nuclear weapons, attacked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- as well as at least 150 recent attacks on US forces in the region (such as here and here) -- presumably so Iran can have the Gulf all to itself. Biden may have announced his intention to not seek re-election, but so long as his administration remains in power, there appears little prospect of any dramatic revision taking place to its deliberately icy -- and potentially dangerous -- attitude not only towards Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza, but also its turning a blind eye toward Iran's destabilizing nuclear weapons, possibly coming soon, with the missiles to deliver them to the Middle East, Europe, and -- from Latin America and the Caribbean -- to the United States.
*Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Gatestone Institute.
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Don’t be fooled by Iran’s new president, extremist policy is the same - opinion
David Ben-Basat/Jerusalem Post/July 24/2024
Israel is aware of the Iranian danger, as is the president of the United States. Staying quiet is no longer an option, nor can we put this genie back into the bottle. Precisely now, when the Iranian people have expressed their desire for change by electing the so-called “reformist” Masoud Pazkhian as president over the more extreme conservative candidate, Said Jalili, extra caution must be exercised. Pazkhian’s election is not the reflection of a change in Iran’s extremist policy, and supreme leader Ali Khamenei is still setting the agenda.  The election of Iran’s new president to replace Ebrahim Raisi – killed in a helicopter crash in May – ostensibly positions him as willing to reach a compromise in his approach to the West and attempts to convey messages about his readiness to renew Iran’s nuclear agreement with the United States. The big question, however, is whether the US will fall into the honey trap set by the Islamic Republic’s new president. The upcoming US presidential elections, slated for November, will have a decisive effect on its attitude toward Iran. Against the background of the failed assassination attempt on presidential candidate Donald Trump last week, it is unlikely that Joe Biden will be reelected as president; but if he does win the elections, he will likely try to reach a compromise with Iran on the nuclear issue.
What Trump might do is still an unknown factor. In a March interview with Fox News, he claimed that Israel must end the fighting in Gaza and said that “Iran could have been included in the Abraham Accords.”Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has called upon world leaders to stand up against Iran with strength and determination. The international community must demand the cessation of support for the terrorist organizations operated by Tehran. In Iran, the president might be new, but the chants are old.Pazkhian has spoken with Ismail Haniya, the head of Hamas’s political wing, assuring him of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s support for the Palestinian people “until the liberation of Jerusalem.” At the beginning of the month, Pazkhian also clarified his support for terrorism to Hezbollah Secretary-General Nasrallah. Iran continues to be a threat to Israel
According to correspondence recently published in the Iranian media, Pazkhian wrote: “The Islamic Republic has always supported the resistance of the peoples of the region against the illegitimate Zionist regime,” adding that “resistance movements” in the Middle East (that is, terrorist organizations) will not allow Israel’s “criminal policy” towards the Palestinians to continue. Iran’s new president has also issued a statement emphasizing his country’s friendship with China and Russia, praising the Eastern powers, and attacking the West. “The United States must understand that Iran will not respond to pressure,” he said in a statement published in the daily Tehran Times and titled “My message to the new world.” “Russia is a valued strategic ally and a neighbor of Iran, and my administration will remain committed to expanding and increasing cooperation between the countries,” he wrote, adding: “We look forward to more extensive cooperation with Beijing as we move towards a new world order.”
PESHKHIAN BLAMES the US and Europe for causing “hundreds of billions of dollars in damage” to Iran’s economy, as well as inflicting “tremendous suffering, death, and destruction on the Iranian people.” Meanwhile, the supply of submarines and missiles that Iran transfers to Russia destroys entire cities in Ukraine and threatens Europe as well. The Iranian terrorist regime is the common enemy of Israel and the global community. In conversations with family members still in Iran, expatriates report that the majority of Iranians despise the regime and are seeking reform. However, without an uprising, nothing will change. The international community is aware of the gravity of Iran’s threats to destroy Israel and of attempts to reach understandings to stop it from arming itself with nuclear weapons. Iran now has the ability to produce a nuclear bomb within just a few weeks. Last month, a report in the Washington Post claimed that Iran was significantly expanding its nuclear activities at the Purdue and Natanz underground sites. The article said that the Iranians were installing additional centrifuges in Purdue that could triple the amount of uranium being enriched and result in Iran’s ability to produce a sufficient quantity every month.
It is believed that the significant expansion currently taking place at Iran’s most protected nuclear facility may give Tehran new options to quickly assemble a nuclear force. Threats by US President Joe Biden and other heads of state make no impression on the ayatollahs. Israel is aware of the Iranian danger, as is the president of the United States. Staying quiet is no longer an option, nor can we put this genie back into the bottle. THE ACTION required, without delay, is the application of a military solution to the nuclear threshold state and the destruction of its capabilities.
We were aware of the threat of Hezbollah but had become addicted to the false quiet, while on the Lebanese side the enemy continued to build tunnels and equip itself with, according to estimates, some 150,000 missiles aimed at every point of Israel’s territory. There is still a chance, albeit a slim one, of reaching an agreement to move Hezbollah beyond the Litani River, in accordance with UN Resolution 1701. Nevertheless, the risk of the conflict expanding to a regional war is considerably greater. Clearly, such an arrangement, if reached, would be temporary.
The question is not whether there will be a war with Hezbollah, but when. The answer lies primarily in how the next US president will opt to act against Iran and its affiliates after the elections.
**The writer is CEO of Radios 100 FM, honorary consul of Nauru, vice dean of the consular staff, and vice president of the Ambassadors Club of Israel.

A tale of two US departures
Faisal J Abbas/Arab News/July 24, 2024
It is a major event in the US when not one, but two, senior office holders step down from their positions. This week, Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy to be the Democratic nominee in November’s presidential election, and Kimberly Cheatle resigned as director of the US Secret Service after the attempted assassination of the Republican candidate, Donald Trump. Two high-profile departures, then — but a world of difference between them. Biden’s decision was widely applauded within his own party, being viewed as putting his country first by passing on the torch to another candidate better placed to serve the American people. Cheatle, by contrast, resigned only after a merciless grilling from both sides of the political aisle at the House Oversight Committee — in a hearing that she attended only after being served with a legal subpoena. Biden’s withdrawal as a candidate has reflected positively on the US image abroad by showing statesmanship, and a peaceful and civilized transition of power. Cheatle eventually admitted that the Secret Service’s dealing with the assassination attempt on Trump was a “colossal failure.” Of course, no one expected a traditional Samurai-style act of hara-kiri out of remorse or regret: Cheatle has indeed fallen on her sword, but only metaphorically, and some may say that her resignation suffices. However, like many others, I found her attitude during the hearing arrogant, dismissive and quite frankly rather unapologetic.
As a result, many questions remain unanswered: for instance, why were the Secret Service officers so slow to react when that first shot rang out? Trump lives and breathes today because he literally dodged a bullet, not because his security detail protected him (if anything, one of the officers squeezed him so hard there were genuine fears that she might have been the cause of his premature death). Moreover, why was the area not subject to a more careful and thorough security sweep? And why did Secret Service officers ignore warnings, both from colleagues and from members of the public, that a young man with a backback and a long-range sight was acting suspiciously and had climbed on to the roof from where he subsequently opened fire?
You may ask why I, the editor of Arab News, bring this up when it’s clearly an internal US issue. But as this column has noted before, what happens in America doesn’t stay in America and if the US sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold.
There is a huge gap between the image created by Hollywood films — “Olympus Has Fallen” springs to mind, with its Secret Service hero — and the almost comical ineptitude on display in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Biden’s withdrawal as a candidate has reflected positively on the US image abroad by showing statesmanship, and a peaceful and civilized transition of power. But the debacle of the Trump assassination attempt has caused observers worldwide to doubt the competence and abilities of such an important institution as the US Secret Service. There is a huge gap between the image created by Hollywood films — “Olympus Has Fallen” springs to mind, with its Secret Service hero — and the almost comical ineptitude on display in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
At a time when critics take pleasure in mocking a diminished US global role and doubt American abilities, such incompetence by what is otherwise a highly regarded institution such as the Secret Service will inevitably leave many skeptical — especially against a backdrop of significant successes by traditional US competitors such as China, whether military, commercial, technological or diplomatic. Beijing not only brokered a Saudi-Iranian rapprochement last year, but also has just done the same for the two main Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah.
Personally, I think no rational or wise observer should ever bet against America, a powerful country that is also full of great talent, ideas and, most important, resilience. But when such a great nation cannot protect its own former president, and a contender to be the next one too, then it is only fair to say that this is indeed a “colossal failure.”
*Faisal J. Abbas is the editor-in-chief of Arab News. X: @FaisalJAbbas

Vance may be a real asset to Trump campaign
Maria Maalouf/Arab News/July 24, 2024
At the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last week, J.D. Vance told delegates: “Tonight is a night of hope. A celebration of what America once was and, with God’s grace, what it soon will be again.” He lambasted globalization and pledged to restore the ability of the American economy to create more jobs and be an energy-producing economy. When choosing Vance, the Republicans’ presidential nominee Donald Trump opted to escalate the stature of a rising star of the right wing of politics in the US and to intensify the appeal of the populist movement. It is Trump who has boosted that conservative-populist trend in American life since he first ran for president against Hillary Clinton in 2016. But Trump needs a successor, someone who can carry the torch of his Republican campaign in the years to come. He sees in Vance a political figure for whom he can serve as a political uncle as they campaign ahead of the Nov. 5 election against the Democratic successor to President Joe Biden, likely to be Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump selected Mike Pence as his running mate eight years ago. But Pence was a former governor of Indiana and part of the Republican establishment. Trump now wants to move further away from the establishment Republicans who were previously the dominant faction of the party. The establishment wing promotes the traditional Republican Party views of fiscal conservatism and support for a bigger US military. Nevertheless, its foundations have been shaken as it has compromised more on issues of government spending, abortion, taxes and frequent American military interventions abroad.
Trump wants to undermine the set of beliefs espoused by the Republican establishment with the help of the man he hopes will be his future vice president. The essential attitude of the conservative-populist pursuit in American politics, as manifested by both Trump and Vance, is that these policies are depriving the American people of their liberties and freedoms. High taxes mean that people cannot do what they want with their money and America’s wars overseas mean that the US government is more interested in what is happening in other countries than on what is good for America and the American people. Repeatedly, Trump and Vance affirm their desire to “Make America Great Again.” And to follow “America First” policies.
Vance is a disciple of MAGA. There are reports that he is a good friend of Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Trump. According to NBC News, President Trump was leaning toward North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as his pick for running mate. That’s when Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump chimed in. “Don Jr. and Eric went crazy: ‘Why would you do something so stupid? He offers us nothing’,” a long-time Republican operative familiar with the discussion told NBC News. “They were basically all like ‘J.D., J.D., J.D.’,” the operative said.
There have also been reports that Vance may approach his old acquaintances in Silicon Valley, California, who are known for their very liberal views and pro-Democratic Party stances. He will seek to neutralize them and convince them that the Trump agenda for the Republican Party and for the whole of the US would also fit with their own interests.
The selection of Vance also reveals that Trump thought about other candidates and later dismissed them. He could not nominate Nikki Haley because she was his rival in the Republican primaries and always campaigned against him. He dismissed other choices like Burgum because he signed a law in his home state that banned almost all abortions. Vance is pro-life too. However, he never had the chance to sign a law determining what the rules on abortion should be. Trump needs a successor, someone who can carry the torch of his Republican campaign in the years to come. Vance’s age may also have been a positive factor that appealed to Trump. He will turn 40 in August. This could help Trump reach young voters, who are usually more liberal in their outlook. If Trump can siphon off a segment of them to vote for him, this will make it easier for him to return to the White House.
Vance started out as a critic of Trump. Now, he is his running mate. This could also be a demonstration of the success of Trump. He convinced a former political enemy to support his views. Trump now aims to turn more of his critics into political allies. Since Vance was in the Marines, he will help Trump reach out to military men and women and their families. Trump can even do well with intellectuals thanks to the nomination of Vance, who is the author of a best-selling book titled “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis.” He wrote it in 2016. It is a personal memoir of what he called “Appalachian values.” It is about growing up poor in Kentucky and what his family faced when living in Ohio, confronting many social and economic problems. While this book appeals to intellectuals, it will also resonate well with the American middle class. This could make Vance a real asset to Trump’s 2024 campaign.
*Maria Maalouf is a Lebanese journalist, broadcaster, publisher, and writer. X: @bilarakib

Israeli PM is not interested in a ceasefire — full stop
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/July 24, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be familiar with the maxim widely attributed, though probably incorrectly, to former US President Abraham Lincoln that “you can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” Ultimately, Netanyahu likes everything American, but completely fails to internalize these very wise words. Some of us have never been fooled by him, not when he gave a speech all those years ago in support of a two-state solution, not when he fashioned himself as the defender of Israel, not when he made his declaration that the interests of the country came before his own interests and, more recently, that he aspires to reaching a ceasefire deal in the war with Hamas.
Netanyahu is at the stage of his political life, hopefully the final stage, when he can fool only those who choose to be fooled. The rest fully realize that the war in Gaza, and possibly an even more devastating war with Hezbollah, have become his insurance policy for hanging on to power. They complement his and his far-right coalition’s relentless attack on the foundations of Israel’s democratic system, in which the highest priority is given to compromising the independence of the judiciary. This attack was set in motion well before Oct. 7 and is still continuing.
The dual aim of this “strategy” is to perpetuate Netanyahu’s hold on power and, by that, to also ensure that, whatever the outcome of his corruption trial, he will never end up in jail. These aims have become two sides of the same coin, to the detriment of both the country and the region’s well-being.
It is hard to tell whether Netanyahu can actually grasp the difference between the good of the country and what serves him and his family best, but very few are in any doubt that he is motivated by the latter rather than the former. A prime and tragic example of this is that, at every stage over the last few months when there has appeared to be some progress in the ceasefire negotiations with Hamas — and with that the release of the hostages — new information magically comes to light and, under pressure from the far-right extremists in his coalition, Netanyahu presents new demands that derail or at least postpone a positive conclusion to the negotiations.
Undeniably, these are complex and tough negotiations and bargaining between a state and a nonstate actor makes them extra complicated. Moreover, in this case, negotiations are taking place in the midst of a war that continues to inflict enormous suffering and consequently makes the negotiations highly emotive, with zero trust between the two sides, and compounds the obstacles to reaching a deal. Hence, the role of the mediators, whether that is the US, Qatar or Egypt, is all the more important, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that they have become exasperated and frustrated by the intransigence of both sides.
But as time goes by, Hamas, perhaps due to political and military pressure, seems to be showing more flexibility, while it is Netanyahu who consistently derails hopes of a deal by making new demands and continuing to be evasive. When Hamas recently surprised his government by agreeing in broad terms to the Joe Biden-Netanyahu ceasefire proposal, Israeli negotiators on behalf of the PM hardened their position and did it very publicly, well aware that in such complex negotiations, should any compromise become public, it would undermine the reaching of a ceasefire agreement. But they spun the situation in order to blame the other side and even the mediators, and promptly reneged on previous understandings.
Netanyahu is at the stage of his political life, hopefully the final stage, when he can fool only those who choose to be fooled.
For instance, one such new demand was Netanyahu’s insistence on preventing any armed Palestinians from returning to the northern Gaza Strip and on Israeli troops remaining in place along the Philadelphi Route on the border with Egypt. This would entail at least a partial occupation of the Gaza Strip, a proposal that was bound to be rejected. Hamas’ leadership knows how Israel operates and is under no illusion that, even should a ceasefire be agreed, the long arm of its security forces will go after them to further avenge the Oct. 7 atrocities. Hence, Hamas’ call for a permanent ceasefire is logical from its leaders’ perspective of biding their time and hoping for the best. It is their insurance policy, although not necessarily a reassuring one. Netanyahu’s insistence that Israel will only end its war in Gaza when all its objectives have been achieved is as good as telling Hamas that, following the release of the hostages, Israel will retain a free hand to continue the war with no commitment to any “day-after” political solution, leaving them no bandwidth to agree to a ceasefire, let alone peace with the Palestinians. Sources close to the Israeli negotiators have recently said that “there’s a deal with a real chance of implementation,” but in the same breath adding that a “political consideration” could stall such a deal. Some far-right partners in Netanyahu’s coalition have indicated that they may quit the government if the war ends before Hamas surrenders. Their departure from the coalition would most likely spell the end of Netanyahu’s premiership.
To be sure, there is an intrinsic logical contradiction in the argument of those in the Israeli government who oppose a deal. On the one hand, they argue that only military pressure on Hamas will bring the hostages home, but whenever Hamas agrees to a deal, they do everything they can to avert such a possibility. This is because they want to continue the war until the objective of destroying this Islamist movement is achieved and so, by implication, they do not prioritize the release of the hostages.
More than nine months into the war, Hamas’ military capabilities have been considerably hampered, but at the same time the declared Israeli aim of bringing back the hostages, hopefully with most of them alive, is increasingly at risk. It is not surprising, then, that the families of the hostages and their supporters are intensifying their protests on the streets, in the media and in the corridors of the Knesset. They know what we have all suspected for months: that Netanyahu’s first and probably only priority is keeping the coalition together and preventing a state inquest into the failures of Oct. 7 and its aftermath.
This situation will not change until a critical and politically active mass within Israel internalizes that, as long as Netanyahu remains in power and relies on the support of the religious ultra-right, an end to the war in Gaza, with the return of the hostages, will remain a distant possibility.
• Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Program at international affairs think tank Chatham House.

Netanyahu in a politically unfamiliar Washington
Osama Al-Sharif/Arab News/July 24, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is no stranger to Washington, the White House or the halls of Capitol Hill. In fact, on Wednesday, he will set a record: speaking to a joint session of Congress for the fourth time over a period of more than two decades — surpassing Winston Churchill, who spoke there on three separate occasions. This will be an honor that takes its place in the annals of US political history. Netanyahu understands the inner mechanics of US politics, he knows how to manipulate the two main parties and he is quite an emotional and charismatic orator.
The last time he was invited to speak, in March 2015, he received 28 standing ovations, one less than he received in 2011. In 2015, Netanyahu snubbed then-President Barack Obama by blasting the impending nuclear agreement with Iran as a “very bad deal,” which the White House was pushing for against Israeli objections. Back then, at least 30 US lawmakers had boycotted his speech amid rising tensions between the Obama administration and Netanyahu. This time, the controversy is much more profound. Netanyahu has pushed ties with President Joe Biden to the brink by obstructing a ceasefire deal in Gaza, Israel’s indiscriminate use of lethal force in the battered enclave, the impeding of aid delivery to more than 2 million hapless Gazans and claims that the US administration was withholding the delivery of much-needed armaments to the Israeli army.
The rift between the two men and bipartisan squabbling in Washington, in addition to the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s request for an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, pushed defiant Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to invite the Israeli premier to speak before Congress.
Netanyahu had asked for a month’s delay to make his planned speech. He faces political turmoil at home, as his army finds itself bogged down in Gaza while appearing unable to confront an audacious Hezbollah in the north. The families of more than 150 Israeli hostages are putting pressure on his far-right government to conclude a ceasefire deal and bring the captives home. This is anathema to him. A pause in the war will kick-start a series of investigations over how the debacle of Oct. 7 was allowed to take place, which will almost certainly end his political career.
Netanyahu’s poll numbers have fallen, while his political rivals are ready to pounce. His ultranationalist partners, who reject any hostage deal that ends the war, threaten to abandon him and bring the coalition down if he offers any concessions. Against the policy of the Biden White House, they want an open confrontation with Lebanon, even if that means igniting a regional war with Iran that will suck in the US.
Traveling to Washington must have presented itself as a much-needed respite. Netanyahu is more popular with US lawmakers than with Knesset members. As the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history, Netanyahu has grown an enlarged ego that is blinding him to the damage he has done to Israel’s image and standing abroad. He still believes he can navigate the corridors of Congress for the benefit of Israel and himself; the two, for him, are the same.
Netanyahu still believes he can navigate the corridors of Congress for the benefit of Israel and himself.
Before Biden announced on Sunday his intention to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, pundits in Israel believed that Netanyahu would most likely endear himself to the Republicans, whose candidate, former President Donald Trump, had all but ensured his election for a second term.
But Biden’s sudden decision has upended the US political scene. Vice President Kamala Harris, a critic of Israel’s behavior in Gaza and the West Bank, is now the likely Democratic presidential contender. The odds of a landslide Trump victory have changed.
Now, Netanyahu, the opportunist and manipulator, must change his tone and attitude. His speech will focus on the special US-Israel alliance above bipartisan politics. He will avoid besmirching Biden and instead praise the president’s unwavering support for Israel’s war against Iran’s proxies, starting with Hamas, and summon backing for a long and inevitable confrontation with Tehran, a common enemy and a threat to the Middle East, in his view.
He will talk about the calamity of Oct. 7. He will mention the hostages, including American nationals who are suffering under Hamas’ barbarism. He will appeal to those who see Israel’s survival as the foundation of a shared Judeo-Christian culture. And, yes, he will have his standing ovations.
But these are not normal times for Israel and the US. Many Democratic lawmakers have decided to boycott his speech. Others will try to interrupt him, pointing to the genocidal war Israel is carrying out in Gaza with American weapons.
Outside the Capitol, thousands will gather, calling for the arrest of Netanyahu, the war criminal. They will include Jews, Muslims and Christians. This will not be the hospitable Washington that Netanyahu is used to visiting. Israel has become a divisive issue for Americans, from the iron-clad grip of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee over US politicians to the billions of dollars American taxpayers are forced to rain on Israel.
And the divisiveness will not go away anytime soon. Netanyahu will return to a politically embroiled Israel that is facing the fallout from the historic advisory opinion issued last week by the International Court of Justice on the illegality of its occupation of Palestinian territories, as well as its open-ended war in Gaza and beyond. Meanwhile, the new Democratic candidate will have to bring back millions of disenchanted Muslim, Arab and young voters who had shunned Biden in the primaries, largely over Israel and the Palestinians.
Netanyahu’s Washington visit will have some shining moments, but only within the sanctuary of the US Congress. Outside, he will be denounced just like he is now in Israel. Many Israelis are realizing that Netanyahu is becoming a liability for their country, which has become dependent on the support of the US. Netanyahu’s respite from his Washington visit will be short-lived. His egotistical brand of politics is not only shaking the foundations of the Israeli state but also the quintessence of the special US-Israel rapport. This will be an unfamiliar Washington for Netanyahu and he must know there will not be a fifth visit to Congress.
• Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.
X: @plato010

Will Pope Francis Ever Speak Honestly about the Muslim Persecution of Christians?
Raymond Ibrahim/LifeSiteNews/July 24, 2024
Pope Francis recently acknowledged an otherwise widely suppressed topic—the persecution of Christians, especially throughout the Middle East. On June 27, 2024, during a meeting held in the Vatican with members of the Reunion of Aid Agencies for Oriental Churches (ROACO), Francis made some refreshing, because true, remarks:
Many Eastern Churches are bearing a heavy cross and have become ‘martyr Churches.’ They carry the marks of Christ’s wounds. Just as the Lord’s flesh was pierced by nails and a lance, so many Eastern communities are suffering and bleeding because of the conflicts and violence they endure.
To remedy the situation, he urged those who are already involved in alleviating the suffering of the Eastern Church—that is, ROACO itself—to stay the course:
Brothers and sisters, we cannot remain indifferent. The Apostle Paul made clear the instruction he received from the other Apostles to be mindful of the neediest members of the Christian community (cf. Gal 2:10), and called for solidarity with them (cf. 2 Cor 8-9). This is God’s own message, and you, the members of ROACO, are the hands that give it flesh, hands that aid and lift up those who suffer. This is why you have met in these days: not to make speeches and develop theories, not to engage in geopolitical analyses, but to discern the best ways to draw close to our brothers and sisters in the East and to alleviate their sufferings.
All fine words and counsel, to be sure. That said, surely the first step in solving a problem—in this case, “to alleviate the sufferings” of Christians—one must first identify its source? This, unfortunately, Francis never does. Yet, for those with a discerning eye, the nations that he named during the meeting for being home to the worst forms of Christian persecution go some way to indicate their collective source: aside from “the Holy Land and Ukraine,” he named Syria, Lebanon, Karabakh (Armenian territory controlled by Azerbaijan), and Tigray (Ethiopia). He also named “the entire Middle East”—a massive umbrella term which, along with Syria and Lebanon, includes Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, Yemen, Iran, the Gulf States, the PA territories, and possibly more (for most people, even distant Morocco is part of the “Middle East”).
What all of these nations have in common is Islam: they are either Muslim majority, or else are roughly half Muslim, half Christian (as in the case of Lebanon and Ethiopia). Moreover, and unlike Ukraine, most of these nations regularly make it on the annual reports of which nations Christians are most persecuted in. Every year, 37 or 38 of the 50 worst nations on Open Doors’ World Watch List are Islamic or have large Muslim populations.
None of this should be surprising. After all, centuries of Francis’s predecessors knew what Islam was all about—including its bad habit of persecuting Christians and destroying their churches—and had no qualms declaring it to their flock. That is what prompted the Crusades. Here is a tiny sampling of papal observations concerning Islam’s perennial assault on Christianity and its adherents in no particular order:
For Pope Sixtus IV, “The Turks have sworn the extinction of Christianity. A truce to sophistries! It is the moment not to talk, but to act and fight!” (1470s).
Pope Adrian IV called on Christians to subdue these “barbarous peoples and wild nations, that is, the madness of the Saracens, who are a most destructive pestilence” (c. 1157).
Pope Innocent III called on Christians everywhere to rise up “against the enemies of the cross of the Lord who not only aspire to the destruction of the Spains [where Muslims were then making deep inroads and committing the usual atrocities], but also threatened to vent their rage on Christ’s faithful in other lands” (c.1210).
Pope Gregory VII issued an encyclical “to all who are willing to defend the Christian faith” against “a race of pagans”—elsewhere named “Saracens”—that “has slaughtered like cattle many thousands of Christians” in Asia Minor (c. 1074).
Pope Urban II called for the refortification of Tarragona, near the Pyrenees between Spain and France, “as a barrier and bulwark against the Saracens for the Christian people” (1089).
Pope Pius II said, “can we expect peace from a nation [Ottoman Turks] which thirsts for our blood, which has already planted itself in Hungary after having subjugated Greece? Lay aside these infatuated hopes. Mahomet [II] will never lay down his arms until he is either wholly victorious or completely vanquished. Each success will be only a stepping-stone to the next until he has mastered all the Western Monarchs, overthrown the Christian Faith, and imposed the law of his false prophet on the whole world” (c. 1459).
Pope Eugene IV implored Christians in the Balkans to maintain the crusade and “hurl back the infidel sect of Muhammad overseas,” whence it could no longer terrorize the Christian West (1443).
Pope Callixtus III deplored the “fury of the savage Turk,” whom he likened to a “serpent which now hides and now emerges to do damage to the Christian people and breaks forth and tortures them” (1450s).
Pope Nicholas, soon after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, encouraged Europeans to travel by sea in search of allies in distant lands “not as yet infected by the Mahometan plague.”
Needless to say, it was not just the popes who understood Islam, but the entire Christian hierarchy. In 1433, Cardinal Julian chastised the rest of Christendom’s factious nature and indifference to the jihad being waged against their Eastern coreligionists:
Look all around you, and see how the people of Christ are trodden upon and devoured by Turks, Saracens and Tartars. Why do you not commiserate with the many thousands of your brothers, who year after year are reduced to the harsh servitude of the infidel?… But what is more pitiful, is that many of those who are led into captivity, and who are not able to bear such a hard servitude, deny the Catholic faith, and are led to the abhorrent sect of Mohammed. How many kingdoms, provinces, cities, towns are daily seized and depopulated? They have now cornered you in a small area in the west… Discord among Christians is the cause of all these calamities. If they would only grow wise and harbor love, this sort of persecution would soon end.
Even Francis’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, knew what Islam was all about. In 2006 he quoted an Eastern Roman Emperor (“Byzantine”) saying, “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.” (As if to prove him correct, Muslims the world over responded with violence—including by murdering a nun in Somalia and torching churches in several other nations.)
So what happened to Francis? Nothing seems to have changed—Muslims are still openly persecuting Christians, as Francis himself (indirectly) indicated when recently naming the worst persecutors, almost all Muslim nations. Yet he has repeatedly insisted that “Islam, in truth, is a religion of peace,” arguing that:
I don’t like to speak of Islamic violence because every day, when I browse the newspapers, I see violence, here in Italy… this one who has murdered his girlfriend, another who has murdered the mother-in-law… and these are baptized Catholics! There are violent Catholics! If I speak of Islamic violence, I must speak of Catholic violence… and no, not all Muslims are violent, not all Catholics are violent. It is like a fruit salad; there’s everything.
Unlike his predecessors, apparently Francis is incapable of distinguishing between violence committed in keeping with a religion’s teachings (Islam), and violence committed in violation of a religion’s teachings (Christianity).
In short, the only thing that does seem to have changed is that Francis, far from maintaining his traditional and historic office of unabashedly spearheading any effort to protect Christians, has succumbed to the spirit of the age, willing only to say that which is “acceptable” and in vogue—hence his celebration of “multiculturalism” and commitment to (futile) “dialogue” with (two-faced) Muslim leaders.
To be clear, no one is suggesting that Francis unnecessarily disparage or declare violent crusades against Islam. Such is hardly necessary. Previous popes did resort to calls to arms because that was all that was left to Christian peoples—fighting back any which way they could against an unstoppable and committed foe who was terrorizing Christendom.
Today, the tables have turned: Islam is weak and the West is strong (for now anyway). As such, and as many human rights activists have argued for years, all that the West in general and the U.S. in particular need do is make their ongoing, and often considerable, economic aid to Muslim nations conditional on the latter ensuring religious freedom for Christians.
Ironically, some of the worst Muslim nations that persecute Christians—including those which made Francis’s list—receive the most economic aid from the U.S.: Ethiopia ($1.95 billion), Egypt ($1.43 billion), Afghanistan ($1.19 billion), Somalia ($1.13 billion), Yemen ($1.05 billion), and Syria ($896 million). Even if the leaders of such nations share in the same jihadist dislike for Christians harbored by the Muslim populace, do you really think they care that much about mistreating Christians as to jeopardize all those billions?
But before calling Muslims out for persecuting Christians, the source of the problem—shari‘a, Islamic law, which calls for discrimination against and persecution of Christians and all non-Muslims, and which many Muslim nations enshrine at least elements of in their constitutions—must first be acknowledged. Otherwise, the persecution will continue to be attributed to “sectarian conflicts” and “climate change”—things outside of the rulers’ hands.
And of all “world leaders,” Francis is most charged with making this honest assertion—again, not in anger or disparagement, but with truth and sincerity—and, most of all, love for those at the receiving end of the persecution.
If even he—a man who holds the office which historically most cared for the wellbeing of Christians—will not, opting instead to play at politician, who will?