Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 18-19/2024
Celebrating Fathers Day: A Biblical Perspective on Duty, Honor, and Sacrifice/Elias Bejjani/June 16/2024
Hochstein says diplomacy 'urgent' to stop Israel-Hezbollah clashes
Hochstein meets Berri after talks in Israel
Israel, Lebanon escalate rhetoric as US tries to prevent war
Israel bombs south, kills 1 as Hezbollah halts operations for Eid
Israel says killed key Hezbollah operative in drone strike
Displaced Lebanese return to southern border to mourn, pray over Eid
Hezbollah publishes 10-minute video showing drone footage of Israel's Haifa
Israel army says operational plans for Lebanon offensive ‘approved’
Hezbollah war edges closer as Netanyahu hits out at US over weaponry
Yair Lapid: 'In our government, Hezbollah did not dare to attack Israel''
US wants to avoid ‘greater war’ along Lebanon-Israel border, envoy says
All-out war with Hezbollah? Not a question of if, but when, expert says/Matan Wasserman/Jerusalem Post/June 18/2024
Lebanese Journalist Nadim Koteich: U.S. Student Protests Against Israel Ultimately Serve Iran, Islamist Organizations/MEMRI/June 18, 2024

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 18-19/2024
Israel's Netanyahu blames Biden for withholding weapons. US officials say that's not the whole story
Netanyahu: Inconceivable that US withholds weapons from Israel
Netanyahu says Blinken assured him US will unblock weapons shipments
Gaza conflict has caused major environmental damage, UN says
Israeli forces deepen Rafah invasion, kill 17 in central camps
Israeli negotiator says tens of Gaza hostages 'alive with certainty'
Lull in Gaza fighting despite blasts in south
IDF slams journalist's lie that chief of staff supports Hamas rule in Gaza
UN says lawlessness in Gaza impedes aid via Kerem Shalom despite Israel's military pause
UN human rights chief: situation in West Bank 'drastically deteriorating'
A Swedish diplomat says his release from a 2-year detention in Iran is like a dream
India and US vow to boost defense, trade ties in first high-level US visit since Modi's election win
Ukraine claims its drones hit a Russian oil facility, sparking a huge blaze
U.S. designates Iran-aligned Ansar Allah al-Awfiya as terrorist organization
Iran slaps one-year prison term on Nobel winner Mohammadi

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 18-19/2024
Israel Gave Work Permits, While Palestinians Planned Oct. 7 Massacre/Bassam Tawil/ Gatestone Institute/June 18, 2024
Terror groups in Gaza compete with Hamas to carry out attacks on Israel - analysis/Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/June 18/2024
The Russians Are Coming/Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/June 18, 2024
How the world views US presidential candidates/Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/June 18, 2024
Why Mojtaba Khamenei is unlikely to be Iran’s next supreme leader/Hassan Al-Mustafa/Arab News/June 18, 2024
Macron’s leap into the unknown/Mustapha Tossa/Arab News/June 18, 2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on June 18-19/2024
Celebrating Fathers Day: A Biblical Perspective on Duty, Honor, and Sacrifice
Elias Bejjani/June 16/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/130787/130787/
Today, as we gather to celebrate Fathers’ Day, we are reminded of the pivotal role fathers play in our lives. Fathers, both in their presence and sacrifices, mirror the divine fatherhood of God Himself. This day is not merely about showering our fathers with gifts and words of appreciation but also about reflecting on our duties and obligations towards them, as underscored by biblical teachings.
The Bible provides profound insights into the importance of honoring our fathers. Ephesians 6:2-3 commands, “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—”so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” This directive is clear: honoring our fathers is not just a noble act but a divine injunction that brings blessings.
Furthermore, Proverbs 23:22 instructs us, “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” These verses highlight that respect and obedience to our fathers are lifelong duties. They underscore the need to appreciate the wisdom and experience that our fathers impart, recognizing their efforts and sacrifices in nurturing us.
Fathers, in many ways, emulate God the Father, who is described in Psalm 103:13: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” Just as God’s compassion and care are boundless, so too are the efforts of our earthly fathers. They toil and labor, often in silence, to provide for us, ensuring our well-being and success.
In honoring our fathers, we acknowledge the countless sacrifices they have made. From working long hours to provide for the family to making tough decisions for our betterment, fathers constantly put their children’s needs before their own. This dedication is aptly captured in the Lebanese saying, “No one is dear to my heart more than my son, but the son of my son.” It speaks to the enduring love and legacy that fathers build, emphasizing the generational impact of their devotion.
However, it is disheartening to see that not all children recognize or reciprocate this dedication. Some neglect their fathers, disregarding their wisdom and contributions. To such individuals, the biblical admonition in Proverbs 30:17 serves as a stern reminder: “The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.” This vivid imagery warns of the severe consequences of disrespect and neglect towards one’s parents.
As we celebrate Fathers’ Day, let us remember that honoring our fathers is not limited to a single day of festivities. It is an ongoing commitment to show respect, provide care, and express gratitude for all they do. Let us strive to embody the principles of the Bible, ensuring that our fathers feel valued and appreciated every day of their lives.
In conclusion, Fathers’ Day is a powerful reminder of the immense love and sacrifices our fathers have made for us. By honoring them, we not only fulfill our biblical duties but also strengthen the bonds of family and faith. Let us cherish our fathers, acknowledging their vital role in our lives and upholding the respect and honor they rightfully deserve.'

Hochstein says diplomacy 'urgent' to stop Israel-Hezbollah clashes
Agence France Presse/June 18, 2024
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein Tuesday called for the "urgent" de-escalation of cross-border exchanges of fire between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israeli forces raging since the start of the Gaza war. "The conflict... between Israel and Hezbollah has gone on for long enough," the presidential envoy said on a visit to Beirut. "It's in everyone's interest to resolve it quickly and diplomatically -- that is both achievable and it is urgent."Hezbollah, an ally of the Palestinian militant movement Hamas, stepped up attacks on northern Israel last week after an Israeli strike killed one of its senior commanders. But since Saturday afternoon, Hezbollah has not claimed any attacks against Israel, despite Israeli strikes on the border area in Lebanon's south including one on Monday that killed a fighter. Hochstein met with Speaker Nabih Berri, a day after holding talks in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Speaker Berri and I had a very a good discussion," Hochstein said. "We discussed the current security and political situation in Lebanon as well as the deal on the table right now with respect to Gaza, which also presents an opportunity to end the conflict across the Blue Line," the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon, he added. U.S. President Joe Biden last month outlined a truce proposal which Hochstein said would "ultimately be the end of the conflict in Gaza.""A ceasefire in Gaza and, or, an alternative diplomatic solution could also bring the conflict across the Blue Line to an end" and allow the return of displaced civilians to southern Lebanon and northern Israel, the envoy added. Hezbollah last week said it has carried out more than 2,100 military operations against Israel since October 8, the day after Hamas' attack that sparked the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. The Israel-Lebanon border violence has killed at least 473 people on the Lebanese side, most of them fighters but also including 92 civilians, according to an AFP tally. Israeli authorities say at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed in Israel's north.

Hochstein meets Berri after talks in Israel
Agence France Presse/June 18, 2024
U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein met Tuesday in Beirut with Speaker Nabih Berri over the situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border, after he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials in Jerusalem. Israel and Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, have traded near-daily cross-border fire since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel which triggered war in the Gaza Strip. But exchanges have escalated and last week saw Hezbollah's largest simultaneous attack, after an Israeli strike killed a senior commander from the group. Hochstein met with Netanyahu and his team in Jerusalem on Monday, days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on a Middle East tour that a Gaza ceasefire was the best way to resolve the Hezbollah-Israel violence. "I can confirm that (U.S. President Joe) Biden's envoy... met with our prime minister," Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told a press briefing. Mencer also said Hezbollah has fired more than 5,000 rockets, anti-tank missiles and explosive drones at Israeli territory since hostilities started. "We are defending against Hezbollah aggression. There is no territorial dispute between Lebanon and Israel," Mencer said. Hochstein also met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, with whom he discussed "the relentless attacks and rocket fire from Hezbollah, instigated by Iran, towards Israel's northern towns and cities," according to a statement from the presidential office. Hezbollah last week said it has carried out more than 2,100 military operations against Israel since October 8, the day after Hamas' attack. Hezbollah escalated attacks last week after a commander, Taleb Abdallah, was killed in an Israeli strike in the village of Jwaya. The Israeli army described him as "one of Hezbollah's most senior commanders in southern Lebanon."The Iran-backed Lebanese group said it launched rocket and missile barrages as well as "attack drones" against Isreali military positions in response. On Monday, the Israeli military announced it had killed Mohammad Mustafa Ayoub, describing him as a key Hezbollah operative from the group's rocket and missile department in the Selaa area of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah confirmed the death of the fighter from its elite Radwan unit. Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari on Sunday warned that "Hezbollah's increasing aggression is bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation -- one that could have devastating consequences for Lebanon and the entire region."The United Nations has expressed concern about the recent escalation on the Israel-Lebanon border and warned of the danger of miscalculation causing a wider conflict.

Israel, Lebanon escalate rhetoric as US tries to prevent war
Maya Gebeily and Steven Scheer/BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters)/June 18, 2024
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday warned that a decision on an all-out war with Hezbollah was coming soon even as the United States is trying to avert a greater war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement. U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein was sent to Lebanon to try and cool tensions following an increase in cross-border fire along Lebanon's southern frontier that has escalated to Hezbollah hinting it could attack Haifa, Israel's third-largest city. Iran-backed Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israel for the last eight months in parallel with the Gaza war. Last week, the group fired the largest volleys of rockets and drones of the hostilities so far at Israeli military sites, after an Israeli strike killed the most senior commander yet. An Israeli spokesperson said Israel on Tuesday targeted a Hezbollah air unit in the latest series of strikes. Hezbollah says it will not halt its attacks unless there is a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Hochstein, special envoy to U.S. President Joe Biden, said he had been dispatched to Lebanon immediately following a brief trip to Israel because the situation was "serious". "We have seen an escalation over the last few weeks. And what President Biden wants to do is avoid a further escalation to a greater war," Hochstein said on Tuesday. He had met the head of Lebanon's army earlier on Tuesday and spoke to reporters following a meeting with parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the armed Amal movement, which is allied to Hezbollah and has also fired rockets on Israel. The U.S. and France are engaged in diplomatic efforts to secure a negotiated end to the hostilities along Lebanon's border. Hezbollah published a nine-minute 31 second-long video of what it said was footage gathered from its surveillance aircraft of locations in Israel, including the city of Haifa's sea and air ports. Haifa is 27 kilometres (17 miles) from the Lebanese border. Katz said in an X post that in the wake of threats by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the group's head, to damage Haifa's ports that are operated by Chinese and Indian companies, "we are getting very close to the moment of deciding on changing the rules of the game against Hezbollah and Lebanon.""In an all-out war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be severely beaten," he added. Israel, Katz said, would also pay a heavy price but the country was united and it must restore security to the residents of the north.
PSYCHOLOGICAL TERROR
Haifa mayor Yona Yahav said Hezbollah's video was "psychological terror on residents of Haifa and the north.""Whether diplomatically or militarily one way or another, we will ensure the safe and secure return of Israelis to their homes in northern Israel. That is not up for negotiation. Oct. 7 cannot happen again anywhere in Israel or on any of Israel's borders," Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said. He added that Israel was "impeding Hezbollah's military buildup and their stockpiling of weapons for terror against Israelis". Hezbollah began trading fire with Israel on Oct. 8, a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas attacked southern Israel, sparking the Gaza war. Tens of thousands of people have fled both sides of the border. Hochstein urged Hamas to accept a U.S.-backed proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, which he said "also provides an opportunity to end the conflict across the Blue Line", a reference to a demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel where parts of the international border are disputed. Hochstein met caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who told him that "Lebanon does not seek escalation", according to comments issued by Mikati's office.
The increase in attacks last week was followed by a brief respite during the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday, which concludes on Tuesday. Hezbollah announced a drone attack against an Israeli tank on Tuesday afternoon - its first announced attack since Saturday.
The group used more of its extensive arsenal against Israel last week, prompting United Nations officials in Lebanon to warn over the weekend that the "danger of miscalculation leading to a sudden and wider conflict is very real". U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday that he too was worried about the escalation, and called "for a cessation of hostilities and for actors with influence to take all possible measures to avert a full-scale war".

Israel bombs south, kills 1 as Hezbollah halts operations for Eid
Naharnet/June 18/2024
Relative calm engulfed southern Lebanon on Sunday and Monday as Hezbollah appeared to have suspended its cross-border attacks against Israel for the Eid al-Adha holiday.On Monday, an Israeli airstrike targeted a car on the outskirts of Shehabiyeh in the Tyre district, killing a man identified by the National News Agency as Mohammad Mustafa Ayoub. Israeli forces had earlier in the day fired machineguns at residents of the border town of Dhayra who were inspecting their properties and visiting the cemetery. Also on Monday, an Israeli aircraft fired two missiles on the border town of Mays al-Jabal as artillery shelling hit the border towns of Khiam, Kfar Hamam, Rashaya al-Fukhar and Kfarkela, as well as the Marjeyoun plain. A few airstrikes and intermittent artillery shelling had targeted several border towns on Sunday. The relative calm comes after several days of major escalation that followed Israel's assassination of senior Hezbollah military commander Taleb Abdallah, the most senior commander to be killed since the beginning of the current confrontations on October 8. Israel and Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, have traded near-daily cross-border fire since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel which triggered war in the Gaza Strip. The cross-border violence has killed at least 471 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters but also including 91 civilians, according to an AFP tally. Israeli authorities say at least 15 Israeli soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed.

Israel says killed key Hezbollah operative in drone strike
Associated Press/June 18/2024
A member of Hezbollah has been killed by an Israeli drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon, the country's state-run National News Agency reported. The airstrike came as Hezbollah has not claimed any attack on northern Israel since Saturday night, apparently because of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha that began Sunday morning. The drop in Hezbollah attacks also came shortly before a visit to the region by a top U.S. official for talks on calming tensions on the border. Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to U.S. President Joe Biden, arrived in Israel Monday and was meeting with Lebanese officials in Beirut on Tuesday. He has made several trips to the region in recent months. Hezbollah issued a statement on Monday identifying the member killed in the drone strike near the village of Shehabiyeh as Mohammad Ayoub.The Israeli military said Ayoub was a key operative in Hezbollah’s rocket and missile department in the group’s Nasr Unit, which is active along the border. It said Ayoub was involved in recent months in promoting and planning attacks from southern Lebanon against Israel. Israel said it killed Ayoub as part of its activities “to impede Hezbollah’s military build-up in terms of weaponry and its stockpiling of weapons” that would be used against Israel. After Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza broke out in October, the Lebanese-Israeli border has witnessed almost daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israeli troops. Hezbollah says it will only stop fighting when Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip ends. Since Oct. 8., more than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon — most of them Hezbollah fighters but also more than 70 civilians and non-combatants. On the Israeli side, at least 15 soldiers and 10 civilians have been killed.

Displaced Lebanese return to southern border to mourn, pray over Eid
Agence France Presse/June 18/2024
Some displaced residents of southern Lebanon returned Monday to their towns for a key Muslim holiday to pray and mourn loved ones killed in months of cross-border violence between Israel and Hezbollah. "Today is Eid al-Adha, but it's completely different this year," said teacher Rabab Yazbek, 44, at a cemetery in the coastal town of Naqoura, from which many residents have fled. Every family has lost someone, "whether a relative, friend or neighbor," Yazbek said, adding that two people she had taught had been killed. Israel and Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese movement allied with Hamas, have traded near-daily cross-border fire since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel which triggered war in the Gaza Strip. The violence has killed at least 473 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters but also including 92 civilians, according to an AFP tally. Israeli authorities say at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed in Israel's north. At the cemetery, women in black chadors consoled each other at the shiny new graves adorned with flowers and large pictures of the dead, including Hezbollah fighters. The Naqoura municipality said it had coordinated with the Lebanese Army so that residents could safely visit the cemetery and mosque for two hours for Eid al-Adha, which for many Shiite Muslims in Lebanon began on Monday.Residents reportedly returned to a number of south Lebanon border villages on Monday morning as part of similar initiatives.
'Thousand thanks'
Yellow Hezbollah flags and green ones belonging to the group's ally the Amal movement flew at the recently established cemetery near the sea, located just a stone's throw from the United Nations peacekeepers' headquarters. Lebanese soldiers accompanied the residents as they entered the town. The army coordinates with the U.N. peacekeepers, who in turn communicate with the Israeli side as part of efforts to maintain calm. In Naqoura, a damaged sign reading "thank you for your visit" lay along the highway. Amid the concrete rubble and twisted metal of one building, the shattered glass of a family photo lay scattered on the ground. Nearby, potted plants hung from the veranda rails of another devastated structure, with a pink child's toy car among the debris. Rawand Yazbek, 50, was inspecting her clothing shop, whose glass store front had been destroyed, though the rest remained largely intact. "A thousand thanks to God," she said, grateful that not all was lost. "As you can see... our stores are full of goods," she said, pointing to shelves and racks of colorful clothes.
'Cowardly'
Hezbollah stepped up attacks against northern Israel last week after an Israeli strike killed a senior commander from the group. The Iran-backed group has not claimed any attacks since Saturday afternoon. Lebanese official media reported Israeli bombardment in the country's south over the weekend, as well as a deadly strike on Monday. Hezbollah said later that one of its fighters had been killed. Like other residents who support Hezbollah and Amal, Naqoura municipality head Abbas Awada called attacks on the town "cowardly." Last week, a strike there blamed on Israel killed an employee of the area's public water company. More than 95,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced by the hostilities, according to the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration. Tens of thousands have also been displaced on the Israeli side of the frontier. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Ezzedine, among a large crowd that attended prayers at the Naqoura mosque, said the turnout was a message that "this land is ours, we will not leave it.""We support this resistance (Hezbollah) because it's what protects us, it's what defends us," he said.

Hezbollah publishes 10-minute video showing drone footage of Israel's Haifa
Jerusalem Post/June 18/2024
https://twitter.com/i/status/1803045591263453430
The group's head, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said in November that Hezbollah had been sending surveillance drones over Haifa. Hezbollah on Tuesday published a nine-minute 31, second-long video of what it said was footage gathered from its surveillance aircraft of locations in Israel, including the city of Haifa's sea and airports. Haifa is 27 kilometers (17 miles) from the Lebanese border. Drones been sent into Israel since start of war.The Iran-backed terrorist group has sent both surveillance and attack drones into Israel in the last eight months, as it exchanges fire with the Israeli military in parallel with the Gaza war. The US and France are working on a negotiated settlement to the hostilities along Lebanon's southern border.

Israel army says operational plans for Lebanon offensive ‘approved’
AFP/June 18, 2024
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said Tuesday operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were "approved and validated", as Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement engaged in cross-border exchanges of fire. Senior Israeli military officials "held a joint situational assessment in the Northern Command. As part of the situational assessment, operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved and validated," the military said in a statement. "Decisions were taken on the continuation of increasing the readiness of troops in the field."Lebanon's Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, and Israel have been trading near-daily fire since the Gaza war was trigged by the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on southern Israel. The sign-off came as Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz earlier warned Hezbollah that it would be destroyed in the event of a "total war" between the two. "We are very close to the moment when we will decide to change the rules of the game against Hezbollah and Lebanon. In a total war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be hit hard," Katz said, according to a statement from his office.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this month that the military was ready for an intense operation in Lebanon if necessary, pledging to restore security to the country's northern border. US special envoy Amos Hochstein was in Lebanon on Tuesday a day after meeting Israeli leaders, seeking "urgent" de-escalation on the Israel-Lebanon border.

Hezbollah war edges closer as Netanyahu hits out at US over weaponry
Walla/Jerusalem Post/June 18/2024
Senior US officials said the "suspicious and alarming" information points to computer models that Iranian scientists have made recently can be used for research and development of nuclear weapon. US and Israeli intelligence agencies are examining new information regarding computer models made recently by Iranian scientists, which can be used for the research and development of nuclear weapons, according to two senior officials in the US administration and two senior Israeli officials. The purpose for which the computer models were prepared is not clear. Some US and Israeli senior officials say the new information is a worrying signal of Iran's ambitions to obtain nuclear weapons. But other senior officials on both sides say that this is an isolated case, which does not represent a change in Iran's policy and strategy for obtaining nuclear weapons. Iran has repeatedly denied that it is interested in nuclear weapons.Senior US and Israeli officials will meet on Thursday at the White House for a meeting of the US-Israel Strategic Working Group (SCG) to discuss the state of the Iranian nuclear program and other issues. This will be the first high-level discussion between the US and Israel that will deal in depth with the Iranian nuclear program since March 2023. A senior Israeli official said that after the intelligence debacle surrounding the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Israeli intelligence is looking more seriously than usual at every shred of information about potential Iranian moves toward nuclear weapons. The US national intelligence assessment in 2007 determined that Iran has not had an active military nuclear program since 2003. US officials said that this assessment has not changed to this day. Two senior US and Israeli officials said that the intelligence agencies of the two countries have no indication that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has ordered the renewal of the military nuclear program. The White House and senior officials around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to comment. Last March, journalist Nadav Eyal reported in Yediot Ahronoth that Iran is working to obtain some components needed to produce a nuclear warhead, such as precision explosives. "If Iran is now taking preliminary steps to help build a nuclear warhead, it contradicts the long-standing consensus of US intelligence that they stopped trying to develop nuclear weapons in 2003," said Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington.

Yair Lapid: 'In our government, Hezbollah did not dare to attack Israel'
Walla/Jerusalem Post/June 18/2024
The opposition leader and former prime minister criticized the events in the north, saying, "We should give a chance for diplomatic action before burning down an entire country." Opposition head and former prime minister Yair Lapid addressed in a Tuesday interview with Udi Segal and Anat Davidov Radio 103FM the complicated situation in the North. "The use of force in the north is not ruled out," he clarified. "In our government, Hezbollah did not dare to attack. We need to give a chance to diplomacy before we burn down an entire country."Addressing conscription law  Regarding the protests outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence on Monday, he said, "Ben-Gvir has completed his takeover of parts of the police. We have never had a weaker and more dysfunctional government. The government excels in one thing—finding scapegoats for its failures. Nothing works, so go home." Referring to the conscription law, he said, "I will not turn conscription into a tool to overthrow the government." He added that "it [is a betrayal of the fighters, a betrayal of the reservists, a betrayal of the Israeli middle class and a betrayal of the IDF."
"The Israeli government is undermining the security of the country. Netanyahu is selling our fighters," Lapid stated. "During a time of war, they try to exempt tens of thousands of young people without any justification. Every day fighters are killed, since we met here last Monday we are already at 16 dead who gave their lives for the country, and the yeshiva students are hiding behind the Torah." "In order to recruit them, you don't need any process of adaptation. There is already such a process, it's called basic training. You come for basic training and after a few weeks or months, depending on which corps you are in, you have already adapted and you already fit in," he noted jokingly.

US wants to avoid ‘greater war’ along Lebanon-Israel border, envoy says
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/June 18, 2024
BEIRUT: The US is trying to avert a greater war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, American envoy Amos Hochstein said on Tuesday, following an escalation in cross-border fire between the foes along Lebanon’s southern frontier.Hochstein described the situation on the border between Lebanon and Israel as “very critical and very dangerous.”Hochstein, who arrived in Beirut from Tel Aviv, said during a series of meetings with Lebanese officials that “further escalation between Israel and Lebanon must be avoided so we won’t reach an open war. We seek to stop the escalation in order to avoid a major war.”He said a ceasefire in Gaza might end the war in southern Lebanon and allow displaced people to return to their homes, adding that “the conflict along both sides of the Blue Line has been going on for too long and ending it is in everyone’s interest.”The situation on the southern front has escalated in the past couple of days with Hezbollah’s recent unprecedented attacks. A Hezbollah reconnaissance Hudhud-1 drone released on Tuesday detailed footage of the port of Haifa Bay area and the Carmel area specifically, as well as a military manufacturing company and other military bases in Nahariya, Safad and Kiryat Shmona. Hezbollah said the drone was equipped with the latest photography technology “to identify its targets and the enemy’s gatherings and equipment.”It added that “the drone is characterized by its small size and radar, which makes it difficult to detect, follow and down with air defense missiles. “It is also known for its small amount of thermal radiation, reducing its likelihood of being hit by infrared missiles. It is also characterized by its low acoustic fingerprint, making it hard to identify in a battle atmosphere.”
Hochstein met Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun in the presence of the US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson.
The discussions revolved around the general situation in Lebanon and the region, as well as developments on the southern border. The US is highly concerned that hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army could escalate into an open war.
Aoun visited the Pentagon for the first time last week, where the escalating tensions with Israel were discussed. After an hour-long meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Hochstein told reporters that his visit “comes under difficult circumstances, and this is why he was dispatched by President Joe Biden to Lebanon.”He said he had a positive meeting with Berri, where they discussed the proposed deal in relation to Gaza, “which gives an opportunity to end the conflict on both sides of the Blue Line.”
Hochstein added that “the deal proposed by President Biden on May 31, 2024, which includes the release of the hostages and a full and complete ceasefire leading to the end of the war in Gaza, and which was approved by the Israeli side, Qatar, Egypt, the G7 and the UN Security Council, could end the war in Gaza and plan the withdrawal of the Israeli forces. If this is what Hamas wants, it should accept the deal.”
He noted: “A ceasefire in Gaza and/or an alternative diplomatic solution could also bring the conflict across the Blue Line to an end, creating conditions for displaced Lebanese civilians to go home in the south, and for Israeli civilians to go home in their north. The conflict along the Blue Line between Israel and Hezbollah has gone on for long enough. Innocent people are dying. Property is damaged. Families are shattered, and the Lebanese economy continues to decline. The country is suffering for no good reason. It’s in everyone’s interest to resolve it quickly and diplomatically. That is both achievable. And it is urgent.” Prime Minister Najib Mikati told Hochstein that “Lebanon does not seek escalation, and what is required is to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon and return to calm and stability on the southern border.” He said: “We continue to strive to stop the escalation, establish security and stability, and stop the ongoing violations of Lebanese sovereignty and the systematic killing and destruction committed by Israel. However, the continuous Israeli threats to Lebanon will not prevent us from continuing our efforts to establish calm, which is a priority for us and all of Lebanon’s friends.”Hochstein said: “We are going through dangerous times and critical moments, and we are working together to find ways to prevent further escalation.”In Tel Aviv, the head of the National Unity Party, Benny Gantz, told Hochstein: “Time is running out for an internationally mediated arrangement on the northern border with Lebanon.” Gantz wrote on social media that during his meeting with Hochstein, “I emphasized my commitment to removing the threat Hezbollah to the citizens of northern Israel, regardless of developments on the war in Gaza, and will support any responsible and effective political or military decision on the matter from outside the government.”Israeli Channel 12 reported: “Israel informed Hochstein that operations in Rafah, Gaza Strip, were nearing completion and the end of operations in Rafah would affect the region and the Lebanon front.”According to the Israeli army, Hezbollah has fired more than 5,000 rockets, anti-tank shells, and explosive drones into northern Israel since Oct. 8.Hezbollah halted its hostile operations for 48 hours, despite Israel not stopping its targeting of party members. The latest of these attacks was on Tuesday afternoon when a combat drone targeted a man driving a car to the town of Borgholiyeh, north of the city of Tyre.Another drone targeted a Hezbollah member driving a vehicle on Monday on the road linking the towns of Selaa and Chehabiyeh in the Tyre area, leading to his death. Israeli warplanes also conducted violent raids on the town of Chaqra, which hosts displaced people from frontline villages.
Hezbollah announced on Tuesday that it targeted “a Merkava tank inside the Hadab Yarin site with an assault drone, hitting it directly.”

All-out war with Hezbollah? Not a question of if, but when, expert says
Matan Wasserman/Jerusalem Post/June 18/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/130863/130863/
"We cannot accept a situation in which a terrorist organization leads to the evacuation of 80,000 residents from their homes in the North."
Dr. Omer Dostri, a research specialist at the "Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security," the "Eytan Center" and the "Israel Defense and Security Forum," spoke with Maariv and addressed the future of fighting against Hezbollah and the level of preparedness of the Israeli home front.
What is the significance of the visit of the special envoy of the President of the United States, Amos Hochstein, to Israel and Lebanon?
"The special envoy of the US administration, Amos Hochstein, has already held several rounds of meetings in Israel and Lebanon since October 7, with the aim of preventing further escalation and the start of an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon.
Hochstein is trying to reach a comprehensive agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which would involve an Israeli (military) withdrawal from along the border, which Hezbollah claims belongs to Lebanon, and not just an agreement to prevent escalation.
Why is political order not possible in Lebanon?
"It is hard to believe that Hezbollah will withdraw its forces beyond Litani on its own initiative and without any coercion. As far as the group is concerned, it is achieving strategic achievements against Israel, such as striking military bases and infrastructures, striking soldiers, and forcing the evacuation of Israeli civilians from entire parts of the North of the country. All this while maintaining a threatening balance of deterrence against Israel."
Dostri stressed: "In general, the idea of ​​Hezbollah withdrawing back past the Litani River is based on an outdated and naive ideal that vanished on October 7. Even if Hezbollah does withdraw beyond the Litani, the chances of which, as mentioned, are slim to non-existent, then it will be able to quickly return to its positions in the South, and it is likely that Israel will not respond again. This is due to its reluctance to go to war, as has happened in recent decades."
"Moreover, it is unlikely that international parties will be able to force Hezbollah to withdraw to northern Lebanon, either with a new agreement or after Hezbollah's inevitable return to the region shortly after it ostensibly withdraws to the North."
"Therefore, Israel will also not be able to settle for a new resolution in the UN Security Council, certainly not on the basis of the previous resolution 1701, which will not provide security for the country, as has been proven in recent decades. The security of the State of Israel cannot be based on foreign powers, certainly not on peacekeeping forces that have almost no authority and no ability to counter the threat of Hezbollah, and will ultimately strengthen the terrorist organization," he said.
If so, is war in the North an inevitable event?
"The State of Israel has no choice other than to embark on a large-scale and comprehensive war to defeat Hezbollah in order to provide security to its citizens, change the strategic picture, and reduce the threats against the State. This is as opposed to a limited military operation aimed at deterrence, such as in the Second Lebanon War."
"We cannot accept a strategic situation in which a terrorist organization leads to the mass evacuation of approximately 80,000 residents from their homes in the North. Hezbollah is currently the most serious threat to the State of Israel, bar Iran. If Israel does not manage to address this threat immediately, it will receive an 'October 7' in the North in a few years, after Hezbollah consolidates and re-establishes itself on the northern border."
Dostri further added: "Therefore, Israel must take advantage of the current security situation, the international legitimacy of a future response given Hezbollah's incessant attacks, the Israeli evasion of escalation so far in order to exhaust all diplomatic options, and the fact that Hezbollah cannot strategically and operationally surprise Israel at the border at this current time. The Israeli South is also in a state of war, and many reserve forces are mobilized. The army is prepared and ready regarding military skills and exercises."
"Additionally, it should be noted that since October 7, Israel continues to receive supplies of American weapons, most of which are intended for use in Lebanon and not in Gaza."
What might be the consequences of a war against Hezbollah on the Israeli home front?
"An all-out war with Hezbollah could lead to severe damage on the home front. Hezbollah has at its disposal over 150,000 missiles and rockets, thousands of long-range missiles, hundreds of precision missiles, a large arsenal of anti-tank missiles, fleets of UAVs and drones, good cyber capabilities, and more. The greatest threat to the home front - a possible invasion by Hezbollah special forces - was apparently prevented in October with the rapid and efficient deployment of IDF forces along the border."
"This scenario involves the launching of thousands of missiles per day across all parts of the country, with a reasonable possibility of hitting critical infrastructure such as electricity and water supplies."
"At the same time, if Israel initiates the attack, which will probably happen, and does not postpone it further, it is likely that it will carry out pre-emptive strikes against Hezbollah's weapons depots, which will reduce Hezbollah's long-range and precision launch capability. In addition, in a war with Hezbollah, Israel will use tremendous firepower, much more than the firepower used in Gaza, resulting in damage to vital national infrastructures in Lebanon and the destruction of entire neighborhoods in Lebanese cities, which will also make it difficult for Hezbollah to operate against the Israeli home front."
Is the Israeli home front ready for this?
"The Israeli government and the IDF, through the Home Front Command, should start preparing the Israeli home front for the reality of a war with Hezbollah. There was talk of possibly of starting a public advertising campaign on the matter, but this has not yet come to fruition. Israelis must be ready and prepared for such a scenario, which will happen with a high probability. The sooner we start, the better."
"In any case, there is faith in the need for war with Hezbollah, and the Israeli public is aware of the gravity of the situation, especially after October 7. Not only has the Israeli spirit not weakened, but it has strengthened. It is evident that the nation has a willingness for Israel to make sacrifices to defend itself and the citizens of Israel."
"This national resilience has resulted in aid drives to the fronts, widespread support to the soldiers, and a spirit of strength and love that means the people will allow the government to continue until the defeat of Hamas. In regards to the North, we hear and see heads of authorities and residents who are not ready for things to return to normal unless the situation with Hezbollah is resolved.
"This teaches us about the willingness of Israelis to defeat Hezbollah. And to create long-term peace and stability in the region, even if it involves temporary vulnerability on the home front," he concluded.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-806683

Lebanese Journalist Nadim Koteich: U.S. Student Protests Against Israel Ultimately Serve Iran, Islamist Organizations
MEMRI/June 18, 2024
In a June 4, 2024 article in the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Shi'ite Lebanese journalist and media figure Nadim Koteich writes that the student protests against the Gaza war in U.S. campuses ultimately serve extremist Islamist elements like Iran, Al-Qaeda and the organizations of political Islam. These elements, he explains, exploit the ideology of the liberal left to weaken the West and promote their own ideology that rejects pluralism, equality and human rights. He adds that, by presenting Israel as a temporary and illegitimate product of Western imperialism and even denying its right to exist, the liberal left adopts the narrative of these extremist Islamists and inadvertently serves their goals.
The following are translated excerpts from his article:[1]
"Iran's praise for the protests against the Gaza war held by students in U.S. campuses converged with the position of the Al-Qaeda organization [on these protests]. Iran's Supreme Leader praised what he called the steadfastness of the protesting [students], and said that they are 'on the right side of history' and 'have managed to open another resistance front against Israel.' A statement issued by Al-Qaeda's top leadership said, [in a similar vein], that 'we appreciate and esteem the protest movement of the students at the Western universities who are staging demonstrations and sit-ins to express their opposition to the genocide taking place in dear Gaza.'
"This puzzling convergence [of positions] between the liberal left and extremist Islam goes beyond geopolitical agreement and has grave ideological, psychological and strategic dimensions.
"True, the protest movement of left-wing students that supports the Palestinian cause usually focuses on human rights and social justice. Yet the finer details [of its position], which have to do with its radical opposition to Israel as a temporary product of illegal imperialism, fully conform to the perception of extremist Islamists like Al-Qaeda and the Iranian regime. The slogan 'Palestine will be free from the river to the sea,' which does not leave any room on the map for Israel, is a terrifying point of convergence between these students who are rising up in the Western universities and the narrative of the most extremist Islamists who pledge to exterminate Isael out of religious and ideological motivations, chief of them [the desire to] weaken the influence of the West and strengthen the model of political Islam. In this manner, the students at Western universities have become one of the elements that weaken the West itself – the Western [world] where they live and whose freedoms and universities they enjoy – and have become tools which the extremists use to defend their own extremism under the slogan of cultural and religious independence.
"The naivete of the liberal left contrasts with the exploitation of the student protests by the extremist organizations, which use [these protests] as a strategic opportunity to legitimize their own causes, broaden their support base and transform it into a platform for recruiting [more] supporters and operatives. Perhaps what blinds the liberal left is the convergence [of opinions] with the radical Islamists, and the assumption that they enjoy the moral high ground in their struggle with their joint enemies. [This assumption] disregards the fact that the ultimate social and political goal of the two sides is completely different. While the liberal left believes that it is promoting justice, equality and cultural pluralism, the extremist [Islamists] seek to establish closed and oppressive societies under the guise of holy war against corruption and moral degeneracy. The liberals' staunch defense of [the practice of wearing] the hijab may be the pinnacle of this surrealist farce. Because, while the liberals defend the hijab as an emblem of tolerance, pluralism and opposition to cultural imperialism, the leaders of political Islam use the hijab in their game of identity [politics] and of oppressing, controlling and subjugating women!
"Despite this, it seems that the ideological bond between the two camps is much stronger than the obvious differences in the goals and principles that each ultimately seeks to realize. Both sides espouse the idea of profound change and of toppling the existing frameworks of power. They also share the belief that revolutionary action – by social movements or through political upheaval or armed struggle – is the way to realize their goals and attain a just society.
"Since the narratives of both camps focus on opposing oppression and fighting for justice, and since both feel they are excluded from the existing global power frameworks, there is solid ground for agreement between them, with each side using the other's narrative to justify its actions and strategy.
"If we look back a bit, we will find that Iran made strategic use of the literature and ideologies of the left to realize its revolutionary goals. It combined elements of anti-colonial discourse with Marxist-Leninist perceptions of socioeconomic justice and support for the poor and the oppressed in order to arouse revolutionary sentiment. This was a key part of the efforts made by Iran [i.e., by Khomeini's supporters] to form strategic coalitions with left-leaning groups and academics, and to use the ideas of Ali Shariati[2] to unite the opposition to the Shah regime.
"The criticism of the liberal left against the economic and social ramifications of Western capitalism converged with the criticism voiced by political Islam against what it saw as the West's moral degeneration that stems from [capitalism] and against [the West's] use of [capitalism] as part of a policy of fanning international identity struggles. The criticism of the liberal left against the militarizing of democracy converged with the criticism voiced by political Islam against all relations with the West, which is presented as a Crusader power that controls the Muslims' physical and cultural resources and benefits from 'the weakness of the pro-Western [Muslim] regimes'!
"The contemporary example is the linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky, whose take on Al-Qaeda's September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington converged horrifically with Osama Bin Laden's own excuses. Chomsky believes that these attacks resulted from decades of American military policy in the Middle East and elsewhere, which bred a great deal of resentment and violent reactions. Chomsky's criticism of America's foreign policy indirectly benefits Bin Laden's narrative, which sees the U.S. as the enemy of the Muslim world. At the same time, Bin Laden's violence and extremism supports Chomsky's claim that America's policy increases hostility and terror."
[1] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), June 4, 2024.
[2] Ali Shariati Mazinani (1933-1977), an Iranian revolutionary and sociologist who focused on the sociology of religion, was called "the ideologue of the Iranian Revolution," but his ideas did not ultimately form the basis of the Islamic Revolution regime.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 18-19/2024
Israel's Netanyahu blames Biden for withholding weapons. US officials say that's not the whole story
Julia Frankel And Drew Callister/JERUSALEM (AP) /June 18, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday claimed the United States is withholding weapons and implied this was slowing Israel's offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where fighting has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation for Palestinians. President Joe Biden has delayed delivering certain heavy bombs to Israel since May over concerns about the killing of civilians in Gaza. However, the administration has gone to lengths to avoid any suggestion that Israeli forces have crossed a red line in the deepening Rafah invasion, which would trigger a more sweeping ban on arms transfers. Netanyahu, in a short video, spoke directly to the camera in English as he lobbed sharp criticisms at Biden over “bottlenecks” in arms transfers. “It’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel,” Netanyahu said, adding, “Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job a lot faster.”Netanyahu didn't elaborate on what weapons were being held back, and the Israeli military declined to respond to a request for comment. Ophir Falk, a foreign policy adviser to Netanyahu, deferred questions on details to the U.S. government. Netanyahu also claimed that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a recent visit to Israel, said he was working around the clock to end the delays. However, Blinken said the only pause in sending weapons to Israel was related to those heavy bombs from May, speaking during a news conference Tuesday at the State Department. “We, as you know, are continuing to review one shipment that President Biden has talked about with regard to 2,000-pound bombs because of our concerns about their use in a densely populated area like Rafah,” Blinken said. “That remains under review. But everything else is moving as it normally would.”The U.S. has given Israel crucial military and diplomatic support since the war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas began in October. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas, saying militants operate among the population. Two top Democrats in Congress have cleared the way for a $15 billion U.S. sale of F-15s to Israel to move forward, after a delay while one sought answers from the Biden administration on Israel’s current use of U.S. weapons in the war in Gaza. With the Israeli offensive now in its ninth month, international criticism has grown steadily over U.S. support for Israel’s air and ground campaign in Gaza, and the top United Nations court has concluded there is a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza — a charge Israel strongly denies. Both Netanyahu and Biden are balancing their own domestic political problems against the explosive Mideast situation, and the embattled Israeli leader has grown increasingly resistant to Biden’s public charm offensives and private pleading. Months of cease-fire talks have failed to find common ground between Hamas and Israeli leaders. Both Israel and Hamas have been reluctant to fully endorse a U.S.-backed plan that would return hostages, clear the way for an end to the war, and commence a rebuilding effort of the decimated territory. Netanyahu disbanded his war Cabinet on Monday, a move that consolidates his influence over the Israel-Hamas war and likely diminishes the odds of a cease-fire anytime soon. The move may also give Netanyahu leeway to draw out the war to stay in power. Critics accuse him of delaying because an end to the war would mean an investigation into the government’s failures on Oct. 7 and raise the likelihood of new elections when the prime minister’s popularity is low. Netanyahu denies the allegations and says he is committed to destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities — no matter how long that may take. Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 37,100 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. The war has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine and other supplies to Palestinians who are facing widespread hunger. Israel launched the war after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250.

Netanyahu: Inconceivable that US withholds weapons from Israel
Jerusalem Post/June 18/2024
Blinken then said that Washington was still reviewing one shipment of large bombs for Israel over concerns that they could be used in densely populated areas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the US withholding of weapons in a statement on Tuesday. "When Secretary Blinken was recently here in Israel, we had a candid conversation. I said I deeply appreciated the support the US has given Israel from the beginning of the war," he said. Blinken then said that Washington was still reviewing one shipment of large bombs for Israel over concerns that they could be used in densely populated areas.
Blinken was asked at a news conference about the status of arms shipments after Netanyahu said Blinken assured him last week that the Biden administration was working to remove restrictions on arms shipments. "But I also said something else," Netanyahu added. "I said it's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel.""Secretary Blinken assured me that the administration is working day and night to remove these bottlenecks. I certainly hope that's the case. It should be the case," Netanyahu further stated.
Netanyahu invokes Churchill
"During World War II, Churchill told the United States, 'Give us the tools, we'll do the job.' And I say, give us the tools and we'll finish the job a lot faster,” he concluded. The prime minister made these statements only two days after he dissolved the war cabinet in an attempt to defuse demands by far-right members of his coalition to be included in a small forum that has charted the direction of the Gaza war since the beginning of the war.

Netanyahu says Blinken assured him US will unblock weapons shipments
Steven Scheer and Humeyra Pamuk/JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON (Reuters)/June 18, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had assured him that the Biden administration was working to lift restrictions on arms deliveries to Israel, an exchange the top U.S. diplomat declined to confirm. In a rare expose of normally private high-level diplomatic conversations, Netanyahu said that when he met Blinken in Israel last week, he told him that it was "inconceivable" that in the past few months Washington was "withholding weapons and ammunitions" to Israel. "Israel, America's closest ally, fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and our other common enemies," Netanyahu said and added that Blinken assured him that the administration was working "day and night" to remove such bottlenecks. The Biden administration in May paused a shipment of 2,000 pound and 500-pound bombs due to concern over the impact they could have in densely-populated areas but Israel was still due to get billions of dollars worth of U.S. weaponry. Speaking at a news conference in Washington, Blinken repeatedly declined to detail his exchange with Netanyahu or confirm whether he had given the Israeli leader such assurances. He said weapons shipments with the exception of one with large bombs were moving as usual given Israel faced security threats beyond Gaza, including from Hezbollah and Iran. "We, as you know, are continuing to review one shipment that President Biden has talked about with regard to 2000-pound bombs because of our concerns about their use in a densely populated area, like Rafah. That remains under review," Blinken said. "But everything else is moving as it normally would move, and again with the perspective of making sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against this multiplicity of challenges.”Biden in April warned Israel that the U.S. would stop supplying it weapons if Israeli forces make a major invasion of Rafah, a refugee-packed city in southern Gaza. Days later, Israeli forces began an offensive in Rafah, saying Hamas militants were hiding there and reiterating that eliminating Hamas and bringing back hostages were Israel's main goals.Washington has not described Israel's offensive as a major military operation and therefore has not followed through on its ultimatum. Scrutiny on Israel's conduct of its military operation in Gaza has increased as the Palestinian death toll from the war has soared to above 37,000, according to health officials in the Hamas-run enclave and reduced the Strip to a wasteland. The war started when Palestinian Hamas militants burst over the border and attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage, according to Israeli tallies. On Monday, the Washington Post reported that two key Democrats in the U.S. Congress have agreed to support a major arms sale to Israel that includes 50 F-15 fighter jets worth more than $18 billion.

Gaza conflict has caused major environmental damage, UN says
Gloria Dickie and Alison Withers/Reuters/June 18, 2024
- The conflict in Gaza has created unprecedented soil, water and air pollution in the region, destroying sanitation systems and leaving tons of debris from explosive devices, a United Nations report on the environmental impact of the war said on Tuesday. The war between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip, has swiftly reversed limited progress in improving the region's water desalination and wastewater treatment facilities, restoring the Wadi Gaza coastal wetland, and investments in solar power installations, according to a preliminary assessment from the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP). Explosive weapons have generated some 39 million tons of debris, the report said. Each square metre of the Gaza Strip is now littered with more than 107 kilograms (236 lbs) of debris. That is more than five times the debris generated during the battle for Mosul, Iraq, in 2017, the report said. "All of this is deeply harming people's health, food security and Gaza's resilience," said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. Gaza's environment was already suffering from recurring conflicts, rapid urban growth, and high population density, before the most recent conflict began on Oct. 7. The U.N. assessment adds to concerns about the unfolding humanitarian crisis and the environmental costs of war, with Ukraine also recording widespread ecological damage over the past two years. "Understanding the environmental impacts of war is a grand challenge of our time," said Eoghan Darbyshire, a senior researcher at the UK-based nonprofit Conflict and Environment Observatory. "The impacts will not only be felt locally where the fighting is taking place, but may be displaced or even felt at the global scale via greenhouse gas emissions."
BASIC SANITATION SYSTEMS DESTROYED
The U.N. assessment stems from a December 2023 request from the Palestinian Environment Quality Authority for UNEP to take stock of environmental damages. UNEP is mandated to assist countries with pollution mitigation and control in areas affected by armed conflict or terrorism. Due to security concerns and access restrictions, the U.N. used remote sensing surveys and data from Palestinian technical entities, as well as damage assessments from the World Bank, in their report. Ground measurements, however, would be critical to understand the extent of soil and water pollution, Darbyshire said. Water, sanitation, and hygiene systems are now almost entirely defunct, the report found, with Gaza's five wastewater treatment plants shut down. Israel's long-term occupation had already posed major environmental challenges in the Palestinian territories with regards to water quality and availability, according to a 2020 report by the U.N. Development Programme. Over 92% of water in the Gaza Strip was then deemed unfit for human consumption. The Gaza Strip had one of the highest densities of rooftop solar panels in the world, with the U.S.-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies estimating in 2023 some 12,400 rooftop solar systems. But Israel has since destroyed a large proportion of Gaza's burgeoning solar infrastructure, and broken panels can leak lead and heavy metal contaminants into the soil. Since a week-long truce in November, repeated attempts to arrange a ceasefire have failed, with Hamas insisting on a permanent end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to end the war before Hamas is eradicated and the hostages seized by Hamas militants during the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the war are freed. Looking at the scale of environmental destruction, "it is my opinion that large areas of Gaza will not be recovered to a safe state within a generation, even with limitless finance and will," said Darbyshire.

Israeli forces deepen Rafah invasion, kill 17 in central camps
REUTERS/June 18, 2024
CAIRO: Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday killed at least 17 Palestinians in two of the Gaza Strip’s historic refugee camps and Israeli tanks pushed deeper into the enclave’s southern city of Rafah, residents and medics said. Residents reported heavy bombardments from tanks and planes in several areas of Rafah, where more than a million people had taken refuge before May. Most of the population has fled northwards since then as Israeli forces invaded the city. “Rafah is being bombed without any intervention from the world, the occupation (Israel) is acting freely here,” a Rafah resident and father of six told Reuters via a chat app. Israeli tanks were operating inside Tel Al-Sultan, Al-Izba, and Zurub areas in Rafah’s west, as well as Shaboura at the heart of the city. They also continued to occupy the eastern neighborhoods and outskirts as well as the border with Egypt and the vital Rafah border crossing. “There are Israeli forces in most areas, there is heavy resistance too and they are making them pay dearly but the occupation is not ethical and they are destroying the city and the refugee camp,” the resident said. Palestinian health officials said one man was killed in the morning by Israeli fire on the eastern side of Rafah. Medics said they believed many others had been killed in the past days and weeks but rescue teams could not reach them.

Israeli negotiator says tens of Gaza hostages 'alive with certainty'
Agence France Presse/June 18, 2024
A senior Israeli negotiator told AFP that tens of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are certainly alive and that Israel cannot accept halting the war until all captives are released in a deal. Hamas militants seized 251 hostages on October 7, of whom Israel believes 116 remain in Gaza, including 41 who the Israeli army says are dead. "Tens are alive with certainty," the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue. "We cannot leave them there a long time, they will die," he said, adding that a vast majority of them were being held by Hamas militants. U.S. President Joe Biden last month unveiled a three-phase proposal to end the war in Gaza, which includes a ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas. Biden said the first phase includes a "full and complete ceasefire" lasting six weeks, with Israeli forces withdrawing from "all populated areas of Gaza." The official said Israel could not end the conflict with Hamas before a hostage deal because the militants could "breach their commitment... and drag out the negotiations for 10 years" or more. "We cannot, at this point in time -- before signing the agreement -- commit to ending the war," the official said. "Because during the first phase, there's a clause that we hold negotiations about the second phase. The second phase is the release of the men and male soldier hostages."The official said the Israeli negotiating team had greenlit the Biden plan. "We expect, and are waiting for, Hamas to say 'yes,'" the official said.
The Israeli government has yet to publicly approve the Biden plan. "In the event we don't reach an agreement with Hamas, the IDF (Israeli army) will continue to fight in the Gaza Strip in a no less intense fashion than it's fighting now," he said.
"In a different manner, but an intense manner."The war between Israel and Hamas broke out after Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 that allegedly resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 37,347 people, mostly civilians, according to the territory's health ministry.

Lull in Gaza fighting despite blasts in south
Agence France Presse/June 18, 2024
Israel struck Gaza on Monday and witnesses reported blasts in the besieged territory's south, but fighting had largely subsided amid an army-declared "pause" to facilitate aid flows. The relative calm came as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved his war cabinet, reflecting Israel's political fractures. David Mencer, spokesman for the prime minister's office, said the body had been disbanded following the resignation of centrist leader Benny Gantz, who had required a war cabinet's formation in order to join a unity government. Mencer said the war cabinet's duties will be taken over by the pre-existing security cabinet which had finalized decisions proposed by the war cabinet. Israeli media said the move was meant to counter pressure from far-right politicians seeking a greater say in decision-making. The daytime "pause" for aid deliveries around a southern Gaza route, announced at the weekend by Israel's military which said it had begun on Saturday, appeared to be holding on Monday. The health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said it had recorded 10 deaths over the previous 24 hours, in one of the lowest daily tolls since the war began.
'Catastrophic hunger' -
Hamas' unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel triggered the war and resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people according to Israeli figures. The militants also seized 251 hostages. Of these, 116 remain in Gaza, although the Israeli army says 41 are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive aimed at eliminating Hamas has killed at least 37,347 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the territory's health ministry. Swathes of the territory's residential and other infrastructure have been reduced to rubble. On Monday witnesses told AFP they could hear blasts in the center and west of the southernmost city of Rafah. Palestinian officials there reported tank shelling early on Monday, before the start of the daily "local, tactical pause of military activity" announced by the army. Elsewhere in the Palestinian territory an AFP correspondent said strikes and shelling have decreased. In Gaza City, medics at Al-Ahli hospital said at least five people were killed in two separate air strikes, and witnesses reported tank shelling in the Zeitun district. At least one strike hit Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, residents said. The military said the pause "for humanitarian purposes will take place from 8:00 am (0500 GMT) until 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) every day until further notice along the road that leads from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Salah al-Din road and then northwards".
Fighting 'as planned'
Troops were still operating in Rafah and central Gaza, reporting "close-quarters combat" that killed several militants, the military said. Since ground forces went into Rafah against Hamas in early May, they have killed hundreds of militants and found "hundreds" of tunnel shafts, a military statement said on Monday. "There was no change" in the military's policy and fighting "continues as planned", an Israeli official stressed, speaking on condition of anonymity to AFP. Mahmud Basal, spokesman for Gaza's civil defense agency, said that apart from the deadly Gaza City strikes, "the other areas of the Gaza Strip are somewhat calm." The U.N. says aid access to Gaza has been severely hindered by factors including insecurity, the closing of crossing points to the territory, and Israeli procedural delays. The vital Rafah crossing with Egypt has been shut since Israeli forces seized its Palestinian side in early May. "The idea behind the tactical pause in general is to allow for the U.N. to collect and distribute more aid," Shimon Freedman, spokesman for COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body overseeing Palestinian civilian affairs, told reporters at Kerem Shalom, near Rafah.
'Waiting' for Hamas
In a message late Sunday for Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice, U.S. President Joe Biden called for implementation of a ceasefire plan he outlined last month, saying it was "the best way to end the violence in Gaza".Biden's plan would bring an initial six-week pause to fighting and Hamas would free hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Hamas has insisted on the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and a permanent ceasefire. Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners strongly oppose a ceasefire.He is also facing regular street protests by tens of thousands demanding a deal to free the hostages. But a senior Israeli negotiator, who told AFP that tens of hostages "are alive with certainty", said that Israel could not commit to ending the war until all the captives were released. The official said the Israeli negotiating team had approved Biden's plan. "We expect, and are waiting for, Hamas to say 'yes,'" he said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

IDF slams journalist's lie that chief of staff supports Hamas rule in Gaza
Jerusalem Post/June 18/2024
Yaakov Bardugo's claim that IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi supports the continuation of Hamas's rule in Gaza "is a serious lie and lacks any basis," the IDF said on Tuesday.
"The Chief of Staff has said himself countless times, also publicly, that Hamas's control of Gaza should not be allowed to continue," the IDF added. "At the same time, the government is the one who determines policy, and the IDF implements the directives as such. Other claims, as raised by the reporter in recent days, are complete lies and attempts to harm the IDF and the Chief of Staff who heads it, who leads the IDF in fighting against Hamas with great determination and with significant results."

UN says lawlessness in Gaza impedes aid via Kerem Shalom despite Israel's military pause
Michelle Nichols/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) /June 18, 2024
The United Nations said on Tuesday it has been unable to distribute aid in the Gaza Strip from the Israel-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing because of lawlessness and panic among hungry people in the area, despite Israel's daytime pause in military activity. Israel's military said on Sunday there would be a daily pause in its attacks from 0500 GMT until 1600 GMT until further notice along the road that leads from Israel via the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Salah al-Din Road and northwards in Gaza.The U.N. welcomed the move, U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Tuesday, but added that "this has yet to translate into more aid reaching people in need." He said the area between Kerem Shalom and the Salah al-Din road was very dangerous. "Fighting is not the only reason for being unable to pick up aid ... The lack of any police or rule of law in the area makes it very dangerous to move goods there," he said. "But we are ready to engage with all parties to ensure that aid reaches people in Gaza, and we'll continue to work with the authorities and with security forces, trying to see what can be done to have security conditions," Haq said. "When aid gets to a place, people are starving, and they're worried that this may be the last food that they see," he said. "They have to be assured that there's going to be a regular flow of goods so that there's not a panic when we get to the area."The United Nations and aid groups have long complained of the dangers and obstacles to getting aid in and distributing it throughout Gaza, where the U.N. had warned a famine is looming. Since the Israel-Hamas war began more than eight months ago, aid for 2.3 million Palestinians has primarily entered through two crossings into southern Gaza - the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel. But deliveries were disrupted when Israel stepped up its military operations in Rafah last month with the stated aim of routing remaining units of Hamas fighters. Egypt closed the Rafah crossing due to the threat posed to humanitarian work and has routed a backlog of aid and fuel via Kerem Shalom. Haq said on Tuesday that the Rafah crossing remained closed and there was limited access via Kerem Shalom. In Gaza's north, he said the Erez crossing was not accessible due to an escalation of fighting, while the West Erez and Zikim crossings were operational.

UN human rights chief: situation in West Bank 'drastically deteriorating'
Reuters/June 18, 2024
Palestinians in the Israeli occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem are suffering a drastically worsening human rights environment, alongside "unconscionable death and suffering" in the Gaza Strip, the U.N. human rights chief said on Tuesday. "The situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is dramatically deteriorating," Volker Turk, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the opening session of the U.N. Human Rights Council. The West Bank, where the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule under Israeli occupation, has seen the worst unrest for decades, in parallel with the war in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas. Turk said that from the start of the Gaza war in October through mid-June, 528 Palestinians, 133 of them children, had been killed by Israeli security forces or settlers in the West Bank, in some cases raising "serious concerns of unlawful killings".
Twenty-three Israelis have been killed in the West Bank and Israel in clashes with or attacks by Palestinians, he said. In Gaza, Turk said he was "appalled by the disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law" by parties to the war. "Israel's relentless strikes in Gaza are causing immense suffering and widespread destruction, and the arbitrary denial and obstruction of humanitarian aid have continued," Turk said. "Israel continues to detain arbitrarily thousands of Palestinians. This must not continue."He added that Palestinian armed groups were continuing to hold hostages, including in populated areas, which put both the hostages and civilians at risk. Israel's permanent mission to the U.N. in Geneva accused Turk of "completely omitting the cruelty and barbarity of terrorism" in his address to the U.N. Human Rights Council. "Hostilities in Gaza are the direct result of Hamas terrorism, decades of rocket-fire and incitement against the Jewish people and the State of Israel, culminating in its brutal attacks against Israel on October 7," the diplomatic mission said in a statement. Israel's ground and air campaign was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's offensive has killed more than 37,400 people in Gaza, according to its health authorities, and left much of the enclave's population homeless.

A Swedish diplomat says his release from a 2-year detention in Iran is like a dream
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)/June 18, 2024
The Swedish European Union diplomat who was held in Iran for two years and freed in a prisoner swap over the weekend said Tuesday that his release was “the dream that I sometimes did not dare to believe in."
Johan Floderus and a second Swedish citizen, Saeed Azizi, returned to Sweden on Saturday in exchange for Hamid Nouri, an Iranian convicted in Stockholm of committing war crimes over his part in 1988 mass executions in the Islamic Republic. Floderus was arrested in April 2022 at the Tehran airport while returning from a vacation with friends. He had been held for months before his family and others went public with his detention.
“After two long years, I am finally a free man, reunited with my family, my fiance, and will be able to marry," he said in a statement to Swedish media. "The dream that I sometimes did not dare to believe in has come true — to be back with my loved ones and to live my life in freedom.” Sweden's Expressen tabloid posted a video of Floderus on his knee at the airport on Saturday and appearing to be proposing to his fiance. In the background stood Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who had welcomed Floderus and Azizi at the airport and said they had faced a “hell on earth.”The swap was mediated by Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula that has long served as an interlocutor between Iran and the West. It came as the Muslim world celebrates Eid al-Adha, which marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage and typically sees prisoners freed. The arrest of Nouri by Sweden in 2019 as he traveled there as a tourist likely sparked the detentions of the two Swedes, part of a long-running strategy by Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution to use those with ties abroad as bargaining chips in negotiations with the West. Iran long has contended it doesn’t hold prisoners to use in negotiations, despite years of multiple swaps with the U.S. and other nations showing otherwise. In 2022, the Stockholm District Court sentenced Nouri to life in prison. It identified him as an assistant to the deputy prosecutor at the Gohardasht prison outside the Iranian city of Karaj.

India and US vow to boost defense, trade ties in first high-level US visit since Modi's election win
NEW DELHI (AP)/June 18, 2024
India and the United States on Monday pledged to boost defense and technology cooperation and remove long-standing barriers to bilateral strategic trade, following a meeting between the national security advisers of both countries. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is on a two-day visit to the Indian capital, New Delhi, the first from a high-ranking U.S. official since Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a third straight term in India's general election earlier this month. Sullivan met with his counterpart, Ajit Doval, to discuss progress on the Initiative on Critical Emerging Technologies, which the two countries launched in 2022. The initiative sets a path for collaboration on semiconductor production and developing artificial intelligence and was critical in sealing a deal that will allow U.S.-based General Electric to partner with India’s Hindustan Aeronautics to produce jet engines in India. On Monday, the two officials emphasized the need for more collaboration, with a focus on funding innovative research in areas like semiconductor manufacturing, clean energy and machine learning. They also discussed the possible co-production of land warfare systems, according to a joint statement. Sullivan also held talks with Modi, in which the two reaffirmed their commitment to bolstering ties between New Delhi and Washington, and he met with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. On Tuesday, Sullivan is expected to meet with industry and business leaders. India and the U.S. have grown closer recently, as both countries eye China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region with caution. Modi was honored with a pomp-filled state visit last year, where he and U.S. President Joe Biden called the India-U.S. relationship among the most consequential in the world. But ties have also been tested after U.S. prosecutors last year accused an Indian government official of orchestrating a plot to murder a Sikh separatist leader in New York. Sullivan's visit to New Delhi comes as an Indian national was extradited to the U.S. from the Czech Republic to face charges of murder for hire and conspiracy to commit murder for hire, in relation to the assassination plot, which was foiled by U.S. officials. The charges were the second recent accusation of complicity by Indian government officials in attempts to kill Sikh separatist figures living in North America. In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were credible allegations that the Indian government had links to the assassination in that country of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. While India rejected Trudeau's accusations, it has set up an investigation committee to look into the U.S. allegations.

Ukraine claims its drones hit a Russian oil facility, sparking a huge blaze
Hanna Arhirova/KYIV, Ukraine (AP)/June 18, 2024
Ukraine claimed responsibility Tuesday for an overnight drone attack on a Russian oil facility that started a massive blaze in the latest long-range strike by Kyiv’s forces on a border region. Ukraine has in recent months stepped up aerial assaults on Russian soil, targeting refineries and oil terminals in an effort to slow down the Kremlin’s war machine. Moscow’s army is pressing hard along the front line in eastern Ukraine, where a shortage of troops and ammunition in the third year of war has made defenders vulnerable. The attack set fire to an oil reservoir in Russia’s Rostov region and more than 200 firefighters were at the scene, according to Rostov Gov. Vasily Golubev. The blaze covered an area of 5,000 square meters (55,000 square feet) but there were no casualties, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said. A Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give the information to the media, said the attack was a special operation of Ukraine’s Security Service, known as SBU. The drones targeted two Rostov oil depots that have 22 oil reservoirs, the official said. It was not possible to independently confirm the claim. Kyiv officials normally decline comment about attacks on Russian territory, though they sometimes refer obliquely to them. Ukrainian drone developers have been extending the weapons’ range for months, as Kyiv attempts to compensate for its battlefield disadvantage. The unmanned aerial vehicles are also an affordable option while Ukraine waits for the arrival of more Western military aid.

U.S. designates Iran-aligned Ansar Allah al-Awfiya as terrorist organization
Darryl Coote/UPI/June 18, 2024
The United States has designated Iraq-based Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya as a terrorist organization as the Biden administration cracks down Iran proxy militias amid Israel's war in Gaza. The U.S. State Department sanctioned the Iran-backed group as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization along with its 46-year-old secretary general, Muzhir Ma'lak al-Sa'idi. "The United States remains committed to using all available tools to counter Iran's support for terrorism and to degrade and disrupt the ability of Iran-backed groups to conduct terrorist attacks," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya is part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which has claimed responsibility for several recent attacks from Iraq and Syria targeting U.S. military, including a January drone strike that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan. The U.S. State Department said Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya was involved in the strike. "HAAA is being designated for having committed or attempted to commit, posing a significant risk of committing or having participated in training to commit acts of terrorism that threaten the security of United States nationals or the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United States," the State Department said in a second statement, adding that al-Sa'idi was being hit for leading the organization. The designation, which denies those named from the U.S. financial system, comes amid Israel's war against Hamas, another Iran proxy militia, in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. The conflict has embolden the Iran-backed groups, several of which have attacked U.S. military personnel and assets since the war began on Oct. 7. Though stating it is not seeking to escalate the conflict, the United States has responded to the threat, and in early February retaliated for its three soldiers killed with an massive airstrike, hitting dozens of targets Baghdad. The United States has previously designated three other Islamic Resistance in Iraq members -- Kata'ib Hezbollah in July 2009, Harakat al-Nujaba in March 2019 and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada in November.
On Monday, the United States also sanctioned networks aiding Yemen's Houthi rebels, another Iran proxy militia, that has been attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden amid the war. The Houthi rebels were designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group in January.

Iran slaps one-year prison term on Nobel winner Mohammadi
AFP/June 18, 2024
TEHRAN: An Iranian court has sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to a year in prison for “propaganda against the state,” the jailed activist’s lawyer said on Tuesday. Mohammadi, 52, has been jailed since November 2021 over several past convictions relating to her advocacy against the obligatory hijab for women and capital punishment in Iran. Lawyer Mostafa Nili said on X that “Mohammadi was sentenced to one year in prison for propaganda against the system.”Nili said “the reasons for issuing this sentence” include calls to boycott parliamentary elections, letters to Swedish and Norwegian lawmakers and “comments about Mrs.Dina Ghalibaf.”Rights groups have said that Ghalibaf, a journalist and student, had been taken into custody after accusing security forces on social media of putting her in handcuffs and sexually assaulting her during a previous arrest at a metro station. Ghalibaf has since been released. The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan Online website said on April 22 that Ghalibaf “had not been raped” and that she was being prosecuted for making a “false statement.” Iranian police have intensified enforcement of the country’s dress code for women.

Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on June 18-19/2024
Israel Gave Work Permits, While Palestinians Planned Oct. 7 Massacre
Bassam Tawil/ Gatestone Institute/June 18, 2024
Prior to the October 7 massacre, more than 170,000 Palestinians were working in Israel, constituting an important source of income for the Palestinian economy.... The Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who were permitted to work in Israel received many of the same rights as Israeli workers, including health insurance and pension plans.
"I will be able to earn about $120 dollars a day [in Israel], while I cannot even earn $250 dollars a month in Gaza. Due to the difficult political and economic conditions, the people of the Gaza Strip suffer greatly from poverty and are unable to build a future for their children like their parents." — Mohammed Kamal, a 38-year-old father of four from the Gaza Strip, newarab.com, March 24, 2022.
It appears that the murderers and rapists from the Gaza Strip saw Israel's goodwill gestures as an indication of Israel's weakness. In addition, they apparently saw the controversy in Israel surrounding the Israeli government's judicial reform plan as a sign that Israel had become extremely weak, especially when anti-government protesters threatened to boycott military reserve service.
The October 7 atrocities serve as a reminder that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not about improving the living conditions of the Palestinians or strengthening their economy. Instead, the conflict is about the desire of the majority of Palestinians to slaughter Jews and destroy Israel.
Pre-and post-October 7 public opinion polls have consistently demonstrated that the majority of Palestinians back Hamas and believe that the atrocities committed on that day were "correct."
Now, Palestinians can blame Hamas not only for dragging them into a disastrous war with Israel, but also for having left tens of thousands of families jobless in the wake of their loss of permits to work in Israel.
Instead of brainwashing and indoctrinating their people against Israel and Jews, Palestinian leaders need to be required to focus on creating job opportunities and boosting the Palestinian economy, which the flow of international handouts have relieved them from doing.
The Palestinians would also greatly benefit if they would realize that there are actually dire repercussions when they "bite the hand that feeds them."
After the October 7 atrocities, it would be absurd to assume that Israel will once more welcome tens of thousands of laborers from the Gaza Strip. Many of those workers to whom Israel opened its doors were apparently working in Israel by day, and by night returning to Gaza and providing Hamas with highly detailed maps and drawings of every house in Israel's border communities, and reports about everyone in them, including the pet dogs.
A massacre was not the outcome many had expected after the Israelis' willingness to help to improve the lives of their Palestinian neighbors.
"Black-and-white depictions of Gaza before the war are not only inaccurate but fail to capture the color-rich realities that existed, in which the potential for coexistence and peace was present in daily occurrences; human-to-human connections between Palestinian workers and Israelis were a window of what the future could look like." — Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, former resident of the Gaza Strip, x.com, June 16, 2024.
On the eve of Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Israeli authorities had issued work permits to some 18,500 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a body responsible for Palestinian civil affairs. Israel was forced to revoke the work permits for security reasons after the October 7 atrocities carried out by Hamas and thousands of "ordinary" Palestinians.
This was particularly true in light of evidence that some of the workers had used their time in Israel to gather intelligence on the Israeli communities that were targeted on October 7. The work permits of another 80,000 Palestinians from the West Bank have also been suspended in the aftermath of the Hamas attack. Prior to the October 7 massacre, more than 170,000 Palestinians were working in Israel, constituting an important source of income for the Palestinian economy.
On September 28, 2023, an Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent said he saw "crowds of Palestinians waiting at the [Erez border] terminal from the early hours, including many who had spent the night at the complex."
Awni Obu Oma, a Palestinian construction worker from the Gaza Strip, was quoted as saying: "We learnt at midnight that the Erez crossing would open today, and I have been waiting here since 1:00 in the morning." Many Palestinians, desperate to work in Israel, were prepared to wait for hours at the border crossing before it opened in order to get to jobs in Israel. The Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who were permitted to work in Israel received many of the same rights as Israeli workers, including health insurance and pension plans.
Palestinian trade unions had said the reopening of the border between Israel and Gaza was a "positive step:" the workers had far higher earnings in Israel than in the Gaza Strip, where salaries are low and unemployment is rife. By 10:00 am, nearly 6,000 workers had crossed through the gateway, a Palestinian border officer at the crossing told AFP.
The Israeli goodwill gesture of expanding the number of Palestinian work permits came only days after Palestinians had rioted near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip and had attacked Israeli soldiers with stones, Molotov cocktails, and explosive devices. Palestinian workers were joyful over the Israel's decision to overlook the riot.
Ayman al-Rifi, who worked at a restaurant in the Israeli coastal city of Jaffa, said:
"I'm very happy that the crossing is open. We have nothing to do with this problem [the riots]. I hope workers stay out of these problems because if Erez border crossing is closed, we suffer."
On the same day, Reuters quoted Palestinian construction worker Khaled Zurub, 57, as saying: "We want to go to work and earn a living for our children because the situation was too bad for us the past two weeks."
Two months before the Hamas-led attack, during which 1,200 Israelis were murdered and thousands of others wounded, the Israeli authorities were reportedly discussing increasing the number of work permits for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip even further, to ease tensions and improve the living conditions of the residents of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Israel's state-owned broadcaster Kan 11 pointed out at the time that the number of permits had been at a "record level," and that Israel had wanted "to improve the economic situation in the Gaza Strip."
In October 2021, Israel allowed Gazans to apply for work permits in Israel for the first time since Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007.
Most of the workers from the Gaza were employed in the agriculture, construction and tourism industries and received wages that range between USD $70 to $250 dollars per day, depending on their skills -- five times the income a worker is able to receive in the Gaza Strip.
In March 2022, The New Arab website quoted Mohammed Kamal, a 38-year-old father of four from the Gaza Strip, as saying that he planned to stop studying for a master's degree in order to start working in Israel:
"I graduated from university in 2008, but I was unable to work in my field, and I was forced to work as an accountant in a local factory. After years of trying, I managed to get a master's scholarship to complete my education, but now I have to stop that because I would rather work and earn money for my children and family."
Kamal added that he planned to work in Israel as an assistant to one of his relatives in the construction industry.
"I will be able to earn about $120 dollars a day, while I cannot even earn $250 dollars a month in Gaza. Due to the difficult political and economic conditions, the people of the Gaza Strip suffer greatly from poverty and are unable to build a future for their children like their parents."
In 2022, then Defense Minister Benny Gantz revealed that Israel was planning to increase the number of work permits for Palestinians from the Gaza Strip from 5,000 to 20,000. The pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported:
"[Israeli] Political authorities believe the gradual increase in the number of Palestinian workers will prompt Hamas to consider any escalation since it will take into account that the thriving labor movement is a major factor in supporting the economy.
"Workers bring to the [Gaza] enclave up to 90 million shekels [roughly USD $24 million] per month, in light of the difficult and deteriorating economic situation there."
Israel's attempts to support the Palestinian economy nevertheless failed to stop thousands of Israelis from being murdered, raped, beheaded, mutilated and burned alive on October 7 by Hamas terrorists and "ordinary" Palestinians. It appears that the murderers and rapists from the Gaza Strip saw Israel's goodwill gestures as an indication of Israel's weakness. In addition, they apparently saw the controversy in Israel surrounding the Israeli government's judicial reform plan as a sign that Israel had become extremely weak, especially when anti-government protesters threatened to boycott military reserve service.
The October 7 atrocities serve as a reminder that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not about improving the living conditions of the Palestinians or strengthening their economy. Instead, the conflict is about the desire of the majority of Palestinians to slaughter Jews and destroy Israel.
Pre-and post-October 7 public opinion polls have consistently demonstrated that the majority of Palestinians back Hamas and believe that the atrocities committed on that day were "correct." More than 80% of the Palestinians believe that the massacres "put the Palestinian issue at the center of attention and eliminated years of neglect at the regional and international levels," the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research noted in its latest poll on June 12.
Now, Palestinians can blame Hamas not only for dragging them into a disastrous war with Israel, but also for having left tens of thousands of families jobless in the wake of their loss of permits to work in Israel.
Instead of brainwashing and indoctrinating their people against Israel and Jews, Palestinian leaders need to be required to focus on creating job opportunities and boosting the Palestinian economy, which the flow of international handouts have relieved them from doing.
The Palestinians would also greatly benefit if they would realize that there are actually dire repercussions when they "bite the hand that feeds them."
After the October 7 atrocities, it would be absurd to assume that Israel will once more welcome tens of thousands of laborers from the Gaza Strip. Many of those workers to whom Israel opened its doors were apparently working in Israel by day, and by night returning to Gaza and providing Hamas with highly detailed maps and drawings of every house in Israel's border communities, and reports about everyone in them, including the pet dogs.
A massacre was not the outcome many had expected after the Israelis' willingness to help to improve the lives of their Palestinian neighbors.
Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a social media influencer and former resident of the Gaza Strip, remarked:
"Before the October 7 massacre, 20,000 Gazans received permits to work in Israel and would have pleasant daily interactions with Israelis, including with soldiers at the Erez Crossing. This fact doesn't erase all the other problems and issues that existed before 10/7; instead, it illustrates the complexities of life in the coastal enclave and how so many aspired to have contact with Israelis to earn a decent living and focus on providing for their families and communities. Black-and-white depictions of Gaza before the war are not only inaccurate but fail to capture the color-rich realities that existed, in which the potential for coexistence and peace was present in daily occurrences; human-to-human connections between Palestinian workers and Israelis were a window of what the future could look like. A friend of mine in Gaza left the NGO sector and worked in Israel up until last August; within 10 months, he paid off his massive debts, built himself an apartment, and got married. He spoke highly of the Israeli contractors he worked with and had such respect for all with whom he came in contact."
*Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East. The work of Bassam Tawil is made possible through the generous donation of a couple of donors who wished to remain anonymous. Gatestone is most grateful.
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Terror groups in Gaza compete with Hamas to carry out attacks on Israel - analysis
Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/June 18/2024
These groups worked together in Gaza and had their eyes on the post-war period. Now, these groups are filling the breach and the vacuum.
Hamas is continuing its attacks on the IDF in Gaza eight and a half months into the war. Increasingly, a number of other terrorist groups in Gaza are also seeking to carry out daily attacks on Israeli forces.
This is clear from claims made by the groups to pro-Iranian media. For instance, on Tuesday, an article published by Beirut-based Al Mayadeen news channel listed six terrorist groups in addition to Hamas that had carried out attacks over the past day.
Hamas is increasingly competing for space in these reports, even though its attacks are listed first. For instance, Hamas claimed Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades, its so-called military wing, had carried out an attack using Yassin-105 shells against the IDF in Tal al-Sultan. It also claimed to have used mortars. Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades also claimed to have carried out an attack in Rafah. In addition, the same PIJ units said they had used a drone to target IDF forces near Kerem Shalom.
In the same Al Mayadeen article, the Mujahideen Brigades, which are part of the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement, said they had fired rockets toward Re’im in the Gaza periphery. “The Mujahideen Brigades broadcast footage of monitoring and targeting gatherings and the route of the Israeli occupation forces south of the Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza with Type 107 missiles,” the pro-Iranian media outlet reported. Meanwhile, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said it had carried out an attack against the Netzarim corridor. The Martyr Omar Al-Qasim unit, which is part of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), said it had used an RPG to target an IDF armored personnel carrier in Rafah. The Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said it had used 60-mm. mortars in an attack in the Zaytoun neighborhood near Gaza City. It said it had cooperated with the DFLP. This report is similar to many recent reports about attacks in Gaza. What is also clear is how many attacks, as an overall percent, are now being carried out by all the other terrorist groups in Gaza. These groups also operate in the West Bank.
They seek to leverage their attacks in Gaza to increase their role in the West Bank. These groups are not only working together in Gaza, but they also have their eyes on the postwar period. Hamas is letting the other groups operate because it has often partnered with PIJ in Gaza. But Hamas appears to also need the resources of these groups. Hamas has taken losses. Israel doesn’t usually differentiate between Hamas losses and those of the other groups, but the bulk of the losses in the Gaza war have been suffered by Hamas. This means these groups are filling the breach and the vacuum. Hamas will want to clip their wings eventually. But at the moment, these groups are taking an increased role in the terrorist war being waged against the IDF in Gaza. This makes sense for the smaller groups because they don’t have access to the larger munitions that Hamas once had. They have AK-47s, RPGs, and some mortars or rockets. Therefore, this kind of war, in which they can seek out targets of opportunity in Gaza, is well tuned to how the smaller groups can operate.

The Russians Are Coming
Lawrence Kadish/Gatestone Institute/June 18, 2024
In a dramatic reminder that the Russians are seeking to intimidate the White House and launch a second chapter of the Cold War, a Russian nuclear-powered submarine
The Russians are coming. Again. In a dramatic reminder that the Russians are seeking to intimidate the White House and launch a second chapter of the Cold War, a Russian nuclear-powered submarine, along with an accompanying flotilla of warships, recently spent five days visiting Cuba. In the event, the Oval Office missed the point; several of these vessels can deploy nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. Published reports suggest the Biden Administration's response is studied indifference, telling reporters that missile test firings off the Florida coast by the Russian vessels were routine.
Hardly.
Putin's navy is reminding the United States that it has recaptured the Soviet Union's ability to project naval power where and when it wants. And by extension, that if it wishes to send a potent reminder that it has the coordinates of America's cities if it ever came to unleashing the unimaginable, it doesn't need to base ballistic missiles in Cuba. This display of military power by an adversary on the march is not something that has gone unnoticed by the American public. In a recent poll conducted by McLaughlin Associates, it becomes clear that our citizens are seeking strong, resolute, and unequivocal national leadership at a time of historic international tensions.An overwhelming 88% of those surveyed said they were concerned about the prospect of a new Cold War, and more than half of the respondents feel that America's national security has declined. In addition, Putin's saber-rattling in Havana Harbor is a reminder that some 54% of Americans responding to the survey believe Putin is capable of using nuclear weapons against the United States. The findings come at a time when Americans will be asked who will occupy the Oval Office for the next four years. It is a sobering reminder that at a time when we are witnessing political wrangling here at home, there are serious external threats that seek to challenge our nation's future. It would be wise to appreciate that while Putin's navy may have departed Havana Harbor, they left behind a message for every American.
*Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

How the world views US presidential candidates
Kerry Boyd Anderson/Arab News/June 18, 2024
As the US presidential election looms on the horizon, recent polling shows that global publics clearly prefer President Joe Biden to Donald Trump, while Americans are more divided between the two.
Last week, the Pew Research Center published the results of surveys in 34 countries and found that “a median of 43 percent have confidence in Biden to do the right thing regarding world affairs, while just 28 percent have confidence in Trump.” In all but five countries in the survey, more people express confidence in Biden than in Trump. In some cases, the gap was enormous, including Sweden, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands, where Biden scored higher than Trump by more than 40 percentage points. The Pew results range across continents and different types of countries. Biden is clearly more popular than Trump in much of Europe. And citizens of crucial US allies in the Pacific — Japan, South Korea and Australia — have far more confidence in Biden than in Trump. The pro-Biden gap in other countries in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe is narrower, but Biden still does well. In India, Biden has only two percentage points over Trump and they are tied in Bangladesh. Of the 34 countries in the survey, respondents in only three express greater confidence in Trump than in Biden. In Turkiye, neither Trump nor Biden scored well, with only 8 percent expressing confidence in Biden and 10 percent in Trump. In Tunisia, 7 percent have confidence in Biden and 17 percent in Trump. In Hungary, Trump beats Biden by 13 percentage points, with 37 percent expressing confidence in the former president.
While many people around the world prefer Biden to Trump, the Pew survey also shows a decline in people’s confidence in Biden in multiple countries compared to 2023. Out of 21 countries for which Pew has data from last year and this year, confidence in Biden has dropped in 14 of them. This includes a diverse group, from South Africa to Israel to Japan to Canada.
Biden also faces criticism on some key global issues, according to the Pew survey. Opinions are nearly evenly split on how he is handling climate change and global economic problems. More people disapprove than approve of his approach to China and the Russian-Ukrainian War. Fifty-seven percent of respondents disapprove of Biden’s approach to the war in Gaza. Despite some decline, Biden can feel positive about how much of the world’s public views him, but he is struggling more with the public that will determine whether he wins a second presidential term — Americans.
In the latest FiveThirtyEight polling average, Trump is ahead of Biden by 1.1 percentage points among voters. The polling average also shows that 56.5 percent of respondents disapprove of Biden’s performance as president, while only 38 percent approve. In comparison, 53.8 percent have an unfavorable view of Trump compared to 41.5 percent with a favorable view. However, a May Gallup poll found that Americans were equally divided in terms of favorability, with 46 percent expressing a favorable view of Trump and another 46 percent of Biden.
While global publics naturally care more about US foreign policy, the American public typically cares more about domestic policy. A Pew poll from April found that 83 percent of Americans said Biden should focus more on domestic issues than on foreign policy. However, when considering Americans’ views on foreign policy, the results are mixed and often reflect partisan perspectives. Overall, there is a sense of frustration. A February poll from Gallup found a major decline in whether Americans thought that world leaders respect Biden — from nearly 60 percent at the start of his presidency to 37 percent in February. A March Gallup poll found that 40 percent of US adults approved of Biden’s job as president but rated his performance on foreign policy (33 percent approval) and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (27 percent approval) lower.
Biden entered the White House with a reputation as an experienced foreign policy leader and initially received high marks from the American public. However, the chaotic nature of the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 began to damage Americans’ views of Biden’s foreign policy. At the start of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, many Americans backed Biden’s support for Kyiv, but growing partisan polarization in attitudes toward the war — combined with military stalemate and increasing difficulties for Ukraine — have undermined American consensus on the issue.
One significant reason for the difference in global versus American perspectives is the increasingly partisan nature of US politics. Then Biden faced new challenges as the war in Gaza unexpectedly gained traction among the US public, with many Democrats opposing Biden’s strong support for Israel while Republicans criticize him for not doing even more to back Tel Aviv. Indeed, polling suggests that Biden’s approach to the war in Gaza is dragging down views of his foreign policy among Americans and abroad.
While much of the world has greater confidence in Biden as a global leader than in Trump, Americans’ views are more mixed. One significant reason for the difference in global versus American perspectives is the increasingly partisan nature of US politics, as Americans often view a president and his policies through the lens of Democratic or Republican identity. Another factor is that the American public puts greater emphasis on domestic policy. A less tangible but still important driver is a generalized sense of frustration among Americans, which appears to be hurting the incumbent president and potentially benefiting his rival.Polling of foreign publics provides very interesting insights into how the world views the US and its leadership. But, in the end, American voters will determine whether Biden or Trump will shape US foreign policy in the future.
*Kerry Boyd Anderson is a professional analyst of international security issues and Middle East political and business risk. X: @KBAresearch

Why Mojtaba Khamenei is unlikely to be Iran’s next supreme leader
Hassan Al-Mustafa/Arab News/June 18, 2024
The late religious authority Muhsin Al-Tabatabaei Al-Hakim was leader of the hawza (a seminary where Shiite Muslim clerics are trained) in Najaf from 1946 until 1970 and was a great scholar revered by millions of Shiite Muslims around the world.
Al-Hakim, highly regarded by political leaders and governments in various countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, had many children who attained esteemed positions in science and religion. Some of his children eventually became prominent leaders in exile.
When Al-Hakim passed away in 1970, his absence left a big void. Delegations and tribes attended his house and chanted the name of his son, Youssef Al-Hakim, who was a knowledgeable scholar and a highly respected figure in Najaf.
The delegations that came continued to chant “Sayed Youssef, we pledge allegiance to you, Sayed Youssef, we follow you,” in a clear indication of their desire for Al-Hakim’s son to be a religious authority. However, the son was uninterested in the position and rejected all popular pressure, even though he met the legal requirements.
Youssef Al-Hakim did not accept the position of grand ayatollah not only because of his asceticism, but also due to the strict protocol followed in the religious seminary in Najaf, which was not easy to break.
It is customary in the hawza that the son does not become a religious authority after his father’s death because religious authority is not inherited. Rather, it is a responsibility that a knowledgeable scholar takes on after meeting the conditions recognized by senior scholars and distinguished researchers.
This also happened after the death of another religious authority, Mahmoud Ali Abdullah Al-Shahroudi, who died in Najaf in 1974. He was a religious authority and a professor for many scholars.
Al-Shahroudi had two highly knowledgeable sons, Mohammed and Hussein. Both of them were greatly respected due to their dedication to teaching, jurisprudence and their avoidance of positions of power. They were also known for their asceticism. Ayatollah Mohammed Shahroudi, who passed away five years ago, remained a teacher of jurisprudence only and did not become a religious authority for more than a quarter of a century after his father’s death.
Iraqi religious authority Mohammed Saeed Al-Hakim passed away in September 2021, causing widespread sadness among the Al-Hakim family and his followers worldwide. His sudden death shocked them, especially since he was considered the next highest authority after Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani. Al-Hakim, who came from a prestigious religious family, had several children, with four of them believed to have the potential to become influential religious figures. However, they closed their father’s fatwa offices and destroyed the stamp he used to sign fatwas to prevent any misuse in the future.
However, this solid tradition in the hawza has been broken more than once. One of the most prominent figures to defy this protocol was the religious authority Mohammed Al-Shirazi, who presented himself in the city of Karbala, Iraq, as a successor to his father, Mahdi Al-Shirazi, in 1960. This is despite the presence of senior religious authorities like Sayed Muhsin Al-Hakim, which at the time sparked many disapproving reactions.
It is customary that the son does not become a religious authority after his father’s death because religious authority is not inherited.
Al-Shirazi was more of a religious activist than a religious scholar. He introduced new ideas that can be classified as part of what is known as the “Shiite Awakening” or “political Islam,” influenced in one way or another by the Muslim Brotherhood.
Al-Shirazi passed away in 2001 in the city of Qom, Iran, after a dispute with the Tehran government had led to years of house arrest. After his passing, his brother Sadiq Al-Shirazi succeeded him and he remains a religious authority to this day. However, unlike his brother, he stays away from politics.
Sadiq Al-Shirazi inherited religious authority from his brother. Currently, some of the sons of the two brothers are getting ready to succeed Sadiq after his departure. Thus, inheritance has become a tradition in the lineage of Ayatollah Mahdi Al-Shirazi, which is exceptional and does not receive support from scholars and senior professors in the religious hawzas of Shiite Muslims.
These previous events lead to the question: Which path will Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei take?
Observers believe that Khamenei will not pass on religious authority or the position of supreme leader to his son Mojtaba, despite media reports claiming otherwise. These reports are inaccurate and based on speculation, lacking a precise understanding of the hierarchy within the Shiite household.
Although he does not belong to the classical school of jurisprudence, Khamenei is aware that the two most important Shiite hawzas, in Najaf and Qom, reject the principle of inheritance. He knows that appointing his son as his successor would upset senior ayatollahs. At the same time, Khamenei understands that the Iranian people, who overthrew the late Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in a popular revolution in 1979, will not accept a new shah named Mojtaba, even if his father is the current supreme leader. The disillusioned public, fed up with the declining economy and clerical rule, will not tolerate replacing a crown-wearing heir with another one wearing a turban.
The late founder of the revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, also left a will advising his children to stay away from holding official positions in the state. This will be binding for Khamenei, who considers himself the guardian of Khomeini’s legacy. Therefore, it will be difficult for Mojtaba Khamenei to be the supreme leader in Iran after his father. He may settle for playing a role behind the scenes or being part of the influential core without being the sole decision-maker or having the final say.
• Hassan Al-Mustafa is a Saudi writer and researcher interested in Islamic movements, the development of religious discourse and the relationship between the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Iran.
X: @Halmustafa

Macron’s leap into the unknown
Mustapha Tossa/Arab News/June 18, 2024
It is hard to say who will be in a position to govern France on July 8, the day after the second round of early legislative elections decided by President Emmanuel Macron with his surprise dissolution of parliament last week. It is also hard to say what the foreign policy of France, the only nuclear power in the EU and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, will be with regard to its European, Mediterranean, African and Arab environment, should the extreme right seize power.
President Macron’s decision to dissolve parliament and the accelerated agenda it imposes continue to provoke party cracks internally and questioning reverberations externally. Three major shocks were observed following this dissolution.
Firstly, Eric Ciotti’s Republicans party publicly tore itself apart over the need to establish an electoral alliance with Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella’s National Rally. Meanwhile, Eric Zemmour’s Reconquest party broke up when its head of list Marion Marechal and its European deputies took up the cause of the National Rally; provoking, in Zemmour’s words, a great betrayal.
The third shock was felt by the left-wing galaxy. Despite its divisions and the multiplicity of egos that lead it, it managed to unite in record time and form a popular front that will take the place, in the French imagination, of the Republican front that repeatedly prevented Jean-Marie Le Pen and his daughter Marine from reaching the presidential office — once against Jacques Chirac and twice against Macron. The ability of the left to overcome its contradictions and antagonisms in theory reveals the sense of urgency that is gripping it in the face of the high probability of the arrival of the far right in France in these early legislative elections.
A leap into the unknown is the expression most often used to describe Macron’s move. For no one is able to predict the outcome of the evening of Sunday, July 7, and the political architecture that will emerge from the ballot box. Some have no hesitation in attributing a Machiavellian approach to Macron — that of attracting the far right to power and thus showing the French its inability to govern in order to close the door to the presidential election once and for all. This option is too risky and fraught with consequences and has been loudly denied by Macron himself.
No one is able to predict the outcome of July 7 and the political architecture that will emerge from the ballot box.
This leap into the unknown creates a major concern for France’s future foreign policy in the event that the Quai d'Orsay is occupied by a far-right figure. What would be France's policy toward current crises and wars? The extreme right’s admiration for Vladimir Putin’s Russia could lead France to backtrack on its support for Ukraine. The extreme right’s sudden and surprising sympathy for Benjamin Netanyahu’s government will certainly influence France’s stance on Israel’s war in Gaza. The scales will tip heavily in favor of Netanyahu and any French move to recognize the Palestinian state will be postponed indefinitely.
With the Arab countries of North Africa and the Gulf, relations will go through a phase where everything will have to be reinvented. The far right sees these Arab countries either as exporters of illegal immigration — the nightmare on which the far right has built its fortune — or as exporters of radical Islamist ideology. Unless we can imagine this new power reneging on all its promises under the pressure of political realism, this relationship with the Arab world will be fraught with grit and acid reflux, requiring a real rewriting of alliances.
By taking the decision to plunge France into an electoral sequence in such a short space of time — and on the eve of the Olympic Games being held in Paris — Macron is taking the risk of handing the keys to power either to the far right, with the anxious uncertainties we all know, or to the Popular Front, whose main driving force is the radical left. It has promised major overhauls to both erase the Macron era and attempt to immunize France against the specter of the far right.
• Mustapha Tossa is a Franco-Moroccan journalist. In addition to having participated in the launch of the Arabic service of Radio France Internationale, he has notably worked for Monte Carlo Doualiya, TV5Monde and France 24.