Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 24-25/2024
Elias Bejjani/ Text & Video/ Palm Sunday…The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem
Israeli strike near Syrian border kills motorist as it misses Hezbollah target
Day 169 in the South...Martyrs, exchanges, and Palm Sunday!
In response to the Israeli attacks... a statement by Hezbollah
For the first time...an Israeli raid targeted a car in the Western Bekaa
A call to expand the fight against “Hezbollah”... Israel seeks American support!
The resumption of escalation takes place in the Western Bekaa for the first time
The Lebanon file is in Washington today, and Gallant is threatening in the presence of Hockstein
Rahi prays on Palm Sunday for the children of Gaza, Russian-Ukrainian war, massacre in Moscow: What a disgrace by this generation of country rulers
Bishop Aoudi: Restructuring constitutional authorities and building institutions are the necessary entrance to any rescue operation
Bishop Aoudi: Restructuring constitutional authorities and building institutions are the necessary entrance to any rescue operation
Hezbollah fires dozens of rockets at Golan after Israeli raid near Baalbek wounds 4
Bkerké meeting sparks concerns over presidential consensus efforts
MP Farid Boustany calls for political cohesion amid Lebanon's challenges
Brigadier General arrested amid suspicions of drug network involvement
Lebanon detains suspected French drug dealer days after releasing him on bail
Lebanon: Why Have a Single Homeland to Begin With?/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 24/2024

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 24-25/2024
UN chief praises Egypt’s efforts to provide aid to Gaza Strip
CIA, Mossad chiefs leave Doha following Gaza truce talks
Hamas official speaks of big gaps with Israel in truce talks
Israel defense chief to head to US for Gaza talks
Macron warns Israel over any Rafah forced population transfer
Gaza Christians ask for peace on Palm Sunday
Israel open to civilian return to north Gaza in truce talks
Red Crescent says Israel army besieges two more Gaza hospitals
Jordanian police clash with protesters near Israel embassy
11 killed in suspected Daesh attack on Syria truffle hunters: monitor
Daesh still a threat in Iraq, US ambassador says
3 of 4 suspects charged in Russia concert hall attack admit guilt during court hearing
Russia attacks Ukrainian gas storage site; Ukraine ramps up power imports
Pope Francis describes the Crocus terrorist attack as inhumane
Pope Francis skips Palm Sunday homily but continues service

Titles For The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on March 24-25/2024
Biden's Pier Is a Gift to Hamas Terrorists/Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/March 24, 2024
Frankly Speaking: How Saudis view the war in Gaza/ARAB NEWS/March 24, 2024
Is Al-Qaeda now in Moscow?/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Arab News/March 2024
Democrats face increasing Arab and Muslim voter rejection/Ray Hanania/Arab News/March 2024
Turkiye streamlines its relations with Iraq/Yasar Yakis/Arab News/March 2024
The President is the Last to Know!/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 24/2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 24-25/2024
Elias Bejjani/ Text & Video/ Palm Sunday…The Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/107794/elias-bejjani-jesus-victorious-entry-into-jerusalem-palm-sunday-2
March 24/20/24

Israeli strike near Syrian border kills motorist as it misses Hezbollah target
NAJIA HOUSSARI/March 24, 2024
BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on a car near the Syrian border killed a man on Sunday, security sources said. The Israeli attack targeted the West Bekaa region for the first time since Hezbollah opened the southern Lebanese front 169 days ago. A drone bombed the car on the road to the town of Al-Suwairi near the Masnaa land border crossing between Lebanon and Syria. The driver, Mahmoud Rajab, a 38-year-old Syrian worker, had both legs amputated and later died in hospital, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.A security source said the car had been carrying plastic boxes collected by Rajab from shops to resell. The source told Arab News that “the drone was aiming for a Jeep driving near the Rapid on Masnaa Road, which leads to the border crossing. It was believed that a Hezbollah official was in the Jeep. However, the missile struck the car, while the Jeep and its passengers survived.”
Al-Suwairi is 63.7 km east of Beirut and 56.7 km away from Damascus. The town is Lebanon’s most important legal gateway to Syrian territory. The Western Bekaa region was targeted by Israeli forces shortly after they carried out another attack on a building in Al-Asira neighborhood in the city of Baalbek in northern Bekaa. Four missiles were launched at the building just after midnight on Saturday, causing it to be destroyed. Three people sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment. Unlike previous raids that targeted locations on the outskirts or beyond the city limits, this is the first time residential areas in Baalbek have been hit in the conflict. Hezbollah retaliated against the raid on Baalbek by attacking “the missile and artillery base in Yoav and the Keila barracks — the headquarters of the Air and Missile Defense Command — where a Golani Brigade force was training after its return from the Gaza Strip, with more than 60 Katyusha rockets.”
A security source said that Hezbollah’s claim “referred in detail to a force from the Golani Brigade that was training after its return from the Gaza Strip,” which showed “Hezbollah’s ability to obtain military intelligence information from the Israeli Army.” On Sunday, Hezbollah reported targeting the Israeli military site of Jal Al-Alam with artillery shells, causing direct hits. Additionally, the group said it also successfully struck spy equipment at Al-Raheb. On Saturday, Hezbollah conducted an aerial attack using two explosive-laden drones, targeting Iron Dome platforms at the Kfar Blum air defense site. In response, Israeli artillery pounded the southern outskirts of Rmeich, as well as the surrounding areas of Kfar Shuba, Tair Harfa, and Alma Al-Shaab. An Israeli warplane conducted a raid on a residence in the border town of Adaisseh. Later that night, airstrikes targeted the headquarters of the Civil Defense, the Amal Movement-affiliated Islamic Risala Scouts Association in Aita Al-Shaab, causing extensive destruction and damaging nearby homes. An Israeli airstrike destroyed an office of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Kfar Kila, with no reported casualties. Despite the ongoing hostilities, including Israeli reconnaissance flights in the skies over the south and the Bekaa Valley, Christian communities in southern and Bekaa towns observed Palm Sunday. Residents of Rmeich also took part in Palm Sunday celebrations, with a significant turnout.

Day 169 in the South...Martyrs, exchanges, and Palm Sunday!
Hussein Saad/Janoubia/March 24, 2024
Fasting, Shaanin, and new martyrs were celebrated on the 169th day of the War of Occupation and Support in support of Gaza, in addition to enemy military raids and Hezbollah missile operations, which ignited Israeli positions in the occupied Syrian Golan, in response to the freedom fighter planes’ raids on the city of Baalbek. As a result of these raids, which extended to the town of Al-Suwairi in the Western Bekaa, targeting a Rapid car, in which a young man of Syrian nationality was martyred, it was the first of its kind in the region. The raids were renewed on Aita Al-Shaab, Blida, Mays Al-Jabal, and Kafr Kila, which were Christian towns, in the areas of Tire and Bint. Byblos and Marjayoun celebrate Palm Sunday among the Western Christian denominations, as the occasion in the town of Rmeish turned into a popular festival, during which the people circumambulated around the famous Rmeish pond, carrying olive branches, candles, and palm fronds. The number of participants in this celebration in Rmeish, located directly on the line of fire, exceeded a thousand people, presented by the Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon, Monsignor Paolo Borgia, the pastor of the Maronite Diocese of Rmeish, Father Najib Al-Amil, and the town’s activists. In a context related to the military operations, which have continued on both sides of the border, since October 8, 2023, two new Hezbollah martyrs fell, namely Hussein Ali Rimal, from the town of Taybeh, in the Marjayoun district, and Ali Hussein Faqih, from the town of Ansariya, in the district of Marjayoun. Al-Zahrani and these two martyrs are among the first Hezbollah martyrs to fall during the month of Ramadan. Hezbollah responded to the Israeli raids on Baalbek at dawn today by firing 60 Katyusha rockets at the missile and artillery base in Yoav and the Keila barracks in the occupied Golan (the headquarters of the Air and Missile Defense Command), where a force from the Golani Brigade was training after its return from Gaza, and also targeting enemy sites and positions, in Metulla, Al-Manara, Zarit, Ruwaisat Al-Alam, Al-Raheb and Al-Alam.

In response to the Israeli attacks... a statement by Hezbollah
Janoubia/March 24, 2024
Today, Sunday, the Islamic Resistance Hezbollah issued a statement saying: “In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted at (09:00) the evening of Sunday 24-03 - 2024 A gathering of Israeli army soldiers in the vicinity of the Pranit Barracks with missile weapons and they directly hit it. He added, “In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their brave and honorable resistance, and in response to the Israeli attacks on the steadfast southern villages and civilian homes, he targeted The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance, at 10:20 pm on Sunday 03/24/2024, opened a building in which Israeli army soldiers were positioned in the Metulla settlement with appropriate weapons and directly hit it.”

For the first time...an Israeli raid targeted a car in the Western Bekaa
Al-Kalima Online/March 24, 2024
Israeli aircraft raided a car in the Al-Suwairi area near the Masnaa crossing, in the Western Bekaa, noting that this is the first time that Israel has targeted this area. The targeted car was a blue Rapid, driven by a Syrian worker in the construction sector. His hands and legs were amputated and he was transported alive to a hospital in the area. Members of the Civil Defense went from the factory center to the location to transport the injured person. In addition, Al-Hadath information reported that targeting a car in Al-Suwairi in the Western Bekaa resulted in the death of two people, including the Syrian worker M.R., as a result of his injuries resulting from the raid.

A call to expand the fight against “Hezbollah”... Israel seeks American support!
Janoubia/March 24, 2024
The Israeli newspaper “Israel Hayom” reported that “Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who is considered the most extreme among the members of the war cabinet regarding removing Hezbollah forces from the border,” will seek to obtain broad American support for Israel to expand the fight against the party to force it to withdraw its fighters from the border. The border area in the north.” The newspaper notes that Gallant “urges the Americans to escalate pressure on Tehran, in order to restrain Hezbollah, even though the chances that the Biden administration will risk a confrontation with Tehran during an election year are very slim.” Gallant headed to Washington at dawn today, to hold talks related to the war on Gaza and its consequences, in light of disagreements between the two sides over Israel’s threat to invade Rafah, where approximately 1.5 million Palestinians are gathered, the vast majority of whom were forced to flee from the north and center of the Strip to its south. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant will arrive in Washington, on Sunday, for his first visit since assuming his current position, and it comes at a time when American-Israeli relations are witnessing escalating tension. Because of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, and Tel Aviv’s insistence on invading the border city of Rafah, which is crowded with displaced people. An Israeli official confirmed that Gallant carries with him a long list of American weapons that Israel wants to obtain, including F-35 and F-15 fighters, which Israel seeks to obtain urgently.

The resumption of escalation takes place in the Western Bekaa for the first time
The Lebanon file is in Washington today, and Gallant is threatening in the presence of Hockstein
Nidda Al Wattan/March 25, 2024
The escalation in confrontations between Israel and Hezbollah has returned to its previous levels after a noticeable decline in recent days. Yesterday, the Israeli strikes extended to the Western Bekaa for the first time since the “party” opened the Occupation Front last October 8. This came hours after renewed Israeli raids on Baalbek in the eastern Bekaa. The escalation included the south along its axes, while Hezbollah was responding not only in northern Israel, but also in the occupied Golan Heights.
On the political level, visitors to caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati conveyed his concern about the blockage of the horizon at several levels as a result of the absence of any indication of a breakthrough that might be achieved in the political and diplomatic files. On the other hand, the Lebanon file will be moved today to the table of talks that Defense Minister Yoav Galant will hold in Washington with senior officials there. Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper noted on its website that all topics will be on the table during Gallant’s trip, “among them Hezbollah and Iran’s regional ambitions.” The Israeli official's visit comes at the invitation of the American administration. Gallant is scheduled to meet with key figures in the administration such as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, CIA Director William Burns, and Special Envoy to Lebanon Amos Hockstein. He will also meet with AIPAC representatives and members of Congress. When addressing the Lebanon file, Gallant will stress “the need to return the residents of northern Israel to their homes and the preference for reaching an agreement that enables the withdrawal of Hezbollah forces, by implementing Resolution 1701. Although this depends on “Lebanon’s confrontation with Hezbollah,” “If political progress stops, military action and infrastructure damage will ensue,” Gallant says. Gallant will raise the issue of “continuing to confront Iran as a driver of regional terrorism through proxies such as Hezbollah and weapons to Hamas, as well as the Islamic Republic’s ongoing nuclear ambitions.” In turn, the newspaper “Israel Hayom” reported that the Minister of Defense, who is considered “the most extreme among the members of the war government with regard to removing Hezbollah forces from the border,” will seek to obtain “broad American support for Israel to expand the fight against the party” to force it to withdraw. His fighters are from the border region to the north.” The newspaper reported that Gallant “urges the Americans to escalate pressure on Tehran, in order to restrain Hezbollah, even though the possibility that the Biden administration will risk a confrontation with Tehran during an election year is very small.” The Israeli Walla website pointed out that since the beginning of the war on Gaza, the Israeli army has become “more dependent on American weapons supplies, for use in the Gaza Strip, and more prepared for a possible escalation leading to a comprehensive war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.” Returning to developments on the ground, a security source told Agence France-Presse, requesting that his identity not be revealed, that “Israeli aircraft targeted a Rapid car in Al-Suwairi, killing the Syrian driver.” According to the source, “The car belongs to a person from the town of Al-Suwairi, who owns a supermarket and was driven by a Syrian person. It appears that it was transporting food supplies to fighters loyal to Hezbollah in Shebaa.” On the night of Saturday and Sunday, five Israeli strikes targeted an abandoned Hezbollah center in the Baalbek area, wounding four residents of nearby buildings, according to the security source. Shortly after the strikes, Hezbollah announced that it had bombed the missile and artillery base in the occupied Golan, where “a force from the Golani Brigade was training after its return from the Gaza Strip, with more than sixty Katyusha rockets.” In the south, Hezbollah reported that the raids that targeted the towns of Blida and Mays al-Jabal yesterday evening led to the destruction of a house without causing any casualties. Earlier, the party mourned the fall of two members in the south: Hussein Ali Arslan from the town of Taybeh and Ali Muhammad Faqih from the town of Ansariya. Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, commented on developments on the ground, saying: “The enemy is trying today to expand civilian attacks in Baalbek, the Western Bekaa, or any other place, and there will be responses to all of them.”

Rahi prays on Palm Sunday for the children of Gaza, Russian-Ukrainian war, massacre in Moscow: What a disgrace by this generation of country rulers
NNA/March 24, 2024
During Palm Sunday Mass service in Bkirki this morning, Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rahi raised prayers to the Lord Almighty for the sake of Gaza’s children and for peace to prevail in wake of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the recent tragic massacre in Moscow. Internally, al-Rahi prayed to the Almighty to grant us salvation amidst the structure of sin against God in which we are living, following the spiritual, moral, social and political sins that have brought corruption to its peak in our country. He said: “The season of Great Lent is a time for all of us to return to God with all our hearts in the spirit of repentance and austerity, and to return to each other in the spirit of reconciliation and cooperation, and to our brothers and sisters who need a helping hand at the physical, spiritual, and moral levels...”“This is the path that leads us to commit, each in his position and responsibilities, to building our national unity complemented by our cultural and religious pluralism,” the Patriarch asserted.

Bishop Aoudi: Restructuring constitutional authorities and building institutions are the necessary entrance to any rescue operation
NNA/March 24/2024
The Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut and its dependencies, Bishop Elias Aoudi, presided over the Divine Liturgy service in St. George's Cathedral, in the presence of a crowd of believers. After the Gospel, he delivered a sermon in which he said: He continued: “Tomorrow we will celebrate the Annunciation of the Mother of God, the Most Pure and Most Holy Mother. On this occasion we ask for her intercession for all the mothers whom the world celebrated a few days ago, so that the Lord may preserve them in health and well-being, so that they may raise their children to love the Lord who became incarnate for the sake of the salvation of all. We also ask May the Lord have mercy on the souls of all the mothers who have already fallen asleep, and who intercede for their children before the divine throne. We also present to the State of Greece, represented by His Excellency the Greek Ambassador to Lebanon, Mrs. Despina, on the occasion of the National Day, asking the Lord to preserve Greece and its Church in upright opinion, and to protect it from attacks. Evil, we hope that we will overcome the economic collapse that struck Lebanon years ago, and Greece went through something similar, but it quickly overcame it because of the will of its rulers to invent appropriate solutions, and to support the people who endured austerity for a short period and with their rulers overcame the crisis, while we are still suffering under the weight of a political and economic collapse. And morally due to the lack of will for reform, and the reluctance to elect a president of the country who will lead the rescue march with his government. He said: “Restructuring the constitutional authorities and building institutions are the necessary entrance to any rescue operation. How does a ship reach the safe port in the absence of a captain? How is a country managed without a president? Everyone claims to facilitate the electoral process and calls for the necessity of its completion, so who is obstructing? And if all the representatives are convinced of that.” Why don't they go to the parliament and elect a president according to what the constitution requires, without conditions and corresponding conditions, and without interpretation of the articles of the constitution or interpretation according to interests? We do not need new norms. Implement the constitution and do not let anyone tamper with the fate of the country, cancel its role, and undermine the foundations of its democracy. What is needed is not slogans. Rather, it is the will to work and the purity of intention. And whoever claims the futility of the constitution complains of the futility of thinking, because under this constitution, Lebanon witnessed periods of prosperity and brilliance led by great statesmen who respected their country’s constitution and implemented its provisions. Here it must be remembered that electing a president for the country is not a Christian need, but rather a Christian need. Patriotic. The president is not the president of Christians, but rather the president of the country, and it is the duty of all parliamentary blocs to participate in his election.” He concluded: “Our call today is to purify hearts and intentions and to all work for the good and safety of our country, and to believe in the Son of God who became man for our salvation, and not to be ashamed of our faith as many of the people of this age do, so that our Father in heaven will not be ashamed of us on the last day.” .

Hezbollah fires dozens of rockets at Golan after Israeli raid near Baalbek wounds 4
Agence France Presse/March 24, 2024
Four people were wounded by Israeli air strikes near Lebanon's eastern city of Baalbek overnight, one of which hit a two-story building, an AFP correspondent said on Sunday. Israel and Hamas ally Hezbollah have been exchanging near-daily cross-border fire since the Gaza war erupted in October. But fears have surged of an all-out conflict in past weeks, with Israel launching air strikes deeper into Lebanese territory, targeting the Baalbek area -- a Hezbollah stronghold -- several times. The Israeli military said in a statement fighter jets "struck a Hezbollah manufacturing site containing weapons in the area of Baalbek." The AFP correspondent said the Israeli strikes targeted a Hezbollah center that had been deserted for some time, wounding four residents in nearby buildings. "The Israeli air force fired five missiles at a two-story inhabited building in al-Osseira, on the outskirts of Baalbek," he said. The Israeli military also said "approximately 50 launches were identified from Lebanon toward northern Israel, a number of launches were intercepted while the rest fell in open areas." Hezbollah said it fired "more than 60 Katyusha-type rockets" at two Israeli military positions in the occupied Golan Heights in response to the Israeli strikes.
The strike at al-Osseira, some 100 kilometers from the Israeli-Lebanese border, ended a period of relative calm that had lasted around 10 days. Hezbollah began launching near-daily attacks against Israel on October 8 in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas in Gaza and said on Saturday and Sunday it had carried out several more strikes. It says it will only end its attacks on Israel if there is a ceasefire in Gaza. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned in February that a possible truce in Gaza would not affect Israel's "objective" of pushing Hezbollah back from its northern border, by force or diplomacy. At least 323 people have been killed in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters, but also at least 56 civilians, according to an AFP count. At least 10 soldiers and seven civilians have been killed in northern Israel, according to the Israeli military. The exchange of fire, which was initially confined to areas close to the border, has also displaced tens of thousands in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

Bkerké meeting sparks concerns over presidential consensus efforts
LBCI/March 24, 2024
Political sources confirmed the difficulties emerged after a meeting of Christian factions' representatives in Bkerké. They feared new divisions that would negatively impact presidential consensus efforts, as expressed to "Al-Liwaa."These sources explained that Bkerké's intervention in the presidential file stems from its keenness to complete the elections without any attempt to circumvent the constitutional process deemed appropriate procedure for the elections. They indicated that the principle from which it originated is positive and serves the goal without imposing a specific direction. They said, "Criticism from some factions is misplaced." In addition, the sources pointed out that the presidential elections have entered a new phase of oscillation, and any new development soon is unlikely, especially since all initiatives have stalled and some have become obsolete.

MP Farid Boustany calls for political cohesion amid Lebanon's challenges
LBCI/March 24, 2024
MP Farid Boustany, chairman of the National Economy, Trade, Industry, and Planning Committee, sees Lebanon's challenges as becoming more pressing.  This article was originally published in and translated from the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Anbaa. He considers filling the presidential and constitutional vacuum as fundamental protection for the nation's existence. Boustany expressed to "Al-Anbaa" the urgency for political factions to reach a consensus on electing a president. He welcomed initiatives seeking suitable ground for convergence among parliamentary blocs and intersections on minimal contentious issues that have crippled the state and burdened the economy, especially the Quintet Committee, which plays a positive role. He also embraced the initiative of the "National Moderation Bloc" and endorsed the meeting in Bkerké. In addition, Boustany outlined a new economic vision he is preparing to assist the state. He reiterated warnings about the repercussions of the Gaza war and Israeli military attacks in the south, affecting all sectors of the country.

MP Fadi Karam stresses Hezbollah's responsibility for war compensation amid political wrangling
LBCI/March 24, 2024
Member of the Strong Republic bloc MP Fadi Karam saw that whether caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati denied or did not deny media reports about paying cash compensation to those affected by the war in the south, the statements of Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Hassan Fadlallah after his meeting with Mikati are the confirmed news. This article was originally published in and translated from the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Anbaa. Speaking to "Al-Anbaa," he pointed out the right of the affected Lebanese in the south to be compensated. He said: "The only one who is supposed to commit to paying compensation from its pocket is Hezbollah, not the Lebanese government." Karam affirmed that Israel is ruthless and does not differentiate between a child and a fighter, "thus, it is imperative to prosecute it internationally for committing crimes against humanity." However, he emphasized not absolving anyone who initiated a declaration of war against it, regardless of the Lebanese will and the command of the military institution. Regarding the reason for the Lebanese Forces' refusal to attend MP Gebran Bassil's call to unify Christian forces in Bkerké, Karam confirmed to "Al-Anbaa" that the dispute in Lebanon is not between Christians or between Lebanese religions and sects. Instead, he saw it between two political lines, the first being national and sovereign and the second being arbitrary, aligning with the "Axis of Resistance." He considered that whoever cares about the unity of Christians and the highest national interest should not cover up illegal weapons for the sake of his political and personal interests.

Brigadier General arrested amid suspicions of drug network involvement
LBCI/March 24, 2024
A source revealed the detention of a high-ranking officer in the Internal Security Forces, holding the rank of brigadier general, who occupies an important position, surrounded by strong suspicions of involvement with a drug trafficking network, covering up its members' activities, and facilitating its extensive operations in various Lebanese regions. This article was originally published in and translated from the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Anbaa. The source told "Al-Anbaa" that the army recently used drones to film its raids. He added, "This is to track the movements of gangs and the places they flee to." The source confirmed that whenever a raid was conducted on a gang composed of three brothers, they would flee to the brigadier general's house to hide.

Lebanon detains suspected French drug dealer days after releasing him on bail
Associated Press/March 24, 2024
Lebanese authorities have detained a suspected French drug dealer a few days after releasing him on bail, judicial officials said. The officials said members of Lebanon's General Security Directorate detained Abdel Karim Touil at the request of the country's prosecutor general and he was being held at the Justice Palace in Beirut. Officials refused to give any details on whether Touil has a lawyer in Lebanon. The three officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the man could be handed over to France, which is expected to send an official extradition request to Lebanese authorities. The officials said a meeting is expected soon between French and Lebanese judicial officials in order to hand him over. Touil was taken into custody at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport on Sunday and authorities confiscated his French and Algerian passports before releasing him three days later on bail. His passports remained with authorities after his brief release to make sure he did not leave the country, the officials said. In August, Lebanon handed over to Italy a suspected Italian drug dealer a month after he was detained in Beirut.

Lebanon: Why Have a Single Homeland to Begin With?
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 24/2024
One of the "ingenious innovations" of the Russian Civil War that broke out following the 1917 October Revolution, was the establishment of "blocking units," communist forces positioned behind the soldiers fighting on the front lines. As for their task, it was to shoot the soldiers fleeing battle. These units were set up because army personnel, whose morale had collapsed during World War I, which was accompanied by sharp economic decline, did not demonstrate the enthusiasm needed for subsequent wars. They were thus presented with a stark choice: either kill or be killed.
Today, the Lebanese who do not want to fight either as a country or as individuals, a large majority, face the threat of being at the receiving end of character assassination, defamation, and accusations of treason at the hands of "blocking units" with an insatiable demand for warriors, willing or not.
Indeed, we ought to be a society of warriors; otherwise, we are cowards with no honor or dignity at best, and traitors and spies at worst. Just days ago, events unfolded that once again reflected this unshakable drive: when parliamentary deputies representing the capital criticized an armed parade held during the funeral of a militant who had died fighting in the south with "Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya", which Hezbollah has co-opted, some clerics affiliated with the former and friendly media outlets responded with the sort hounding we are familiar with, going beyond politics and to denounce the deputies in wildly retrograde in moralistic terms. Instead of noting that it was the residents of Beirut (who have suffered greatly from arms and militants in past decades) whom these deputies spoke for, the "Al-Akhbar" newspaper reported the news under the conspiratorial headline "A US-Gulf ordered campaign against the Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya," which is "bringing resistance back to Beirut."
The fact is that what "Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya" is bringing back to Beirut, if the newspaper's predictions prove correct, is nothing less than re-subjecting the capital to militia-rule, or reinforcing the existing wholesale militia dominance through retail dominance, thereby rounding off militia control over national decisions of war and peace by allowing every armed alley in the country to decide on war and peace with the other alley.
With this decision tinged with glory and heroism, analysis becomes twisted, lying in wait behind every development. Accordingly, after a Houthi delegation comes to visit from Yemen "to coordinate resistance operations," we are shelled with the notion that the historian and university professor Makram Rabah is the one who is the real threat, for using a metaphorical image that depicts just how wretched our situation really is. Rabah was summoned for questioning for having "breached the national consensus" around the resistance, which is limited to those among whom the consensus is around the aesthetics of armed parades.
With that, however, this behavior is not to be underestimated, as it is accompanied by a persistent insistence, generation after generation, on replacing life above ground with life below it, where bullets hiss and children sleep beneath their beds in horror, while models like those of nineteen-seventies Bulgaria and Albania or today's Houthis are emulated- models we are light-years ahead of. It is nonetheless notable and interesting that the only attribute they find befitting of Beirut is that of a resistant capital, with all the blood, torn-off limbs, and despair that such a resistance entails. If it is true, as some say, that the Beirut of Hariri was not an ideal city and the antithesis to a resistant Beirut, then it is also true that cities and urban life become untenable amid this bulldozing, entrenched, hegemonic, and nihilistic irrationality.
From one generation to the next, ideas change and become increasingly pedantic. Judith Butler might replace Vladimir Lenin, who in turn replaced Gamal Abdel Nasser, who himself had replaced Antarah ibn Shaddad. Yet, the image of happiness that is sought remains unchanged: carrying the popular idea with us into tunnels and shelters as buildings collapse into rubble above us. There, we chant about our "victory" and weep over the injustice of the world and how the West deprived us of cities.
We Arabs have a rich tradition of elegizing cities, the most emblematic and prominent of which could be Ibn al-Rumi’s elegy to Basra after it was burnt to the ground. We can always draw from this tradition and find solace in it, after the perpetrator is made anonymous, as we did after the Beirut port explosion four years ago. However, by deliberately ignoring the perpetrator so insistently, we celebrate the act and consider it a victory since it struck the backbone of the capital.
In the end, no amount of goodwill can dispel apprehensions about this approach and those who are pushing it, as standing in solidarity with a legitimate cause, be it in Algeria, Suez, or Gaza, become pretexts for breaking a country and destroying its capital. It is as though the whole thing were purely a matter of hatred for a model that demanded more than we had to offer, and all we have to offer is armed parades; either that or it could be a chronic aversion to the notion of statehood that emerged over the rubble of an empire that fell just over a hundred years ago that is looked back on nostalgically. If that is the case, then why have a single homeland to begin with?

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 24-25/2024
UN chief praises Egypt’s efforts to provide aid to Gaza Strip
GOBRAN MOHAMED/Arab News/March 24, 2024
CAIRO: The head of the United Nations has praised Egypt for its efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and its commitment to keeping the Rafah border crossing open since the start of the conflict. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was received by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo on Sunday. The pair discussed a range of international and regional issues, with an emphasis on developments in the Gaza Strip. They agreed that a two-state solution was the only path to achieving justice, security and stability and highlighted the need to create conditions conducive to its implementation, a presidential spokesperson said. El-Sisi highlighted the danger linked to some countries’ decision to suspend funding for UNRWA, the UN agency that supports Palestine refugees, which has been seen as a form of collective punishment. The meeting also discussed efforts to reach an immediate ceasefire, free hostages and implement humanitarian aid, whether by land, in coordination with the relevant UN agencies, or through air drops, particularly over northern areas of the Gaza Strip. El-Sisi said he appreciated Guterres’ keenness to adhere to the principles of international law and international humanitarian law and continued efforts to urge the international community to act to help end the hostilities and protect civilians. It was important for the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities in these matters, he said. Guterres, who visited the Rafah crossing on Saturday, praised Egypt for its efforts in leading the process of delivering aid to the people of Gaza in the face of severe obstacles and difficulties. He reiterated the importance of a ceasefire for humanitarian purposes to enable the delivery and distribution of aid. The meeting, which was also attended by Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, General Intelligence Service Director Maj. Gen. Abbas Kamel, UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini and UN Resident Coordinator in Egypt Elena Panova, rejected any displacement of Palestinians from their lands. It also warned against any military operation in Rafah, which would have “catastrophic consequences.”
Guterres and Shoukry held extended talks after which they took part in a joint press conference. The discussions dealt with a range of issues, most notably the need to end the war in Gaza and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid.
Guterres said that the manner in which Israel had carried out its military operations in the Gaza Strip violated international law and that it must remove obstacles to the relief effort. He added that the UN was working to ensure sufficient funding for UNRWA to enable it to fulfill its obligations to the Palestinian people and said the only effective way to transfer aid to Gaza was via land crossings. The international community was facing a credibility crisis as the attacks continued, Guterres said. “Horror & starvation stalk the people of Gaza,” he wrote on X. “Any further onslaught will make everything worse. Worse for Palestinian civilians, for the hostages, for all people of the region. It’s more than time for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire & the immediate release of all hostages.”

CIA, Mossad chiefs leave Doha following Gaza truce talks
NNA/March 24, 2024
CIA Director Bill Burns and Mossad Head David Barnea left Doha on Sunday after partaking in talks on a temporary truce in Gaza and a hostage and prisoner exchange, according to what an informed source told Agence France-Presse. The source, who requested to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the talks, said that Burns and Barnea “left Doha to inform their teams of the details of the last round” of the talks. He explained that the negotiations "focused on the details and the exchange of hostages and prisoners," noting that "the technical teams are still in Doha." American, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have been holding talks for weeks to reach a second truce in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which includes the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

Hamas official speaks of big gaps with Israel in truce talks
Agence France Presse/March 24, 2024
Deep differences exist between Hamas and Israel in negotiations for a Gaza truce, an official from the Palestinian militant group with knowledge of the talks told AFP on Saturday. The difficult talks over a ceasefire and possible exchange of hostages and prisoners resumed in Doha this week, with Israel's spy chief joining Egyptian, Qatari and U.S. mediators. "There is a deep divergence in positions in the negotiations between Hamas and the occupation (Israel) because the enemy understood the flexibility shown by the movement as weakness," the official said. The official added that "the enemy wants to reach a temporary ceasefire after which it can resume its aggression against our people." Israel "refuses to agree on a comprehensive ceasefire and refuses the complete withdrawal of its forces from Gaza," the official said. The official added that Israel had indicated it wanted to keep matters of relief, shelter and aid under its control, and demanded "the United Nations not return to work, especially in the northern Gaza Strip." Long strained ties between Israel and the United Nations have worsened as international outrage has built over the heavy civilian toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The return of hostages taken in Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel has been a central question in the talks -- but the Hamas official did not offer any comment on the issue. Palestinian militants seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages in the attack, but dozens were released during a week-long truce in November. Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 who are presumed dead -- eight soldiers and 25 civilians.

Israel defense chief to head to US for Gaza talks
Agence France Presse/March 24, 2024
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will leave Sunday for talks in the United States, the government said, amid growing tensions between the allies over the war in Gaza. Gallant will meet with U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan "and additional senior officials", a statement said. "The parties will discuss developments in the war against the Hamas terrorist organisation in Gaza, efforts undertaken to return the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, humanitarian efforts and measures required to ensure regional stability," it said. The visit comes after Blinken's latest whistle-stop tour of the region during which he warned that an Israeli offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah would be a "mistake" that "risks further isolating Israel around the world". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel was prepared to move ahead with the Rafah operation "alone", without U.S. support. There are widespread fears of mass civilian casualties in Rafah where around 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge during the war which erupted after Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7. Gallant's visit will be his first to Washington since the fighting broke out. U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday he had told Netanyahu to send a team to Washington to discuss how to avoid a full-scale military operation in Rafah. A U.S. defense official said this week that Gallant's scheduled meeting with Austin was separate from the delegation visit requested by Biden. The Hamas attack on October 7 allegedly resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign to destroy Hamas has killed at least 32,142 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Macron warns Israel over any Rafah forced population transfer
AFP/March 24, 2024
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that any forced transfer of people from the southern Gaza city of Rafah would constitute “a war crime.” And he repeated his opposition to any Israeli military operation to fight Hamas in Rafah, where most of Gaza’s population has taken shelter after months of fierce fighting in the besieged territory. In a telephone call between the two leaders on Sunday, Macron also “strongly condemned” Israel’s announcement Friday of the seizure of 800 hectares of land in the occupied West Bank for new settlements. Activists say Israel’s declaration that the land in the northern Jordan Valley was now “state land” was the single largest such seizure in decades. In the call, Macron told Netanyahu he intended to bring a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for “an immediate and lasting ceasefire.” He also urged Israel to immediately open all crossing points into Gaza. The planned Rafah ground offensive has faced intense international pressure, with warnings it would cause mass civilian casualties and worsen the humanitarian crisis. However Israel has insisted it is necessary in its campaign to destroy Hamas. The Gaza war was sparked by the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 that resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel has vowed to destroy the militants, who also seized about 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes around 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 presumed dead. Almost six months of fighting have killed 32,070 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. Israel has faced ever greater global opposition to its military campaign as Palestinian civilian deaths have soared and its siege has brought widespread malnutrition and hunger.

Gaza Christians ask for peace on Palm Sunday
AFP/March 25, 2024
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: The faithful walked slowly in a procession past the stone facade of Gaza’s only Catholic church on Palm Sunday, gathering to pray for peace as war raged around them. Holy Family Church’s tranquil courtyard, filled with dozens of children and older people, belied the humanitarian crisis happening beyond its gates in Gaza City. Inside the church, worshippers in their dress clothes lined the wooden pews decorated with palm fronds for the service marking the start of Easter week. “Our celebration of Palm Sunday is an opportunity for hope, goodness and peace for us and for the entire world,” said a young man speaking from the pulpit. “In order to renew our hearts and make them full of love, giving and peace,” he said, dressed in an ankle-length red robe. Solemn-looking altar boys in the front row listened quietly, while parishioners with drawn faces after months of war filled the other rows. The church in northern Gaza is a short drive from Al-Shifa hospital and its neighborhood, where heavy combat has raged between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters. A recent UN-backed assessment said Gaza’s northern area would fall into famine by May unless there was urgent action.
Heavy combat has made it particularly difficult to get emergency food aid to the some 300,000 the UN estimates are still in the area. “This year, we don’t have the heart to celebrate,” Nabila Saleh, a sister at the Holy Family church told AFP. “It’s true that we decorated, but we don’t feel the joy of other years.”
The Gaza war was sparked by the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 that resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run territory said the total death toll during almost six months of war now stood at 32,226 — most of them women and children. Though Holy Family’s facade, courtyard and worship area inside the church are mostly intact, the site has been deeply affected by the fighting. Christian families from Gaza have found refuge inside and in December the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem reported two Christian women were killed by Israeli fire at the church. The Israeli army said it had “no reports of a hit on the church,” stressing it “does not target civilians, no matter their religion.” Far from Gaza, Palestinian Christians marked Palm Sunday in Jerusalem with the fate of the people trapped by war weighing heavily upon them. Thousands walked from Bethphage Church into the Old City, recreating Jesus’s arrival during which crowds laid palm fronds at his feet. “It is very sad,” said worshipper Hanan Nasrallah, 62. “Hopefully God will bring peace to everybody and next year hopefully everybody will celebrate together.” Palestinian Christians also criticized tightened movement restrictions on those in the occupied West Bank, which they said prevented many from joining on the festivities in Jerusalem. “Many of my friends from the West Bank, they weren’t able to come,” said 30-year-old Palestinian Hanna Tams, a dancer and choreographer. “The Israeli authorities are not giving them permission,” he said, calling it “really heartbreaking.”“I wish people in Gaza all the best and I wish they were safe and I wish they were here with us,” he added.

Israel open to civilian return to north Gaza in truce talks
REUTERS/March 25, 2024
JERUSALEM: Israel signalled openness on Sunday to allowing the return of Palestinians displaced from the northern Gaza Strip as part of truce talks, an apparent accommodation of a core Hamas demand. The warring sides have stepped up negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, on a six-week suspension of Israel’s offensive in return for the proposed release of 40 of the 130 hostages still held by the Palestinian militant group in Gaza. Hamas has sought to parlay any deal into an end to the fighting and withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel has ruled this out, saying it would eventually resume efforts to dismantle the governance and military capabilities of Hamas. Hamas also wants hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who fled Gaza City and surrounding areas southward during the first stage of the almost six-month-old war to be allowed back north. Israel initially refused to do so. But that position has softened, an Israeli official briefed on the Doha talks said. “We are now willing to discuss a return of some of the displaced,” the official told Reuters, without elaborating on numbers. Israeli media have speculated that the offer would be limited to women and children, to bar gunmen trying to reinforce those the Israeli military is still battling in parts of Gaza City. The official, who requested anonymity, said Israel has also agreed in principle to release between 700 and 800 Palestinian prisoners in return for the 40 hostages. That appeared to meet a demand of a Hamas proposal, reported by Reuters on March 15, for between 700 and 1,000 prisoners to be released. The Israeli official cautioned, however, that any final decision would hinge on how many of the prisoners were senior militants serving long sentences for lethal attacks.

Red Crescent says Israel army besieges two more Gaza hospitals
AFP/March 24, 2024
GAZA STRIP: The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday that Israeli forces were besieging two hospitals in southern Gaza, days after the army began targeting Hamas in and around the territory’s biggest medical center. Israel has mounted several raids at and near hospitals in Gaza since the war began last October, claiming that fighters are operating in medical complexes — a charge denied by Hamas. Military vehicles approached Nasser and Al-Amal hospitals in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis as heavy bombardment and gunfire echoed in the area, the Red Crescent said. The medical organization said a volunteer worker at the hospital was killed by Israeli gunfire on Sunday. In response to a request for comment on the Red Crescent’s accusation, the military said it was operating in the Al-Amal area and “is not currently operating in the hospitals.” The Red Crescent said messages broadcast from drones demanded that everyone in Al-Amal leave naked, while forces blocked the gates of the hospital with dirt barriers. “All of our crews are currently under extreme danger and cannot move at all,” the group added. Israel’s military said it began an operation in the Al-Amal neighborhood “to continue dismantling terrorist infrastructure and eliminating terrorist operatives in the area.”The military said the operation began with air force strikes on approximately 40 targets, including military compounds, tunnels and other “terror infrastructure.”Israeli forces started a major operation early on Monday that is still going on, saying they were targeting Hamas fighters in and around Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa. The raid, which Israel vowed will continue until the last fighter is in its hands, has killed some 170 militants, according to the Israeli military. The military previously raided the facility last November, sparking international criticism.
Israel has also previously carried out operations around Al-Amal, with the Red Crescent in February saying the military had engaged in a multi-day siege of the facility.

Jordanian police clash with protesters near Israel embassy
REUTERS/March 24, 2024
AMMAN: Riot police fired teargas to push back hundreds of Jordanian demonstrators marching on the Israeli embassy in Amman on Sunday in protest at Israel’s latest storming of hospitals in Gaza and mounting civilian deaths.
The authorities had earlier deployed riot police to disperse demonstrators gathered in the Kaloti mosque in the capital who were planning to march on the heavily fortified Israeli embassy nearby. Several protesters were beaten and several arrested as they tried to break a heavy police cordon around the embassy, witnesses said. Police were not immediately available for comment. They chanted “No Zionist embassy on Jordanian land,” in one of the slogans that have become customary at protests that call on Jordan to scrap its unpopular peace treaty with Israel that often prompt accusations of a sell out. The Israeli embassy, where protesters gather daily, has long been a flashpoint of anti-Israel protests at times of turmoil in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. The kingdom has witnessed some of the biggest peaceful rallies across the region as anti-Israel passions run high over the carnage in Gaza. The authorities allow protests but say they cannot tolerate any attempt to storm the embassy, instigate civic unrest or try to reach a border zone with the Israeli occupied West Bank or Israel. They have arrested hundreds of activists and protesters they say have broken the law since the war that was triggered when Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel on a rampage on Oct.7, killing 1,200 people and capturing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to health authorities in the Hamas-ruled enclave. Other protesters chanted slogans backing the militant group Hamas. “We want to go the borders and kill and kidnap Zionist soldiers. Revenge ... revenge ... Oh Hamas, bomb Tel Aviv,” they shouted. Many of Jordan’s 12 million citizens are of Palestinian origin, they or their parents having been expelled or fled to Jordan in the fighting that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948. They have close family ties with their kin on the other side of the Jordan River.

11 killed in suspected Daesh attack on Syria truffle hunters: monitor
AFP/March 25, 2024
BEIRUT: An attack by the Daesh group killed at least 11 people hunting desert truffles in northern Syria on Sunday, a war monitor said, after the latest such incident. Between February and April each year, hundreds of impoverished Syrians risk their lives to forage for the delicacy in the vast Syrian desert — a known hideout for terrorists that is also littered with mines. Desert truffles can fetch high prices in a country battered by 13 years of war and a crushing economic crisis. “At least 11 people collecting truffles were killed when Daesh fighters detonated a bomb as their car passed in the desert of Raqqa province in northern Syria,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. After the blast, the attackers opened fire, the Observatory added. Residents were still searching for missing persons, said the Britain-based monitoring group with a network of sources inside Syria, noting that the terrorists kidnapped three other hunters. Daesh took control of large swathes of Syria in 2014. A military campaign backed by a United States-led coalition led to the group’s territorial defeat in March 2019 but remnants continue to hide in the desert and launch deadly attacks. The global terrorist group’s reach spans beyond Syria, with Daesh claiming an attack Friday on a concert hall in the Russian capital, Moscow, that left 137 dead. Earlier in March, 19 truffle collectors were killed in an area of Syria’s Raqqa, where Daesh extremists are present, when their vehicle hit a mine, the Observatory said at the time.

Daesh still a threat in Iraq, US ambassador says
REUTERS/March 24, 2024
BAGHDAD: Daesh still poses a threat in Iraq and the US-led military coalition’s work with Iraq to fully defeat the group is not done, United States Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski told Reuters in an interview. Senior Iraqi politicians, including Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, have repeatedly said that the group no longer posed a threat in Iraq and the coalition was not needed, even as its affiliates continued to carry out attacks elsewhere. “We both assess Daesh is still a threat here, much, much diminished, but nevertheless our work is essentially not done and we want to ensure that Iraqi forces can continue the enduring defeat of Daesh,” Romanowski said at the US embassy in Baghdad. She was speaking after Daesh’s Afghan branch, IS-K, claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack at a rock concert near Moscow, in which 137 people were killed. “As this event reminds us, Daesh is a common terrorist enemy that must be defeated everywhere,” she said in an additional comment after the interview. “That’s why the United States and Iraq share a commitment to ensure the enduring defeat of Daesh, including by working together to shape the future of a strong bilateral US-Iraq security partnership.”Last week, at least three people died in a suicide bombing carried out by IS-K in Afghanistan and in January it claimed responsibility for a twin suicide bombing in Iran, which shares a 1,600 km (994 mile) border with Iraq. Iraq’s prime minister is due to meet US President Joe Biden in Washington on April 15 to discuss the future of the coalition, as well as Iraqi financial reforms and a US push to wean Iraq — a rare ally of both Washington and Tehran — off Iranian power and gas. While the coalition’s mission is to advise and assist Iraqi forces in the fight against the Daesh, Western officials say the US and its allies also see its presence in Iraq as a check on Iranian influence. “It’s going to take some time,” to wind down the coalition’s work, Romanowski said, referring to talks between Washington and Baghdad initiated in January amid tit-for-tat attacks between Iran-backed Shia Muslim armed groups and US forces. US-led forces invaded Iraq and toppled former leader Saddam Hussein in 2003, withdrawing in 2011 but then returning in 2014 to fight Daesh as part of an international coalition. The US currently has some 2,500 troops in the country.
‘ORDERLY FASHION’
Daesh was declared territorially defeated in 2017 and Baghdad has argued the coalition’s mission has therefore ended. “In the past we have left quickly only to come back, or only to need to continue, so this time I would argue we need to do this in an orderly fashion,” Romanowski said. The mission’s end would depend on the capabilities of Iraqi security forces, the operational environment, and the threat posed by the IS, she said. Beyond security, US efforts in Iraq are centered on reducing its dependence on Iranian energy and pushing its banking sector toward global standards, she said. “Many Iraqis don’t really trust the banking system here and they have good reason not to,” Romanowski said, though noting that a 40 percent increase in total deposits in the last two years signalled improvement. “That’s one area where, with the prime minister’s support ... we’re going to do what we can... and yes, it will be painful.”
Iraqi financial institutions have come under close scrutiny from Washington amid concerns about the flow of oil revenues to Iran and affiliated groups in violation of US sanctions.

3 of 4 suspects charged in Russia concert hall attack admit guilt during court hearing
AP/March 25, 2024
MOSCOW: Three of the four suspects charged with carrying out the concert hall attack in Moscow that killed more than 130 people admitted guilt for the incident in a Russian court Sunday. Moscow’s Basmanny District Court formally charged Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19; and Shamsidin Fariduni, 25, with committing a group terrorist attack resulting in the death of others. The offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The court ordered that the men, all of whom are citizens of Tajikistan, be held in pre-trial custody until May 22. Mirzoyev, Rachabalizoda, and Shamsidin Fariduni all admitted guilt after being charged. The fourth, Faizov, was brought to court directly from a hospital in a wheelchair and sat with his eyes closed throughout the proceedings. He was attended by medics while in court, where he wore a hospital gown and trousers and was seen with multiple cuts. The other three suspects appeared in court heavily bruised with swollen faces amid reports in Russian media that they were tortured during interrogation by the security services.
One suspect, Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, had a heavily bandaged ear. Russian media reported Saturday that one of the suspects had his ear cut off during interrogation. The Associated Press couldn’t verify the report or the videos which purported to show this. The hearing came as Russia observed a national day of mourning, following the attack Friday on the suburban Crocus City Hall concert venue that killed at least 137 people. The attack, which has been claimed by an affiliate of the Daesh group, is the deadliest on Russian soil in years. Russian authorities arrested the four suspected attackers Saturday, with seven more people detained on suspicion of involvement in the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an address to the nation Saturday night. He claimed they were captured while fleeing to Ukraine, something that Kyiv firmly denied. There was a heavy police presence around the court as the suspects were brought in. One of the suspects was led blindfolded into the courtroom. His blindfold was removed and a black eye was visible. The attack, which has been claimed by an affiliate of the Daesh group, is the deadliest on Russian soil in years.
Russian authorities arrested four suspected attackers on Saturday, with seven more detained on suspicion of involvement in the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a nighttime address to the nation, on Saturday. He claimed they were captured while fleeing to Ukraine, something that Kyiv firmly denies.
Family and friends of those still missing waited for news of their loved ones as Russia observed a day of national mourning on Sunday. Events at cultural institutions were canceled, flags were lowered to half-staff and television entertainment and advertising were suspended, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. A steady stream of people added to a makeshift memorial near the burnt-out concert hall, creating a huge mound of flowers. “People came to a concert, some people came to relax with their families, and any one of us could have been in that situation. And I want to express my condolences to all the families that were affected here and I want to pay tribute to these people,” Andrey Kondakov, one of the mourners who came to lay flowers at the memorial, told The Associated Press. “It is a tragedy that has affected our entire country,” kindergarten employee Marina Korshunova said. “It just doesn’t even make sense that small children were affected by this event.” Three children were among the dead. As rescuers continue to search the damaged building and the death toll rises as more bodies are found, some families still don’t know if relatives who went to the event targeted by gunmen on Friday are alive. Moscow’s Department of Health said Sunday it has begun identifying the bodies of those killed via DNA testing, which will take at least two weeks.
Igor Pogadaev was desperately seeking any details of his wife’s whereabouts after she went to the concert and stopped responding to his messages. He hasn’t seen a message from Yana Pogadaeva since she sent her husband two photos from the Crocus City Hall music venue.
After Pogadaev saw the reports of gunmen opening fire on concertgoers, he rushed to the site, but couldn’t find her in the numerous ambulances or among the hundreds of people who had made their way out of the venue. “I went around, searched, I asked everyone, I showed photographs. No one saw anything, no one could say anything,” Pogadaev told the AP in a video message. He watched flames bursting out of the building as he made frantic calls to a hotline for relatives of the victims, but received no information. As the death toll mounted on Saturday, Pogodaev scoured hospitals in the Russian capital and the Moscow region, looking for information on newly admitted patients. But his wife wasn’t among the 182 reported injured, nor on the list of 60 victims authorities have already identified, he said. The Moscow Region’s Emergency Situations Ministry posted a video Sunday showing equipment dismantling the damaged music venue to give rescuers access.
Putin has called the attack “a bloody, barbaric terrorist act” and said Russian authorities captured the four suspects as they were trying to escape to Ukraine through a “window” prepared for them on the Ukrainian side of the border. Russian media broadcast videos that apparently showed the detention and interrogation of the suspects, including one who told the cameras he was approached by an unidentified assistant to an Islamic preacher via a messaging app and paid to take part in the raid. Putin didn’t mention ISIS, known as Daesh in Arabic, in his speech to the nation, and Kyiv accused him and other Russian politicians of falsely linking Ukraine to the assault to stoke fervor for Russia’s fight in Ukraine, which recently entered its third year. US intelligence officials said they had confirmed the Daesh affiliate’s claim. “ISIS bears sole responsibility for this attack. There was no Ukrainian involvement whatsoever,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement. The US shared information with Russia in early March about a planned terrorist attack in Moscow, and issued a public warning to Americans in Russia, Watson said. The raid was a major embarrassment for the Russian leader and happened just days after he cemented his grip on the country for another six years in a vote that followed the harshest crackdown on dissent since the Soviet times. Some commentators on Russian social media questioned how authorities, who have relentlessly suppressed any opposition activities and muzzled independent media, failed to prevent the attack despite the US warnings. Daesh, which fought against Russia during its intervention in the Syrian civil war, has long targeted Russia. In a statement posted by the group’s Aamaq news agency, the Daesh Afghanistan affiliate said that it had attacked a large gathering of “Christians” in Krasnogorsk. The group issued a new statement Saturday on Aamaq, saying the attack was carried out by four men who used automatic rifles, a pistol, knives and firebombs. It said the assailants fired at the crowd and used knives to kill some concertgoers, casting the raid as part of the Daesh group’s ongoing war with countries that it says are fighting against Islam. In October 2015, a bomb planted by IS downed a Russian passenger plane over Sinai, killing all 224 people on board, most of them Russian vacationers returning from Egypt. The group, which operates mainly in Syria and Iraq but also in Afghanistan and Africa, has claimed responsibility for several attacks in Russia’s volatile Caucasus and other regions in past years. It recruited fighters from Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union.

Russia attacks Ukrainian gas storage site; Ukraine ramps up power imports
REUTERS/March 25, 2024
Most of Ukraine’s gas storage capacity is in the western part of the country and it is able to store around 30 billion cubic meters of gas
KYIV: An underground gas storage site in Ukraine was attacked on Sunday in the latest wave of Russian missile strikes on power facilities, while officials restored power in cities, ordered imports and imposed rolling blackouts to deal with shortfalls. Ukraine’s state-run Naftogaz energy firm reported the attack on the gas storage site (UGS), but added that gas supplies to consumers had not been affected. Naftogaz CEO Oleksiy Chernyshov said equipment damaged in the strike was being repaired. “The situation will not critically impact the UGS operations since the gas is stored deep underground,” Chernyshov wrote on Facebook. President Volodymyr Zelensky said efforts to restore power supplies were under way in various regions, with the greatest difficulties in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. The country’s energy ministry and distributors said Ukraine ramped up imports of electricity and halted exports after the recent series of Russian attacks, in which top energy producer DTEK lost 50 percent of its capacity. Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, head of Ukrenergo, which operates Ukraine’s transmission lines, said the latest wave of strikes had caused damage of at least 90 million euros ($97 million). Russia attacked Ukrainian generating and transmission facilities on Friday, causing significant blackouts in many regions, and energy facilities in three Ukrainian regions were also attacked early on Sunday.
POWER CUTS, ROLLING BLACKOUTS
Zelensky, in his nightly video address on Sunday, said more than 200,000 residents of Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russian attacks, were without reliable power. The network had been restored elsewhere, he said. Zelensky said “strict schedules” for power use were in force in Kharkiv. DTEK, the biggest private power company, said rolling blackouts had been imposed in the port of Odesa. Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper, in a posting just after midnight on the Telegram messaging app, said parts of the city were without power after damage to infrastructure caused by a new night-time drone attack. Emergency services were on the scene, but he gave no further details. The energy ministry said in a statement: “For the current day, electricity imports are forecast at 14,900 megawatt hours (MWh). No exports are expected.” Ukraine imported 3,300 MWh a day before the attack on March 22, with exports of 2,148 MWh.
“Losses (from Friday’s attack) have already been assessed and the DTEK group has lost 50 percent of its generating capacity, we can say this information officially,” Serhiy Kovalenko, the head of distribution firm Yasno, said on national television. Kovalenko said Russia had attacked two parts of the energy system — generation and distribution, hitting both thermal and hydropower plants. “The enemy hit hard at grid nodes and transformers,” he said. The ministry said that Russia had attempted on Sunday to hit a critical energy infrastructure facility in the Lviv region in western Ukraine. “Equipment caught fire and the facility was de-energised. There were no casualties,” the ministry said. The head of the Lviv region’s military administration, Maksym Kozytskyi, later said firefighters had taken most of the day to bring the blaze under control. The ministry said that power lines in the Kyiv region were damaged and 1,400 households in two settlements had lost power. Naftogaz’s Chernyshov said his company was currently working on localising and eliminating the impact of the Russian attacks. Most of Ukraine’s gas storage capacity is in the western part of the country and it is able to store around 30 billion cubic meters of gas.

Pope Francis describes the Crocus terrorist attack as inhumane
NNA/March 25, 2024
The patron of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, described the terrorist attack that occurred at the Crocus Center near Moscow as an inhumane act that offends God, according to "Russia Today". The Pope said after the Palm Sunday Mass, celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church: “I pray for the victims of the brutal terrorist attack that was committed near Moscow. May the Lord accept their souls into His Kingdom in peace and reassure their loved ones. May He change the hearts of those who commit these inhuman acts that offend the Lord Who ordered not to kill." The Pope also called for prayers for all those suffering from wars, “especially in Ukraine, where electricity was cut off for many due to attacks on infrastructure.” He also warned of the danger of worsening suffering and the risk of a humanitarian tragedy.

Pope Francis skips Palm Sunday homily but continues service
NNA/March 25, 2024 
Pope Francis, at the last minute, skipped reading his homily during a Palm Sunday Mass for tens of thousands of people at St. Peter's Square but continued presiding at the service. In recent weeks the 87-year-old pope has been suffering on and off from bronchitis and influenza and has delegated an aide to read his addresses for him but on Sunday his prepared text was not read at all. It is very unusual for a pope to totally skip a homily at a major event such as Palm Sunday. The Vatican gave no immediate explanation for why the pope skipped the homily. The television coverage showed only the crowd for a few minutes instead of a close-up of the pope. An announcer on Vatican Radio then said the pope had decided to not read the homily. The pope, dressed in red vestments, continued presiding, reading parts of the Mass. Cardinals, priests, and bishops took part in the service that commemorates what the Bible says was Jesus' entry into Jerusalem days before he was betrayed, put on trial, and executed by crucifixion. They, along with participants in the crowd, held palm fronds and olive branches at the service, which marks the start of Holy Week, a busy period leading to Easter. Because of his knee ailment, for more than a year Francis has been presiding at Masses while sitting near the altar while a cardinals acts as the main celebrant. After the Mass, Francis delivered his weekly Sunday Angelus message and blessing. --- Reuters

Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 24-25/2024
Biden's Pier Is a Gift to Hamas Terrorists
Con Coughlin/Gatestone Institute/March 24, 2024
There are mounting concerns that the Biden administration's pier plan could ultimately boomerang, especially, as Netanyahu himself has warned, if the US aid and the port itself end up in the hands of Hamas terrorists.
"This [Biden] administration betrayed its allies – the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Jordan – by handing the port over to Qatar, namely to Hamas..... What all anti-U.S. elements will take away from this tragic episode is not that America stands by its human values to support and care for the population of Gaza, but rather that America is weak and that this is why it is granting the port to Qatar and Hamas." — Yigal Carmon, founder and president, Middle East Media Research Institute, March 20, 2024.
As Hamas ultimately controls most of the aid distribution networks in Gaza, the plans currently being drawn up by the US and Europe to expand aid deliveries could ultimately prove counter-productive in terms of ending the conflict, as Hamas terrorists have a long track record of exploiting foreign aid to strengthen their terrorist activities in Gaza.
If the Biden administration and its European allies are really serious about ending the conflict in Gaza, then they should give their unequivocal backing to the Israeli military in its battle to destroy the terrorist infrastructure Hamas has constructed in Gaza.
For it will only be when Hamas is completely destroyed, and no longer poses a threat to the Israeli people, that there can be any genuine prospect of lasting peace in the region.
Under plans drawn up by the Pentagon, an estimated 1,000 US military personnel are to be deployed to construct the floating pier off the coast of Gaza that will enable Washington to deliver aid directly to Palestinian civilians.
Four US Army ships are currently making the month-long voyage from their base in Virginia to Gaza, where they will be involved in the construction of what the Pentagon calls a modular causeway system, including a large floating platform that will enable ships to unload large containers of aid.
The humanitarian supplies will then be transferred to a motorised string of causeway sections that will be pushed towards the shore for unloading.
The new aid initiative by the Biden administration has been taken in response to claims made by aid agencies that the estimated 2.3 million Palestinians resident in Gaza are facing starvation due to supply shortages, a claim that has been angrily dismissed by the Israeli government.
Michael Fakhri, a United Nations official responsible for food aid, has even accused the Israelis of deliberately starving Palestinian civilians in Gaza, an accusation that was fiercely rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Our policies are to put in as much humanitarian aid as we could," Netanyahu insisted, warning that efforts by the international community to provide aid could simply result in prolonging the war if it ended up in the hands of Hamas terrorists.
"When we started out putting in the humanitarian convoys, we said there will be one problem. And that is what if Hamas tries to steal the food and the drugs that we're bringing for the civilian population, for its own terrorist forces?"
Washington's decision to construct a pier, moreover, has been taken because previous methods of delivering aid have experienced significant difficulties. Attempts by the US military to delivery aid by parachutes resulted in five Palestinians being killed after a parachute failed on an aid package dropped by air. An estimated 100 Palestinians were also reported killed when they attempted to intercept aid trucks transporting vital humanitarian supplies in Gaza.
There are mounting concerns, however, that the Biden administration's pier plan could ultimately boomerang, especially, as Netanyahu himself has warned, if the US aid and the port itself end up in the hands of Hamas terrorists.
According to journalist Caroline Glick:
"At America's request, Hamas ally Qatar has agreed to take charge of operating and financing the temporary pier on its way from the United States to the Gaza coast, Israel's Channel 14 reported on Tuesday.
"Qatar consented to run the port on condition that the construction work go to the Al-Hisi firm, 'a company controlled and sponsored by Hamas,' according to Channel 14 correspondent Baruch Yedid, citing Arab media reports following a meeting in Cyprus between diplomatic officials from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates several days ago.
"'Qatar has an interest in this port. Qatar wants to preserve Hamas,' he said. 'Qatar also wants leverage over Hamas.'"
Yigal Carmon, founder and president of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) wrote:
"This [Biden] administration betrayed its allies – the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Jordan – by handing the port over to Qatar, namely to Hamas.... What all anti-U.S. elements will take away from this tragic episode is not that America stands by its human values to support and care for the population of Gaza, but rather that America is weak and that this is why it is granting the port to Qatar and Hamas."
As the Israeli government has consistently pointed out, the group most responsible for any aid crisis in Hamas, which continues to control much of the Gaza Strip. Apart from infiltrating key aid organisations, such as UNRWA, where several Palestinian members of the organisation have been accused of taking part in the October 7 attacks, Hamas also controls the Gaza "Health Ministry" responsible for putting out the dire warnings about the suffering of Palestinian civilians in the conflict, which critics claim are being deliberately exaggerated.
By deploying US forces so close to Gaza, Washington also runs the risk of the US military becoming directly involved in a confrontation with Hamas and its Iranian backers. If US forces were to come under fire while delivering aid to Gaza, they would have no option but to return fire, thereby running the risk of causing a major escalation in the conflict.
The pier plan, moreover, comes against a background of worsening relations between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel's handling of its military offensive in Gaza with Hamas.
At a time when the Israeli people find themselves in an existential struggle against Hamas and other Iranian-backed terror groups such as Hezbollah, the Jewish state needs all the international support it can muster to ensure it achieves its declared goal of achieving total victory over Hamas.
The constant barrage of criticism being levelled against Netanyahu's government, though, by the Biden administration threatens to undermine global backing for Israel to the extent that Hamas could end up remaining in control of large swathes of the Gaza Strip, with all the dire implications that would have for Israel's future security.
In his most recent broadside against Netanyahu, Biden made the outlandish claim that, by maintaining Israel's military campaign in Gaza, the Israeli leader was "hurting Israel more than helping Israel".
Speaking in an interview with the MSNBC news channel, Biden repeated his accusation that too many Palestinian civilians were being killed as a result of the conflict in Gaza, even though Hamas is the only source for the Palestinian casualty figures, which has inevitably raised questions about their veracity.
Critics argue the Palestinian casualty figures presented by Hamas are nothing more than a blatant attempt by the group to use lies and propaganda to turn global opinion against Israel.
Biden himself referred to the Hamas-provided casualty figures in his MSNBC interview, claiming that while Netanyahu "has a right to defend Israel, a right to continue to pursue Hamas," he insisted that the Israeli leader "must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken."
In an attempt to increase the pressure on Israel to scale down its military operations in Gaza, Biden also warned that the White House would see any attempt by Netanyahu to expand Israel's military offensive to include Rafah, Hamas's last remaining stronghold in Gaza, as a "red line".
Biden's comments prompted a withering response from Netanyahu, who replied in a later interview that, if Biden thought the Israeli leader was going against "the wish of the majority of Israelis, and that this is hurting the interests of Israel, then he's wrong on both counts."
Netanyahu also gave a clear indication that the Israeli military would extend its operations to include Rafah. "We'll go there. We're not going to leave them," Netanyahu declared in an interview with the Politico website. "You know, I have a red line. You know what the red line is? That October 7 doesn't happen again. Never happens again."
Meanwhile, the Spanish aid ship Open Arms this month brought a load of food aid from the Cypriot port of Larnaca to Gaza, an operation conducted in cooperation with the EU, which is seeking to set up a humanitarian sea corridor in the eastern Mediterranean to expand its aid deliveries to the enclave.
As Hamas ultimately controls most of the aid distribution networks in Gaza, the plans currently being drawn up by the US and Europe to expand aid deliveries could ultimately prove counter-productive in terms of ending the conflict, as Hamas terrorists have a long track record of exploiting foreign aid to strengthen their terrorist activities in Gaza.
If the Biden administration and its European allies are really serious about ending the conflict in Gaza, then they should give their unequivocal backing to the Israeli military in its battle to destroy the terrorist infrastructure Hamas has constructed in Gaza.
For it will only be when Hamas is completely destroyed, and no longer poses a threat to the Israeli people, that there can be any genuine prospect of lasting peace in the region.
**Con Coughlin is the Telegraph's Defence and Foreign Affairs Editor and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at 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.

Frankly Speaking: How Saudis view the war in Gaza
ARAB NEWS/March 24, 2024
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia is using its leverage to help bring an end to the conflict in Gaza but stands by its original position that normalization with Israel will not occur without the establishment of a Palestinian state, according to former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki Al-Faisal.
Appearing on “Frankly Speaking,” the weekly Arab News current affairs podcast, he said the Kingdom has a role to play in brokering peace.
“Saudi Arabia is trying to do that to its best ability,” Prince Turki said. “The summit conferences that were held in the Kingdom since the beginning of this conflict indicate that Saudi Arabia very much wants to establish peace and security for everybody and not just for the Israelis.”
Just days before the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel that triggered the latest round of bloodletting in Gaza, Saudi Arabia and Israel had appeared to be on the brink of a historic normalization deal brokered by the US.
However, the outbreak of war in Gaza, which has resulted in more than 30,000 Palestinian deaths, according to local health authorities, seems to have killed that process and further set back the Middle East peace process.
Prince Turki said the terms of such an agreement remain the same regardless — that Saudi Arabia would only normalize ties with Israel once the two-state solution had been implemented, granting the Palestinians an independent state.
“What I’ve seen from statements from Saudi officials, from the crown prince and from our foreign minister is that so-called normalization of Israel, if it were to happen, will not happen before the establishment of a Palestinian state with all of the necessary arrangements for that state to be viable and survivable,” he said.
“That has been the official position of Saudi Arabia from the beginning.
“Saudi Arabia has reiterated its commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative as the only viable way to achieve total peace between Israel and the Arab world.”
Former intelligence chief Prince Turki Al-Faisal told Katie Jensen he believes a Saudi-Israeli normalization deal would not happen until the establishment of a Palestinian state. (AN Photo)
Prince Turki added: “The Palestinians are the main victims of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. And achieving their rights and giving them their ability to have their own state and identity has been the main aim of not just Saudi Arabia, but (of) the Arab world in general and the Muslim world in more general terms.
“That has been a goal of the Kingdom since the beginning of the conflict many decades ago, and still is.”
If negotiations for a lasting solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict are to make any headway, Prince Turki said the talks would have to be balanced, especially if the Israeli side insists Hamas is excluded from any dialogue.
“In any consideration for peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, if there are going to be conditions placed on who represents who around the negotiating table, those conditions should be evenly placed on both sides,” he told Katie Jensen, the host of “Frankly Speaking.”
“If they’re going to exclude certain parties from the Palestinian side, like Hamas, for example, because of what it did on Oct. 7, then they should exclude equally Israeli political parties for what they’re doing in Gaza now.
“And on that basis, there should be a fair distribution of blame, if that is the right word for it, or representation for the Palestinians and the Israelis. So, the Israelis are just as culpable and just as vicious as any fighter in Hamas or any of the parties on the Palestinian side.”
Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, coupled with its restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid and commercial goods permitted to enter the enclave, has resulted in accusations of genocide against the Palestinian people — claims Israel vehemently rejects.
South Africa, long a supporter of the Palestinian cause, brought a case against Israel before the International Court of Justice at The Hague in January accusing it of committing acts of genocide in Gaza.
Asked whether he believes Israel’s military campaign in Gaza amounts to a breach of the genocide convention, Prince Turki said: “I’m not the only one who believes that.
“I think we’ve seen the reaction of the world populations everywhere, the demonstrations that have gone out in the streets of major cities in Europe, in America, in Asia, in Africa, in Latin America.
“Everywhere you go, people have gone out in the streets condemning Israel’s brutal attacks on the Palestinian people in general and more specifically in Gaza.
“And, definitely, the ICJ has already said that there are grounds to believe that Israel is committing genocide in these territories. So, I’m not the only one who believes that.”
Parachutes drop supplies into the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP)
He added: “The Israelis are just there portraying themselves as innocent bystanders, or victims of Hamas brutality, when they are the ones who are committing the major crimes there. And the ICJ definitely has put its mark on the world to require the end of the hostilities there and the stopping of the carnage that Israel is causing.”
In 2020, the US-brokered normalization deals known as the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab states, including the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. The implicit understanding was that Israel would become less aggressive toward Palestinians.
In reality, many prominent Arabs believe there has been little in the way of tangible evidence to suggest that Arab normalization agreements have advanced the cause of peace in the Middle East.
In this sense, have the Abraham Accords failed? “Definitely,” said Prince Turki.
“It is not just a failure of the Abraham Accords, but it’s a failure of the world community since the Israeli occupation of Palestine. It’s more than 75 years since the creation of Israel, and yet we’re still, as it were, walking in place without moving forward on establishing a Palestinian state with Palestinian rights and the necessity of peace between Israel and its neighbors.
“So, I hope that the recent events have convinced the world of the need to walk the walk, not only talk the talk, about establishing peace in the Middle East.”
Meanwhile in Gaza, Israel has continued to accuse Hamas of using civilians as human shields by deliberately digging tunnels under hospitals, schools and places of worship.
Prince Turki, who is an expert in the tactic of guerilla warfare, having written extensively on the topic in relation to the Mujahideen campaign against the Soviet Red Army in Afghanistan, said there is ⁠no evidence that Hamas has used these tunnels for anything more than to hide from Israeli attacks.
More interesting still is the origins of these subterranean networks, which were, it seems, built by the Israelis years earlier.
“There is a very interesting interview that the former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak gave to one of the news media in which, out of the blue, he made the observation that it was Israel who first built tunnels in Gaza when they occupied Gaza,” Prince Turki said, referring to an exchange in November last year between Barak and CNN’s Cristiane Amanpour about the bunkers under Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
“And the interviewer was taken aback and totally surprised and she asked the question again to get Barak to clarify that. And he said, yes, we built them when we were in occupation because it made our occupation easier, and other words to that effect.
“So, building the tunnels was not just Hamas’ idea but the Israelis when they were in occupation used that method as well to further their occupation of Gaza.”
As for Israeli claims that the tunnels have been used by Hamas as command centers, to store weapons, and to conceal hostages, Prince Turki said these were still unproven.
In Gaza, Israel has continued to accuse Hamas of using civilians as human shields by deliberately digging tunnels under hospitals, schools and places of worship. (AFP)
“I have seen no specific evidence of the Israeli claims that these tunnels are used as command headquarters for Hamas,” he said.
“You remember the scenes that they showed at the beginning of this recent fighting of going into one of these tunnels and then claiming that, yes, here is the proof of military use of the tunnels and showing absolutely nothing.
“There has been no evidence other than that the Hamas is using these tunnels, not only for their own protection but also to move from one place to another.”
In fact, far from exposing the barbarity of Hamas, Prince Turki said the Israelis have demonstrated their own disregard for human life with their bombardment of densely populated civilian areas, even though Israeli hostages were likely to be killed in the crossfire.
“The Israelis have not minded killing their own people, civilians as well, in their attempts to meet the challenge of Hamas fighters,” he said.
“There’s been Israeli news media that have covered this aspect of the initial fighting there, that Israel itself is killing their own people in order to kill the Hamas fighters and the kibbutzim that they occupied before the Israeli assault on Gaza itself.
“The Israelis themselves don’t show any concern for human life, even to their own people. Remember the three Israeli hostages that had come out of one of these areas where they were held by the Hamas and they were shot by the Israeli forces.”
The war in Gaza has spilled over into other parts of the region, with exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah on the Lebanese border, assaults on US positions by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, and attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden by Yemen’s Houthi militia.
These Houthi attacks have forced the US to make a screeching U-turn. Having delisted the militia as a terrorist group when it assumed office in 2021, the administration of President Joe Biden has now reimposed the designation and mounted repeated strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.
“Irony is a good word to describe what has happened in that consideration,” Prince Turki said.
“Having delisted the Houthis from the terrorist list and then working with Saudi Arabia to achieve some kind of ceasefire in Yemen and having succeeded in that, the Palestinian issue impinged on any such considerations, not just for the US, but for us as well.
“And the US has shown that when issues affected it directly, they were willing to take the measures that Saudi Arabia had taken before against the Houthis when they took over in Sanaa. So, it’s a matter of self-preservation, or self-interest on the part of the US that they changed their mind.
“I would not be willing to try to explain or to understand American considerations other than to say that it is very ironic that once having taken that view of the Houthis and delisting them from the terrorist list and now they’re putting them back on it, it’s very much an irony there.”
During his appearance on Frankly Speaking, Prince Turki called out not just the Abraham Accords’ “failure” to bring about peace but also the world community’s role since Israel’s occupation of Palestine. (AN Photo)
And this is not the only U-turn the Biden administration has made in relation to the region.
At the start of his presidency, Biden had promised to make Saudi Arabia a global pariah. Since then, as the war in Ukraine destabilizes global energy prices and Middle East conflicts again dominate the foreign policy agenda, the US has changed its tone.
“I hope that the Americans realize that such brouhaha and hyperbolic positions they take and public statements about pariah status for the Kingdom really should not be practiced by a big power like the US, but rather to look at reality on the ground and see mutual interest and where those should be, rather than wishful thinking on the part of political campaigning in the US,” Prince Turki said.
“We’re coming up to an election in the US in the next few months and I hope both sides will keep that in mind when they’re referring to Saudi Arabia. As you know, the Kingdom in previous elections also had been stigmatized by statements from politicians going back many years.
“But reality subsequently has forced itself on American policymakers and made them recognize that Saudi Arabia is a valuable partner for the US and therefore this is how they should look upon the Kingdom rather than allow party politics to dictate policy in the US.”
Prince Turki would not be drawn on the expected outcome of the presidential election but said that both candidates now recognized the value of Washington’s relationship with Riyadh.
“It’s really a very, very tough contest between two known factors,” he said. “Both Biden and Trump are well known to the American people. All the polling that I see is very much undecided so far. And we’ll just have to wait and see what happens in November of this year.
“My only wish, as I said, is that both sides consider Saudi Arabia as an important partner in maintaining economic welfare for the world, in hoping to achieve peace in our part of the world and going forward for the betterment of mankind, rather than as a political punching bag that either side can feel free to punch every once in a while.”

Is Al-Qaeda now in Moscow?
*Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Arab News/March 2024
The sudden resurgence of Al-Qaeda has thrust its name back into the global spotlight, this time as a prime suspect. Turkey has pointed fingers, linking the terrorist organization to two attacks resulting in 12 fatalities, while a statement has emerged claiming the group’s involvement in a recent terrorist strike in Moscow, which left more than 100 dead. Other reports indicate the group’s alleged involvement in attacks across Somalia, Yemen and Iraq. Al-Qaeda was once a well-established organization with a recognized presence, headquartered in Kabul and led by Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden engaged with journalists and activists, releasing video statements. But today, Al-Qaeda has been reduced to nothing more than a name. Why would Al-Qaeda target Moscow? Especially with the decline in hostilities in Syria, leaving no convincing explanation for its actions.
The primary enemies for Russians are the Ukrainians and their allies, who have conducted operations targeting Moscow. It is crucial to recognize that the war in Ukraine is significantly larger in scale than the Gaza conflict, both in terms of military operations and the involved armies. Moreover, the Ukraine situation has dangerous strategic implications, while the Gaza conflict is primarily regional in nature. Despite the reluctance of most regional nations to engage in the Ukrainian conflict, Iran stood out by actively supplying Russia with drones, marking the first instance of its status as a dangerous source of weaponry. Therefore, it seems implausible that any organization under Tehran’s control or influence would launch an attack against Russia. Most countries in the region have chosen to remain nonaligned in the Ukrainian conflict. Despite mounting pressure from the US, their relations with Russia remain positive. However, navigating these ties proves challenging, given Moscow’s support for Tehran and Tehran’s military involvement in the region’s numerous proxy conflicts.
Why would Al-Qaeda target Moscow? Especially with the decline in hostilities in Syria, leaving no convincing explanation for its actions.
The indictment against Al-Qaeda, though not entirely unfounded, has lost much of its persuasive force, prompting a deeper dive into the reality of the group and its affiliated armed factions. Whether breakaway factions from the original Al-Qaeda or independently inspired groups, the spotlight is back on.
Since the US-led crackdown on Al-Qaeda’s leaders, the Iraq war marked a significant turning point, offering a broader marketplace for terrorism. Iraqi Baathists, embittered by the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, have played a notable role in this new chapter. Additionally, Arab jihadists with ties to Syria have joined the fray, expanding the theater of conflict beyond Iraqi borders. As the conflict in Iraq waned, these elements spilled over into neighboring Syria, fueling anti-Russian insurgencies. This phenomenon drew in counter-establishment organizations from Central Asia.
Since the demise or capture of its key leaders, Al-Qaeda has lost its prominence, overshadowed by groups such as Jabhat Al-Nusra, Daesh, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, Al-Shabab in Somalia and others. These organizations have spread across the region like wildfire.
Saif Al-Adel stands as one of the last surviving leaders of Al-Qaeda from the Afghan jihad era. He currently lives in Iran, where he sought sanctuary alongside other key figures of the organization in the aftermath of the American invasion of Afghanistan. With only a solitary photograph dating back four decades, Al-Adel remains an enigmatic figure. According to revelations from US interrogations, he vehemently opposed Bin Laden’s proposal to execute the Sept. 11 attacks, foreseeing the catastrophic consequences they would bring upon the organization. Leading the Iranian branch of Al-Qaeda, Al-Adel’s activities remain shrouded in mystery. Given mutual interests, it is improbable that this faction would engage in conflict against the Russians.
*Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a veteran columnist. He is the former general manager of Al Arabiya News Channel, and former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, where this article was originally published. Twitter: @aalrashed

Democrats face increasing Arab and Muslim voter rejection
Ray Hanania/Arab News/March 2024
One week after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for “new elections,” calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an obstacle to peace who has “lost his way,” 19 Democratic Senate colleagues released a letter urging “recognition of a non-militarized Palestinian state.”
Schumer, who is Jewish and a consistent supporter of Israel, unleashed a wave of anger from Israeli activists, elected officials, and their US backers who challenged America’s right to tell Israel anything.
The letter proffers Israel’s “full integration into the region,” and eventual US recognition of a “normalized Palestinian state.”
President Joe Biden reversed his stand and announced he would sponsor a watered-down “ceasefire” resolution at the UN Security Council where he has vetoed three more expansive plans.
Why, all of a sudden, after the US has funded, supplied and supported in Gaza one of the worst military assaults on a civilian population in more than a century, is there a push for peace?
The reason is simple: Arab and Muslim American voters and their allies have flexed their muscles. Instead of simply opposing those who oppose Palestinian statehood like Republicans, they are holding the feet of Democrats like Biden and Schumer to the fire because they have failed to fulfill promises of fairness for Palestinian rights. The letter includes two senators up for reelection in battleground states where Biden and Democrats have faced growing Arab and Muslim voter rejection.
The change is a direct result of Arab and Muslim voters coming together, for the first time, to force Democrats to live up to their so far failed promises supporting Palestinian statehood and rights under the #AbandonBiden movement.
Until now, Democratic politicians like Schumer have had it both ways. They claim to support peace but they have done nothing to achieve it, submitting to Israel’s whims and accepting hundreds of millions of dollars from pro-Israel political action committees under the umbrella of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
While talking from one side of their mouths about peace, but doing nothing, they have been speaking loudly in Israel’s defense from the other side, providing hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer funds to Israel’s government, money that could better be spent to address growing problems in America like rising healthcare costs, rising crime, low standards of education, and a weakening economy.
Netanyahu and the pro-Israel lobby were shocked by both Schumer’s call for new elections, and the letter from the 19 Democratic senators. Republicans and hardline Democrats have introduced restrictions banning funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which is needed to ease growing refugee suffering.
Schumer and the letter reflect a slow awakening of the American public to the brutality of Israel’s carnage in Gaza and how the Netanyahu campaign is laying the groundwork for more reactive violence from the civilian victims.
In the five months following the Hamas attack, Israel’s assault has injured more than 100,000 people, destroyed mosques, churches, schools, hospitals, homes, and businesses and rallied the world against not just Israel but against the US.
The Gaza devastation is so widespread that more than 1.5 million Palestinians have been forced to flee their destroyed homes and neighborhoods to a tightly packed area near Rafah.
Arabs, Muslims, and supporters of the #AbandonBiden movement are the catalyst for these seismic changes in Democratic Party politics.
Supporters of the #AbandonBiden movement are the catalyst for the seismic changes in Democratic Party politics. As Biden stumbles toward a rematch with former President Donald Trump, Arabs and Muslims have withheld their support for him, negating narrow vote margins he won over Trump in 2020 in a dozen state primary elections. Even if this results in Republicans returning to power, #AbandonBiden activists believe they must show Democrats their power and that they can no longer be ignored as they have been.
If the #AbandonBiden sustains its anti-Biden voting, Biden most likely will lose his bid for the presidency and return America to right-wing Republican fanaticism. Activists say it is easier to confront right-wing Republican fanaticism than to be stabbed in the back by a “smiling” Democrat. They argue, “Four years of Trump’s incendiary rhetoric doesn’t even come close to the five months of carnage by Biden in Gaza.”
Israelis may have it easier under Republicans but they have gotten everything they have ever wanted from Democrats. But they haven’t held back their anger with Schumer.
Leaders of the extremist Israeli Likud Party, founded by Menachem Begin, now Netanyahu’s base, said Israel “is not a banana republic.” He said Americans are “expected to respect Israel’s elected government and not undermine it.”
The American Jewish Committee, which has provided cover for Israel’s Gaza carnage, said after Schumer’s speech: “Israel is a sovereign democracy in the midst of a war of self-defense against a terrorist organization bent on massacring Jews and destroying Israel.”
AIPAC said that Israel “decides for itself when elections are held and chooses its own leaders.”
Republicans like former Trump spokesman Ari Fleischer called Schumer’s comments “one of the most disgusting speeches ever given in the Senate.”
Journalists who have asserted “objectivity” have stepped out to pillory Schumer and the Democrats.
Mark Knoller, former CBS news correspondent, often criticized for his one-sided pro-Israel reports, asked: “Would Schumer still feel that way if his relatives were still held by Hamas?"
Columnist and author David Marcus asked: "Why on earth would any nation want to be an ally of the US today?”
Pro-Israel media, including Fox News columnist Marc Thiessen and New York Post columnist John Podhoretz, attacked Schumer, as did Israeli columnist Caroline Glick, who called Schumer “a total disgrace … not fit to lead Israel, not fit to lead the Senate” and someone who “isn’t fit to lead a synagogue’s men’s club.”
What #AbandonBiden has done is pull the covers off a hypocrisy in which Israel has been allowed to meddle in American politics, while discouraging Americans, who empower Israel, from challenging Israel’s politics.
Israel has had both Republicans and Democrats in a political headlock. It’s good to see one side finally trying to break free.
**Ray Hanania is an award-winning former Chicago City Hall political reporter and columnist. He can be reached on his personal website at www.Hanania.com. X: @RayHanania

Turkiye streamlines its relations with Iraq
Yasar Yakis/Arab News/March 2024
Relations between Turkiye and Iraq have certainly improved in recent times.
After the Second Gulf War, there was a shadow of American influence on Turkish-Iraqi relations. When the Turkish parliament refused to allow US troops to transit Turkiye to open a new front in the north of Iraq, Ankara’s relations with Washington hit a low point. Its effects are still visible in many areas, and the Pentagon accused the Turkish military establishment of not having played the leadership role it should have.
What Turkiye did at that time was nothing but obey the will of its parliament. There have been other unpleasant episodes in the meantime, but Turkish-US relations have never returned to their pre-Gulf War stage.
The relations between Turkiye and Iraq remained less than cordial for a long period. A thaw, however, started around a year ago. Turkiye came up with tangible cooperation projects, not only in security but also in economic areas. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and Ankara’s intelligence chief, Ibrahim Kalin, were busy giving substance to the cooperation.
In a meeting held last week between the two neighbors, several important decisions were adopted, but one of them is most important: The Iraqi delegation agreed in that meeting to consider the PKK a terrorist organization.
Up to now, it had consistently avoided referring to the PKK as a terrorist organization. We do not know yet whether the Iraqi government — and eventually the Iraqi parliament — will also adopt the same position. We may not, of course, consider the PKK as dissolved with such a loose commitment. However, it is an important step in shaking its foundations in Iraq. There is a long way to go for the eradication of the PKK in Turkiye, in Syria, and in many Western countries.
Another meeting was held, this time at the strictly military level, in Iraq. Recent pictures made available by the Turkish Defense Ministry indicate that it was again held in northern Iraq with the participation of senior Turkish commander Lt. Gen. Metin Tokel. On the Iraqi side, there were the representatives of the central Iraqi authorities as well as the members of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. In other words, almost everyone who should have been there was there.
Turkish-Iraqi relations have the potential to develop. What is needed is a strong will to improve them to the level that they deserve.
Both these meetings were a preparation for another more important meeting to be held in Baghdad with the participation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. That meeting is scheduled for the last week of April. Turkiye wants to elevate the bilateral meetings with Iraq to the High Level Strategic Cooperation Councils. However, the title of such meetings does not always solve the problems. What is needed is a strong will to support cooperation.
The relations with Iraq have been ambivalent for a long time. Several attempts have been made to streamline them, but progress has remained modest. There are now signs of its reactivation.
The Turkish Defense Ministry has underlined that military operations are carried out in close cooperation with the Iraqi security authorities. While the security of the Turkish-Iraqi border has been the main purpose of the operations, the security of Iraqi citizens was also meticulously taken care of.
Iraq recently complained to the UN Security Council that Turkiye was violating its border because of the military operations it had carried out. Now, the same Iraq is cooperating with Turkiye to repel PKK assaults against Turkiye. This is an important change of policy on the Iraqi side.
The question of opening a transport corridor appeared on the agenda in an earlier meeting. In a sense, it was some kind of revival of another transport corridor first proposed in 1903 by Germany to link three capitals: Berlin, Belgrade, and Baghdad. An extension from Baghdad to Basra was later added to the project. After Turkey withdrew in 1923 from the former Ottoman territories in the Middle East, the idea of this major transport corridor fell into disuse. Only parts of it were revived in a scattered manner. The line between Aleppo and Baghdad was completed in 1930 and the first train from Istanbul to Baghdad did not run until 1940.
Now, with Turkish-Iraqi relations improving, a new version of this transport corridor from Basra to Turkiye has come on the agenda. As both sides reap the advantages of this corridor, they will regret that the corridor was not created earlier. A thorny issue between Turkiye and Iraq is the question of the allocation of the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers among Syria, Turkiye, and Iraq. Syria is too busy at present with other priorities, but neither Iraq nor Syria are likely to put aside this important subject indefinitely. The question will come on the agenda sooner or later and neither Iraq nor Syria will give up their claims on water until an amicable solution is found for the problem. The Syrian leg of the question is dormant because of uncertainties in the country.
Turkish-Iraqi relations have the potential to develop. What is needed is a strong will to improve them to the level that they deserve.
**Yasar Yakis is a former foreign minister of Turkiye and founding member of the ruling AK Party. X: @yakis_yasar

The President is the Last to Know!
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 24/2024
Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif confirmed former US President Donald Trump's claim that the Iranians had given prior warning to Washington before launching its attack on Ain al-Assad (a US base in Anbar, west of Baghdad) in retaliation for the killing of Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
In his new book "The Depth of Patience," Zarif says that the last decision he was privy to following Soleimani's assassination was that "there is no rush for retaliation, and the most effective method is the one always followed by Hezbollah- that is, forcing the other side to maintain an exhausting state of vigilance."
Zarif, who we know, thanks to an audio recording leaked in 2021, had previously complained about the dominance of the IRGC, added that "the Americans had been informed of the attack, by the former Prime Minister of Iraq Adel Abdul Mahdi, before President Hassan Rouhani and the Foreign Ministry." Well, what is the significance of Zarif's story? In truth, there are several important points here. They affirm what we already know about the decision-making process in Iran and the relationship of its politicians with the IRGC. Firstly, Zarif confirmed Trump's assertion that the Iranians had informed the Americans about the Ain al-Assad operation beforehand.
He contradicted the denial of this claim by the former Secretary-General of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, who had stressed that these claims his country had communicated with the US before the attack were "pure lies." Secondly, Zarif's account proves that the Iranian President is the last to know of consequential decisions in Iran.
There is nothing more consequential than engaging with the United States, even if that is done through a symbolic operation intended to save face, as was the case with the "Ain al-Assad" attack. Thirdly, the book confirms that Zarif remains frustrated with his ministry being sidelined by the IRGC Guard; rather his resentment is aggravating. Indeed, the Iranian Foreign Minister had previously criticized Qasem Soleimani himself in a leaked audio recording.
At that time, Zarif complained that the IRGC exerted more influence over foreign affairs and the country's nuclear deal negotiations than he did, hinting that Soleimani had attempted to sabotage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in collusion with Russia.
"Almost every time I went to negotiate (with the major powers), Soleimani would ask me to make this or that concession or to raise this or that assmatter." He then adds: "Success on the military front was more important than diplomatic success. I was negotiating to ensure success on the military front."
Fourth, Zarif’s book claim that his experience with the Supreme National Security Council after the assassination of Qasem Soleimani was "the bitterest time of his tenure." It was said that "there is no rush to avenge" Soleimani's assassination and that "the most effective method is the one always followed by Hezbollah- that is, forcing the other side to maintain an exhausting state of vigilance."." This meant that Iran thinks of itself as a militia, even in its strategic decision-making, as with regard to engaging with the Americans, and that it sidelined its institutions in favor of the IRGC.
In conclusion, the importance of Zarif's account is that it confirms that we are not facing one Iran, but several: Iran the facade, the Iran that plans, and the Iran that implements. This is what Zarif complained about, so what do those outside Iran have to say?