Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 27-28/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text and video: The Hezbollah terrorist organization once again perpetrated an attack on the town of Rmeish/Elias Bejjani/March 26, 2024
Thursday of the Holy Mysteries: Sacraments, Humility and Temptation/Elias Bejjanii/March 28, 2024
Rmeish Mayor: Keep War Away From Our Families and Homes/Rayan Chami/This is Beirut/March 27/2024
Israel Aims to Enhance Its War Readiness on the Northern Border
Hezbollah launches rockets into Israel after an Israeli strike kills 7 in Lebanon
Israel and Hezbollah trade strikes over Lebanon border
Report: US warns of Israeli war on Lebanon
Hezbollah retaliatory rockets kill civilian in Kiryat Shmona
Hezbollah strikes back: Rockets target Israeli settlement in retaliation
Seven volunteers martyred in Israeli attack on medical center in Habbariyeh
Refuting rumors: Hezbollah's response to Rmaych rocket claims
After Rmeish row, FPM asks Hezbollah not to endanger civilians
Report: US, Israel seek to infiltrate Lebanon's Jamaa Islamiya
US sanctions groups accused of benefiting Iran and Hezbollah
Mikati receives invitation to attend Arab summit, chairs ministerial committee meeting on social protection strategy implementation
UN agency for Palestine refugees suspends teacher in Lebanon
Hezbollah Reportedly Rejected the French Initiative
Nicolas Sehnaoui to LBCI: Defending national partnership through cooperation
Ogero employees announce continued service outages and potential strike
Two weeks to go: Become an Ambassador for a day!
Attempt to Smuggle 148 KG of Hashish Through Beirut Airport Aborted
Killing the Golden Goose/Michel Touma/This Is Beirut/ 27 Mar 2024

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 27-28/2024
US says hostage talks with Israel and Hamas not over
Netanyahu says US visit cancel was a message to Hamas
White House confirms Netanyahu has agreed to reschedule delegation to discuss Rafah operation
Israel tells White House it wants to reschedule canceled Rafah meeting, NBC reports
Exploring Alternatives: Israel's Response to Gaza Ceasefire Call
Israeli strikes on Rafah raise fear assault could begin
Israel backtracks on canceled Rafah talks: US official
Israeli army kills 3 Palestinians inovernight West Bank raid
Rafah airstrike kills at least 4, 10 more feared buried under rubble
Intense Israeli bombardment hits southern Gaza, calls for more aid grow
Egypt pledges support for Palestinian rights during talks with Fatah representatives
Ireland preparing to intervene in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel
Turkish relief agency presents two ships to take aid direct to Gaza
US, UK bomb Houthi-held Saada in Yemen
Russia says it's hard to believe Islamic State could have launched Moscow attack
After the Moscow attack, almost 100 people remain missing
4 sentenced to death in Tunisia for 2013 assassination of Chokri Belaid

Titles For The Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on March 27-28/2024
Israel-Hamas war: IDF confirms the killing of senior Hamas leader/Euronews/March 27, 2024
The US allowed a Gaza ceasefire resolution to pass at the UN. What does that mean for the war?/Nadeen Ebrahim and Abbas Al Lawati, CNN/March 27, 2024
Biden Administration's Terrorist Pier in Gaza: The Trojan Horse For Terrorists to Take Over the Region/Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/March 27, 2024
The ‘No-Fail’ Mission to Protect the Red Sea Isn’t Working/Peter Martin, Alex Longley, Patrick Sykes and Mohammed Hatem/Bloomberg/March 27, 2024
Who Is Really behind the Moscow Terror Attack?/Raymond Ibrahim/March 27/2024
Can Egypt succeed in Sudan where others have failed?/Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/March 27/2024
Implications of the Moscow theater attack for Russia, at home and abroad/Dr. Diana Galeeva/Arab News/March 27/2024
Princess Kate’s cancer saga exposes our addiction to sensational, regulation-/Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/March 27/2024
Biden is conciliating, rather than confronting, pro-Hamas Democrats/Jonathan S. Tobin/JNS/March 27, 2024

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 27-28/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text and video: The Hezbollah terrorist organization once again perpetrated an attack on the town of Rmeish
Elias Bejjani/March 26, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/128193/128193/
Today, social media platforms were flooded with reports of Hezbollah's incursion into the border town of Rmeish, where armed members of this extremist group attempted to launch missiles towards Israel from residential areas (read related reports in Arabic & English below). However, the Rmeish civilian citizens courageously confronted these militants, compelling them to retreat after a tense standoff during which shots were fired into the air, endangering the lives of innocent bystanders. The tolling of church bells echoed throughout the town, underscoring the collective outrage at this brazen and provocative act.
This latest incident adds to a long list of aggressions perpetrated by Hezbollah against the people of Rmeish, including previous attacks by the so-called "Green Without Borders" organization, a Hezbollah affiliate entity.
It is imperative to unequivocally condemn and denounce such flagrant and unlawful violations.
Questions must be raised about the absence of the Lebanese army and UNIFIL forces, whose mandate includes safeguarding areas like Rmeish in accordance with UN Resolution 1701, which expressly prohibits Hezbollah's presence and activities.
UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army are duty-bound to protect Rmeish and other areas covered by the UN resolution, and to prevent Hezbollah from committing further atrocities. Additionally, Patriarch Al-Rahi and the Vatican are urged to appoint a high-ranking church representative to reside in Rmeish, as a symbol of solidarity and support for its inhabitants.
It is abundantly clear that Hezbollah remains a pernicious force, undermining Lebanon's sovereignty and perpetuating sectarian strife. Lebanon cannot reclaim its independence until UN resolutions, including the Armistice Accord,  1559, 1701, and 1680, are enforced through decisive military action.

Thursday of the Holy Mysteries: Sacraments, Humility and Temptation
Elias Bejjanii/March 28, 2024
On the Thursday that comes before the “Good Friday, when Jesus was crucified, Catholics all over the world, including our Maronite Eastern Church celebrates with prayers and intercessions the “Thursday of the Holy Mysteries”, which is also known as the “Washing Thursday “, the “Covenant Thursday”, and the “Great & Holy Thursday”. It is the holy day feast that falls on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with His 12 Apostles as described in the gospel. It is the fifth day of the last Lenten Holy Week, that is followed by the, “Good Friday”, “Saturday Of The Light and “Easter Sunday”. Christianity in its essence and core is Love, Sacrifice, honesty, transparency, devotion, hard work and Humility. Jesus during the last supper with His 12 Apostles reiterated and stressed all these Godly values and principles. In this holy and message proclaiming context He executed the following acts : He, ordained His Apostles as priests, and asked them to proclaim God’s message. “You have stayed with me all through my trials; 29 and just as my Father has given me the right to rule, so I will give you the same right. 30 You will eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and you will sit on thrones to rule over the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22/28 and 29)
He, taught His Apostles and every body else, that evil temptation and betrayal can hit all those who detach and dissociate themselves from God, do not fear Him, lack faith, lose hope and worship earthly treasures. He showed them by example that even a disciple that He personally had picked and choose (Judas, the Iscariot) has fell a prey to Satan’s temptation. “But, look! The one who betrays me is here at the table with me! The Son of Man will die as God has decided, but how terrible for that man who betrays him!” Luke 22/21)
He, washed His Apostles’ feet to teach them by example modesty, devotion and humility. “So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do. Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13/12-16). Modesty was stressed and explained by Jesus after His Apostles were arguing among themselves who is the greatest: “An argument broke out among the disciples as to which one of them should be thought of as the greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the pagans have power over their people, and the rulers claim the title ‘Friends of the People.’ But this is not the way it is with you; rather, the greatest one among you must be like the youngest, and the leader must be like the servant. Who is greater, the one who sits down to eat or the one who serves? The one who sits down, of course. But I am among you as one who serves.” (Luke 22/24 till 27)
Thursday of the “Holy Mysteries”, is called so because in His Last Supper with the 12 disciples, Jesus Christ established the Eucharist and Priesthood Sacraments when “He received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, “Take this, and share it among yourselves, for I tell you, I will not drink at all again from the fruit of the vine, until the Kingdom of God comes.” “He took bread, broke it and gave it to the disciples saying: This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me. And when He Likewise, took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you”. Thursday of the Holy Mysteries (Secrets-Sacraments) is the heart of the last Lenten holy week, in which the Maronite Catholic Church lives with reverence and devotion the Lord’s Last Supper spirit and contemplation through prayers and deeply rooted religious rituals and traditions:
The Patriarch prays over and blesses the chrism (Al-Myroun), as well as the oil of baptism and anointing that are to are distributed on all parishes and churches.
During the mass that is held on this Holy Day, the priest washes the feet of twelve worshipers, mainly children (symbolizing the apostles numbers). Jesus washed His disciples feet and commanded them to love each other and follow his example in serving each other.
Worshipers visit and pray in seven Churches. This ritual denotes to the completion of the Church’s Seven sacraments (Secrets) : Priesthood, Eucharist, Holy Oil, Baptism, Confirmations, anointing and Service.
This tradition also denotes to the seven locations that Virgin Mary’s went to look for Her Son, Jesus, after she learned about His arrest. The detention place, The Council of the Priests, twice the Pilate’s headquarters, twice the Herod Headquarters, till She got to the Calvary.
Some Christian scholars believe that this tradition was originated in Rome where early pilgrims visited the seven pilgrim churches as an act of penance. They are Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter, Saint Mary Major, Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls, Saint Lawrence Outside the Walls, Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem, and traditionally Saint Sebastian Outside the Walls. Pope John Paul II replaced St. Sebastian with the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Divine Love for the jubilee year of 2000.
The Mass of the Lord’s Supper is accompanied by the ringing of bells, which are then silent until the Easter Vigil. Worshipers used to kneel and pray the rosary in front of the Eucharist (Blessed Sacrament) all Thursday night. The Blessed Sacrament remains exposed all night, while worshipers are encouraged to stay in the church as much as they can praying, meditating upon the Mystery of Salvation, and participating in the “agony of Gethsemane” (Garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives) in Jerusalem where Jesus spent his night in prayer before His crucifixion on Good Friday.
After the homily washing of feet the service concludes with a procession taking the Blessed Eucharist (Sacrament) to the place of reposition. The altar is later stripped bare, as are all other altars in the church except the Altar of Repose.
Thursday of the “Holy Mysteries”, is called so because in His Last Supper with the 12 disciples, Jesus Christ established the Eucharist and Priesthood Sacraments when “He received a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, “Take this, and share it among yourselves, for I tell you, I will not drink at all again from the fruit of the vine, until the Kingdom of God comes.” “He took bread, broke it and gave it to the disciples saying: This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me. And when He Likewise, took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you”. Jesus ordained His disciples as priests of the New Testament when he said to them during the Last Supper: “But you are those who have continued with me in my trials. I confer on you a kingdom, even as my Father conferred on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. You will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Before Celebrating the Resurrection Day (Easter) worshipers live the “Paschal Mystery” through the Thursday Of the Sacraments, Good Friday and Saturday Of The Light.
Because He loves us and wants us to dwell in His Eternal Heaven, Jesus Christ for our sake willingly suffered all kinds of torture, pain, humiliation and died on the Cross to pave our way for repentance and salvation.
Let us pray on this Holy Day that we always remember Jesus’ love and sacrifices and live our life in this context of genuine, faith, love, meekness and forgiveness.
N.B: The Above Piece was first published in 2013

Rmeish Mayor: Keep War Away From Our Families and Homes
Rayan Chami/This is Beirut/March 27/2024
https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/lebanon/239397
Amidst escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the pro-Iranian party attempted to implicate the village of Rmeish in its “resistance efforts,” as if the damage inflicted on the South since October 8 was not enough. Rmeish residents, who have only recently started to return to their homes and lives after more than five months of cross-border violence initiated by Hezbollah in alleged support to Hamas in the war in Gaza, refuse to have their town used in the pro-Iranian party’s military activities. Rmeish Mayor Milad Alam explained in an interview with This is Beirut that the problem erupted unexpectedly on Tuesday morning, “when people woke up to the sounds of unusual movements in the street.” “When one of the residents attempted to confront the (armed) individuals, a verbal altercation ensued, which escalated into gunfire being discharged into the air. The residents, the municipality and the police then gathered to patrol the neighborhood,” Alam said. He also emphasized that the “Lebanese Army was directly called to the scene and was present when rockets were fired from the town’s perimeter.” For the residents of Rmeish, this incident is a stark reminder of the brittle security they strive to maintain amidst the chaos in the area. “We are (trying) to have somewhat of a normal life. We have no intention of changing that. However, given that the war has been ongoing for almost six months, we are aware that incidents like yesterday’s could happen at any time.” Alam clarified, Hezbollah’s media relations denied in a statement their involvement in the incident in Rmeish. “We deny the false and malicious news that circulated in the media about the attempt by the Islamic Resistance to fire rockets from inside the town of Rmeish or from the neighborhood of its school or the neighborhood of the town in general,” the statement read. “The parties that insist on launching these false rumors are slanderers and instigators of strife among the Lebanese and work in the service of the enemy and its goals, knowingly or unknowingly,” the statement continued. In response to Hezbollah’s denial, Alam maintained his stance, urging all parties to prioritize the safety and well-being of civilians. “We have no interest in making a fuss,” he said, adding, “Stay away from our families, children, the elderly and homes, and keep them away from the war activity. I imagine this is a natural demand.”Alam also reiterated the town’s allegiance to the Lebanese Armed Forces stressing, “Our legitimacy is the Lebanese Army, and our protection is the state.”A similar incident occurred in southern Lebanon in 2021, when Hezbollah gunmen attempted to pass through Chouaya, a predominantly Druze area, after launching rockets at Israel. Residents then intercepted the gunmen and seized the truck loaded with the rocket launchers.

Israel Aims to Enhance Its War Readiness on the Northern Border
This Is Beirut/March 27/2024
Israel continues to reinforce its military capabilities ahead of a potential conflict with Lebanon. Following the deployment of the “Mountain Brigade,” known as Heharim, to the regions of Mount Hermon and Mount Dov along the southeastern border with Lebanon, Tel Aviv has resumed its military training activities in the northern sector. This training aims to enhance the readiness of Israeli forces not only for potential hostilities on the northern border, but also on other fronts in case of long-term combats. Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari made this announcement during the resumption of this training program.
As reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Hagari clarified, “This entails planning and executing operational models and scenarios tailored to the specific characteristics of various regions and threats.” He further added, “The training regimen will include extensive long-range strikes and flying deep into enemy territory.” As reported by Haaretz, he emphasized, “The depth of Lebanon is turning into a war zone,” highlighting that “Hezbollah has escalated tensions by launching nearly 110 rockets into Israel over the past two days.” When asked about the prospect of restoring calm along the Lebanese border, the Israeli army spokesperson replied, “Maybe an agreement on a hostage and prisoner exchange with Gaza could contribute to reaching another agreement with Lebanon as well, but so far, the conditions for reaching an agreement with Hezbollah have not been met.”

Hezbollah launches rockets into Israel after an Israeli strike kills 7 in Lebanon
The Associated Press/Wed, March 27, 2024
Around 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel on Wednesday morning, according to the Israeli military. Hezbollah took responsibility for the launches and said they were in response to an Israeli airstrike on a paramedic center linked to a Lebanese Sunni Muslim group in south Lebanon that killed seven of its members overnight. Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group began launching rockets toward Israel one day after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7. There has been near-daily violence, mostly confined to the area along the Lebanon-Israel border, and international mediators are scrambling to prevent an all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that his government will not accept Hamas’ “delusional” conditions for a cease-fire in Gaza. The militant group rejected the latest truce proposal because it says Israel is ignoring the group's core demands: an end to the war and Israel's full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Israel seeks to destroy Hamas and to recover all of the approximately 100 Israeli hostages still in Gaza, as well as the remains of some 30 others. Some 1,200 people were killed in Israel and another 250 people abducted when militants launched a surprise attack out of Gaza on Oct. 7, triggering the war. More than 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 74,000 wounded, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its tally. The ministry says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
Currently:
— Israel and Hamas dig in as pressure builds for a cease-fire in Gaza.
— With its soldiers mired in Gaza, Israel is also fighting over drafting the ultra-Orthodox.
— They fled kibbutzim after Hamas attacked. Now, many Israelis must decide whether to go back.
— Seven Lebanese and an Israeli are killed in an exchange of fire along the Lebanon-Israel border.
— Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
Here's the latest:
18 PEOPLE HAVE NOW DIED TRYING TO RECOVER AIRDROPPED AID, GAZA OFFICIALS SAY
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Palestinian officials say at least six people drowned earlier this week while trying to recover airdropped food aid in northern Gaza.
Mahmoud Bassel, a spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense rescue service, says a large group of men swam out into the Mediterranean Sea on Monday to try to recover aid parcels. Six bodies were later recovered and transferred to a nearby hospital. He said Wednesday that a total of 18 people have died while trying to recover airdropped aid in scenes of chaos and desperation.
“Sometimes it falls into the sea, sometimes on civilians, sometimes on houses, sometimes on Israeli territory beyond the border fence,” he said. The Hamas-run government media office has also reported 18 deaths related to the aid drops. The United States and other nations have carried out several airdrops in recent weeks to try and get food to Palestinians in northern Gaza, where experts say famine is imminent. Aid groups say the airdrops are no substitute for bringing aid in overland and have called on Israel to streamline its inspection procedures and open more crossings. Israel’s offensive, launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, has caused widespread devastation in northern Gaza and Israeli forces have largely sealed the north off since October. Aid groups say requests to deliver aid to the north are often denied by the military or are too dangerous because of the breakdown in security across Gaza.
ISRAELI MILITARY KILLS 3 PALESTINIANS DURING AN OVERNIGHT RAID IN THE WEST BANK
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says its forces killed three Palestinian militants during an overnight raid in the West Bank.
The military said it opened fire on militants who hurled explosive devices, killing one of them. It said an airstrike killed two other militants, and that its forces destroyed a vehicle containing explosive devices after arresting two people who were inside it. The Palestinian Health Ministry said two of those killed were 19 years old. It says another four Palestinians were wounded in the raid, which occurred overnight into Wednesday. It did not say whether any of those killed or wounded were militants or civilians. Violence across the West Bank has spiked since the war in Gaza broke out on Oct. 7, when Palestinian militants launched an incursion on southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping around 250 others. The raid was carried out in the Jenin refugee camp, which has seen regular clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in recent years. The dense, urban camp was built to house Palestinian refugees from what is now Israel who fled or were driven out during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has little control over Jenin.
At least 450 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli fire since the conflict broke out, according to Palestinian health officials.
HEZBOLLAH CLAIMS ROCKET ATTACK THAT KILLED 1 IN NORTHERN ISRAEL
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel Rescue Services said that one person was killed and two others lightly injured in a Hezbollah rocket attack on northern Israel. The man, 25, was killed from a fire that broke out at a factory in an industrial park in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona as a result of a direct hit.
Around 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel on Wednesday morning, according to the Israeli military. Hezbollah took responsibility for the launches and said they were in response to an Israeli airstrike that killed seven members of a militant group in southern Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group began launching rockets toward Israel one day after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7. There has been near-daily violence, mostly confined to the area along the Lebanon-Israel border, and international mediators are scrambling to prevent an all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel. The fighting has killed nine civilians and 11 soldiers in Israel. More than 200 Hezbollah fighters and about 40 civilians have died in Lebanon.
ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE KILLS 7 IN LEBANON
BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike on a paramedic center linked to a Lebanese Sunni Muslim group in south Lebanon killed seven of its members early Wednesday. The airstrike on the village of Hebbariye hit an office of the Islamic Emergency and Relief Corps overnight, according to the Lebanese Ambulance Association. The strike was one of the deadliest single attacks since violence erupted along the Lebanon-Israel border more than five months ago. “This condemned crime forms a flagrant violation against humanitarian work,” the association said in a statement. It listed the names of the seven volunteers who were killed in the strike. The militant Hezbollah group vowed to avenge the attack, saying it “will not pass without punishment." The Israeli military said it struck “a military building” in Hebbariye and killed a member of Lebanon’s Sunni Muslim al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, or the Islamic Group. It said the man was involved in carrying out attacks against Israel and several other militants were killed with him as well. Since the Israel-Hamas began on Oct. 7, Hezbollah has been carrying attacks against Israel’s military posts along the border. Israel has since carried out scores of airstrikes, mostly along the borde,r but since late February they have started attacking northeast Lebanon.

Israel and Hezbollah trade strikes over Lebanon border
Robert Greenall - BBC News/March 27, 2024
Hezbollah has fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel, killing one person, in response to deadly Israeli strikes on a Lebanese village. Lebanese sources said seven people were killed in the Israeli attack overnight on Habbariyeh, making it one of the deadliest in recent violence.
Israel said militants were killed, including one involved in attacks on Israel. The Lebanese group targeted said those killed were "rescuers". The strikes come as Israel and Hezbollah trade almost daily strikes across the border, which began with the start of the Israel-Gaza war following the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel. Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia Muslim militant group with close ties to Iran and an ally of Hamas. Israeli firefighters at site of rocket attack in Kiryat Shmona. Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona and a military base there on Wednesday morning. Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service said a factory worker was pulled from wreckage after one of the strikes hit an industrial park triggering a fire. He had severe wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, it added. Hezbollah said the rocket attacks were "in response to the massacre in Habbariyeh". Was this the week Israel and Hezbollah drew closer to war? 'We are surrounded': Guarding the Middle East's most dangerous border. What is Hezbollah and will it go to war with Israel? Lebanese officials said the strikes on the village had hit an emergency and relief centre for Jamaa Islamiya, a Sunni Muslim group with links to Hamas. The Lebanese Ambulance Association, quoted by the Associated Press, called the strike a "flagrant violation of humanitarian work".The Israel Defense Forces described the target as a "military compound". They said: "A significant terrorist operative belonging to the Jamaa Islamiya organisation who advanced attacks against Israeli territory was eliminated along with additional terrorists who were with him." According to UN figures from before the latest attacks, 316 people have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict began, at least 54 of them civilians. Up to 20 have lost their lives on the Israeli side, around half of them civilians.

Report: US warns of Israeli war on Lebanon
Naharnet/Wed, March 27, 2024
In parallel with the U.N. Security Council resolution that called for a Gaza ceasefire and amid the latest U.S.-Israeli disagreements, U.S. circles have warned of “very alarming Israeli intentions” and of “dangerous plans to turn a part of Lebanon into uninhabited areas as happened in the Gaza Strip," a media report said. “Washington is dealing with these reports seriously in order to prevent an execution of the Israeli threats, after it worked over the past six months to prevent Lebanon being turned into an all-out war arena,” the sources said, according to al-Akhbar newspaper.
The U.S. “realizes that the world countries cannot tolerate a new version of what happened in Gaza, even on a smaller scale, amid international consensus on preventing the spread of war to Lebanon,” the sources added. Noting that Israel “has abode by the U.S. red lines over the past period, except for some exceptions that were reined in,” the sources noted that Israel has also “complied with European messages for keeping the escalation with Hezbollah within the current limits.” Hezbollah had activated Lebanon’s southern front with Israel on October 8 in solidarity with the Palestinians and the Hamas Movement following the latter’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel and the brutal war that ensued. There have been near-daily clashes between Hezbollah and Israel ever since, resulting in the death of at least 337 people in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also 63 civilians. Tens of thousands of people have also been displaced by the violence in Lebanon's south and Israel's north and Israel has threatened to launch a military operation against Hezbollah to push it away from the border.

Hezbollah retaliatory rockets kill civilian in Kiryat Shmona
Agence France Presse/Wed, March 27, 2024
Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel Wednesday killing a civilian, after Israel carried out a deadly strike in south Lebanon. Israeli rescue teams searching a building that had been hit in the border town of Kiryat Shmona "found a 25 year old who was unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing", and pronounced him dead at the scene, the Magen David Adom emergency service said. The man was killed when a direct hit sparked a fire in an industrial park in Kiryat Shmona. Footage from the scene showed thick black smoke pouring out of a building. Another person was lightly injured. Around 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel, according to the Israeli military. Hezbollah said it targeted Kiryat Shmona in response to the killing of 7 people in an overnight strike on an emergency center in south Lebanon. It said it fired "dozens of rockets" Wednesday morning on the northern Israeli settlement of Kiryat Shmona and a military base there in retaliation for what it called "the massacre" committed by Israel in Habariyeh. The Israeli airstrike killed seven paramedics in the emergency center linked to Lebanon’s Sunni Muslim al-Jamaa al-Islamiya in the border town of Habariyeh. The seven dead were pulled out from the rubble before sunrise Wednesday. It was one of the deadliest single attacks since violence erupted along the border. The paramedics association said the strike was "a flagrant violation of humanitarian work," while the Israeli military claimed that it struck "a military compound" and killed militants, including a Jamaa Islamiya member involved in attacks against Israel. It said the group was planning attacks against Israel at the time of the strike. Habariyeh mayor Ayman shoukeir stressed that the center was not "a military compound" and that its members, including the seven killed, were rescuers and were not armed or involved in the border clashes. Later on Wednesday, Hezbollah said it targeted a group of Israeli soldiers in the Shtula settlement, a post in the occupied Kfarshouba Hills, an infantry force in Ramim, and surveillance equipment in Misgav Am. Since the start of the Gaza war, Hezbollah has exchanged near-daily fire with Israeli forces along Lebanon's southern border. At least 331 people have been killed in Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters but including at least 57 civilians. At least 10 Israeli soldiers and seven civilians have been killed in northern Israel, according to the Israeli military.

Hezbollah strikes back: Rockets target Israeli settlement in retaliation
LBCI/Wed, March 27, 2024
In a swift retaliation for the attack by the Israeli army on Habbariyeh, south Lebanon, Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets targeting the settlement of Qiryat Shemona and the headquarters of Al-Liwaa Brigade 769 at Qiryat Shemona barracks on Wednesday morning.

Seven volunteers martyred in Israeli attack on medical center in Habbariyeh
LBCI/Wed, March 27, 2024
The Lebanese Succour Association, supervising the Emergency and Relief Corps, reported that seven volunteers died after the Israeli targeting that hit its ambulance point in the town of Habbariyeh. The department had recently established this point to keep pace with unfolding events in southern Lebanon.
In this context, the association mourned the volunteers present at the targeted point:
-Abdallah Atwi
-Mohammed Al-Farouk Atwi
-Baraa Abu Qais
-Abdulrahman Al-Shaar
-Hussein Al-Shaar
-Ahmad Al-Shaar
-Mohammed Hammoud
The Lebanese Succour Association extended condolences to the families of the martyrs, affirming its support during this difficult time. It condemned the act as a blatant violation of the sanctity of neutral humanitarian work and those involved.
In addition, the association called for a wide solidarity campaign from all humanitarian bodies and organizations to demand that the international community compel Israel to cease these crimes and ensure protection for all medical crews by international law.

Refuting rumors: Hezbollah's response to Rmaych rocket claims
LBCI/Wed, March 27, 2024
Hezbollah has refuted the "false and malicious" news circulating in the media regarding allegations of its attempted rocket launches at the Israeli army from within Rmaych town or its vicinity, categorically stating that these claims are entirely fabricated. In an official statement released on Wednesday, Hezbollah condemned the dissemination of these false rumors and criticized those entities "persisting in their propagation and leveraging them to shape their positions."It denounced such actions as "deceitful" and accused them of sowing discord among the Lebanese, "unwittingly or otherwise serving the interests of the enemy." Furthermore, Hezbollah cautioned the Lebanese against being misled by these "malicious" schemes and urged vigilance against those who seek to advance their "despicable goals through misinformation."

After Rmeish row, FPM asks Hezbollah not to endanger civilians
Naharnet/Wed, March 27, 2024
The Free Patriotic Movement on Wednesday called on Hezbollah to “do everything to spare civilians across Lebanon” the threat of “coming under Israeli bombardment,” a day after residents of the southern border town of Rmeish accused Hezbollah of trying to fire rockets at Israel from their town.
“The FPM calls on the army, the resistance and UNIFIL forces to carry out everything necessary to reassure residents, while understanding their right to reject any inducement to war that would threaten their lives and properties,” the FPM’s political commission said after a periodic meeting.
“The FPM reminds that national and popular solidarity is a duty when it comes to defending Lebanon, but remains optional when the issue is related to other arenas,” the FPM added.

Report: US, Israel seek to infiltrate Lebanon's Jamaa Islamiya
Naharnet /Wed, March 27, 2024
U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies are seeking to infiltrate Lebanon’s Jamaa Islamiya group, especially its Fajr Forces, in connection with “the close relation between the group and the Hamas Movement, and its improving relation with Hezbollah,” informed sources said. “The tight monitoring of the Jamaa Islamiya officials who are close to Hamas Movement’s military wing is aimed at reaching Hamas and Hezbollah military commanders through them,” the sources told al-Akhbar newspaper in remarks published Wednesday. “The latest Israeli targeting in this regard took place on Sunday in the West Bekaa town of Swaira, when a drone targeted Jamaa Islamiya official Mohammad Assaf, who survived the attack while the Syrian driver of a Renault Rapid car was martyred,” the sources said. According to reports, Assaf has close ties to Hamas’ military wing. Al-Akhbar added that Western intelligence agencies have sought the help of allied Arab intelligence services that have networks in Lebanon to “collect information about the Jamaa’s cadres and its leaders who are close to resistance movements.” Moreover, the daily quoted security sources as saying that “U.S. intelligence had communicated with a Jamaa member who hails from the Akkar region, offering him $5 million if he submitted information leading to (slain Hamas deputy chief) Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri, who was assassinated by Israel in early January” in a Beirut southern suburb.Israeli intelligence agencies are meanwhile seeking information about “offices and homes belonging to Jamaa Islamiya and Hamas in Beirut, Tariq al-Jedideh, Central Bekaa towns, the Sidon region and the Palestinian camps,” al-Akhbar said. The daily also revealed that around two months ago, Lebanese Army intelligence agents had arrested a cell that was suspected of preparing a boat for an illegal migration operation, before it turned out that the detainees were “preparing to transfer supplies by sea to the Gaza Strip and to carry out military operations against Israeli targets along the occupied Palestinian coast.”“The group was plotting an attack on the Port of Haifa,” al-Akhbar added. “Upon the arrest of the group, its members claimed that they belonged to Hezbollah, but the latter denied that they were affiliated with it, before it turned out that they belong to Jamaa Islamiya,” the daily said. “They were kept in custody for around a month and a half and were eventually released after they pledged not to carry out any similar act without coordination with the resistance (Hezbollah) or the army,” al-Akhbar added.

US sanctions groups accused of benefiting Iran and Hezbollah
Associated Press/Wed, March 27, 2024
The United States has imposed sanctions on a money exchanger and a group of firms across six countries involved in commodity shipments and business transactions that benefit Iran's military and the Houthi militant group in Yemen and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned six firms, two tankers and a money exchanger, all either based or registered in Liberia, India, Vietnam, Lebanon or Kuwait. They are accused of materially benefiting Iran, the Houthis and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah and the Houthis have been launching regular attacks since the onset of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, and they have sparked international concern that the war in the Palestinian enclave could spill over into the rest of the Middle East. Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops exchange fire on a near-daily basis along Lebanon's southern border, which has led to the displacement of tens of thousands of people on both sides. Despite losing more than 200 combatants and Israel striking deeper into the tiny country, Hezbollah maintains that it will stop launching rockets into northern Israel only when there is a cease-fire in Gaza. Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthi rebels, who control much of Yemen's north and west, have been launching drones and missiles on ships in the Red Sea, which they say is an effort to pressure Israel to end its war. Despite U.S.-led airstrikes over the past two months, they have carried on with their campaign. In a separate announcement Tuesday, Treasury slapped sanctions on 11 people and entities accused of facilitating financial transfers to the Syrian government to help it duck sanctions and being involved in the trafficking of a highly addictive amphetamine called Captagon that has become a booming industry in the war-torn country. Treasury sanctioned a Syrian identified as Taher al-Kayali and his company Neptunus LLC, accused of purchasing cargo ships to smuggle Captagon to Europe. One of his ships was intercepted by Greek authorities in 2018. Mahmoud Abulilah Al-Dj and his companies Al-Ta'ir Company and FreeBird Travel and Tourism were also sanctioned. He has had several of his drug shipments seized in Libya, and has cooperated with Abulilah. Al-Dj is also the "exclusive agent" of sanctioned Syrian airliner Cham Wings in Libya, Treasury said. Experts say Captagon is primarily produced in Syria and Lebanon, where packages containing millions of pills are smuggled into Gulf countries, Europe and elsewhere. The trade allegedly has strong ties to Syrian President Bashar Assad and his associates, as well as Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. Western governments estimate that the industry has generated billions of dollars in revenue for Syria. Syria's Arab neighbors, notably Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf states, have been desperate to halt the trade, as millions of pills have been smuggled in. Meanwhile, Treasury slapped sanctions on Syria-based Maya Exchange Company, as well as Aleksey Makarov, the vice president of the listed Russian Financial Cooperation Bank, and Muhammad 'Ali Al-Minala of the Syrian central bank, who used the exchange company to make payments to "a Jordanian beneficiary". Treasury also slapped sanctions on STF Logistic which it claims has generated tens of millions of revenue for the Syrian government and through a 50-year contract with Damascus has been granted the right to almost three-quarters of sales revenue from Syrian mines near Palmyra. Grains Middle East Trading, and its chief executive officer Yafi David were sanctioned for serving as an intermediary for STF Logistic. The company is based in Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. Assad's crackdown on protests in 2011 led to his global isolation, and his forces were accused of torture, bombing civilian infrastructure, and using chemical weapons with support of key allies Russia and Iran.

Mikati receives invitation to attend Arab summit, chairs ministerial committee meeting on social protection strategy implementation
NNA /Wed, March 27, 2024
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Wednesday accepted an invitation from Bahrain's King Hamad Bin Issa Al-Khalifa to attend the 33rd regular session of the Arab League Summit, scheduled for Thursday, May 16. Prime Minister Mikati welcomed earlier today Bahrain's envoy and Ambassador to Syria, Wahid Mubarak Sayyar, who delivered a message from the Bahraini monarch. The message expressed warm regards and wishes for health and prosperity to Lebanon and its people. It also extended an invitation to Mikati to participate in the upcoming summit, highlighting the importance of his personal contribution to the summit's deliberations, especially given the challenging circumstances facing the Arab world. Mikati then chaired a session of the ministerial committee responsible for overseeing the implementation of the national strategy for social protection. The committee discussed the mechanism for implementing the national strategy for social protection, focusing on the management of the Syrian refugee crisis and presenting developmental projects related to social and sustainable development. For his part, Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar emphasized the need for each concerned ministry to be a focal point for implementing the strategy in its respective institutions. The meeting concluded with an agreement to hold a meeting to develop a working mechanism between ministries, technicians, and the supporting committee from UNICEF. Regarding the coordination of responses to the Syrian and Lebanese situations, a detailed presentation was made on the assistance programs for both Lebanese and Syrians. In light of this presentation and the surrounding regional circumstances, an agreement was reached to prepare a joint paper and hold a meeting next week to unify the Lebanese state's position in facing all risks at the Lebanese level. Prime Minister Mikati later met with Minister of Justice, Henry Khoury, to discuss ministrial matters. Additionally, Mikati received the Secretary-General of the Democratic Gathering bloc, MP Hadi Abu al-Hasan, with discussions focusing on the latest political and security developments in the country, especially the situation in southern Lebanon, in light of the Israeli aggressions, including the recent heinous crime against the Islamic Medical Association in the town of Habarieh. Separately, and in the presence of Caretaker Minister of Tourism, Walid Nassar, Miss World runner-up, Miss Lebanon Yasmine Zaytoun, and her family met with Prime Minister Mikati. After the meeting, Zaytoun said, "I was honored to meet His Excellency the PM for the second time in two years, and I am very proud and grateful for the gesture of the Lebanese government. After my meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, today I visited the Prime Minister's office, which is currently the highest site in Lebanon. I heard very kind words from His Excellency Prime Minister Mikati, who entrusted me with responsibility. We discussed future projects and how this can help, especially since I was able to represent Lebanon excellently, and this is just the beginning."

UN agency for Palestine refugees suspends teacher in Lebanon
BEIRUT (Reuters)/Wed, March 27, 2024
Dozens of people protested outside the Beirut office of the United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency on Wednesday after it put a staff member on administrative leave over possible violations of staff conduct regulations. School teacher Fathi al-Sharif was put on leave for three months without pay as the U.N. agency investigated alleged activities "that are in violation of the Agency's regulatory framework governing staff conduct," the agency told Reuters in a statement. UNRWA said it could not discuss further details. It did not say whether he was accused of membership of an armed group. Sharif spoke at the protest on Wednesday, where a crowd had gathered to support him. Several people told Reuters that he had been accused of links to Palestinian faction Hamas, which carried out a deadly attack in Israel in October. "The job can go, and we will stay!" he told those gathered. UNRWA, which provides essential services including education and health to Palestinian refugees across the region, has been in crisis. Israel informed the U.N. that it will no longer approve UNRWA food convoys to the north of Gaza, where famine is possible by May, according to a U.N.-backed report published last week. An Israeli government spokesman said on Monday Israel would stop working with UNRWA altogether in Gaza. Earlier this year, Israel accused 12 UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip of taking part in the Hamas-led attack on Israeli soil on Oct. 7 that left 1,200 people dead, with more than 130 still held hostage by the group.
Israel launched a land, sea and air offensive in response that the Hamas-run health authorities in Gaza say has left more than 32,000 Palestinians dead. Israel's allegations prompted a suspension of funding by more than a dozen donors, many of whom have resumed funding. They also sparked an investigation by a U.N. oversight body and a separate review process by UNRWA, which its Lebanon representative Dorothee Klaus told Reuters would examine safeguards protecting its neutrality and independence. She said she expected her branch of the agency would be consulted in a possible review of whether staff in Lebanon were affiliated to armed groups.

Hezbollah Reportedly Rejected the French Initiative
This Is Beirut/ 27 Mar 2024
Informed French sources revealed that Hezbollah rejected the French initiative and refused to respond to it “because it is a document that is biased towards Israel.” However, the sources emphasized that France would continue to play its role in the current stage, based on its participation in the UNIFIL in the South. A French official reportedly said that only his country can crystallize a solution for the South based on its relationship with all parties.

Nicolas Sehnaoui to LBCI: Defending national partnership through cooperation
LBCI/Wed, March 27, 2024
Member of Strong Lebanon Bloc, MP Nicolas Sehnaoui, stressed that the imperative first step in alleviating damage to Lebanon is to defend national partnership through cooperation, unify the Christian voice, and craft a joint plan under the auspices of Bkerke. Speaking on LBCI's "Nharkom Said" TV show, Sehnaoui highlighted the absence of Christian forces within the authority and warned of existential risks associated with the potential dissolution of this partnership. He expressed concern over regional settlements that often come at the expense of Lebanon's Christian community. Sehnaoui also lamented the lack of consultation by Hezbollah with Lebanese factions before engaging in conflict with Israel, undermining internal unity. Regarding the current relationship with Hezbollah, Sehnaoui admitted that cooperation levels are suboptimal. On the other hand, Sehnaoui criticized the Quintet Committee's performance, labeling it "unsuccessful," and announced an upcoming meeting with Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Gebran Bassil after the holidays. He emphasized the presidential role in fostering sovereignty, state-building, and maintaining earnest relations with internal factions and external stakeholders. Additionally, Sehnaoui disclosed the Free Patriotic Movement's endorsement of dialogue for the presidential election, contingent on predetermined rules and criteria. Conversely, he critiqued Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh's presidential bid, suggesting non-Christian backing for his candidacy.

Ogero employees announce continued service outages and potential strike
LBCI/Wed, March 27, 2024
Ogero employees have confirmed the continuation of internet and communication service outages at Alfa company on Wednesday, with no repairs planned for internet malfunctions. Despite the ongoing challenges, employees will return to work on Thursday, refraining from declaring a strike during the holidays due to their understanding of the public's plight. However, a strike is planned for Wednesday and Thursday, during which employees will not report to work centers. The announcement comes amid dissatisfaction, as salaries now represent only 20% of their pre-crisis value. Employees' primary demand is the restoration of salaries to their previous levels. Concerns have also been raised regarding future actions after the 15th of April, with employees needing more communication on the matter thus far.

Two weeks to go: Become an Ambassador for a day!
Naharnet/Wed, March 27, 2024
To celebrate International Women’s Day, the British Embassy in Beirut launched its ‘Ambassador For A Day’ (AFAD) competition, now jointly with the Embassy of Canada to Lebanon. AFAD winners will get to shadow an Ambassador in Lebanon for one day, to see first-hand how girls can become leaders and advocates for change. Each winner will be paired with an Ambassador or head of a U.N. Agency in Lebanon to spend a day with them and their team, and be invited as Guests of Honour to a ceremony hosted by the British and Canadian embassies. "This promises to be an unforgettable opportunity to build skills in diplomacy, confidence, and leadership," the British Embassy in Beirut said in a statement. "We encourage all girls from all backgrounds living in Lebanon, aged 15-18 years old and not at university to apply,"the embassy said. The competition closes midnight 7 April 2024.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is Inspire Inclusion. To enter, participants should submit either a video or short essay in English or Arabic answering the question:
"If you were an Ambassador for a Day, how would you inspire better inclusion of others in your community?"
For the full competition details and how to enter: Link
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lebanon-ambassador-for-a-day-competition-2024
Competition terms and conditions: Link
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lebanon-ambassador-for-a-day-competition-2024

Attempt to Smuggle 148 KG of Hashish Through Beirut Airport Aborted
This Is Beirut/ 27 Mar 2024
Lebanese security forces announced in a statement on Wednesday that they aborted an attempt to smuggle 148 kilograms of hashish through Beirut International Airport to an undisclosed European destination. The illicit substance was concealed in bags of thyme, sumac and other food ingredients and stored in a warehouse in Beirut before the planned transportation to the airport. The statement said intelligence obtained by the Information Branch of the Internal Security Forces, backed by investigations, allowed them to locate the warehouse used in the operation.Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the individuals associated with the smuggling network. Their identities remain unknown, the statement added.

Killing the Golden Goose
Michel Touma/This Is Beirut/ 27 Mar 2024
In the midst of a persistent chronic and existential crisis, some political factions occasionally resort to subtly propagating truncated or even baseless information. Their aim? Either test public reactions on specific topics or artificially sustain the attention of a partisan public by crafting tailored “information” capable of sparking debate solely to keep the popular base occupied. This “Lebanese-style” scenario abruptly surfaced on the local scene following information that the government would provide $20,000 in compensation for each “martyr” fallen due to the war instigated by Hezbollah in South Lebanon on October 8, as well as $40,000 for each damaged residence. Predictably, this information elicited strong backlash from anti-Hezbollah sovereign circles. They vehemently opposed any effort to offer such compensations, which would be funded by the Treasury and, consequently, by Lebanese taxpayers, as restitution for the losses suffered during a unilaterally instigated armed conflict by the pro-Iranian faction, without any consultation. The Executive has never entertained the idea of compensating the victims of the colossal explosion at the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, to a similar extent, although Hezbollah bears full responsibility of the catastrophe due to its stockpile of ammonium nitrate in the port area.
The news concerning these compensations for South Lebanon residents was swiftly refuted by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who rightly highlighted the government’s lack of financial means to fulfill such promises. Nevertheless, the rumors circulating on this matter underscore two significant facts, rooted in the involvement of ministers and circles aligned with Hezbollah. According to well-informed sources, the Shiite faction and its Iranian backers may be unable or reluctant to directly provide compensation to their supporters due to acute financial constraints. Furthermore, the prospect of reconstruction funded by Gulf countries seems unlikely after the fallout from July 2006 war. Despite the fact that petroleum monarchies previously provided funds for reconstruction, Hezbollah subsequently launched vitriolic campaigns, even declaring a full-scale politico-media war against these states, a glaring display of cynicism.
Faced with an impending financial deadlock and to quell potential anger from its popular base, which would be further fueled by the extensive destruction caused by the pointless new military venture, Hezbollah spread information suggesting that the central government would ensure direct compensation. This move serves a dual purpose: alongside internal media consumption, it also serves to gauge the reactions of various local factions. Yet, more significantly than this political and media maneuver, the issue at hand epitomizes the destructive attitude of the Shiite tandem towards the state. The state is seen by the Hezbollah-Amal coalition as a cash cow, a source of endless wealth to be fully exploited, even if it leads to its destruction, with little regard for the repercussions on the fundamental interests of the population.
The state, eroded and dismantled by the pro-Iranian faction, is expected – along with the taxpayer – to bear the financial burden of a war that neither itself nor the vast majority of the Lebanese actually wanted, and about which no one was consulted!
This portrayal suggests that the mullahs’ stronghold on local power perceives the state as its private domain to manipulate at will. However, the inherent values of the Lebanese people, deeply rooted in their attachment to freedom and socio-communal pluralism, cannot be so easily cast aside, especially when it goes against the tide of history.

Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on March 27-28/2024
US says hostage talks with Israel and Hamas not over
Reuters/March 27, 2024
The US State Department does not think hostage talks with Israel and Hamas are over, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday, adding that Washington thinks there is an ability to continue to pursue hostages' release. Miller, speaking to reporters at a regular news briefing, said “we do” when asked if a limited military campaign in Rafah can take out remaining commanders of the Palestinian militant group.

Netanyahu says US visit cancel was a message to Hamas
Associated Press/March 27, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that his decision not to send a delegation to Washington for talks with the Biden administration was meant to deliver a message to Hamas that international pressure against Israel will not prompt it to end the war without concessions from the militant group. Netanyahu’s remarks appeared to be an attempt to smooth over a clash between Israel and Washington this week following the U.S. decision not to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution this week demanding an immediate cease-fire. Netanyahu decided in response to cancel a delegation’s visit to Washington meant to discuss Israel’s plans for an offensive in Gaza’s southernmost town of Rafah. Speaking to visiting Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida on Wednesday, Netanyahu said the cancelled visit “was a message first and foremost to Hamas: don’t bet on this pressure, it’s not going to work.”
Netanyahu said the U.S. abstention was “very, very bad,” and that it “encouraged Hamas to take a hard line and to believe that international pressure will prevent Israel” from achieving its war aims. Israel wants to destroy Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and free the hostages taken by the militant group during its Oct. 7 attack. The U.S. abstention and Netanyahu’s decision to cancel the delegation was the strongest public dispute between the two allies since the war in Gaza began.

White House confirms Netanyahu has agreed to reschedule delegation to discuss Rafah operation
Donald Judd, Alex Marquardt, Kylie Atwood and Arlette Saenz, CNN/Wed, March 27, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has agreed to reschedule a planned meeting with US and Israeli officials to discuss a possible operation in Rafah, the White House confirmed Wednesday, just days after Netanyahu canceled the delegation. “The Prime Minister’s Office has agreed to reschedule the meeting dedicated to Rafah,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “So, we’re now working with them to set to find a convenient date that’s obviously going to work for both sides, but his office has agreed to reschedule that meeting which would be dedicated to Rafah, which is a good thing.”CNN reported earlier Wednesday that Netanyahu’s office had agreed to reschedule the meeting, which an official said could occur as early as next week, though no date has been finalized. During Wednesday’s briefing, the press secretary declined to say when the administration is hoping to reschedule the meeting, but emphasized it’s an “urgent” priority. Netanyahu canceled the delegation’s planned trip this week over objections to the US abstaining from a UN Security Council vote calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The US held “constructive discussions with Israel’s defense minister over the last two days” and “Rafah was one of the many topics discussed with Jake Sullivan, Tony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, and Bill Burns,” the official said. An Israeli official told CNN they are in the process of rescheduling the visit to DC to hear US ideas for how to target Hamas in Rafah.

Israel tells White House it wants to reschedule canceled Rafah meeting, NBC reports
Reuters/March 27, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has told the White House it wants to reschedule a canceled meeting on a planned Israeli military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, NBC reported on Wednesday, citing a US official. Netanyahu said on Monday he would not send the delegation after the US refrained from vetoing a U.N. Security Council proposal calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. This, he said, was a "clear retreat" from the previous US position. NBC said senior US administration officials were working with Israel to find a date for a meeting. The White House said last week it intended to share with Israeli officials alternatives for eliminating the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza without a ground offensive in Rafah that Washington says would be a "disaster."

Exploring Alternatives: Israel's Response to Gaza Ceasefire Call
LBCI/March 27, 2024
The decision of the United Nations Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza did not deter Israel from continuing its military operations in the region. On the contrary, two days after the resolution, Israel responded with intense shelling on the southern part of Gaza on Tuesday night. Following this situation on the ground, the Israeli Minister of Defense engaged in discussions with several officials in Washington, including the US Secretary of Defense. The latter mentioned they are discussing alternatives to the extensive military operation in Rafah with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant. Details of these alternatives remained confidential after the meeting. However, the limited information provided by a senior official in the Department of Defense to some journalists after the meeting was not far from the media leaks that preceded the meeting by about a week. According to the senior official, ideas were raised concerning the sequence of events on the ground, prioritizing the entry of humanitarian aid and evacuating civilians from Rafah. Additionally, there were discussions about communication between Israel and Egypt to ensure border security between Egypt and Gaza, preventing weapon smuggling into the territory and addressing what they referred to as terrorists. Furthermore, there was talk about replacing the ground invasion of Rafah with targeted strikes against Hamas elements, especially its leaders. Through all these alternatives, Washington seeks to avert the scenario of a large-scale operation in Rafah, which poses a threat to Tel Aviv at a time when bilateral relations are witnessing unprecedented tension.

Israeli strikes on Rafah raise fear assault could begin
REUTERS/March 27, 2024
GAZA STRIP: Israel bombed at least three homes in Rafah overnight, raising new fear among the more than a million people sheltering in the last refuge on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip that a long-threatened ground assault could be coming. One of the airstrikes killed 11 people from a family, health officials said. Mussa Dhaheer, looking on from below as neighbors helped an emergency worker lower a victim in a black body bag from an upper story, said he had awakened to the blast, kissed his terrified daughter, and rushed outside to find the destruction. His father, 75, and mother, 62, were among the dead.
“I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to say. I can’t make sense of what happened. My parents. My father with his displaced friends who came from Gaza City,” he told Reuters. “They were all together, when suddenly they were all gone like dust.”At another bomb site, Jamil Abu Houri said the intensification of air strikes was Israel’s way of showing its disdain for a UN Security Council resolution last week demanding an immediate ceasefire. Next up, he fears a ground assault on Rafah, which Israel has threatened to carry out despite pleas from its closest ally Washington that this would cause too much harm to civilians.
“The bombing has increased, and they have threatened us with an incursion, and they say that have been given the green light for the Rafah incursion. Where is the Security Council?” Abu Houri said. “Look at our little ones. Look at our children. Where should we go? Where should we go?“
Separately, in the Israeli occupied West Bank, which has seen worsening bloodshed in parallel with the Gaza war, three Palestinians were killed and four others wounded by Israeli fire during a raid in Jenin overnight, the Palestinian health ministry said on Wednesday. At least 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive into Hamas-run Gaza, according to the health ministry there, with thousands of other dead believed unrecovered under rubble. The war began after Hamas fighters raided Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting 253 hostages according to Israeli tallies. Israeli forces just north of Rafah kept the two main hospitals in Khan Younis, Al-Amal and Nasser Hospital, under a blockade imposed late last week. In the north, they were still operating inside Al Shifa, the enclave’s largest hospital, which they stormed more than a week ago. Israel says the hospitals have been used by Hamas fighters, which Hamas and medical staff deny. The Israeli military has said it killed and captured hundreds of fighters in a battle in Al Shifa. Hamas says civilians and medics were rounded up. Gaza’s health ministry said wounded people and patients were being held inside the human resources department that was not equipped to provide them with health care. Residents living nearby report hearing explosions in and around Al Shifa and lines of smoke coming from buildings inside the medical facility. “A war zone, this is how it looks in and around Al Shifa,” Mohammad Jamal, 25, who lives 1 km away from Al Shifa, said via a mobile phone chat app.“Explosions never stop, we see lines of smoke coming from inside, no one moves even in streets that are hundreds of meters away because of Israeli snipers on rooftops of buildings,” he said.

Israel backtracks on canceled Rafah talks: US official
AFP/March 27, 2024
WASHINGTON: Israel wants to reschedule talks in Washington to discuss a possible offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah, days after it canceled the trip in protest at a UN ceasefire resolution, a US official said Wednesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily scrapped the visit on Monday after Israel’s closest ally, the United States, abstained on the UN Security Council vote, allowing it to pass and deepening talk of a rift with President Joe Biden. But after the White House said it was “perplexed” by the move, Israel backtracked. “The prime minister’s office has said they’d like to reschedule the meeting dedicated to Rafah. We are now working with them to set a convenient date,” the senior administration official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. The U-turn came after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had “constructive discussions” over the last two days with senior US officials in Washington, the official added. “Rafah was one of the many topics discussed” in the talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA chief Bill Burns and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Last week, Netanyahu agreed to a personal request by Biden to send a team to Washington to hear US concerns and discuss ways to target Hamas without a major ground operation in Rafah, which is crowded with refugees. But after the UN Security Council vote demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza war, Israel said that it was canceling and that the US abstention “hurts” its war effort and its bid to free hostages. The White House said on Monday it was “kind of perplexed” and “very disappointed” by the cancelation. The United States also insisted its abstention did not represent a shift in policy on Israel. But Biden has voiced increasing frustration with Netanyahu as the civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip mounts and the humanitarian situation for Palestinians becomes increasingly dire. The US president was caught on a hot mic recently saying he needed to have a “come to Jesus meeting” with the Israeli premier over the situation. Israel launched a relentless offensive on Gaza after an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures. Around 130 people are still believed to be held hostage in Gaza following the attack.Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 32,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Israeli army kills 3 Palestinians inovernight West Bank raid
Associated Press/March 27, 2024
The Israeli military said Wednesday its forces have killed three Palestinian militants during an overnight raid in the West Bank. The military said it opened fire on militants who hurled explosive devices, killing one of them. It said an airstrike killed two other militants, and that its forces destroyed a vehicle containing explosive devices after arresting two people who were inside it. The Palestinian Health Ministry said two of those killed were 19 years old. It says another four Palestinians were wounded in the raid, which occurred overnight into Wednesday. It did not say whether any of those killed or wounded were militants or civilians. Violence across the West Bank has spiked since the war in Gaza broke out on Oct. 7, when Palestinian militants launched an incursion on southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and kidnapping around 250 others. The raid was carried out in the Jenin refugee camp, which has seen regular clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in recent years. The dense, urban camp was built to house Palestinian refugees from what is now Israel who fled or were driven out during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation. The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has little control over Jenin. At least 450 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli fire since the conflict broke out, according to Palestinian health officials.

Rafah airstrike kills at least 4, 10 more feared buried under rubble
Associated Press/March 27, 2024
Palestinian health officials said an airstrike on an apartment building in the southernmost Gaza city of Rafah has killed at least four people. An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies arrive at a local hospital. Relatives say another 10 people were still buried under the rubble.
Palestinians could be seen digging through the remains of a pancaked building early Wednesday. Mohammed Dheir, a neighbor, says there were “limbs all over the ground.”Israel has threatened to expand its ground operation to Rafah, where some 1.4 million people – over half of Gaza’s population – have sought refuge. The military has regularly carried out airstrikes on Rafah since the start of the war. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border on Oct. 7 and attacked several Israeli communities and army bases, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians. They abducted another 250 and dragged them back to Gaza. In response, Israel launched one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history. Gaza’s Health Ministry said Wednesday that at least 32,490 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war. It does not differentiate between fighters and civilians but says women and children make up around two-third of those killed. The Israeli military says it has killed over 13,000 fighters. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants fight in dense, residential areas, but the military rarely comments on individual strikes.

Intense Israeli bombardment hits southern Gaza, calls for more aid grow
Agence France Presse/March 27, 2024
The southern Gaza Strip came under intense Israeli bombardment overnight, despite international pressure for an immediate ceasefire in the Palestinian territory where famine is looming. Besieged Gaza is in desperate need of aid and the United States said it would continue airdrops, despite pleas from Hamas to stop the practice after the Islamist group said 18 people had died trying to reach food packages. A fireball lit up the night sky in the southern city of Rafah, the last remaining urban centre in Gaza not to have been attacked by Israeli ground forces. About 1.5 million people are crammed in the area, many having fled south towards the border with Egypt. The sound of explosions was also heard and smoke was seen rising in Gaza City in the north, where Israeli troops have been attacking the city's largest hospital for more than a week. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said early Wednesday that 66 people had been killed overnight, including three killed in Israeli air strikes in and around Rafah. The fighting went on unabated two days after the UN Security Council passed its first resolution calling for an "immediate ceasefire" and urging the release of the roughly 130 hostages Israel says remain in Gaza, including 34 captives who are presumed dead. Israeli forces have also surrounded two hospitals in Khan Younis, where the health ministry said 12 people, including some children, were killed in an Israeli strike on a camp for the displaced. The Palestinian Red Crescent has warned that thousands were trapped in the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis and "their lives are in danger".
'Man-made famine'
Underscoring the desperation of civilians trapped by the fighting, Hamas has asked donor countries to stop their airdrops after 12 people drowned trying to recover parachuted food aid from the sea off Gaza's Mediterranean coast. Hamas and the Swiss-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor also said another six people were killed in stampedes trying to get aid. "People are dying just to get a can of tuna," Gaza resident Mohamad al-Sabaawi told AFP, holding a can in his hand after a scramble over an aid package. Hamas has also demanded that Israel allow more aid trucks to enter the territory, which the United Nations has warned is on the brink of a "man-made famine" after nearly six months of fighting. The war, triggered by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, has shattered Gaza's infrastructure and aid agencies say all of its 2.4 million people are now in need of humanitarian help. The UN children's fund, UNICEF, said vastly more aid must be rushed into Gaza by road rather than by air or sea to avert an "imminent famine". UNICEF spokesman James Elder said the necessary help was "a matter of kilometres away" in aid-filled trucks waiting across Gaza's southern border with Egypt. The US National Security Council said in a statement it would continue trying to get aid in by road, but also said it would continue airdrops. AFPTV footage showed crowds rushing towards aid packages on Tuesday being dropped by parachute from planes sent by Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Germany.
'Political isolation'
The October 7 attack resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign against Hamas has killed at least 32,414 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry. Israeli troops have shown no sign of a let-up in the fight against Hamas, with the military saying its jets had struck more than 60 targets, including tunnels and buildings "in which armed terrorists were identified".The UN Security Council resolution passed Monday demanded a ceasefire for the remaining two weeks of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that should lead to a "lasting" truce. The United States, Israel's top ally, which had blocked previous resolutions, abstained from the vote, prompting Israel to cancel a planned US visit by senior officials. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Israel was experiencing "unprecedented political isolation" and losing US "protection" at the Security Council. Washington has baulked at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's determination to launch a ground assault on Rafah, and the United States has also expressed increasing concern over the humanitarian toll. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said before meeting his Israeli counterpart that "the number of civilian casualties is far too high, and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low" in Gaza.
Talks 'ongoing'
Officials from the two warring sides are in indirect mediated talks in Qatar aimed at agreeing on a ceasefire and the release of hostages.However, both Hamas and Netanyahu said the talks were failing and blamed each other. Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said this week the talks were "ongoing". In Khan Younis, dozens of Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles surrounded the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. The health ministry said shots were fired around the sprawling complex but no raid had yet taken place. Israeli troops have also been engaged in heavy fighting at Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, the territory's largest, for nine days. Israel said it has killed 170 Palestinian militants and arrested hundreds there. Israel has labelled its actions "precise operational activities" and said it has taken care to avoid harm to civilians, but aid agencies have voiced concern for non-combatants caught up in the fighting. Palestinians living near Al-Shifa have reported corpses in the streets, constant bombardment and the rounding up of men who are stripped to their underwear and questioned.

Egypt pledges support for Palestinian rights during talks with Fatah representatives
GOBRAN MOHAMED/Arab News/March 27, 2024
CAIRO: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Wednesday pledged his country’s continued support for Palestinian rights during talks with a visiting delegation representing the Fatah political movement. The parties discussed the humanitarian and security situation in the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Mahmoud Al-Aloul led the Fatah delegation, which included Palestinian officials Rawhi Fattouh and Samir Al-Rifai. Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said Shoukry and the Palestinian officials considered ways to halt Israel’s war in the Strip and curb growing settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the West Bank. The Egyptian minister highlighted the need to put an end to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and stop the Israeli practice of collective punishment which he said included indiscriminate targeting, siege, starvation, and destruction of infrastructure.
Shoukry urged the immediate implementation of a recent UN Security Council Resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire adding that world powers had a legal and humanitarian responsibility to ensure the full and sustainable provision of aid to the Strip. On the UN aid agency UNRWA, he noted that it was important not to politicize its work and to resume its funding to allow it to provide vital services in all areas of Gaza. The Palestinian delegation briefed Shoukry on the dire humanitarian and security conditions in the West Bank and Jerusalem and the unprecedented Israeli restrictions placed on Palestinians in Jerusalem and worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Shoukry denounced the continued expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, the latest of which involved the ratification of the confiscation of 8,000 dunums (almost 2,000 acres) of land in the Jordan Valley region of the occupied West Bank.
He condemned attempts at forced displacement of Palestinians which he pointed out undermined the foundations of the future peace process and peaceful coexistence in the region. Egypt, he added, would continue to push the international community to work toward a two-state solution to the crisis, recognize the Palestinian state, and approve its full membership of the UN.

Ireland preparing to intervene in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel
Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA/ Media: UK News/March 27, 2024
Ireland is preparing to intervene in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the top court in the United Nations. Micheal Martin, Ireland’s deputy leader, said that after examining whether Ireland could intervene, he had been briefed that there is a “basis” for an intervention.
South Africa has taken a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing it of a genocide in Gaza. According to local health authorities, more than 30,000 people have been killed and a further 70,000 injured in the Gaza Strip since the start of Israel’s military offensive in the Palestinian enclave. The UN said that a quarter of the region’s 2.3 million population face starvation and around 80% have fled their homes. The offensive was launched after a Hamas attack in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 250 hostages taken, some of whom are still held captive.
An interim ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire. It could be years before the case reaches final judgment.
Speaking on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs minister Mr Martin said he has given legal staff in his department direction “to pursue a legal intervention” into the South African case at the ICJ. He said that he requested that “very serious” legal work be done as the tests that are applied under the Genocide Convention “are very narrow and have a very high threshold”. He said the issue would be brought back to government for a more “formal” decision when South Africa files its case and when further legal work is done. “I had asked my legal staff to do preliminary legal work, last week I was briefed by my legal team in that respect and we believe we have a basis now for an intervention, obviously more substantive work has to be done. “South Africa has yet to table its substantive memorial and that will be some months away yet.”He said “the rapidly deteriorating situation” in Gaza was now “a humanitarian catastrophe”.
“Clearly, aid is being prevented from going in, but the most vital essentials of life are being prevented from going in to Gaza. “This constitutes significant harm and destruction to a people, and to the people of Gaza.”

Turkish relief agency presents two ships to take aid direct to Gaza
ISTANBUL (Reuters)/Wed, March 27, 2024
Turkish aid agency Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) presented two new vessels on Wednesday meant to take aid directly to Gaza where Palestinians face famine almost six months into Israel's devastating military campaign. Turkey, which has denounced Israel for its offensive in densely populated Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire, has sent tens of thousands of tons of humanitarian aid there since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, and aims to increase it during the current Muslim holy month of Ramadan. IHH Chairman Bulent Yildirim inspected the new ships, purchased for a Gaza aid project dubbed "International Freedom Flotilla", in Istanbul's port and said that one of the vessels, the Anadolu (Anatolia), had a capacity of 5,500 tons. The Anadolu is to be loaded with aid items while the other vessel will carry humanitarian personnel including doctors.It was not immediately known when the ships would depart for Gaza or where or how they would deliver aid once there. Turkey has so far sent its aid to Gaza through neighbouring Egypt. In 2010, the IHH sent an aid vessel to Gaza in an attempt to breach an Israeli blockade but it was intercepted by the Israeli military in a deadly offshore raid which touched off a diplomatic crisis between the two countries. Currently, aid agencies say only about a fifth of needed supplies are entering Gaza as Israel persists with an air and ground offensive that has shattered the coastal Hamas-ruled enclave, pushing parts to the verge of famine. They say that deliveries by air drop or by sea directly onto Gaza's beaches are no substitute for increased supplies coming in by land via Israel or Egypt. Israel says it puts no limit on the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza and blames problems in it reaching civilians within the enclave on U.N. agencies, which it says are inefficient. Aid groups blame Israel's blockade and red tape.In the 2010 incident, nine pro-Palestinian activists aboard the aid ship were killed and a tenth died in 2014 after years in a coma. Turkish-Israeli relations have historically been rocky due to disputes over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

US, UK bomb Houthi-held Saada in Yemen
SEED AL-BATATI/Arab News/March 27, 2024
AL-MUKALLA: The US and UK launched a fresh airstrike on Houthi targets in Yemen’s northern province of Saada on Wednesday, the latest in a spate of strikes against the Yemeni militia, which has vowed to continue assaults on ships in the Red Sea. Houthi media said that US and UK “enemy” jets carried out one strike on Al-Qutaynat in Saada’s Baqoum area but did not elaborate on the target sites or if there was any human or property damage. Since January, the US and UK have launched strikes on Sanaa, Saada, Hodeidah, and other Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, targeting military targets, drone and missile launchers, storage facilities, and ammunition depots in order to force the Houthis to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, and Gulf of Aden. The US Central Command nearly every day reports intercepting and destroying Houthi drones and missiles targeting US and international ships, as well as those preparing to fire on international maritime routes in Yemen. The Houthis say they solely target Israel-linked or Israel-bound ships to pressure Israel to lift its blockade of the Palestinian Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the Houthis launched an attack on Yemeni government soldiers in the southern province of Dhale, the most recent Houthi military operation to gain ground in the province. According to Dhale Axis Media Centre, the pro-independence Security Belt, affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, said that the Houthis launched simultaneous shelling and ground attacks at nearly 2 a.m. on Wednesday on its forces’ locations north of Qa’atabah District in Dhale but failed to gain any ground and were forced to retreat.  Some Houthis were killed in the fighting, their bodies still scattered on the battlefield, the center said. The Houthis and Yemen’s government forces have fought bloody battles in Dhale in recent years despite a relative calm on the battlefields since the UN-brokered truce came into force in April 2022.

Russia says it's hard to believe Islamic State could have launched Moscow attack
MOSCOW (Reuters)/Wed, March 27, 2024
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that it was "extremely hard to believe" that Islamic State would have had the capacity to launch an attack on a Moscow concert hall last Friday that killed at least 140 people. At a briefing with reporters, Zakharova instead doubled down on Moscow's assertions, for which it has not yet provided evidence, that Ukraine was behind the attack on the Crocus City Hall, the deadliest Russia has suffered in 20 years. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the massacre and U.S. officials say they have intelligence showing it was carried out by the network's Afghan branch, Islamic State Khorasan. Ukraine has repeatedly denied it had anything to do with the attack. But Zakharova said the West had rushed to pin responsibility on Islamic State, also known as ISIS, as a way of deflecting blame from Ukraine and the Western governments that support it.
"In order to ward off suspicions from the collective West, they urgently needed to come up with something, so they resorted to ISIS, pulled an ace out of their sleeve, and literally a few hours after the terrorist attack, the Anglo-Saxon media began disseminating precisely these versions," she said.
President Vladimir Putin has said the attack was carried out by Islamist militants but has suggested it was to Ukraine's benefit and that Kyiv may have played a role. He has said that someone on the Ukrainian side had prepared a "window" for the gunmen to escape across the border before they were captured in western Russia on Friday night. On Tuesday, however, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said the gunmen had initially sought to cross into his country before turning away and heading towards Ukraine once they realised that crossings into Belarus had been sealed. The director of Russia's FSB security agency said on Tuesday that he believed Ukraine, along with the United States and Britain, were involved in the Moscow attack. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron responded on X, saying: "Russia’s claims about the West and Ukraine on the Crocus City Hall attack are utter nonsense."

After the Moscow attack, almost 100 people remain missing
Reuters/Wed, March 27, 2024
As many as 95 people are still missing after last week's attack near Moscow when gunmen sprayed concertgoers with automatic weapons and set the venue on fire, a Russian news outlet reported on Wednesday. The official toll from the attack on Crocus City Hall now stands at 140 dead and 182 wounded. But the Baza news service, which has good contacts in Russian security and law enforcement, said 95 more people appeared in lists compiled by the emergency services based on appeals from people about missing relatives."These lists include people with whom relatives have not been able to get in touch since the terrorist attack, but who are not on the lists of wounded and dead," Baza said. "Some of these people died, but have not yet been identified." Russian investigators said the attack was carried out by four shooters using Kalashnikov automatic weapons. More than 500 rounds were found at the scene. The shooting began shortly before the Soviet-era rock group "Picnic" was set to play to a full house of 6,200 people. More than 200 people could have been in the blazing building moments before the roof collapsed, Baza reported on Saturday, citing emergency service sources who reviewed surveillance footage.
Russian social media channels have been flooded in the days since the shooting with appeals to help find victims. Gathering in a Telegram chat called "Crocus. Help Centre," friends and relatives shared names of missing concertgoers and offered support.

4 sentenced to death in Tunisia for 2013 assassination of Chokri Belaid
Associated Press/Wed, March 27, 2024
A Tunisian court sentenced four people to death and two to life in prison on charges stemming from the murder of a left-wing politician, a public prosecutor said Wednesday. Chokri Belaid, the 48-year-old leader of the Popular Front coalition, was shot in his car outside his home in Tunis in February 2013. His assassination, the country's first in decades, prompted mass protests and helped lead to the resignation of the then-prime minister. The case was reopened last month after a former investigating judge was arrested on suspicion of concealing certain files. Wednesday's verdict came after hours of late night delays and lengthy deliberations due to "the complexity of the very thorny case," said Mohamed Jmour, a member of Belaid's defense committee. Before his death, Belaid had earned a following for his forceful criticisms of Ennahda, the Islamist party that rose to power after President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali became the first dictator toppled in the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. His supporters blamed the party for taking an overly accommodating approach toward extremists after his assassination. Ennahda leaders classified Ansar al-Sharia as a terrorist group after the killing of another left-wing politician, Mohammed Brahmi, later that year. Law enforcement killed several alleged members of the al-Qaeda-linked group suspected of involvement in Belaid's death. Several members of Ansar al Sharia were sentenced, including Mohamed Aouadi, the head of its military arm; Mohamed Khiari, the head of its field surveillance and information arm.
The assassinations and subsequent unrest set off a political crisis for Tunisia as it struggled to transition from dictatorship to democracy. Two dozen defendants were ultimately charged in a sprawling case that took years to investigate and bring to trial. One died in prison. Of the 23 defendants sentenced on Wednesday, five were acquitted while others received sentences ranging from two to 120 years. Aymen Chtiba, a deputy prosecutor in the terrorism court's judicial unit, said the dismissals had to do with the similarity of sentences already handed down against some defendants in other cases. Belaid's brother Abdelmajid Belaid called the verdict "a positive step" and said that supporters were still awaiting the trial of those suspected of planning the assassination.

Latest English LCCC  analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on March 27-28/2024
Israel-Hamas war: IDF confirms the killing of senior Hamas leader
Euronews/March 27, 2024
Israel on Tuesday claimed it had killed the deputy leader of Hamas’ armed wing in the Gaza Strip, who helped plan the October 7 attacks. Military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that according to intelligence obtained by Shin Bet and the intelligence branch, Marwan Issa was killed about two weeks ago, along with another senior militant, called Razi Abu Tamaa. If confirmed, Issa would be the highest-ranking Hamas leader to have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war. Hagari also confirmed that the military operation on the Shifa hospital in Gaza City was continuing and that more than 500 suspected militants had been arrested so far.
US and Israel tensions rise over Gaza
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticised a UN Security Council resolution that called for a ceasefire in Gaza, arguing it only served to strengthen Hamas. “Israel will not surrender to Hamas’ delusional demands and will continue to act to achieve all the goals of the war: releasing all the hostages, destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and ensuring that Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel.” Netanyahu said in a statement. Contrary to its previous approach of vetoing ceasefire resolutions, the Biden administration abstained from Monday’s vote, enabling the resolution to pass. The resolution that demanded the release of all hostages in Gaza but did not make it a precondition for a ceasefire, has intensified existing divisions. In response to the UN Security Council decision calling for an immediate ceasefire, Israeli prime minister has cancelled a high-level visit to the US. Now in its sixth month, the war sees both sides refusing attempts to end hostilities, each confident in their impending victory. Hamas wants an end to the war and Israel's full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Tel Aviv seeks to destroy Hamas and to recover all of the approximately 100 Israeli hostages still in Gaza, as well as the remains of some 30 others.

The US allowed a Gaza ceasefire resolution to pass at the UN. What does that mean for the war?
Nadeen Ebrahim and Abbas Al Lawati, CNN/March 27, 2024
Following several failed attempts over five months of Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, the United Nations Security Council on Monday finally passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. The United States, which had been the only remaining hurdle to such a call, decided not to strike down the resolution.
The vote came as a shock to Israel, which saw its decades-old US ally abstain rather than veto the move, as it has consistently done over the years in its diplomatic backing of the Jewish state. Israeli officials lambasted the resolution, saying they have no intention of ceasing fire. More than 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza in operations Israel launched after Hamas-led militants attacked the country on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Israel criticized the language of the resolution, saying it doesn’t firmly tie a ceasefire to the freeing of the hostages held in Gaza. The text demands “an immediate ceasefire… and also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.” A failed resolution proposed by the US last week demanded a ceasefire that was directly tied to releasing the hostages.While the US says the latest resolution is non-binding, experts differ on whether that is the case. The key is in the language of the document, they say.
Here’s what we know:
Will the resolution have an impact on the ground in Gaza?
Israel has reacted angrily to the resolution, saying it has no intention of abiding by it. On Tuesday, Israeli attacks on Gaza continued. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan criticized the Security Council for passing a measure that called for a ceasefire “without conditioning it on the release of the hostages.” “It undermines the efforts to secure their release,” he said at the United Nations. Foreign Minister Israel Katz meanwhile said on X that his country would not abide by the resolution. “The state of Israel will not cease fire,” Katz said. “We will destroy Hamas and continue to fight until the last of the hostages returns home.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retaliated for the US abstention by canceling a scheduled trip to the US by two of his top advisers. Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Ron Dermer, a member of the war cabinet, had been scheduled to travel to Washington Monday night to discuss alternatives to a planned Israeli offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The meeting had been requested by US President Joe Biden. “On the ground right now… I think there is no immediate effect,” said Gabriela Shalev, a former Israeli ambassador to the UN and an emeritus professor at the Hebrew University’s faculty of law. “But of course it has a moral and a general effect.”
Is the resolution binding on Israel?
After the resolution passed, US officials went to great lengths to say that the resolution isn’t binding. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller repeatedly said during a news conference that the resolution is non-binding, before conceding that the technical details of are for international lawyers to determine. Similarly, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby and US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield separately insisted that the resolution is non-binding. China’s UN ambassador Zhang Jun countered that such resolutions are indeed binding. Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said Security Council resolutions are international law, “so to that extent they are as binding as international law is.” Experts say whether a resolution is binding depends on the language used, as ambiguous language leaves room for interpretation. In this case, there have been differing opinions on whether the resolution falls under Chapter VI of the UN charter (deeming it non-binding) or Chapter VII (binding). This resolution “demands” a ceasefire. “The US – ascribing to a legal tradition that takes a narrower interpretation – argues that without the use of the word “decides” or evocation of Chapter VII within the text, the resolution is non-binding,” said Maya Ungar, an analyst monitoring UN Security Council developments at the International Crisis Group (ICG), a Brussels-based think tank. “Other member states and international legal scholars are arguing that there is legal precedence to the idea that a demand is implicitly a decision of the council.” “The crux of the issue is language of the resolution and the way that member states are interpreting the charter differently,” she added. “The US is attempting to walk a fine line between criticizing and supporting Israel,” Ungar said. “By arguing that the resolution is non-binding, it seems that the US made a calculation that they could make a public statement by not vetoing without facing too much Israeli backlash.” Even if legal experts decide the resolution is binding, a question remains on how and who can enforce it, said Yossi Mekelberg, an associate fellow with the Middle East and North Africa program at the Chatham House think tank in London. “The answer is no one,” Mekelberg told CNN, especially as the one country that can enforce the resolution – the US – was quick to announce that it is non-binding.
Does the resolution leave Israel isolated on the world stage?
Israel’s Western allies, particularly the US, have long protected it from censure at the UN. Their support was in full display soon after the October 7 Hamas-led massacre, when many countries stood by Israel at the Security Council and the UN General Assembly. But as the war in Gaza dragged on and the death toll there mounted, that backing began to dwindle, even from some of Israel’s most committed allies, leaving the US as its sole backer at the UN for the past few months. Until Monday’s vote. “They are not fully isolating Israel – their arguments about the non-binding nature makes that clear,” said Ungar of the ICG. “But this is the farthest from Israeli policy that the US has been willing to go thus far at the United Nations.” Shalev, the former Israeli ambassador, said that by abstaining, the US took a “middle way,” but one that shows the extent to which the White House is “very worried and concerned about what is happening.”Biden administration officials have come to believe that Israel risks becoming an international pariah if the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens or persists for an extended period of time. Israel has faced intense criticism internationally, with calls from US politicians and European officials to reconsider arms sales to it in the face of the enormous civilian death toll in Gaza.
Relations with the Biden administration have been going downhill as Israel vows to press on with a potential invasion of Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering. The US has warned against such a move, even as officials insist on Washington’s commitment to Israel’s security.
Vice President Kamala Harris said last weekend that the invasion would be a “mistake” and refused to rule out consequences for Israel should it go ahead. Netanyahu’s decision to cancel official meetings in Washington in protest of the US’ abstention has left American officials perplexed. Kirby said the US was “very disappointed that they will not be coming” but insisted that the abstention was not a shift in US policy towards Israel. “He is picking a fight with Washington, at the worst time that any Israeli prime minister can pick a fight with Washington,” Mekelberg said. Despite the Israeli snub elsewhere, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant flew to Washington on Tuesday to present US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin with a wishlist of US weapons and equipment that Israel wants to buy and have delivered in an expedited manner. Shalev said Israel was facing “a very low point in our relations with the US,” noting that while tension exists on a governmental level, most of the people of Israel want ties to improve. In the past, the US wouldn’t even let such resolutions come to a vote, she said. “(This time) the US wanted to confirm its view regarding the humanitarian aspects of Israel’s actions on the ground in Gaza, as well as regarding the unconditional release of all hostages.”Previous reporting by Richard Roth, Ivana Kottasová, Lauren Izso, Jeremy Diamond, Kylie Atwood, Jennifer Hansler, Abeer Salman and Alex Marquardt.

Biden Administration's Terrorist Pier in Gaza: The Trojan Horse For Terrorists to Take Over the Region
Bassam Tawil/Gatestone Institute/March 27, 2024
Placing Qatar -- rather than, say, the United Arab Emirates -- in charge of the Gaza pier entrenches a terrorist-sponsoring Trojan Horse at Hamas's beck and call. Qatar will use the pier to supply Hamas with more money and more powerful weapons. The port will also undoubtedly be used to smuggle Islamist jihadis from all around the world into the Gaza Strip to launch more massacres against Israelis.
Qatar has a long history of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist offshoots, but also Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezbollah and the Al Nusra Front.
If Qatar really wants an end to the Israel-Hamas war, all it has to do is order its Hamas puppets immediately and unconditionally to release all the Israelis kidnapped by Hamas terrorists October 7 and held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashaal, who are based in Doha, would not be able to refuse. Qatar is their lifeline.
The Qataris, however, are evidently in no rush to pressure Hamas: Qatar is clearly facing no pressure from the Biden administration. On the contrary, the Biden administration just agreed to extended Qatar's ability to host America's Al-Udeid Air Base, the headquarters of CENTCOM, for another ten years – for nothing in return.
"Congress must weigh in and cancel the 10-year extension of the military base in Qatar... The U.S. should seize assets tied to individuals and entities in Qatar for supporting terrorist groups, especially those tied to Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism.... It's time to put Doha on notice that they are jeopardizing their relationship with the U.S. by providing material support to designated terrorist groups. Qatar is clearly acting like a state sponsor of terror and should not be allowed to use the U.S. banking system to bypass existing, though not enforced, sanctions on funding Iran and its terrorist proxies." — Former US intelligence officer Michael Pregent, The Hill, January 22, 2024.
The US should definitely start withdrawing from Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
Thanks to the Biden administration -- which is also pressuring Israel not to eliminate the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah -- Qatar and its Hamas pawns are having the last laugh. In light of the Biden administration's decision to turn itself into an ally of terrorists and their supporters, such as Hamas and Qatar – instead of strengthening US relations with Israel and its allies in the Gulf who are fighting terrorism -- it is a very long last laugh, indeed.
Placing Qatar -- rather than, say, the United Arab Emirates -- in charge of the Gaza pier entrenches a terrorist-sponsoring Trojan Horse at Hamas's beck and call. Qatar will use the pier to supply Hamas with more money and more powerful weapons. The port will also undoubtedly be used to smuggle Islamist jihadis from all around the world into the Gaza Strip to launch more massacres against Israelis. Pictured: Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal meets with Qatar's then Crown Prince (today's Emir) Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the Royal Palace in Amman, Jordan on January 29, 2012. (Photo by Khalil Mazraawi/AFP via Getty Images)
At the request of the Biden administration, Qatar has agreed to take charge of operating and financing a temporary pier in the Gaza Strip. Qatar agreed to run the port on condition that the construction work go to a company controlled and sponsored by Hamas, according to Israel's Channel 14.
The Biden administration's decision to involve Qatar, Hamas's major funder and ally, in the project is akin to putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop. This is a big, deliberate finger from the Biden administration not just in the in the eye of Israel but also in the eyes of America's allies in the Gulf who do not support terrorists, as well as for US national security.
Placing Qatar -- rather than, say, the United Arab Emirates -- in charge of the Gaza pier entrenches a terrorist-sponsoring Trojan Horse at Hamas's beck and call. Qatar will use the pier to supply Hamas with more money and more powerful weapons. The port will also undoubtedly be used to smuggle Islamist jihadis from all around the world into the Gaza Strip to launch more massacres against Israelis.
Qatar has a long history of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and its Islamist offshoots, but also Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Hezbollah and the Al Nusra Front (here, here and here). According to the Counter Extremism Project:
"During the Brotherhood's year in power in Egypt, Qatar loaned President Mohammed Morsi's government approximately $7.5 billion.... During Morsi's presidency, funds as high as $850,000 were reportedly secretly transferred to the Brotherhood from Qatar's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani."
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is a radical Islamist organization with affiliates in more than 70 countries, including groups such as Hamas, which is designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organization.
The founder of Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al-Banna, a devout admirer of Adolf Hitler and Germany's Nazi regime, said that "it is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations and to extend its power to the entire planet."
In his book, The Way of Jihad, he wrote:
"Jihad means fighting the unbelievers and involves all possible efforts that are necessary to dismantle the power of the enemies of Islam, including beating them, plundering their wealth, destroying their places of worship, and smashing their idols."
The book has been described as inspiring jihadists in the Arab world.
In 1948, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood assassinated Egyptian Prime Minister Mahmoud an-Nuqrashi Pasha, who had banned the organization. In 1981, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated by killers who had plotted the attack with Al Gamaa al-Islamiyya, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, apparently infuriated that he had signed a peace treaty with Israel.
After the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi became president of Egypt in 2013, there were widespread attacks on Christian Coptic churches and Christian institutions. The Facebook page of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party was "rife with false accusations meant to foment hatred against Copts," according to American journalist Kirsten Powers. The party's page claimed that the Church had declared "war against Islam and Muslims."
Qatar has been funding Hamas since 2007, when it took over the Gaza Strip from Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority by throwing Palestinian Authority officials from the top floors of high buildings. In 2008, Qatar reportedly pledged $250 million to Hamas one year after the terror group forcibly ousted the Palestinian Authority from the Gaza Strip.
In 2012, Qatar's then Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, became the first head of state to visit the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, after which he pledged an additional $400 million to Hamas.
As the October 7, 2023 massacre of Israelis and the subsequent war have demonstrated, Hamas did not invest the Qatari funds in schools and hospitals and creating job opportunities for the young Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. Instead, Hamas used the funds to strengthen its security apparatus, accumulate weapons, build a network of sophisticated tunnels, and invade Israel.
If Qatar really wants an end to the Israel-Hamas war, all it has to do is order its Hamas puppets immediately and unconditionally to release all the Israelis kidnapped by Hamas terrorists October 7 and held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashaal, who are based in Doha, would not be able to refuse. Qatar is their lifeline. The Qataris, however, are evidently in no rush to pressure Hamas: Qatar is clearly facing no pressure from the Biden administration. On the contrary, the Biden administration just agreed to extended Qatar's ability to host America's Al-Udeid Air Base, the headquarters of CENTCOM, for another ten years – for nothing in return.
According to former intelligence officer Michael Pregent:
"Congress must weigh in and cancel the 10-year extension of the military base in Qatar, which was quietly done behind the scenes by the Biden White House and fast-tracked as the spotlight on Qatar's seedy ties grew more intense. We need to call Al Jazeera what it is — a foreign agent that promotes terrorism and anti-Israel and anti-American sentiment. We need to move our base out of Qatar and designate Qatar a state sponsor of terror.
Pregent recommends that:
"The U.S. should seize assets tied to individuals and entities in Qatar for supporting terrorist groups, especially those tied to Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism.... It's time to put Doha on notice that they are jeopardizing their relationship with the U.S. by providing material support to designated terrorist groups. Qatar is clearly acting like a state sponsor of terror and should not be allowed to use the U.S. banking system to bypass existing, though not enforced, sanctions on funding Iran and its terrorist proxies."
When Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad al Thani asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken on October 13 if he would like the emirate to expel Hamas's rulers -- billionaires who have been comfortably residing in Qatar's capital city -- Blinken reportedly "didn't respond directly to the emir's proposal" and instead suggested that Qatar mediate. The carrots do not seem to be working.
Last week, incidentally, Blinken reportedly did urge "Qatar to threaten Hamas with expulsion from Doha," but as there is no pressure on Qatar to do so, it would be a surprise if they did.
As Hamas's main protector, Qatar has less-than-no incentive to put any pressure on Hamas, and could hardly be considered the most disinterested arbitrator. It is exactly this maneuver, however, that seems to be Qatar's favorite: playing the "arsonist and the firefighter." They support the terrorists, such as the Taliban in Afghanistan or Hamas in Gaza, then, when they hit a speed-bump, Qatar offers to "mediate." It is the perfect perch to make sure that the group one favors comes out ahead. Last week, the stunt worked again: Blinken asked Qatar if they would be in charge of the Gaza pier -- and help pay for it, of course. The more unhelpful one is, the bigger the bribe. This is the same bunch of carrots that also did not work with Iran.
According to a senior Israeli official.
"Qatari involvement in a port in Gaza would be a dream come true for Hamas and it is too bad that Israel missed the gravity of the situation in time to stop it... The Americans are rushing ahead. The Americans decided to include Qatar despite our reservations. One can only hope that this will be ultimately reversed. Qatar must not have a hold on any port in Gaza." Instead of punishing Qatar for hosting the Hamas leadership in Doha and continuing to provide financial and political support to Hamas, the Biden administration seems to be working hard to turn the terrorism-sponsoring rulers of the Gulf state into significant players in the Israeli-Arab conflict by giving them control over the proposed temporary port – at the expense of Israel and the other Gulf states. Many Arabs long ago concluded that Qatar serves as a mouthpiece and funder for the Muslim Brotherhood organization and terrorism.
In 2017, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen all announced that they were cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar because of its connections to the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups. Saudi Arabia said it had cut diplomatic relations owing to Qatar's "embrace of various terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at destabilizing the region," including the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda, Islamic State (ISIS),and groups supported by Iran in Saudi Arabia's eastern province of Qatif.
In 2021, however, they reluctantly restored ties, reportedly as a gift to then President Donald J. Trump
"Qatar has an interest in this port," said Baruch Yedid, Channel 14's Arab Affairs correspondent.
"Qatar wants to preserve Hamas. Qatar also wants leverage over Hamas. "We've arrived at a situation where the Qataris have control because they're financing. For Hamas, it's good because it's their company. The whole idea was to isolate Hamas as a whole. Here, once again is Qatari-American cooperation and [Hamas] isn't isolated." Initially, Hamas, according to reports, opposed the Biden administration's plan on the pretext that the temporary pier would allow Israel to establish long-term control over the Gaza Strip. Yet, since learning that Qatar would be involved with operating the pier, Hamas no longer seems to be against the idea. Why should Hamas come out against the Qataris when most of its leaders continue to lead lavish lives in Doha? Even better, Qatar's continued control of Gaza might ensure not just the survival of Hamas as a "resistance" organization but its speedy regrowth? Were it not for Qatar's financial and political support, Hamas could not have grown to a point where it could carry out a large-scale military offensive against Israel on October 7.
"Why is this good for Hamas?" remarked Yedid.
"Hamas views this as a sort of aspirin, that's what people in Gaza are telling us. Hamas is concerned about this pier which they fear will legitimize continuous Israeli presence in Gaza for the long run. Israel, according to our diplomatic sources, opposed the pier plan. The Americans ignored us and assigned the Qataris to run the project. The Qataris didn't only say yes, the Qataris came with an additional demand. The Qataris wanted this port to be built by a company named Al-Hissi from Gaza. This company is the primary supplier for engineering, electricity and infrastructure for Hamas, a lot of the municipalities, local governing councils, transportation infrastructure in Shajaiyya, Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and other locales. It is controlled by, and is a subsidiary of, Hamas." Yedid revealed that the company also carried out most of Qatar's economic and construction projects in the Gaza Strip over the past few years. The heads of the company have been documented meeting and signing contracts with Qatar's special envoy to the Gaza Strip, Mohammed al-Emadi. According to Yedid, USAID, the US government's international development agency, will assign the Palestinian Authority (PA) to coordinate the entire project. The Al-Hissi company, registered with the PA, has been enabled to carry out the project. "So here we've arrived at a point where the Qataris will have control because they're the financiers," Yedid added.
"This is good for Hamas because their company is operating it. The original idea was to isolate Hamas. Here we have another instance – and not a lone instance – of Qatari-American cooperation. Yesterday, a senior Jordanian officer spoke to one of the Arab media outlets and said, 'If Hamas is there, I'm concerned.'"
The US should definitely start withdrawing from Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Thanks to the Biden administration -- which is also pressuring Israel not to eliminate the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah -- Qatar and its Hamas pawns are having the last laugh. In light of the Biden administration's decision to turn itself into an ally of terrorists and their supporters, such as Hamas and Qatar – instead of strengthening US relations with Israel and its allies in the Gulf who are fighting terrorism -- it is a very long last laugh, indeed.
**Bassam Tawil is a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East.
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The ‘No-Fail’ Mission to Protect the Red Sea Isn’t Working
Peter Martin, Alex Longley, Patrick Sykes and Mohammed Hatem/Bloomberg/March 27, 2024
-- The gray F/A-18 fighter jets hurtled one by one from the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower into the heat of the Red Sea morning, scrambling to counter the latest attack drone launched by the Houthis. The $56 million aircraft were part of a coalition operation that nullified the attack, returning hours later as they have almost daily for the last several months. Yet for all the costly hardware the US and its allies have thrown at the Islamist group from northwest Yemen, they haven’t been able to stop the attacks on civilian freighters and warships. As a result, the world’s biggest shipping companies are still largely avoiding a route that once carried 15% of global commerce.
The success of the Iran-backed rebel group in stymying the world’s most sophisticated militaries is the latest setback for Washington’s efforts to limit the spread of a regional conflict that began with Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7. The Houthi campaign, which claimed its first civilian ship sunk in early March and its first fatalities not long after, is also a growing threat to the global economy. The number of vessels sailing through the southern Red Sea is down about 70% compared with the start of December. Container shipping has dropped about 90% and gas tankers have also all but ceased transit.
Sailing around southern Africa adds about two weeks to the voyage. As a result, the cost of sending a container from Shanghai to Rotterdam is about double the level of a year earlier, according to Drewry Shipping.
More than three months into a major naval policing operation, Admiral Marc Miguez, commander of the flotilla, concedes the US and its allies have more work to do. “We know that we have reduced some of their capability,” he said, standing on the navigation bridge of the Eisenhower. But with the Houthis’ backers in Iran still sending money, weapons and intelligence - including from a spy ship sailing hundreds of miles from the Eisenhower just outside the Red Sea - he won’t forecast when the job may be done.
He points to a slowdown in Houthi attacks and a shift from attacks with cruise missiles to less-dangerous drones as evidence the operation is wearing the group down. But that’s been little comfort for shipping companies.“It’s a quite binary situation,” Rolf Habben Jansen, chief executive officer of Hapag-Lloyd AG said on an earnings call this month. “It is either safe for our people or it is not. As long as it is not safe, we will not send our people through the Red Sea.”
He said he’s hoping the disruptions will ease in the next few months or so, but concedes that others in the business fear it could last into 2025. Apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co. recently ditched a prediction freight costs would fall this year, citing the Red Sea disruption.
The Houthis, meanwhile, have told China and Russia their ships can sail through the Red Sea without fear of attack. Still, the Houthis hit a Chinese oil tanker with a missile on Saturday, an attack that could have been a case of mistaken identity and reflecting that no ships are totally safe.
One Western official said the Houthis likely have the ability to keep launching strikes on other ships at something close to its current pace for months to come. How many missiles the Houthis had in their arsenals at the outset of the conflict was “kind of a black hole for the US intelligence-wise,” conceded Miguez.
@PeterMartin_PCM went aboard the USS Eisenhower to see how the US and its allies are trying to stop the group in the Red Sea https://t.co/zTjsgY6bSP pic.twitter.com/J5HZbhzwQ0
At the same time, US officials admit there’s no sign that Iran, without which the Houthis couldn’t sustain the attacks for long, sees any reason to stop. The Islamic Republic’s oil exports aren’t affected since they mostly use another route. US warnings to Tehran so far aren’t working.
“Iran is undeterred in support to the Houthis,” General Michael Kurilla, commander of the US Central Command, bluntly told a Senate hearing on March 7. “There has to be cost imposition on Iran.”
Through a combination of overland shipments and dozens of small dhow ships plying the seas in the region, Iranian supplies are getting through. Iran has also sent advisers, including specialists in laying mines at sea, according to people familiar with the situation.
The Houthis are “putting it all together and assembling,” Kurilla said. “They don’t create inertial navigation systems. They don’t create medium-range ballistic missile engines. They don’t create the stage separations on these medium-range ballistic missiles or the anti-ship cruise missiles.”
A top Iranian commander, Abdul Reza Shahlai, directed the first Houthi attacks from inside Yemen in October, according to several people with direct intelligence from the ground. The US is offering $15 million for information about Shahlai, who’s accused of masterminding deadly attacks on Americans in the region. He’s also the de facto commander of the Houthis’ drone and missile forces, with a direct line to the group’s leader, according to people familiar with the group. “As far as Iran is concerned, he has done an amazing job, he’s built the Houthis into this monster,” according to Joel Rayburn, a former US military officer and diplomat who’s worked on countering Iran.
The US has been cautious about attacking Iranian supply lines directly, fearing it would escalate the already unstable situation in the region. NBC reported that Iran’s intelligence vessel was targeted by a US cyberattack for sharing intelligence with the Houthis.
Admiral Miguez said two Iranian ships are currently active in the region: an intelligence vessel which has operated off the coast of Djibouti for years, and a support ship. “We’re at a point where Iran has influence over, if not strategic control over, three of world’s six major economic choke points,” said John Miller, a former commander of the US Fifth Fleet, under which the Ike now sits, referring to the Suez Canal at the north of the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb strait in the south, and the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran admits backing the Houthis, but not arming them, and it says they make their own decisions. Iran has threatened and used force itself, seizing a US-linked oil cargo, vowing retaliation if its own ships are attacked and rehearsing the “liberation” of commercial ships “hijacked by pirates” in joint drills with Russia and China in the nearby Gulf of Oman.
Despite the nearly daily strikes on their bases in Yemen, the Houthis have basked in the global attention that’s catapulted them to the front ranks of the Arab resistance to Israel’s war in Gaza and shown their value to their patrons in Tehran. “The Houthis have proved themselves to be an important and effective regional actor and Iran serves their political ambitions,” said Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen, Senior Researcher at the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, a think tank.
The group conducted a drill to confront a simulated landing of US and UK forces in Yemen this month, according to the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency, with leaders vowing to repel any attack.
They aren’t likely to get that chance, with allies so far rejecting any talk of an operation in Yemen.
But if one of the regular attacks on the allied warships were to succeed, killing foreign troops, the US would likely have to step up its response. The next level of escalation could be attacks targeting Houthi leaders, according to western officials. One US military official, who asked to remain anonymous discussing matters that aren’t public, said the US is on the wrong side of the cost curve in its campaign. America can sustain the costs, the official said, but it’s getting very expensive. For the moment, the costly game of cat and mouse continues. On the Eisenhower, officials said the Houthis stopped using their drones for high-level reconnaissance once the allies began to target them. Instead, they fired them low across the water to avoid detection and attack allied ships directly.
In response, the allies have taken to using fighters like the F/A-18s to take out the drones with air-to-air missiles, keeping them further from the ships and conserving the expensive weapons they had used to defend themselves.
“Our goal is no loss of life. No loss of equipment,” said Captain Colin Price, the ship’s executive officer. “It’s a no-fail mission.”

Who Is Really behind the Moscow Terror Attack?
Raymond Ibrahim/March 27/2024
Was the Islamic State (ISIS) behind the Crocus City Hall terror attack in Moscow that killed 139 and wounded 182 on Mar. 22, 2024, or not?
The Islamic State did claim the attack, and the Western mainstream is agreed that the terror group was, indeed, behind it. On Mar. 25, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, ISIS bears the sole responsibility here — the sole responsibility. And Mr. Putin understands that… [T]here is no evidence — absolutely no evidence that Ukraine was involved here. Jean-Pierre specifically referred to a March 7 U.S. public advisory which warned Americans in Russia to avoid concert venues due to a threat of attacks by “extremists.”Russia, on the other hand, while agreeing that the perpetrators were, in Putin’s words, “radical Islamists,” believes that they were ultimately working for—hence captured fleeing to—Ukraine.
Where’s the truth?
Unfortunately, it’s hard to take the “word” of the Biden administration on anything. Moreover, it is only to be expected that the White House would shield Ukraine—its close ally and recipient of $75 billion + in U.S. tax dollars—from any suspicion. As for warning against—meaning foreknowing about—Islamic terror attacks targeting Russian concert halls, this fact can be understood, and is being understood in Russian circles, in a completely different way. Finally, that Muslim terrorists would randomly pick Russia, of all nations, to attack now—when it is at war with another Western nation—does seem to be more than a “coincidence.” And yet, there are some overlooked points to consider—especially concerning this last observation—that do lend weight to the view that ISIS is behind the attack. For starters, because ISIS and its followers are strict and literal adherents to Islamic teachings, their behavior often comes off as counterintuitive if not downright erratic. For instance, in early January, 2024, ISIS issued a statement arguing that true Muslims must not support or fight on behalf of the Palestinian Authority; that the very idea of “Palestinian liberation” is a joke; and that Shia Iran—while presenting itself as the great enemy of Israel—is the true enemy of Muslims (in fact, this ISIS statement came a day after the terror group claimed another attack, on Kerman, Iran, where some 100 were killed). Needless to say, many Muslims were shocked by this statement (prompting renewed allegations that ISIS is a creation of the CIA, etc.). And yet, all of ISIS’s seemingly counterintuitive claims were (as more closely discussed here) consistent with Islamic teachings.
As one example, why should Muslims, ISIS argued, support or fight for the Palestinian Authority against Israel, when the PA is secular and does not enforce sharia—meaning it is an apostate entity that only pays lip service to Islam? Why bother empowering one infidel (PA) over another (Israel)?
As to what Muslims should be doing, this was reflected in the title of ISIS’s statement—“Kill Them Wherever You Find Them”—a paraphrase of Koran 9:5, known in Islamic jurisprudence as the “Verse of the Sword” (which alone has abrogated 124 other, more peaceful, verses):
… Kill the mushrikin [pagans, idolaters, in short, non-Muslims] wherever you find them—capture them, besiege them, and lie in wait for them on every way.
ISIS further expounded on how best to realize Koran 9:5, and so “heal Muslim hearts,” by urging the “lions of Islam”—meaning any would-be jihadists—to,
Chase your preys whether Jewish, Christian or their allies, on the streets and roads of America, Europe, and the world. Break into their homes, kill them and steal their peace of mind by any means you can lay hands on…. : detonate explosives, burn them with grenades and fiery agents, shoot them with bullets, cut their throats with sharp knives, and run them over with vehicles…. Come at them from every door, kill them by the worst of means, turn their gatherings and celebrations into bloody massacres, do not distinguish between a civilian kaffir [infidel], and a military one, for they are all kuffar [infidels] and the ruling against them is one. What happened in Moscow completely conforms to this early January call by ISIS, irrespective of all suspicions and curious circumstances otherwise (war with Ukraine, etc.). On the Koran’s mandate to “kill them wherever you find them,” Muslims—ethnic Tajiks, descendants of the Turco-Tatars who terrorized Christian Russia for centuries—found a large “gathering and celebration” of their historic archenemies and turned it into a “bloody massacre.” Such is the seeming caprice and nihilism of Islamic terrorism: it knows no bounds and can strike at any time and any place, without rhyme or reason—as evidenced by all of the random terror attacks to plague Western cities in recent years: the Madrid 2004 and London 2005 train bombings (193 and 56 killed, respectively); the many in France, including Paris 2015 and Nice 2016 (137 and 87 killed); Brussels 2016 (35 killed), and Barcelona 2017 (24 killed)—to name but a few. While one can read into any of these attacks—why they occurred when and where they did—such attacks could also be mere manifestations of Allah’s open-ended command to kill infidels wherever and whenever they are found.

Can Egypt succeed in Sudan where others have failed?
Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/March 27/2024
In efforts to address the Sudanese crisis, there is a consensus that the only viable solution lies in an immediate ceasefire, a return to the negotiating table and the initiation of a political process. This call for action resonates among Sudanese citizens, the African Union, which previously has intervened to mediate negotiations, and Egypt, the key neighboring country most affected by the ongoing armed conflict in Sudan. This conflict not only exacerbates the refugee crisis but also raises concerns about the cross-border security threats posed by armed groups, arms smugglers and human traffickers, along with the implications for the security of the Nile River waters. As the focus of conflicting powers is increasingly diverted to the internal turmoil in Sudan, particularly recent movements of forces from Darfur toward Khartoum, there is an increased risk that border security with Egypt will be neglected.
Despite Egypt’s strict control measures along its 1,276-kilometer border with Sudan, palpable concerns remain about the potential exploitation of security vacuums by armed groups seeking to infiltrate Egyptian territory.
Given these pressing concerns, Cairo has been compelled to intensify its efforts to quell the conflict in Sudan, as evidenced by the recent flurry of diplomatic activity surrounding the crisis, including the visit of Abdullah Hamdok, Sudan’s former prime minister, to Cairo on March 8.
Hamdok’s delegation from the Coordination of Civil Democratic Forces, or Taqaddum, attracted a significant level of attention during its visit, reflecting a shared interest in addressing the post-transitional period of the Sudanese crisis. The Addis Ababa Declaration, signed by Taqaddum and the Rapid Support Forces in early January, notably outlined provisions designed to protect civilians and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. The Sudanese delegation’s visit to Egypt provided an opportunity for both parties to engage in dialogue and exchange perspectives. For Cairo, it presented a chance to incorporate Taqaddum’s insights into the formulation of a new initiative. For Taqaddum, it served as an opportunity to clarify its road map for navigating the crisis and assure Egypt of its commitment to fostering positive bilateral relations.
By leveraging its regional influence and fostering dialogue among stakeholders, Egypt aims to contribute to stability and security in Sudan.
During a press conference in Cairo, Hamdok emphasized the alignment of Taqaddum’s vision with that of Egyptian authorities, along with the necessity of a political dialogue process and the establishment of a unified army to preserve Sudan’s stability and territorial integrity.
Furthermore, he hinted at the possibility of Cairo hosting a meeting between Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, the leaders of the rival Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces respectively, to explore avenues for ending the conflict between them. Some Egyptian politicians interpret Cairo’s reception of Hamdok as a potential signal of openness to engaging with the Rapid Support Forces. They assert that Egypt remains receptive to dialogue with all of those involved in the crisis, while remaining committed to upholding the legitimacy of recognized military institutions and preventing the imposition of militia control.
As Egypt navigates its role in addressing the crisis, diplomatic engagement and strategic initiatives offer hope for progress toward a peaceful resolution. By leveraging its regional influence and fostering dialogue among stakeholders, Egypt aims to contribute to stability and security in Sudan.
Through its recent diplomatic initiatives, Egypt has emerged as a key player in addressing the complex crisis in Sudan, as it intensifies its efforts to broker peace there. Ahead of a pivotal meeting in Cairo in late February between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Al-Burhan, who in addition to commanding the Sudanese Armed Forces is head of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, the discussions centered on the latter’s vision for ending the conflict and fostering sustainable peace in Sudan.
On March 6, the Egyptian capital hosted a crucial gathering of the African Union High-Level Panel on Sudan, which met representatives of the country’s former ruling Congress Party to strategize ways to resolve the conflict, the first anniversary of which is approaching on April 15.
Cairo also convened the Sudan Humanitarian Crisis Conference in November 2023, focusing on relief efforts. Diplomatic engagements such as these underscore Egypt’s commitment to addressing the deteriorating situation in Sudan, and navigating its relations with key stakeholders. Its approach to resolving the crisis prioritizes ending the armed conflict, respecting Sudan’s sovereignty and unity, and curbing external interference while safeguarding the integrity of the Sudanese state. The recent resurgence of Egyptian diplomatic activity coincides with a perceived lull in international efforts to resolve the Sudanese crisis. Alongside efforts by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an eight-country trade bloc in Eastern Africa, and an initiative by neighboring countries, which have made limited progress toward halting the conflict, Egypt has also stepped up its unilateral attempts to find a resolution.
The urgency of the situation has been compounded by the escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan, which has resulted in a significant influx of refugees into Egypt that has placed further strain on Cairo’s resources amid an ongoing economic crisis.
The impasse in Sudan has prompted Egypt to develop a new initiative in an attempt to overcome previous shortcomings and galvanize Sudanese factions in the hopes of reaching a comprehensive political settlement. Cairo seeks to identify and address the underlying obstacles and challenges that have thwarted previous initiatives, with a view to effecting a transformative change in the trajectory of the crisis.
Regional and international developments have thrust Sudan back onto the list of Western priorities, particularly amid escalating security tensions in the southern Red Sea and burgeoning relations between Sudan and Iran. The appointment by the US of a special envoy to Sudan signals increased American engagement in reconciliation efforts, presenting an opportunity for Cairo to reinvigorate regional initiatives and shape its approach to the Sudanese crisis accordingly. Despite these efforts, numerous barriers remain that hinder the realization of a comprehensive political settlement in Sudan. The persistence of armed conflict, exacerbated by external interventions and the fragmented nature of Sudanese political forces, presents formidable challenges to mediation efforts. The entrenched positions of key actors, including Al-Burhan and Hemedti, coupled with the external support for both sides, further complicate the prospects for an immediate end to hostilities. As the protracted conflict continues to unfold, Egypt finds itself grappling with mounting economic, political and security pressures. The path to Sudan’s post-conflict future hinges on the emergence of a cohesive, pro-democracy civil front, yet the road ahead remains fraught with uncertainty. Against this backdrop, Egypt’s diplomatic endeavors serve as a crucial linchpin in efforts to navigate the complexities of the crisis and chart a course toward lasting peace and stability in the region.
**Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy is a critically acclaimed multimedia journalist, writer and columnist who has covered war zones and conflicts worldwide. X: @ALMenawy

Implications of the Moscow theater attack for Russia, at home and abroad
Dr. Diana Galeeva/Arab News/March 27/2024
It was a peaceful Friday evening. After iftar, we intended to watch a Turkish TV series, “Destan,” with my mother. Instead, we found ourselves watching a horror movie — but this was no fiction.
My sister called, telling is to turn on the TV, and we saw images of people dressed in camouflage outfits, armed with machine guns, attacking the Crocus City Hall music venue shortly before the band Picnic were due to take the stage.
The events we saw were especially terrifying because that evening, my sister had intended to go to Crocus City Hall after work, around the time the attack began. Through great fortune of fate, she decided to go home and change the shoes she was wearing for something more comfortable first and arrive at the venue later. Just 15 minutes here or there can indeed sometimes change everything.
Others were not so lucky. Of those in the hall that night, 137 died, the victims of terrorism. The latest death toll was published by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation on March 24, which was designated by Russian authorities as an official national day of mourning.
Modern Russia has experienced many terrorist attacks but this one shocked the country on a particularly large scale. No one has forgotten the horror of the siege at the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow in October 2002, when terrorists took almost 1,000 people hostage during a performance of the musical “Nord-Ost.” Nor have memories faded of the terrible Beslan school siege in September 2004.
Modern Russia has experienced many terrorist attacks but this one shocked the country on a particularly large scale
Nonetheless, the latest attack resonated in its awfulness. One of the people caught up in it, called Sergey, said: “We were at a concert at Crocus City Hall. Shooting started there, a bunch of people ran, everyone was screaming. Some people set the hall on fire and fired from machine guns.”
You can imagine the shock felt by all those involved. The attack has united Russian society. Almost 5,000 people in Moscow and the surrounding areas donated blood to help the victims in the immediate aftermath. The Investigative Committee of Russia gave a reward to one man who showed unparalleled courage when he saved others by tackling one of the terrorists.
Russian society had, arguably, already displayed a similar sense of unity, or at least a yearning for it, a week earlier when citizens displayed their highest-ever level of support for their leader, Vladimir Putin, in the presidential election.
He won in a record, post-Soviet landslide victory, receiving 88 percent of the votes. It gives him six more years in power, with most people expecting the current course of his leadership to continue during that time.
As Putin put it: “We have many tasks ahead. But when we are united, no matter who wants to intimidate us, suppress us, nobody has ever succeeded in history, they have not succeeded now, and they will not succeed ever in the future”.
The attack has clearly further consolidated the sense of unity in Russian society. Daesh’s Afghan branch, the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, claimed responsibility for it. The rationalization behind it seems at odds with current realities, at least in terms of Muslims in Russia and Russian ties with Muslim countries. Internal and external relations between Russia and Islam have, especially recently, been working toward coexistence and collaboration.
The attack has clearly further consolidated the sense of unity in Russian society.
The international reactions to the attack reflected the wider geopolitical landscape in terms of the narratives and degrees of sympathy. The leaders of friendly nations offered unconditional support to the Russian government and its people. Chinese President Xi Jinping, for example, sent a telegram to Putin in which he strongly condemned the attack and expressed his condolences.The president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, highlighted the uncertainty it might create in the international community.
“I believe that every day, we are approaching a great world conflict, the largest in history, and I fear that it will claim more lives than the Second World War,” he said. The tone of the statements from some were noticeably qualified. The Russian ambassador to Vienna, Dmitry Luybinsky, thanked Austrian authorities for their words of sympathy following the terrorist attack but noted they had not condemned it. Lithuania’s Foreign Ministry expressed its condolences to the victims of terrorism, without specifically mentioning the events at Crocus City Hall. Predictably, the US reaction also raised questions in Moscow. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington strongly condemned the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall and expressed its deepest condolences to the families and loves ones of those killed and injured in this heinous crime. He added that US authorities condemn terrorism in all its forms.
However, his statement came on Saturday. On Friday, White House spokesperson John Kirby was more ambiguous in his comments. He extended condolences to the victims but then immediately stated that there was no indication that Ukraine or Ukrainians were involved in the attack. This was despite the fact that, in his own words, the US was still studying what happened. The spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said many countries had expressed “unconditional condemnation” of the actions of the terrorists, and had offered words of support for Russia. Among them were neighboring countries and ones on other continents, she added. The reactions had come from “literally all over the planet,” Zakharova continued, including words of support at the official level. “Against, this background, the reaction from the United States makes a strange impression,” she added. It is clear that while the terrorist attack has brought Russian society together in a new way, it is already a new point of friction in relations between Moscow and Washington, which is the main donor of military and other aid to Ukraine during the current conflict in the country.
The warning from Vucic about the danger of the greatest conflict since the Second World war has its basis in logic; hopefully, the international community will find greater wisdom to help avoid any further escalation of the present, ever so fragile, global security situation.
**Dr. Diana Galeeva is an academic visitor to Oxford University. X: @Dr_GaleevaDiana

Princess Kate’s cancer saga exposes our addiction to sensational, regulation-free
Mohamed Chebaro/Arab News/March 27/2024
The British royal family is again in the spotlight. King Charles, after undergoing a medical procedure for an enlarged prostate in January, is having treatment for an unspecified form of cancer. Last week, his daughter-in-law, Kate, the wife of William, Prince of Wales, announced that she is receiving preventative chemotherapy, following major abdominal surgery early in the new year. The royal family in the UK is used to setbacks and controversies but the media circus surrounding Kate over the past two weeks, and in particular the social media frenzy, reflects badly on all of us given the failure of so many to respect the rights and feelings of someone dealing with an illness, even if that someone is a public figure, at a time when they need their privacy most. As a journalist in London, my phone has been ringing regularly with inquiries from Arabic-language media across the Middle East about some of the most fantastical allegations, rumors, conspiracy theories and disinformation campaigns containing the grimmest of details about what has befallen the Princess of Wales, King Charles and the royal family as a whole.
The justification offered by such callers is that, well, this is surely an important story because it is trending on social media.
The rumors and speculation about the royals, and whatever pain they might cause the subjects of the stories, are a clear example of the potent power of an unregulated digital realm.
Simple human decency dictates that in times of serious illness or loss of life, even that of an enemy, we should show some respect
Yes, Kate’s decision to edit a family photo personally before sharing it did not help the situation, and her video message to reassure people about her health might have had the opposite effect. They further exposed the power of a weaponized social media, and the false illusion that it facilitates healthy public debate and the free flow of information. In reality, such tools for unregulated, free-for-all exchanges of information are proving to be harmful, especially in democratic societies. They expose to the risk of misinformation very serious conversations about important matters, including the rule of law, elections, healthcare and the climate crisis. This permits disruptors, whether they be simple “useful idiots” or malicious state propaganda machines, to meddle, disrupt and even manufacture dissent in ways that twist and warp reality, perception and public opinion.
Simple human decency dictates that in times of serious illness or loss of life, even that of an enemy, we should show some respect. When I was growing up in the Middle East, cancer was often referred to as “that medical condition.” Thanks to medical advances, we have come a long way in making “that illness” treatable or even curable in some cases. But this is in no way carte blanche for anyone to ridicule a person dealing with any form of cancer, or for their absence from the public stage to become a tool for competing clickbait stories, attempts to gain followers, setting trends or making money by deluding curious people and trading in obscenities.
The revelation that Catherine, Princess of Wales, has cancer should have prompted all of us to stop, take a breath and think about all of those around us in similar situations, rather than swiftly fueling a backlash and endless social media speculation.
This included publicly stated and shared theories that suggested this mother of three young children had died and her death was being kept secret, that she had divorced William, and whatever other fantasies “citizen journalists” thought would be useful to proffer in the form of lurid insights, with social media providing the means to easily disseminate all of it.
Yes, the princess’s decision to digitally manipulate a photograph subsequently released by the palace to the media did not stand up to close scrutiny, and the British monarchy’s traditional culture of secrecy no doubt fueled the online speculation. In any case, suddenly everyone became a digital expert.
Some people on X and TikTok suggested Kate’s subsequent video message was an AI-enabled deepfake. Conspiracy theorists posted slowed-down versions of the footage to raise doubts, highlighting the stillness of the background image. Other went to great lengths to search for a missing dimple. Last but not least, the anti-vaccine campaigners jumped on the opportunity provided by the conspiracy bandwagon to claim, baselessly, that Kate’s illness was linked to a type of so-called “turbo cancer” linked to COVID-19 vaccines, a myth repeatedly debunked by scientists.
The Kate saga is a reflection of all the worst aspects of our unregulated, free-for-all tech realm.
My intent here is not to repeat these clear examples of fake news, or even to criticize those who post, like or share them. It is to highlight the need for regulation of the information superhighway in this age of proliferation of wild theories, when clear, basic facts and simple truths are increasingly questioned in a misinformation-filled internet landscape.
It is an issue that has been exacerbated by increased public distrust of state institutions and the traditional media, especially in open and free societies. Many people make no secret of the fact that they have switched off from reading or viewing certain kinds of news. In the UK, or example, a study found 40 percent of people now avoid the news because they believe it is overly negative and too depressing. Some find it untrustworthy, and a minority feel disempowered by it.
Before the dawn of the internet, the rise of social media and, soon, the influence of artificial intelligence, consuming the news was a precondition, at least in democratic societies, for remaining fully informed as voters and equipped to exercise our civic duties. This was despite the feeling among some, even then, that the public were rarely the ones making decisions through their votes, with critics suggesting the important decisions of the state were usually taken by insiders and experts.
Many surveys and studies across the Western world have found that the internet and social media have affected societies in both negative and positive ways. But perhaps the most dangerous constant they reveal is that tech connectivity has made it much easier to manipulate people through false information and rumors. Many of those who now feel so empowered and believe they possess “a voice,” thanks to social media and other online platforms, simply click to share “facts” and information they often have barely had time to digest themselves, let alone fact-check or apply their own judgment based on propriety or critical thinking to test the merit of a post before forwarding it. In the realm of politics, social media and tech tools have been deployed to lethal effect, sowing the seeds of disruption and dividing public opinion. The Kate saga is similarly a reflection of all the worst aspects of our unregulated, free-for-all tech realm.
We only have ourselves to blame for the excesses, as society increasingly relinquishes its collective duty to check and test the “facts” we are presented with. At a time when our attention spans have been reduced to less than 46 seconds, this is leaving us all less-informed and more prone to invitations to “like” cruel stories in our wrong-minded drive to make an impact in the world.
*Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years’ experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy. He is also a media consultant and trainer.

Biden is conciliating, rather than confronting, pro-Hamas Democrats
Jonathan S. Tobin/JNS/March 27, 2024
Netanyahu is blamed for worsening U.S.-Israel relations, but the problem is that the president thinks anti-Israel hecklers “have a point” and that their cause is “really important.”
Democrats don’t have “Sister Souljah moments” anymore. That political metaphor refers to a moment in the 1992 presidential campaign when Bill Clinton established himself as a credible centrist candidate by blasting a radical who advocated for the murder of police officers. President Joe Biden won the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination primarily because he was embraced as a centrist alternative to Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). But he has governed as if avoiding the wrath of the political left is his priority rather than an opportunity to demonstrate his centrist bona fides.
That’s the context for Biden’s decision to blow up the U.S.-Israel alliance with a series of statements about the war against Hamas and then an abstention on a vote on Monday in the U.N. Security Council that confirmed a pivot away from support for the terrorists’ elimination to a more equivocal stand. It also demonstrates the assumption that his support for Israel is instinctive, and therefore, trust in him is equally shaky. That Biden has governed as if he is in thrall to the left has been obvious throughout his presidency as his executive orders implementing woke diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in government; open-border policies on illegal immigration; and out-of-control spending that fueled inflation have shown. But it’s been particularly evident in recent months. His willingness to kowtow to pro-Hamas Arab-American politicians in Michigan might have made some political sense before the primary in that state, in which he wanted to undermine an effort to elect an “uncommitted” slate of convention delegates rather than one that supported Biden’s re-election, even though his place on the ballot in November was not in any real doubt. But now that Biden has locked up the 2024 nomination, this would traditionally be a moment for a candidate to pivot to the center. Yet he is still acting as if locking up the support of the most extreme voters in his coalition is the key to victory.
Sympathy for Israel-haters
That’s the only way to explain why Biden seems so intent on not having his own “Sister Souljah moment” with those who are calling him “genocide Joe” and who are hounding him on the campaign trail. As The New York Times reported this week, despite the attempts of his staff to insulate the 81-year-old president from critical voices and potentially embarrassing situations, he simply can’t seem to avoid anti-Israel activists. At one stop in Raleigh, N.C., Biden’s attempt to speak about his support for Obamacare was interrupted by a dozen protesters who began shouting about the lack of health care in the Gaza Strip, and that hospitals were being “bombed” by Israel and he was complicit in those crimes. Biden could have ignored them or pointed out that the problems there are the responsibility of the Hamas terrorists who governed Gaza as an independent Palestinian state in all but name for the past 16 years. He could have pointed out that it was Hamas that launched a genocidal war against Israel on Oct. 7 and that caused all the casualties suffered in the current conflict. It was also a moment to remind the world that not only were the accusations of Israel bombing hospitals a big lie, but that health-care facilities in Gaza have been—and are still being, as the recent Shifa Hospital military operation proved—used as Hamas command centers, as well as places where Israeli hostages were held captive.
Biden didn’t say anything like that. Instead, he told the crowd in Raleigh that those chanting against Israel and calling for a ceasefire that would crown Hamas as the victors of the war deserved to be treated with deference. “They have a point. We need to get a lot more care into Gaza,” said the president, doubling down on his administration’s stand that Palestinian civilian needs were more important than ensuring that the terrorists who started the war—and are still holding Israeli men, women and children captive—were eliminated.
Just as telling was his response to being heckled in Virginia in January when he was trying to talk about his efforts to defend legal abortions. As the Times noted, after that episode, he met privately with a small group of supporters and urged them not to view the protesters as political enemies, saying that they deserved sympathy and that their cause was “really important.”
This doesn’t just explain the decision of the administration to escalate tensions with Israel. It goes beyond Biden’s efforts to stop Israel from finishing off Hamas by attacking its remaining stronghold in Rafah. He is openly planning not just to open up more daylight between the two countries over the war against Hamas but to abandon Israel diplomatically, slow down the flow of arms and even sanction Israeli politicians as part of a campaign to force Jerusalem to bow to his will.
Using aid as leverage
Democrats may have impeached former President Donald Trump because of what they claimed was his desire to use aid as leverage to gain some domestic political points. But they are now threatening aid hold-ups and sanctions in order to force Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop the war in order to shore up Biden’s ties with his left-wing critics. The administration’s decision this week to let the U.N. Security Council pass a ceasefire resolution that mandated that the war against Hamas stop without linking it to the release of the hostages the terrorist group still holds captive is part of this effort.
That was a clear betrayal as well as a demonstration of how Biden’s skewed political priorities have led him to betray the 75-year-old alliance with Israel. It also shows that the effort to spin the breach in that alliance as being caused by Netanyahu’s overreaction to the U.N. vote is pure bunk motivated by partisan motives.
Netanyahu is getting blasted not just by Democrats but by some left-wing Israelis for having the temerity to denounce Biden’s betrayal. They say that he should be swallowing this shift in American policy instead of calling it out.
This discussion isn’t new. The same things were said about Netanyahu’s stands that earned him the opprobrium of President Barack Obama and his media “echo chamber.” They labeled the Israeli responses to Obama’s efforts to force Israel back to the 1967 armistice lines, surrender part of Jerusalem and then acquiesce to Washington’s appeasement of Iran’s nuclear ambitions as evidence that Netanyahu was needlessly confrontational. His refusal to play the part of a loyal vassal to Israel’s superpower ally was considered arrogant.
That was unfair to Netanyahu. He had done his best to defer to Obama but couldn’t be silent when his country’s vital interests were being sold down the river by a president eager for the applause of those in the Muslim world who hated America and its Israeli ally.
It could be argued that his decision to challenge Obama on the Iran nuclear deal in his address to a joint meeting of Congress in 2015 made it easier for Democrats to go along with his tilt toward Tehran by interpreting his defiance as an insult to the president. But by speaking up in this manner, Netanyahu didn’t just rally Americans to oppose the pact. He was also sending a signal to Arab states that feared Iran more than Israel that they should look upon the Jewish state as a potential ally and not merely a meek client state for the Americans. That not only helped persuade Trump to withdraw from Obama’s dangerously weak agreement but led directly to the 2020 Abraham Accords.
Don’t blame it on Bibi
But today, the stakes in the argument with Biden are even higher than those with Obama. Israel is currently locked in an existential struggle with Hamas and its Iranian allies. Israel must win the war against Hamas to ensure that no more Oct. 7 atrocities ever occur, and also to allow the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who were forced to flee their homes in the south and the north by the fighting to go home in safety. If Biden gets his way and Hamas is able to emerge from the war as its victors, then Israeli deterrence and security are finished. And the fallout from the U.N. vote will only fuel efforts to isolate Israel and harm its economy through lawfare.
The claim that Netanyahu is speaking up only to shore up his right-wing/religious party coalition is a misunderstanding of the reality of post-Oct. 7 Israel. Netanyahu may remain controversial, but the war he is leading is supported by a broad consensus of Israelis who will not accept anything less than a complete victory over Hamas and who are equally unwilling to reward Palestinian terrorism with the offer of statehood.
The only leader playing politics in the war against Hamas is Biden. It is his craven response to antisemitic supporters of a Hamas victory that has caused the current impasse between Israel and the United States. He could have carved out a space in the center of American politics where support for Israel is widespread; instead, he is obsessed with not angering left-wing intersectional activists who hate Israel and falsely think it is a settler/colonial state of “white” oppressors. Blaming the gap that this shift has opened up between Washington’s stand and Israeli positions that would be maintained no matter who was in power in Jerusalem on Netanyahu, is just political spin.
The current crisis in the U.S.-Israel alliance isn’t Netanyahu’s fault. It’s the product of the belief among Democrats that Israel is always in the wrong. And the more that Biden validates those smears, the more evident it is that the claim that support for Israel is in his “kishkes”—and thus to be trusted—is a dangerous supposition.
*Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of JNS (Jewish News Syndicate). Follow him: @jonathans_tobin.