English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 05/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
He who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together
Letter to the Hebrews 10/19-25/:”Since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 04-05/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: Israel intends to reveal based on investigations with Hezbollah captives,
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Hostility and Peace in the Lebanese Constitution and The UNSC Resolutions Related To Lebanon
IAF strikes Hezbollah intelligence HQ branch in Damascus, Syria
Israel's arrest of senior Hezbollah operative could change the game, expert predicts
Youssef El-Khoury: MEMRI ; The Lebanese Must Choose Between Resistance And Joining The New Age In The Region – The Israeli Age; We Are Counting On Israel To Get Rid Of Hizbullah For Us
Spitting on the graves of Jewish victims': Terrorist to teach social justice at Canadian Uni
Death Toll in Lebanon Crosses 3,000 in 13-Month Israel-Hezbollah War, Health Ministry Says
Lebanon peace deal: Israel-Hezbollah agreement needs to be guaranteed by the Lebanese armed forces
Israel's arrest of senior Hezbollah operative could change the game, expert predicts
IAF strikes Hezbollah intelligence HQ branch in Damascus, Syria
Lebanon, Like Gaza, is on Our Minds
‘War Ruined Me’: Lebanon’s Farmers Mourn Lost Season
Israel war seriously impacts Lebanon’s healthcare system, raising fear of Gaza scenario
What war? For some in Beirut, blocking out the Israel-Hezbollah conflict is just survival

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 04-05/2024
Israeli Strike Hits Civilian Sites Near Damascus, Syrian Ministry Says
IDF heightens state of alert in anticipation of Iranian response
Two of Iran's Revolutionary Guards die in gyroplane crash
Israeli military denies strike on Gaza vaccination clinic
Israel officially informs UN of end to relations with Palestinian relief agency
Israeli settlers torch cars on Ramallah outskirts, residents say
High-powered warheads: Iran planning more aggressive attack on Israel, officials say - WSJ
Russia to launch two Iranian satellites on Nov. 5, Tehran's Moscow envoy says
US gives Israel a 'fail' grade on improving aid to Gaza so far
Israeli Strikes Kill 12 People in Gaza, Keep up Pressure on North
US looking into reported detention of American-Iranian citizen in Iran

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on November 04-05/2024
Unlike Democrats, Trump Takes Religious Persecution of Christians Seriously/Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/November 03/2024
Biden-Harris Administration Surreptitiously Signs Up for UN World Governance, Internet Censorship/Robert Williams/Gatestone Institute/November 04/2024
A Trump victory will have horrendous consequences for Israel/Susan Hattis Rolef/Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
Iran wants to hold region hostage with ‘retaliation op’/Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
While Trump is first on Israel, Biden came through when Jews needed him/Rabbi Shmuley Boteach/Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
The American Thread/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 04/2024

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 04-05/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text and Video: Israel intends to reveal based on investigations with Hezbollah captives, compelling evidence of numerous crimes committed by Hezbollah including its role in obstructing judicial investigations by force in major incidents like the Beirut Port explosion, the assassination of Rafik Hariri, and the killings of many who opposed its occupation.
Elias Bejjani/November 4, 2024
In the midst of the ongoing war in Lebanon between the terrorist, Iranian-armed, and jihadist proxy known
Blasphemously as “Hezbollah”, and the State of Israel, reports and editorials from a large number of commentators and analysts in Lebanon, Western countries, and Israel have indicated that the government of Prime Minister Netanyahu is seriously striving to prove to the Lebanese people that its war is not directed against them, but solely against the Iranian terrorist Hezbollah, which occupies their country and had waged a war on Israel to serve Iranian interests, which are contrary to the interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese.
Reliable and informed sources state that these Israeli efforts will culminate in revealing the truth about many major events in Lebanon, which Hezbollah and its allied and puppet government, which carries out its orders, have banned the Lebanese judiciary from freely investigating and achieving full justice. These revelations aim to expose Hezbollah’s deep involvement in Lebanon’s turmoil, showing how it has systematically blocked accountability to maintain its grip on the country.
Recent reports indicate that Israel has detained more than 100 members of Hezbollah’s Radwan military unit, and a significant number of its high-ranking figures, including Naval Officer Imad Amhaz (who was abducted two days ago from the coastal Lebanese town of Batroun) and the Syrian spy working for Iran, Suleiman Al-Asi (recently abducted from Syria).
These arrests, alongside ongoing investigations with Hezbollah captives, are expected to expose numerous crimes committed by Hezbollah within Lebanon and beyond, starting with its explosion of the Beirut Port, and assassination of civilians and military officers who possessed significant information implicating it, up to the assassination of prominent figures like former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Through these efforts, Israel aims to provide the Lebanese people with documented evidence and testimonies that confirm Hezbollah’s involvement in these tragic events, telling them, We are not against you but against Hezbollah and Iran, who occupy your country, oppress you, and destroy institutions and jeopardize peace, stabilty, justice and security
Israel aims to inform the Lebanese people, especially those who oppose Hezbollah’s influence, occupation, and the terrorist and sectarian Iranian hegemony, of all the crimes and violations committed by this jihadist Iranian proxy that terrorized the judiciary and banned it from executing its duties and obligations.
Reports published in various Arab, Israeli, regional, and international newspapers indicate that Israeli investigations with Hezbollah captives are conducted by experts knowledgeable in Lebanese affairs, ensuring that the results are accurate and impactful.
In conclusion, by revealing these facts, Israel reaffirms its friendship and support for the Lebanese people's right to justice and truth, a commitment that many Lebanese may view as a gesture of solidarity against, Hezbollah and Iran the common enemies.

Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Hostility and Peace in the Lebanese Constitution and The UNSC Resolutions Related To Lebanon...Is Israel labeled an "enemy" of Lebanon according to the Lebanese Constitution
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/136419/
Elias Bejjani/November 02/2024
Is Israel really labeled an "enemy" of Lebanon according to the Lebanese Constitution? Simply put, no. There is no text in the Lebanese Constitution that defines or mandates enmity toward Israel, or any specific nation. On the contrary, the legal and historical framework governing Lebanon's relations with Israel is shaped by the 1949 General Armistice Agreement, which established a ceasefire between the two countries and remains a foundational point in the 1989 Taif Accord that transformed into the current Lebanese Constitution. Additionally, the international resolutions pertinent to Lebanon, especially UNSC Resolutions 1559, 1680, and 1701, emphasize Lebanon's sovereignty without any explicit labeling of Israel as an enemy.
Yet, despite these facts, Hezbollah, along with certain Lebanese leftists, Arabists, and Sunni and Shia Islamist groups, forcefully impose an agenda of hostility toward Israel. This stance is not based on legal grounds but rather stems from their own ideological and political motives. Through accusations of treason, threats, and propaganda, these factions terrorize and coerce the Lebanese public into accepting their version of "Israel as an enemy," even though this designation lacks constitutional support and is incongruent with international norms, especially now as many Arab nations have formalized diplomatic relations with Israel.
In their perspective, hostility serves as a necessary tool for perpetuating fear, validating their armed presence, and justifying their militaristic agendas. They rely on this manufactured enmity to sustain their authority and to promote an endless cycle of conflict under the guise of "resistance." However, their actions and ideology run counter to Lebanon's path toward peace and the state's right to sovereignty, free from the dominance of these militias.
Reviewing Lebanese and international legal texts clarifies the misconception about Lebanon's "enmity" toward Israel and exposes the groundlessness of these hostile stances. The Taif Accord calls for an end to foreign occupations, the disbanding of militias, and a return to the 1949 Armistice Agreement. Likewise, UNSC Resolution 1559 mandates the withdrawal of all foreign forces and the disarmament of militias. Similarly, Resolution 1680 calls for establishing diplomatic relations with neighboring states to enhance Lebanon’s independence and stability. Resolution 1701 further supports these points, aiming for a demilitarized zone in southern Lebanon, governed solely by the Lebanese state and UNIFIL, to pave the way toward peace in the Middle East.
Hezbollah and its allies have consistently violated these terms, turning southern Lebanon into a stronghold for their arsenal. This behavior not only defies the essence of Lebanon’s sovereignty but also hinders peace efforts across the region. According to the constitution and these resolutions, Lebanon should disband all militias and secure its sovereignty without outside interference.
In Lebanon’s legal framework, the term "enemy" in criminal laws is a reference to hostile acts against the state. The term is not exclusively directed toward Israel but applies to any foreign power that jeopardizes Lebanon’s security. For instance, Article 273 of the Penal Code criminalizes Lebanese nationals who join foreign armies against Lebanon, including, historically, those who allied with Syrian forces during the Syrian occupation.
The obsession with painting Israel as Lebanon's perpetual enemy, despite the absence of constitutional or legal basis, reflects a destructive ideology that sustains Lebanon’s internal division. These forces have politicized enmity to manipulate public perception, suppress dissent, and maintain power. Their fabricated rhetoric has polarized the Lebanese and entrenched hostility, deviating from the spirit of peace that Lebanon's constitution and international obligations strive for.

IAF strikes Hezbollah intelligence HQ branch in Damascus, Syria
Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters has a branch in Syria that contains an intelligence gathering, coordination, and assessment network. Israeli air force fighter jets struck Hezbollah infrastructure within its intelligence headquarters in the area of Damascus in Syria, the IDF reported Monday evening. Head of Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Syria, Mahmoud Muhammad Shaheen, was killed in the strike. The Intelligence Directorate directed the fighter jets. The intelligence headquarters is the main intelligence body within Hezbollah and is responsible for building the organization's intelligence, directing its intelligence operations, and conducting its intelligence collection and detection capabilities. Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters has a branch in Syria that contains an intelligence gathering, coordination, and assessment network, according to the IDF. It operates independently and under the guidance of the head of Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters, Hussein Ali Al-Zima, who was killed in Beirut in October. Al-Zima was killed in the same strike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, in which Hashem Safi Al-Din and Hussein Ali Al-Zima were killed. Mahmoud Muhammad Shaheen Shaheen assumed this role in 2007 after gaining seniority and developing close relationships with the Syrian regime and segments of the Iranian regime. In his role, he led the development and deployment of intelligence and air defense capabilities in coordination with segments of the Iranian axis.

Israel's arrest of senior Hezbollah operative could change the game, expert predicts
Shaked Sadeh/Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
Hezbollah "must decide whether to alter their operational plans and relocate bases or gamble that the detainee won't divulge critical information," Baram said.
After Israeli commandos apprehended a senior Hezbollah operative who specialized in maritime activities in the town of Batrun in northern Lebanon, Prof. Amatzia Baram, an expert in Middle Eastern studies, explained the Shayetet 13’s special operation had a significant impact on the terror organization and may even force it to move its bases and adjust its plans.
Baram's comments came in a recent interview with Maariv.
Transferred to Israel and questioned by Unit 504, the detained Hezbollah operative holds the potential to reveal valuable intelligence about Hezbollah's naval capabilities. Baram emphasized the sophistication of Hezbollah's naval unit, saying, "They are trained and equipped by the Iranian Navy, known for its high professional standards. The small, fast vessels are designed for rapid raids along Israel's coastline, particularly targeting areas from Nahariya and Acre to even Haifa. Though such attacks have not yet materialized, the threat remains."
He added that the arrest increases pressure on Hezbollah, which now faces embarrassment and a strategic dilemma. Will Hezbollah alter its plans?
"They must decide whether to alter their operational plans and relocate bases or gamble that the detainee won't divulge critical information," Baram noted.
The operation raises many questions about Hezbollah's naval strength, which has been somewhat of an enigma until now. "We know they've received training from Iran, whose navy excels in small-scale assaults and fast boats," Baram stated. "The question remains where Hezbollah stores its equipment and what its future plans entail."
Baram argued that capturing the senior officer was a blow to both Hezbollah and Iran, amplifying the mounting pressure.
"This arrest challenges Hezbollah's leadership, prompting a potential reassessment of their strategy. They may opt to shift base locations and develop contingency plans," he suggests. According to Baram, military actions should be coupled with efforts to influence public opinion in Lebanon.
"To secure a ceasefire on favorable terms, Israel must ensure the Lebanese Shi'ite population pressures their leaders to end hostilities," he observed. "A psychological approach is necessary—deploying suitable messages to make civilians recognize that continuing the conflict is intolerable. Convincing this public that life under Hezbollah's rule is untenable could spark internal pressure."
Baram highlighted psychological measures as a critical strategic component. "Conveying messages that underline the gravity of the situation, such as evacuation instructions for high-risk areas, can erode the population's sense of security and increase pressure on Hezbollah's leadership."
Baram concluded by asserting that Israel should leverage its operational successes to gain an advantage before entering any diplomatic resolution.
"The challenge lies in influencing not just the battlefield but also public opinion and leadership in Lebanon. Weakening public support for Hezbollah and diminishing their ability to sway civilians could lead to a ceasefire on terms favorable to Israel."

Lebanese Filmmaker Youssef El-Khoury: MEMRI, Which Translated One Of My Interviews, Is One Of The Most Important Research Institutes In America; The Lebanese Must Choose Between Resistance And Joining The New Age In The Region – The Israeli Age; We Are Counting On Israel To Get Rid Of Hizbullah For Us
MEMRI #11531/October 24/2024
Source: MTV (Lebanon)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/136523/
Lebanese filmmaker Youssef El-Khoury said in an October 24, 2024, appearance on MTV (Lebanon) that he is upset it wasn't the Lebanese people who got rid of the "plague Hizbullah." He added that all the Lebanese people are relying on Israel to eliminate Hizbullah because they do not know how to do it. El-Khoury stated that the Lebanese must choose whether they wish to have a "resistance" identity or join the new age in the region, an Israeli age, or a "Pax Israeliana." He expressed enjoyment in having his August interview translated by MEMRI, which he described as "one of the most important research institutes in America."
Interviewer: "As a Lebanese, did you not feel proud [in 2006] to see the Lebanese resistance facing the Israeli army? Didn't you feel proud when you saw Hassan Nasrallah saying 'watch [the Israeli ship] burn,' and at that moment it was bombed?"
Youssef El-Khoury: "I need to recognize him as a resistance fighter before I can be proud of him. I have never seen him as a resistance fighter, or as someone who liberated south Lebanon. I saw him as someone who occupied south Lebanon.
"I am upset that it wasn't us – since 2006 and to this day – who managed to get rid of the plague called Hizbullah."
Interviewer: "But are we relying on Israel to liberate us?"
El-Khoury: "Who should I rely on? I am just one person. I can walk out of here and a car would run me over and break my neck. What do I know? All the Lebanese are relying on Israel. They are all liars. They are all waiting for Israel, because they do not know how to tell Hizbullah to hand over its weapons and stand trial, for destroying Lebanon twice.
"Some people want Lebanon's identity to be an identity of resistance. You have two choices. Either you go for that, and continue to take beatings for 50 years more, or you can choose to join the new age that has entered the region."
Interviewer: "The Israeli age?"
El-Khoury: "Yes, the Israeli age. We have been through the Syrian age, the Pax Syriana, and from there, we moved to the Pax Iraniana, and now we have embarked on the Pax Israeliana. Note, it is nothing new when it comes to Lebanon."
Interviewer: "You can stand trial and go to prison for saying this."
El-Khoury: "So I will stand trial but the people who have destroyed Lebanon will not stand trial?"
Interviewer: "Your opinions serve Israel."
El-Khoury: "How come my opinions serve Israel? Do you think that the Israelis, who know everything that is going on, are waiting for my interview on MTV, in order to benefit from my opinions? How can Israel benefit from my opinions? All that happened was that one of my interviews was translated by an American research institute called MEMRI. I did not know anything about it, but it turns out that it is one of the most important research institutes in America. When it translated my interview, people saw it, and a Jewish TV channel and Fox News both commented about it.
"I enjoyed this, but how can I benefit Israel? Seriously, why do you think I have anything to give to the Israelis?"

Spitting on the graves of Jewish victims': Terrorist to teach social justice at Canadian Uni
Mathilda Heller/Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
Dr Hassan Diab was found guilty of the 1980 bombing of a French synagogue and sentenced to life imprisonment.
A man convicted of terrorism and sentenced to life for his involvement in the murder of four Jews in a French synagogue bombing, is an active Professor of Sociology at a Canadian University, and teaches a course on "social justice in action."
Carleton University in Ottawa stands by Diab, and has worked to prevent his extradition in the past.
Dr Hassan Diab, a Lebanese terrorist, was convicted by a French court over his involvement in a 1980 bombing that killed four people and injured 46 outside the Rue Copernic reform synagogue in Paris.
Diab fled to Canada, and after being arrested in 2008, entered into a six-year legal battle to avoid being extradited to France. However, Diab was extradited in 2014, but after two years in prison, a judge allowed him to be released to house arrest. He escaped to Canada on the same day.
The subsequent trial was held in absentia, and the court unanimously ruled that Diab was guilty and he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Despite the international arrest warrant against him, Diab will be teaching a sociology course this year at Carleton University in Ottawa.
The sons of one of the victims of the bombing, Aliza Shragir, an Israeli TV presenter, said that reinstating Diab as a lecturer was "outrageous. "It is outrageous that an academic institution that is supposed to promote values of equality and justice decided to employ a cold-blooded murderer, who was unanimously convicted in a court in France. Apparently carrying out a murderous terrorist act against a Jewish target does not go against the values of Carleton University," the sons said in a statement.
Idit Shamir, the Israeli consul general in Toronto, Idit Shamir, called the decision "unconscionable" in a post to her X/Twitter.
"Hassan Diab, the terrorist who murdered my friend’s mother, Aliza Shagrir, before his eyes in the 1980 Paris synagogue bombing still lectures at Canada’s @Carleton_U." "A French court gave him life for murdering 4 souls & maiming 46. Yet Carleton University rewards him with a teaching position?"
"This isn't just a failure of justice," Shamir added. "It's spitting on the graves of Jewish victims." The course "Social Justice in Action" aims to teach students about "the relationship between abuse of power and miscarriages of justice."
B'nai Brith's campaigning
B'nai Brith Canada posted a statement on Friday in which it lamented how "despite being handed a life sentence by a French court, Hassan Diab continues to live freely in Canada, while Carleton University, unconscionably, continues to allow him the privilege of teaching at a Canadian Institution."
B'nai Brith added that the university ignored its formal request to terminate Diab's position, calling the silence "deeply disturbing"
This is not the first time B'nai Brith has taken action against Diab; in July 2009, when Diab was hired to teach a course in introductory sociology at Carleton, B'nai Brith released a statement condemning the university for employing a suspected terrorist.
Soon after, university officials cancelled Diab's contract, stating that he had been replaced with someone else "in the interest of providing students with a stable, productive academic environment that is conducive to learning."
Frank Dimant, the then VP of B'nai Brith, lauded the University for doing "the right thing."
However, Carleton University's Department of Sociology and Anthropology stands firmly with Diab. On its website, it refers to Diab as having been "unjustly accused" and has previously facilitated events allowing Diab to tell his version of the story.
One such lecture, on 19 October 2023, was named "When Political and Judicial Factors Collide: Dr. Hassan Diab tells his story."
The first thing a user sees on the webpage for the Department is a button that reads "support for Hassan Diab" which links to an official statement from the Department calling on Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister of Justice Lametti, "to use their discretionary powers to declare that Dr. Hassan Diab will not be extradited in response to an extradition request from France."
The department has previously organized rallies demanding that the Canadian Government refuse to extradite Diab, including a protest outside the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights monument in 2022.
In 2020, CBC reported that Diab and his family sued the Canadian government for $90 million over the role it played in his extradition.
The family sued for "intentional infliction of emotional distress" and "malicious prosecution."

Death Toll in Lebanon Crosses 3,000 in 13-Month Israel-Hezbollah War, Health Ministry Says
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 04/2024
More than 3,000 people have been killed in Lebanon during 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's Health Ministry said Monday. At least 13,492 have been injured. Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after Hamas’ surprise attack into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 ignited the war in Gaza. Hezbollah and Hamas are both allied with Iran. The conflict dramatically escalated on Sept. 23 with intense Israeli airstrikes on south and east Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, leaving hundreds dead and leading to the displacement of nearly 1.2 million people. Israel began a ground invasion of south Lebanon on Oct. 1, causing wide destruction in border villages but making little advances on the ground inside Lebanon. In Israel, 72 people have been killed from Hezbollah attacks, including 30 soldiers.

Lebanon peace deal: Israel-Hezbollah agreement needs to be guaranteed by the Lebanese armed forces
Vanessa Newby, Assistant Professor, Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University/The Conversation/November 4, 2024
After a month of heavy bombardment, and despite continuing its military campaign and clearing border villages in south Lebanon, Israel is reportedly indirectly negotiating a peace deal with Hezbollah leaders. The terms of a ceasefire require the full implementation of UN resolution 1701, with a presence of around 10,000 Lebanese armed forces (LAF) soldiers stationed along the “blue line” which divides Israel from Lebanon and the Golan Heights. But making 1701 work has always proved a challenge. There can be no doubt that since its inception in 2006, resolution 1701 has never been fully implemented in south Lebanon. Adopted unanimously in 2006, the purpose of the resolution was to end hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, with the UN security council calling for a permanent ceasefire. A key objective of 1701 is to ensure the area south of the Litani River in south Lebanon is free from any weapons other than those of the Lebanese state and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil)ز It is on this issue that Unifil has received the most opprobrium. International observers and politicians have criticised Unifil’s inability to locate and remove Hezbollah’s weapons. The IDF blames Unifil for failing to prevent the rearmament of Hezbollah and for allegedly not doing enough to prevent Hezbollah attacks on Israel. Conversely, in Lebanon, Hezbollah supporters rebuke Unifil for failing to prevent six IDF invasions over half a century. This, they argue, makes Hezbollah’s presence on the blue line essential.
But the question of why resolution 1701 was not fully implemented is not a simple one. Multiple actors are involved, of which one key player is the LAF. A large part of fulfilling resolution 1701 means ensuring that LAF are deployed in southern Lebanon as the only legitimate provider of force representing the Lebanese government. Understanding their role and the constraints they face is an important part of the puzzle. Prior to the outbreak of the Lebanese civil war in 1975, south Lebanon was sparsely populated and regarded as strategically unimportant. When civil war broke out, political and operational factors meant the LAF could not deploy to the south. These factors included the defection of LAF officers to sectarian militia and a lack of sufficient resources. The influence of neighbouring Syria and the heavy presence of militia groups, plus the occupation of the “zone of security” in south Lebanon by the IDF and its proxy militia the South Lebanon Army complicated matters. After the 2006 war, LAF became an important official party to resolution 1701 and Unifil worked closely with them to fulfil three main objectives: first, to assist with their re-introduction into the area of operations; second, to improve their operational capabilities; and third, to seek international funding for the LAF to improve their technical capabilities.
Hunting for Hezbollah
Unifil is mandated to assist LAF in taking steps towards the establishment of an area free from armed personnel between the blue line and the Litani River. Until recently LAF and Unifil often conducted joint patrols to search for unexploded ordinance and unauthorised weapons. If Unifil independently discovered an illegal weapons cache, it would notify the LAF, which handled the weapons’ recovery. This approach helped Unifil sidestep confrontations with the local population, on whose support they depend to patrol safely and execute the mandate. But while this policy was supportive of the goals of 1701, ultimately it proved ineffective. There were a number of reasons for this. First, the LAF faces legal restrictions on entering private property. If it suspects illegal weapons are stored on private land, the LAF needs a court order to enter the property. This takes time, which gives the owner of the property the opportunity to remove the weapons. To fully implement 1701, this legal barrier would need to be removed. The LAF also has to walk a political tightrope between different political factions in Beirut, and is also sensitive to the need for local support in the south. While LAF is undoubtedly popular in Lebanon, many in the south are Shia Muslims with strong loyalties to Hezbollah and the Amal movement (a Shia militia which now operates as a political party in Lebanon). These groups offer both a degree of security and material help in the form of social services.
While conducting field research in southern Lebanon from 2012 to 2018, I discovered that civilians in the region understand that it is difficult for LAF to hunt aggressively for weapons. This is because they need to retain a working relationship with Hezbollah which – with its allies – constitutes the political majority in Beirut. Ridding south Lebanon of Hezbollah weapons will require political cover from Beirut.
Another problem the LAF has faced is getting hold of modern weaponry due to Israeli opposition, despite the LAF enjoying strong international support. Israel’s “qualitative military edge” strategy, supported by the US, means that it campaigns internationally against any of its border states obtaining weapons deemed to pose a threat to its security. This has on occasion prevented LAF from accepting essential defensive equipment, such as armoured vehicles and air defence systems, from its European friends. Preventing LAF from getting defensive equipment contradicts the EU and US stated goal of strengthening LAF. It also supports Hezbollah’s claim that it can only hand over national security to LAF when it is properly equipped to defend Lebanon. A civilian I interviewed in south Lebanon in 2013 summed up the paradox: “We would prefer that the international community made a decision to allow the military to be armed properly, and then we don’t need the resistance.” Ultimately the political and legal tightrope the LAF walks in Lebanon is deeply implicated in why resolution 1701 has never been fully implemented. Neither a national army nor a peacekeeping force are capable of enforcing a Hezbollah withdrawal in the absence of political and legal agreement in Beirut, or local support in south Lebanon.Any calls for the full implementation of 1701 will require the unqualified support of all parties to 1701. This is not just those involved in the conflict – Israel, Hezbollah and the Lebanese government – but also various international stakeholders including the US, EU and all countries with UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. It will be a delicate balance.

Israel's arrest of senior Hezbollah operative could change the game, expert predicts
Shaked Sadeh/Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
Hezbollah "must decide whether to alter their operational plans and relocate bases or gamble that the detainee won't divulge critical information," Baram said. After Israeli commandos apprehended a senior Hezbollah operative who specialized in maritime activities in the town of Batrun in northern Lebanon, Prof. Amatzia Baram, an expert in Middle Eastern studies, explained the Shayetet 13’s special operation had a significant impact on the terror organization and may even force it to move its bases and adjust its plans. Baram's comments came in a recent interview with Maariv.
Transferred to Israel and questioned by Unit 504, the detained Hezbollah operative holds the potential to reveal valuable intelligence about Hezbollah's naval capabilities. Baram emphasized the sophistication of Hezbollah's naval unit, saying, "They are trained and equipped by the Iranian Navy, known for its high professional standards. The small, fast vessels are designed for rapid raids along Israel's coastline, particularly targeting areas from Nahariya and Acre to even Haifa. Though such attacks have not yet materialized, the threat remains."He added that the arrest increases pressure on Hezbollah, which now faces embarrassment and a strategic dilemma. Will Hezbollah alter its plans? "They must decide whether to alter their operational plans and relocate bases or gamble that the detainee won't divulge critical information," Baram noted. The operation raises many questions about Hezbollah's naval strength, which has been somewhat of an enigma until now. "We know they've received training from Iran, whose navy excels in small-scale assaults and fast boats," Baram stated. "The question remains where Hezbollah stores its equipment and what its future plans entail."Baram argued that capturing the senior officer was a blow to both Hezbollah and Iran, amplifying the mounting pressure. "This arrest challenges Hezbollah's leadership, prompting a potential reassessment of their strategy. They may opt to shift base locations and develop contingency plans," he suggests. According to Baram, military actions should be coupled with efforts to influence public opinion in Lebanon. "To secure a ceasefire on favorable terms, Israel must ensure the Lebanese Shi'ite population pressures their leaders to end hostilities," he observed. "A psychological approach is necessary—deploying suitable messages to make civilians recognize that continuing the conflict is intolerable. Convincing this public that life under Hezbollah's rule is untenable could spark internal pressure."Baram highlighted psychological measures as a critical strategic component. "Conveying messages that underline the gravity of the situation, such as evacuation instructions for high-risk areas, can erode the population's sense of security and increase pressure on Hezbollah's leadership."Baram concluded by asserting that Israel should leverage its operational successes to gain an advantage before entering any diplomatic resolution. "The challenge lies in influencing not just the battlefield but also public opinion and leadership in Lebanon. Weakening public support for Hezbollah and diminishing their ability to sway civilians could lead to a ceasefire on terms favorable to Israel."

IAF strikes Hezbollah intelligence HQ branch in Damascus, Syria
Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters has a branch in Syria that contains an intelligence gathering, coordination, and assessment network. Israeli air force fighter jets struck Hezbollah infrastructure within its intelligence headquarters in the area of Damascus in Syria, the IDF reported Monday evening. Head of Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Syria, Mahmoud Muhammad Shaheen, was killed in the strike. The Intelligence Directorate directed the fighter jets. The intelligence headquarters is the main intelligence body within Hezbollah and is responsible for building the organization's intelligence, directing its intelligence operations, and conducting its intelligence collection and detection capabilities. Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters has a branch in Syria that contains an intelligence gathering, coordination, and assessment network, according to the IDF. It operates independently and under the guidance of the head of Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters, Hussein Ali Al-Zima, who was killed in Beirut in October. Al-Zima was killed in the same strike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, in which Hashem Safi Al-Din and Hussein Ali Al-Zima were killed. Mahmoud Muhammad Shaheen Shaheen assumed this role in 2007 after gaining seniority and developing close relationships with the Syrian regime and segments of the Iranian regime. In his role, he led the development and deployment of intelligence and air defense capabilities in coordination with segments of the Iranian axis.

Lebanon, Like Gaza, is on Our Minds
Dr. Ali Awad Asiri/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 04/2024
Following the cruel developments Lebanon is beyond disheartening. Parts of the country have faced sorrows akin to those of Gaza: homes turned to dust, souls lost to bombardment with nothing left of them but fabric buried under rubble, schools emptied of students of all ages, and hospitals incapacitated by bombardment, destruction, and the scarcity of medicine and medical equipment. The pain is heightened when one watches from afar, on the news, what has become of Beirut, the "Mother of Laws," a city with the significance of nations. Part of it has the capital of those displaced from its southern suburb, as well as the towns and villages in the South and Bekaa. I am not the only one who feels this way. Indeed, anyone who has known Lebanon and wandered through its cities, villages, and towns, climbed its mountains, and pondered by its sea, feels this sorrow that has overwhelmed me since the assault against this dear nation began, be they tourists, workers, or university students who breathed the air of its cultural and intellectual climate. Since I was a diplomat who spent years as the ambassador of a country to whom Lebanon is the shining star of its diplomatic constellation, my desolation has a deeper dimension. During my years of diplomatic service, I saw the profound concern and affection that our leaders, past and present, have for Lebanon. This bond is not merely an extension of the path set by our founding king, Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud, may God bless his soul, who keenly prioritized relations with our Arab and Muslim brothers. It also stems from a determination to help Lebanon maintain its political balance, thereby avoiding misfortune, and the Taif Agreement attests to this unparalleled concern for Lebanon.
In light of this anxiety that re-emerged after this balance of the Lebanese framework was upended, and with the political landscape of Lebanon suggesting that the nation was vulnerable to the storms of compartmentalization, and given these fears and the acrimony of the public discourse, my work as ambassador (of a country whose leaders are deeply concerned for Lebanon and constantly strive to maintain its balance and stability) mostly involved offering advice and engaging in dialogue with figures whose rhetoric was increasingly marked by unwelcome emotional severity.
Amid the current ordeals in Gaza-Lebanon, I assume that some of these individuals- whom I pray are still alive and unharmed, along with their families and homes- might recall how, as a representative of the Kingdom who enjoyed the privilege of serving as ambassador, remember the counsel I provided. I urged them to avoid excessive defiance, as their statements often felt like projectiles, with some making cutting statements that left injuries akin to those of weapons.
Furthermore, I trust that some of the senior officials, from the heads of political parties to parliamentary deputies, remember our initiatives to preserve official Lebanese relations. These initiatives, which were presented to decision-makers or those capable of making a difference, could have protected Lebanon if these initiatives had been engaged with or if the needed decisions had been taken. They could have prevented Lebanon from being crushed by the enemy at borders, or from being bullied by their distant kin who grew fond of their excess of power and turned it into part of their agendas.
During times of peril, more than any other, such as the ordeal of the nation in Gaza and Lebanon, psychological healing is the only option, even before the physical wounds that cannot be addressed due to the assault. The enemy had prevented food and medicine from reaching the remaining survivors in Gaza, although they delivered in the best possible way, with the chivalry of brothers who care, to Lebanon. May God not forgive the belligerent who ensured this couldn’t happen. Psychological wounds will not heal before dialogue on what should happen in the next Arab era. Accountability for the actions and choices of the past quarter of a century and the blood they have left is not enough. Until this broad dialogue takes place, Lebanon will remain on our minds, just like Gaza... and until justice triumphs over oppression.

‘War Ruined Me’: Lebanon’s Farmers Mourn Lost Season
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 04/2024
Lebanese farmer Abu Taleb briefly returned to his orchard last month to salvage an avocado harvest but ran away empty handed as soon as Israeli air raids began. "The war broke out just before the first harvest season," said Abu Taleb, displaced from the village of Tayr Debba near the southern city Tyre. "When I went back in mid-October, it was deserted... it was scary," said the father of two, who is now sheltering in Tripoli more than 160 kilometers to the north and asked to be identified by a pseudonym because of security concerns. Abu Taleb said his harvesting attempt was interrupted by an Israeli raid on the neighboring town of Markaba. He was forced back to Tripoli without the avocados he usually exports every year. Agricultural regions in Lebanon have been caught in the crossfire since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah ramped up in October last year, a full-scale war breaking out on September 23. The UN's agriculture agency, FAO, said more than 1,909 hectares of farmland in south Lebanon had been damaged or left unharvested between October last year and September 28. The conflict has also displaced more than half a million people, including farmers who abandoned their crops just when they were ready to harvest. Hani Saad had to abandon 120 hectares of farmland in the southern region of Nabatiyeh, which is rich in citrus and avocado plantations. "If the ceasefire takes place within a month, I can save the harvest, otherwise, the whole season is ruined," said Saad who has been displaced to the coastal city of Jounieh, north of Beirut. When an Israeli strike sparked a fire in one of Saad's orchards, he had to pay out of his own pocket for the fuel of the fire engine that extinguished the blaze.
His employees, meanwhile, have fled. Of 32 workers, 28 have left, mainly to neighboring Syria.
'Worst phase' -
Israeli strikes have put at least two land crossings with Syria out of service, blocking a key export route for produce and crops. Airlines have suspended flights to Lebanon as insurance costs soar. This has dealt a deadly blow to agricultural exports, most of which are destined for Gulf Arab states.
Fruit exporter Chadi Kaadan said exports to the Gulf have dropped by more than 50 percent. The supply surplus in the local market has caused prices to plummet at home, he added. "In the end, it is the farmer who loses," said Saad who used to earn $5,000 a day before the war started. Today, he barely manages $300. While avocados can stay on the tree for months, they are starting to run out of water following Israeli strikes on irrigation channels, Saad said. Citrus fruits and cherimoyas have already started to fall. "The war has ruined me. I spend my time in front of the TV waiting for a ceasefire so I can return to my livelihood," Saad told AFP. Gaby Hage, a resident of the Christian town of Rmeish, on the border with Israel, is one of the few farmers who decided to stay in south Lebanon. He has only been able to harvest 100 of his 350 olive trees, which were left untended for a year because of cross-border strikes. "I took advantage of a slight lull in the fighting to pick what I could," he told AFP. Hage said agriculture was a lifeline for the inhabitants of his town, which has been cut off by the war. Ibrahim Tarchichi, president of the farmers' union in the Bekaa Valley, which was hit hard by the strikes, believes that agriculture in Lebanon is going through the "worst phase" of its recent history. "I have experienced four wars, it has never been this serious," he said.

Israel war seriously impacts Lebanon’s healthcare system, raising fear of Gaza scenario
Dalal Saoud/BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 4 (UPI)/November 4, 2024
Israel must immediately stop its devastating war against Lebanon -- that Tel Aviv says aims at destroying the Iran-backed Hezbollah -- to avoid the collapse of the healthcare system and spare the tiny Arab country the same fate as Gaza, Lebanese and international medical officials said.
Israel has been violating international humanitarian laws by targeting hospitals, medical care centers and health workers, 178 of whom have been killed so far, according to recent comments by Lebanese Health Minister Dr. Firas Abiad. International humanitarian organizations, including Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and Première Urgence Internationale, have denounced the regular targeting of Lebanon's health infrastructure, calling on Israel to stop its "indiscriminate bombing campaigns" that do not spare civilians or medical and humanitarian workers. Amnesty International went a step further in expressing fears that Lebanon may face the same dramatic situation as the occupied Gaza Strip.The new round of Israel-Hezbollah war came to add tremendous pressure on the country's health care sector, which was barely recovering from the shocks it suffered in recent years, including the 2019 financial collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 Beirut port explosion. The World Health Organization saw hope for the revival of the health system in late 2023 after the return of some health workers to the country. During the financial crisis, almost 40% of the Lebanese doctors left the country, leaving many hospitals and medical facilities suffering because of the emerging shortages and financial distress. With the raging war, "Now, we went back to [point] zero." Dr Abdinasir Abubakar, the WHO representative in Lebanon, told UPI. People and firefighters gather Friday next to smoldering debris at the site of overnight Israeli airstrikes that targeted the neighborhood of Kafaat in Beirut's southern suburbs. Photo by Fadel Itani/UPI. People and firefighters gather Friday next to smoldering debris at the site of overnight Israeli airstrikes that targeted the neighborhood of Kafaat in Beirut's southern suburbs. Photo by Fadel Itani/UPI. The "turning point," Abubakar said, was the highly sophisticated unprecedented pager and talkie-walkie attacks carried out by Israel against Hezbollah followers Sept 17 and 18.
Twelve people, including two children, were killed and more than 3,000 were wounded, with severe injuries mainly to eyes, hands and waists. In less than an hour, hospitals became overwhelmed with such a great number of wounded people. "Some 100 hospitals were involved in managing that day alone, and we have reached the level where some hospitals were running out of supplies. Doctors and nurses continued to work 24, 48 and 72 hours continuously. That was the beginning of a major crisis," Abubakar said. The situation worsened when Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah and several of his military commanders in a huge airstrike targeting his bunker in Beirut's southern suburbs Sept 27. It then stepped up its air attacks against Hezbollah officials, headquarters and bases, while its forces started to advance inside southern Lebanon. The relentless Israeli air and ground bombardment led to large destruction of villages, property, hospitals and schools in the targeted areas. Some 3,002 have been killed and 13,492 wounded since October 2023, according to Lebanese Health Ministry counts.Health workers were not spared, with some 178 killed and 306 injured. Eight out of 40 hospitals targeted from a total of 160 are now out of service while seven continue to partially operate. Some 244 ambulances and other medical vehicles were destroyed. Abubakar said WHO and all humanitarian organizations "are seriously concerned" about the repeated attacks on the health care sector.
"Almost every day, we are losing health care workers, ambulances and facilities. If this continues, we will reach a breaking point where hospitals will be full and health workers will be overwhelmed," he said. "We don't want to [reach] the same level as in Gaza." During their planning for the conflict, Lebanon Health Ministry and WHO estimated that 5,000 people would be injured in six months, but the country reached that number within a few days with the pager attacks.
Hospitals have been so far able to deal with the growing number of injured due to the ministry leadership and dedication of the medical staff, the WHO representative stressed.
But it is getting "harder every day," according to Suleiman Haroun, president of the Syndicate of Private Hospitals. Haroun told UPI that the pressure is increasing on the hospitals, especially in southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as the southern suburbs, where "they are not functioning in a normal way ... just for emergencies." Hospitals in more secure areas are not only taking in war wounded, but also have to treat sick, displaced people who fled for safety and need special assistance, such as cancer patients and those who require dialysis. "The main challenge we are currently facing is the fact that the medical teams are exhausted morally and physically from working in an intensive way for many consecutive days," Haroun sadi. Recalling the Sept. 17 pager attacks and the resulting injuries, he said "we have never seen such a thing before; every patient needed 2 or 3 surgeons to operate on him for his eye and hand injuries. ... Many still need more surgeries to recover."Medications and supplies still are available, but the fear is the lack of funding. "So far, we are managing but it doesn't mean that we will be able to function for a long time," Haroun said, "We are speaking of several weeks, not months -- thus the need for an immediate cease-fire." Among the 1 million displaced scattered in various parts of the county, some 300,000 live in poor conditions at overcrowded shelters and public schools.
A cholera case was confirmed by the Health Ministry because of poor water and sanitation conditions, highlighting the escalating health risks amidst the ongoing conflict. "You have the ingredients for diseases to spread. We have seen the first case of cholera. The number of diarrheas is increasing ... the risk of outbreaks is very high," Abubakar warned. Last month, the United Nations launched a flash appeal for $426 million to assist civilians affected by the escalating conflict and resulting humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. However, only 17% of the targeted amount has been raised so far. Sahel Hospital in Beirut's southern suburbs, which continues to provide medical care despite the relentless Israeli shelling, found itself under additional threats after Israel claimed that Hezbollah was keeping $500 million in cash and gold in a bunker under the hospital.Shocked by the Israeli allegations, the hospital evacuated its staff and patients and called on journalists to inspect the site. Despite that Israel repeated its threats, no Hezbollah assets were found. Fadi Alame, a deputy in the parliament and president of the Sahel Medical Group, denied the Israeli claims saying they meant to create "fear and confusion" and force another hospital in the targeted area to stop operating. "This is what happened, and we evacuated the hospital," Alame told UPI. "It was part of the [Israeli] psychological war." A few days later, the hospital resumed providing medical services to cancer patients and those in need of dialysis because "they have no other place to go to." Arab and international urgent humanitarian assistance has been pouring on Lebanon, but the most urgent is to stop the "killing and destruction," according to Alame. Forcing Israel to respect international humanitarian laws to protect civilians, medical staff and facilities, is an immediate urgent issue.
With WHO documenting and collecting information on what he called Israel's violation of international human rights, Abubakar said, "There should be accountability .... There will be one day when judgement will come .... The world is not [the] accepting Gaza [tragedy], not accepting [the one developing in] Lebanon and not accepting Ukraine['s]."

What war? For some in Beirut, blocking out the Israel-Hezbollah conflict is just survival
Nabih Bulos/Los Angeles Times./November 4, 2024
Down a quiet street in one of Beirut’s fancier neighborhoods, couples huddle over designer cocktails. The music of jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava washes over the dining room as solicitous waiters recite the evening’s specials, their delivery unaffected by the thud of bombs falling on a neighborhood nearby. Barely two miles away, Israeli warplanes begin their near-nightly pummeling of the Dahiyeh, the cluster of Beirut suburbs where Hezbollah holds sway. In Lebanon’s south, entire villages and towns have been erased in recent Israeli bombardment, triggered by Hezbollah's yearlong rocket campaign against northern Israel. More than 2,200 Lebanese have been killed in recent weeks, while a quarter of the country’s population is displaced. But for a significant segment of this capital’s residents, the war remains somewhat removed. Despite the incessant buzz of drones and the drum line of occasional explosions, for those determined to stay out of the fight between the Iran-backed Shiite militant group and Israel, it’s the “war over there.”All conflict zones reach this point eventually — when the initial shock of violence’s proximity gives way to a cautious return to normalcy, sometimes even a dinner-jacket-in-the-jungle attitude.
After more than two years of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, street life in Kyiv — more than 200 miles from the nearest front line in the country’s east — is mostly back to its prewar vitality. Syrians have learned to live with the bloodshed of a conflict that smolders on, 13 years after it kicked off. In years past, residents of cities from Baghdad to Jerusalem managed to continue everyday life amid suicide bombings.
In Beirut — a city devastated by Lebanon’s 15-year civil war, the 2006 war with Israel and then a gargantuan 2020 accidental port explosion that wiped out 87,000 homes — that attitude comes sooner than in most places, less due to romantic notions of resilience but rather because of experience under fire.
“First two weeks, you’re afraid of the war," said Christine Codsi, a managing partner at Souq Al-Tayeb, a farmers market operating in central Beirut. "Then you understand its patterns. Then you plan your life around it. ... You start thinking, ‘OK, now I can go to the market. OK, I can go get coffee somewhere.’ But you’re never relaxed.”A month after Israel intensified its campaign against Hezbollah with thousands of airstrikes and a ground invasion in the south, the capital now exists in a twilight state, somewhere between war and lull. A timed-exposure image shows the contrail of a jet airliner flying over Beirut through smoke from Israeli airstrikes
It’s a place where you can catch the surreal tableau of a plane from Middle East Airlines, Lebanon’s national carrier, threading its way between columns of smoke rising from explosions below, the Mediterranean sparkling in the background, before making a nonchalant landing. In certain parts of the city, you can go about your day, almost blocking out the threat of airstrikes down the street and ignoring the prevalent mood of subdued fear. Shops are open, sidewalk cafes are well patronized and cars clog the streets. But the difference between safety and danger can be as short as a block. Drive past an intersection linking central Beirut to the Dahiyeh’s edge, where Hezbollah’s yellow flags start to appear on lampposts and the din of Israeli drones grows louder, and traffic rapidly melts away. Few vehicles brave the abandoned boulevards; those that do move in furtive dashes: They barrel down the road, slow near the still-smoking ruins of a freshly struck building, then race away. By sunset, there’s no one about, the only faces on the streets those of slain Hezbollah fighters looking down from posters commemorating their deaths. The war has brought with it a new geography for Beirut, rendering some of its main arteries inaccessible for those unwilling to risk Israeli targeting. But it’s also shifted the city’s center of gravity: An estimated quarter of a million people from the Dahiyeh escaped to the city’s downtown and coastal neighborhoods, urban researchers say. Those who didn’t find room with relatives cram into public schools and hotels, squat in abandoned buildings or, for the truly desperate, sleep in makeshift tent encampments that now line the city’s parks and seaside boulevards. Either way, tens of thousands of vehicles are now double- and triple-parked on many of the city’s thoroughfares. Not everyone is happy to host the displaced. In some areas of the city, anti-Hezbollah officials have refused to open up state schools and urged landlords not to host Shiites for fear of harboring someone with Hezbollah links and drawing Israeli fire. Still, the reaction of most people has been to help. With Lebanon’s notoriously ineffective government unable to deal with the amount of displacement, food collectives and restaurants all around Beirut have taken it on themselves to provide food assistance. “For me, this is a simple humanitarian thing," Codsi said. "Do I ask someone who needs help what are their politics? It doesn’t matter."It was easy to make the switch to a community kitchen, she added. Souq Al-Tayeb had already done it before when it partnered with the Spanish American chef José Andrés’ nonprofit World Central Kitchen to feed residents affected by the Beirut blast in 2020. The place where Souq Al-Tayeb held its farmers market was converted to a meal preparation center, drawing dozens of volunteers to prepare 4,500 meals every day. Other establishments have joined in. “The way I thought about it, it’s better to feed thousands of people rather than just three or four. It’s that simple kind of clarity,” said Ziad Akar, chef and owner of the restaurant Aleb. Though he could have kept the restaurant going, Akar said, he “couldn’t be a bystander.” Within days, he had the place running as a soup kitchen. “It’s easy. I knew exactly what to do. I knew exactly who to call,” Akar said, with a smile. “It’s not our first rodeo.”Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 04-05/2024
Israeli Strike Hits Civilian Sites Near Damascus, Syrian Ministry Says
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 04/2024
People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024.  An Israeli strike from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights targeted civilian sites south of the Syrian capital Damascus, causing some damage, Syria's defense ministry said on Monday. Earlier, Syrian state media SANA said that initial reports indicated the strike hit the Sayeda Zeinab area. There were no immediate reports of casualties.The Israeli military did not comment on the strike. Sayeda Zeinab, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and site of a major Shiite shrine, has been targeted in previous strikes. Syrian and Western intelligence sources say Israeli attacks in Syria have killed numerous Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militia fighters based around the eastern outskirts of Damascus and to the south of the city. The sources say the neighborhood remains a target due to the presence of high-ranking militia leaders. Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years. It has ramped up strikes since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by armed group Hamas on Israel and particularly since the recent escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

IDF heightens state of alert in anticipation of Iranian response
Amir Bohbot/Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
The IDF has not ruled out the possibility of an Iranian response from Syria, Yemen, or Iraq, rather than directly from Iran. The IDF has heightened its state of alert and readiness in anticipation of a possible Iranian response to the recent Israeli strike, military sources said on Monday. This increased vigilance includes daily situational assessments across all branches and divisions of the IDF General Staff, including the Home Front Command.
Intelligence gathering efforts have been intensified through various methods involving the entire intelligence community. At the same time, the Israeli air force remains on high alert, focusing on its control and air defense systems. “The presence of hundreds of American soldiers in Israel operating the THAAD missile defense system underscores the close cooperation between the IDF and US forces stationed here,” a military official noted. Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Amir Baram has also strengthened cooperative ties with his counterparts at US CENTCOM headquarters to prepare for various scenarios. They further assessed that Iran is still considering its options for retaliation and evaluating the scale of their response.Not ruling out the possibility of an Iranian response. The IDF has not ruled out the possibility of an Iranian response from Syria, Yemen, or Iraq, rather than directly from Iran. Additionally, security officials are not discounting the possibility of Iranian attempts to target senior Israeli figures both domestically and abroad. Security officials pointed out that Iran is likely weighing US warnings carefully while testing the limits, particularly during the American election period. “An Iranian attack on Israel could impact the US elections, as Israel is deeply embedded in the political narratives of both Democratic and Republican campaigns,” one source explained. Military sources confirmed that, despite assessments suggesting that the US elections might delay any Iranian response by at least a few days, the IDF has strategically reinforced its detection, warning, air defense, intelligence, and operational systems within the General Staff.

Two of Iran's Revolutionary Guards die in gyroplane crash
Reuters/November 4, 2024
DUBAI (Reuters) -Two of Iran's Revolutionary Guards died in a gyroplane crash in the southeastern region on Monday, the semi-official Fars news agency cited the force's public relations department as saying. The accident happened near Sirkan, a city in the province of Sistan-Baluchistan bordering Afghanistan and Pakistan, which has long been the site of frequent clashes between Iranian security forces and Sunni militants as well as drug traffickers. "Second Brigadier General Hamid Mazandarani, the commander of the Nineva Brigade of Golestan province, and his pilot, were martyred in this accident," the agency said. However, it did not say why the commander of the brigade, based in the northern province, was visiting the southeast at the time. Ten Iranian border guards were killed in the province last month, in clashes with suspected Sunni Muslim militants.

Israeli military denies strike on Gaza vaccination clinic
Reuters/November 4, 2024
Second phase of polio vaccination campaign in north Gaza after delay due to Israeli operation
The Israeli military denied on Monday that it had hit a clinic in the northern Gaza Strip where health workers were carrying out polio vaccinations. On Saturday, the Gaza health ministry said Israeli fire had hit the Sheikh Radwan clinic as parents brought their children in to be vaccinated. It said four children had been wounded in the explosion, which took place during an agreed humanitarian pause to allow the campaign to go ahead. The military said it was aware of the reports but said an initial review showed its forces had not carried out any strikes when the incident took place. "Contrary to the claims, an initial review determined that the IDF did not strike in the area at the specified time," it said in a statement. The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the incident had taken place just after a WHO team was at the clinic and that it had endangered a vital health protection campaign. "These vital humanitarian-area-specific pauses must be absolutely respected. Ceasefire!" he said in a statement on the social media platform X on Saturday. The Israeli military accused the Palestinian militant group Hamas of deliberately operating out of civilian areas to use people as human shields, a charge that Hamas denies.With access to the area cut off and communications patchy, outside verification of the assertions of either side has become increasingly difficult.

Israel officially informs UN of end to relations with Palestinian relief agency
Reuters/Mon, November 4, 2024
Israel has officially notified the United Nations that it was cancelling the agreement that regulated its relations with the main U.N. relief organization for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) since 1967, the country's foreign ministry said on Monday. Last month, the Israeli parliament passed legislation banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and stopping Israeli authorities from cooperating with the organization, which provides aid and education services to millions of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Israel has long been critical of UNRWA, set up in the wake of the 1948 war that broke out at the time of the creation of the state of Israel, accusing it of anti-Israel bias and saying it perpetuates the conflict by maintaining Palestinians in a permanent refugee status. Since the start of the Gaza war in October last year, it has also said that the organization has been deeply infiltrated by Hamas in Gaza, accusing some of its staff of taking part in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. The legislation has alarmed the United Nations and some of Israel's Western allies who fear it will further worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting Hamas militants for a year. The ban does not refer to operations in the Palestinian territories or elsewhere. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said in a statement that despite the overwhelming evidence "we submitted to the U.N. highlighting how Hamas infiltrated UNRWA, the U.N. did nothing to address this reality". The legislation does not directly outlaw UNRWA's operations in the West Bank and Gaza, both considered by international law to be outside the state of Israel but under Israeli occupation. But it will severely impact its ability to work in those areas and there has been deep alarm among aid groups and many of Israel's partners. The Israeli foreign ministry said activity by other international organizations would be expanded and "preparations will be made to end the connection with UNRWA and to boost alternatives to UNRWA".

Israeli settlers torch cars on Ramallah outskirts, residents say
Ali Sawafta and Mohammed Torokman//RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters)
Jewish settlers torched 20 cars during an attack on Palestinian property on the outskirts of Ramallah on Monday, residents said, in one of their boldest raids yet in the area that serves as the Palestinians' seat of government in the occupied West Bank. Around a dozen attackers, masked and carrying petrol bombs, targeted the Al-Bireh area, which adjoins Ramallah, at around 3 a.m. (0100 GMT), torching the cars in a matter of minutes, they said. Resident Ihab al-Zaben said he yelled at the settlers but they carried on burning the vehicles regardless. "When we came down to try to extinguish the fire, they started shooting at us," he said. The facade of a residential building was left blackened by fires set in cars that had been parked outside. The Israeli police and the Shin Bet security agency were investigating after receiving a report that a number of Palestinian cars had been burned, the Israeli police spokesperson said in a statement. Jewish settler violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank has drawn condemnation internationally and led to sanctions on violent settlers by some governments, notably the United States, which has urged Israel to do more to stop the attacks. The Palestinian Authority, based in Ramallah, condemned "the brutal attack by settler militias". Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for "comprehensive sanctions targeting the entire settler-colonial system".Hamas official Abdul Rahman Shadid said the attack represented an escalation by settlers and required "escalating the confrontation and confronting these crimes", a statement by the Palestinian group said.
SETTLER VIOLENCE WORSENS DURING GAZA WAR
Israel has settled the West Bank since capturing it during the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians say the settlements have undermined the prospects for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel views the West Bank as the biblical Judea and Samaria, and the settlers cite biblical ties to the land. Settler violence had been on the rise prior to the eruption of the Gaza war, and has worsened since the conflict began just over a year ago. In an interview with Reuters last week, a leader of the settler community expressed confidence that Donald Trump, if he wins the U.S. presidential election, will lift what the settlers see as the illegitimate sanctions imposed over attacks on Palestinians. Most countries deem the settlements illegal under international law. In 2019, the then-Trump administration abandoned the long-held U.S. position that the settlements are illegal before it was restored by President Joe Biden.

High-powered warheads: Iran planning more aggressive attack on Israel, officials say - WSJ
Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
The report noted that the Iranian army would also be involved in this potential round of attack.  Iran is planning a complex attack on Israel, which may include missiles with high-powered warheads, according to a Monday Wall Street Journal report, citing Arab and Iranian officials. The report noted that the Iranian army would also be involved in this potential round of attack. "Our military lost people, so they need to respond," an Iranian official claimed. He reportedly added that the attack, likely focusing on Israeli military targets, would be more aggressive. The Iranian official further added that the Islamic Republic's response would come after the US elections but prior to the January inauguration of a new president. On Sunday, Al Arabiya reported, citing sources familiar with the subject, that Iranian forces are positioned to strike Israel in response to its retaliatory strike last month. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has threatened Israel, promising a “crushing response” to its October retaliation. Israel's retaliatory strike In late October, Israel launched Operation Days of Repentance, during which Israeli Air Force jets carried out three waves of strikes, targeting some 20 military sites in Iran. The purpose of the attacks was to damage Iran's air defenses and its ability to produce ballistic missiles in the long term. Israel had vowed to respond to Iran's October 1 attack, which saw the Islamic Republic fire some 180 ballistic missiles at Israel in what the IRGC said was a response to the killing of Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah. Prior to October 1, Iran last attacked Israel on April 14, launching some 300 aerial threats at the Jewish State. *Yonah Jeremy Bob, Yuval Barnea, and Corinne Baum contributed to this report.

Russia to launch two Iranian satellites on Nov. 5, Tehran's Moscow envoy says
Reuters/November 4, 2024
Russia will launch two Iranian satellites into orbit using a Soyuz launcher on Tuesday, Iran's ambassador to Moscow said on Monday, as the two U.S.-sanctioned countries deepen their scientific relationship. "In continuation of the development of Iran-Russia scientific and technological cooperation, two Iranian satellites, Kowsar and Hodhod, will be launched to a 500 km orbit of earth on Tuesday, Nov. 5, by a Soyuz launch vehicle," Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said in a post on X. The development of Kowsar, a high-resolution imaging satellite, and Hodhod, a small communications satellite, is the first substantial effort by Iran's private space sector, a report by Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim said last month. Russia launched an Iranian research-sensing satellite, Pars 1, into space in February using a Soyuz rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

US gives Israel a 'fail' grade on improving aid to Gaza so far
Matthew Lee/The Associated Press/November 4, 2024
The Biden administration is stepping up criticism of Israel for not doing enough to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza as a 30-day deadline looms for Israeli officials to meet certain requirements or risk potential restrictions on military assistance. The administration also is condemning recent violence against Palestinians in the West Bank by extremist Jewish settlers and says those responsible must be held to account. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Monday gave Israel a “fail” grade in terms of meeting the conditions for an improvement in aid deliveries to Gaza laid out in a letter last month to senior Israeli officials by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. He said there were still roughly nine days until the deadline expires, but that limited progress thus far has been insufficient. “As of today, the situation has not significantly turned around,” Miller told reporters. “We have seen an increase in some measurements. But if you look at the stipulated recommendations in the letter, those have not been met.”A day before the U.S. election, the Biden administration called out its close ally, with support for Israel a key issue for many voters and the humanitarian crisis for Palestinians also a factor for many in the race. Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have been competing for Muslim and Arab American voters and Jewish voters in battleground states like Michigan and Pennsylvania. Among other conditions, Austin and Blinken's letter from mid-October said that Israel must allow in a minimum of 350 trucks a day carrying desperately needed food and other supplies for Palestinians besieged by more than a year of war between Israel and Hamas. By the end of October, an average of just 71 trucks a day were entering Gaza, according to the latest U.N. figures. “The results are not good enough today,” Miller said. “They certainly do not have a pass. … They have failed to implement all the things that that we recommended. Now, that said, we are not at the end of the 30-day period.”He would not say when asked what the U.S. would do when the deadline comes up next week, just that “we will follow the law.”Similarly, Austin has been reinforcing “how important it is to ensure that humanitarian assistance can flow and flow faster into Gaza” in calls with his Israeli counterpart, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Monday. The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, known as COGAT, said it had evacuated 72 patients from hospitals in northern Gaza to other medical facilities Monday and had brought medical supplies as well as fuel, food, water and units of blood. The head of UNICEF, the U.N. agency for children, said over the weekend that “the entire Palestinian population in North Gaza, especially children, is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine, and the ongoing bombardments.”Miller also said the U.S. is looking into a decision by the Israeli government to end an agreement facilitating the work of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, which is the main aid provider in Gaza. It followed the passage of Israeli laws last week to sever ties with UNRWA, a move that Blinken and Austin opposed in their letter. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday that it has notified the U.N. of the cancellation of an agreement dating back to 1967 that facilitates UNRWA’s work. It said UNRWA “is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip and not part of the solution.”Israel alleges that UNRWA has been infiltrated by Hamas, which the agency denies and says it takes measures to ensure its neutrality. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated that UNRWA is essential and there is no alternative to its work in the Palestinian territories, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. At the same time, Miller said the U.S. is “deeply concerned” by a recent escalation in attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank, including several cars being torched overnight just a few kilometers (miles) away from the Palestinian Authority’s headquarters and attacks on Palestinians harvesting olives, their livestock and other property. “These violent actions cause intense human suffering for Palestinians and they threaten Israel’s security,” Miller said. “It is critical that the government of Israel deter extremist settler violence and take measures to protect all communities from harm in accordance with its international obligations.”He noted that the U.S. has since the beginning of the year imposed sanctions against Israeli groups and people implicated in violence against Palestinian civilians and warned of more to come.

Israeli Strikes Kill 12 People in Gaza, Keep up Pressure on North
Asharq Al-Awsat/November 04/2024
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in Gaza on Monday and residents said they feared new air and ground attacks and forced evacuations were aimed at emptying areas in the enclave's north to create buffer zones against Hamas fighters. The UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said Israel was scaling back the number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza, compounding shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies. Israel denied this. But it said separately on Monday it had officially notified the United Nations that it was ending its relations with UNRWA, which has been a vital provider of aid to Palestinian civilians during the 13-month-long war between Israel and Hamas. In the latest bloodshed, medics said seven people were killed in an attack on two houses in the north Gaza town of Beit Lahia on Monday. Five more were killed in separate strikes in central and southern parts of the enclave, medics told Reuters. Several people were wounded in the attacks, they said, adding that Israeli forces had sent tanks into the northeast of Nuseirat camp earlier on Monday. Israel deployed tanks into Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia on Oct. 5, saying it intended to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli forces were continuing to bomb the Kamal Adwan Hospital and had injured many staff and patients. "The medical staff cannot move between the hospital departments and cannot rescue their injured colleagues. It seems that a decision has been made to execute all the staff who refused to evacuate the hospital," it said. There was no immediate comment from Israel on that situation. Palestinians said the new offensives and orders for people to leave were "ethnic cleansing" aimed at emptying two northern Gaza towns and a refugee camp to create buffer zones. Israel denies this, saying it is combating Hamas fighters who launch attacks from there. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office put the number of Palestinians killed since Oct. 5 at 1,800. It said 4,000 others were wounded. There was no confirmation on the figure from the territory's health ministry and Israel has repeatedly accused the Hamas media office of exaggerating the figures of the dead. Israel says its forces have killed hundreds of Palestinian gunmen and dismantled military infrastructure in Jabalia in the past month. More than 43,300 Palestinians have been killed in more than a year of war in Gaza, according to Gaza authorities, and much of the territory has been reduced to ruins.The war erupted after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
'UNSPEAKABLE SUFFERING'
UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini said on Monday that Israel has scaled back the entry of aid trucks into the Gaza Strip to an average of 30 trucks a day, the lowest in a long time. This represented only 6 percent of the commercial and humanitarian supplies that used to enter Gaza before the war, he said. "This cannot meet the needs of 2 million people, many of whom are starving, sick, and in desperate conditions," Lazzarini said on X. An Israeli government spokesman said no limit had been imposed on aid entering Gaza, with 47 aid trucks entering northern Gaza on Sunday alone.
Israeli statistics reviewed by Reuters last week showed that aid shipments allowed into Gaza in October remained at their lowest levels since October 2023. Earlier on Monday, Israel's foreign ministry said it had officially notified the United Nations it was cancelling the agreement that regulated its relations with UNRWA since 1967 - effectively banning it. "Restricting humanitarian access and at the same time dismantling UNRWA will add an additional layer of suffering to already unspeakable suffering," Lazzarini said.

US looking into reported detention of American-Iranian citizen in Iran
Jennifer Hansler, Artemis Moshtaghian and Michael Rios, CNN/Mon, November 4, 2024
An American-Iranian journalist who once worked for a US-funded broadcaster is believed to have been detained in Iran, according to his former employer and multiple press freedom groups. Reza Valizadeh was arrested in Tehran in September, a source close to his family told his former employer Radio Farda, the Iranian branch of the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Iran has not acknowledged detaining Valizadeh and the Iranian mission to the United Nations has declined to comment on his situation. In response to CNN’s request for comment about Valizadeh, the US State Department said Monday only that it was “aware of reports that a dual US-Iranian citizen has been arrested in Iran.”The US State Department spokesperson told CNN that it is working with Switzerland, which represents the US in Iran, to gather more information on the case. RFE/RL says it has had no official confirmation of the charges facing Valizadeh, who left Radio Farda in November 2022, but it is “profoundly concerned about the continued arrest, harassment and threats against media professionals by the Iranian regime.”Reports of the journalist’s apparent detention come amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, whose Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday promised a “teeth-breaking” response to Israel and the United States after Israeli strikes targeted Iranian military sites late last month.
In a post on his X account on February 20, 2024, Valizadeh suggested Iranian authorities had pressured his family to convince him to return to the country. In a later post, on August 13, the journalist said he had arrived back in the Iranian capital on March 6, 2024. “Before that, I had half-finished negotiations with the (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) Intelligence Organization. Finally, I returned to my country after 14 years, on my own responsibility and without a letter of amnesty, even verbally,” the post read. RFE/RL said it was not clear under what circumstances Valizadeh had written the post. Citing one of Valizadeh’s former colleagues, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fears of reprisal, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported in October that Valizadeh was being held without access to a lawyer in Iran’s Evin prison, which is notorious for housing critics of the Iranian regime. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which focuses on Iran, also believes Valizadeh is being held in Evin. “Iranian authorities must immediately release journalist Reza Valizadeh and drop any charges levied against him,” said Yeganeh Rezaian, CPJ’s interim Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. “I cannot say clearly enough to my fellow Americans what already appears on the Department of State’s website: ‘Do not travel to Iran, due to the risk of kidnapping and the arbitrary arrest and detention of US citizens.’ Simply put: Do not go to Iran,” the State Department spokesperson said. Iran has a long history of using dual nationals as bargaining chips in its troubled relationship with the West. In 2023, it released five Americans designated by the US as wrongfully detained as part of a wider deal that included the US unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian funds.
It is currently marking the 25th anniversary of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, in which 52 US citizens were held captive for 444 days.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on November 04-05/2024
Unlike Democrats, Trump Takes Religious Persecution of Christians Seriously
Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream/November 03/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/136512/
To the Coptic Christian community living throughout the United States, I deeply admire your Steadfast Faith in God, Perseverance through Centuries of Persecution and Love for this Great Country. I am Counting on your support and vote to help uphold our shared Social and Family Values and continue to Make America Great Again!
Ironically, this message coincides with my rereading of Adel Guindy’s excellent book, A Sword Over the Nile. Based on previously unknown or untranslated primary sources, page after page wholly validates Trump’s assertion that the Copts have experienced “centuries of persecution.”
At any rate, Trump’s message to the Copts is a reminder that he is the only president in modern times — certainly when compared to his predecessor and successor — who actually acknowledges the plight of Christians under Islam.
Doing Something About It
For example, in 2020, while still president, Trump issued a statement noting the “ongoing challenges facing the largest Christian group [Copts] in the Middle East,” adding that it is “time for us to acknowledge the importance of religious freedom and reaffirm our commitment to promoting and defending this core tenet of a free society. Tragically, far too many people the world over face persecution on account of their faith.”
That same year, Trump said in an interview that the treatment of Christians in the Mideast is “beyond disgraceful,” that Christianity is being “treated horribly and very unfairly, and it’s criminal.”
During a 2019 UN speech, Trump also called on world leaders “to take action to put an end to all attacks by state and non‑state actors against citizens for simply worshipping according to their beliefs… No one should fear for their safety in a house of worship anywhere in the world.”
This, of course, was a reference to the nonstop attacks on churches, which take place constantly in Egypt both at the hands of the state actors who regularly ban churches and the non-state actors who regularly burn and bomb them. Just last week, a group of Copts had to hold a funeral in the street alleys because the authorities had sealed off access to their church since 2006.
Most notably, in May 2017, after Islamic gunmen massacred 28 Coptic Christians — ten of whom were children — while they were traveling home after visiting a monastery, Trump said:
This merciless slaughter of Christians in Egypt tears at our hearts and grieves our souls… America makes clear to its friends, allies, and partners that the treasured and historic Christian communities of the Middle East must be defended and protected. The bloodletting of Christians must end, and all who aid their killers must be punished.
The Evil of Omission
Now compare Trump’s position concerning persecuted Christians with those of Obama and Biden.
At the height of the worst state-sanctioned terrorist attack on Egypt’s Christians in modern history — the 2011 Maspero Massacre, when the government shot at and ran over with tanks dozens of Copts for daring to protest the burnings and closures of their churches — Obama issued “a pointedly even-handed statement that calls equally on Christians and the military to show restraint.” (Because, you know, Egypt’s beleaguered Christian minorities needed to “restrain” themselves against the tanks running them over and the soldiers’ rifles shooting them in the head.)
This, of course, was par for the course: For Obama and his ilk, Christians can never be “persecuted.” That would run completely afoul of their Marxist ideology, which sees Christians unequivocally as “oppressors” in every circumstance.
Thus, when Muslims bombed three churches in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday in 2019, killing some 300 Christians, Obama and Hilary Clinton could not even bring themselves to identify the slain victims as “Christians” — the way they most certainly would had the perpetrators been Christian and the victims Muslim. Instead, they condemned a “terror” attack on “Easter worshippers.”
In fact, not only did Obama fail to acknowledge (much less do anything about) the Muslim persecution of Christians, he aided and abetted it (see here, here, here, here). ISIS, which committed heinous atrocities against Christians and other non-Muslim minorities, was something of Obama’s “parting gift” to the world, as they rose to power in the final years of his tenure. Conversely, ISIS was eliminated under Trump.
A Glorious Interlude
But it is perhaps in the context of Nigeria, where a bona fide genocide of Christians has been taking place since Obama first entered the White House that the differences between Obama and Biden, on the one hand and Trump on the other emerge most clearly. On average, a Nigerian Christian is martyred every two hours, and that has been the case since Obama entered the White House.
Although jihadists slaughtered and terrorized Nigeria’s Christians all during Obama’s eight-year tenure, and although the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom had, beginning in 2009 and every year afterwards, repeatedly urged the State Department to designate it as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC — a reference to nations that “engage in, or tolerate violations of, religious freedom”) the Obama administration refused.
Under Hillary Clinton, the State Department went so far as to refuse to merely designate Boko Haram as a “terrorist” organization—even though it is a notorious jihadist group that has slaughtered more Christians and bombed more churches than the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria combined.
It was only in 2020, under the Trump administration, that Nigeria was finally designated as a CPC. Moreover, with characteristic bluntness, Trump forthrightly asked Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari — whom many Nigerian officials say Obama helped bring to power — “Why are you killing Christians?”
Back to Business
But once Biden/Harris got into office, it was business as usual: the State Department, under Antony Blinken, went out of its way to remove Nigeria from the CPC list.
At the time, many observers responded by slamming the Biden administration. As one human rights lawyer noted:
Outcry over the State Department’s removal of Country of Particular Concern status for Nigeria’s religious freedom violations is entirely warranted. No explanations have been given that could justify this decision. If anything, the situation in Nigeria has grown worse over the last year. Thousands of Christians … are targeted, killed, and kidnapped, and the government is simply unwilling to stop these atrocities…. Removing Country of Particular Concern status for Nigeria will only embolden the increasingly authoritarian government there.
And so, as election day draws nigh, here is one more difference to note between Trump and Harris: Trump has a record of speaking up for and acknowledging the persecution of Christians, whereas Harris — who just mockingly denounced the claim that “Jesus is Lord” — will most surely further the Obama-Biden legacy.
*Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West and Sword and Scimitar, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Biden-Harris Administration Surreptitiously Signs Up for UN World Governance, Internet Censorship
Robert Williams/Gatestone Institute/November 04/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/136518/
On September 22, unnoticed by most Americans, the Biden-Harris administration adopted the United Nations Pact for the Future to transform global governance, which introduces the foundations of a world government. There was no debate, no media coverage, no press releases, and no interviews about the Biden-Harris administration's surrender of United States sovereignty to the UN.
Americans were apparently not supposed to find out.
These agreements usher in a dystopian future, where the UN -- an active supporter of terrorism and arguably the world's most corrupt international entity... in partnership with the unelected and unaccountable World Economic Forum, led by Klaus Schwab... is given unprecedented power over the peoples of sovereign countries, who have had no say whatsoever on the contents of this pact, because it has been kept hidden from them.
Buried near the end of the Digital Global Compact, in paragraph 30, is the only thing you need to know about it: "We must urgently counter and address... all forms of hate speech and discrimination, misinformation and disinformation...."
The UN, its member states and the Biden-Harris administration evidently want to establish world-wide censorship that will make any future criticism of their power grab impossible.
In 2021-22, the UN entered into a partnership with Google to ensure that the search engine only display information reflecting UN perspectives. Dissenting views would have to be erased. The UN did not even hide their totalitarian move, and issued a press release about it.
Google is clearly doing the UN's bidding. If you try to google the words "climate change" today, every single dissenting view has been suppressed by the search engine. In the first twenty-plus pages of results that come up on Google, not a single of them deviates from the UN/WEF narrative, with most results only containing links to UN bodies or other institutions that partner with the UN, such as the EU, the World Bank, government websites and a few climate-alarmist articles from the Guardian, the New York Times, AP and Reuters.
This is what UN censorship looks like now. Can you imagine what it will be in a few years, if countries do not immediately move to stop it?
In September, unnoticed by most Americans, the Biden-Harris administration adopted the United Nations Pact for the Future to transform global governance, which introduces the foundations of a world government. These agreements usher in a dystopian future, where the UN -- in partnership with the unelected and unaccountable World Economic Forum (WEF), led by Klaus Schwab -- is given unprecedented power over the peoples of sovereign countries. Pictured: Then Vice President Joe Biden at the WEF in Davos, Switzerland on January 18, 2017.
On September 22, unnoticed by most Americans, the Biden-Harris administration adopted the United Nations Pact for the Future to transform global governance, which introduces the foundations of a world government. There was no debate, no media coverage, no press releases, and no interviews about the Biden-Harris administration's surrender of United States sovereignty to the UN.
Americans were apparently not supposed to find out.
The UN bragged that the pact is the "most comprehensive agreement in many years" describing it as "covering entirely new areas and addressing issues where no consensus has been reached for decades." This is concerning.
At the Summit of the Future in September 2024, world leaders passed the UN's Pact for the Future to transform global governance, the Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations. These agreements usher in a dystopian future, where the UN -- an active supporter of terrorism and arguably the world's most corrupt international entity, led by socialists, communists and dictatorships -- in partnership with the unelected and unaccountable World Economic Forum, led by Klaus Schwab and his covey of billionaire business leaders, is given unprecedented power over the peoples of sovereign countries, who have had no say whatsoever on the contents of this pact, because it has been kept hidden from them.
The Pact for the Future seeks to strengthen, empower and "transform" UN global governance -- a fancy way of saying world government -- to seize more power for the UN and its partner globalist elites in the WEF.
"We will transform global governance and strengthen the multilateral system to help us to achieve a world that is safe, peaceful, just, equal, inclusive, sustainable and prosperous," the Pact for the Future proclaims in section V, named "Transforming global governance."
The Pact is full of the familiar and meaningless UN fluff about "eradicating poverty" and "strengthening human rights" that the UN has falsely been promising and peddling for decades, goals that nobody believes the UN even wants to achieve. All the UN seems to be doing is demonizing the Middle East's only democracy, Israel, to the exclusion of all other conflicts on the planet, and sanctifying "climate change," seemingly code for a prospective "transfer of wealth."
A large part of the Pact is dedicated to "turbocharging" the UN's Agenda 2030. Much of this consists of fighting the fake crisis of "climate change" by achieving "net-zero" carbon dioxide emissions. Hidden at the very bottom of the 56-page document -- action point 54 -- is actually one of the most important items: the power-grab of the UN's secretary-general: strengthening "the international response to complex global shocks":
"We will uphold the Secretary-General's role to, inter alia, convene Member States, promote the coordination of the whole multilateral system and engage with relevant stakeholders in response to crises. We request the Secretary-General to: (a) Consider approaches to strengthen the United Nations system response to complex global shocks, within existing authorities and in consultation with Member States...We recognize the need for a more coherent, cooperative, coordinated and multidimensional international response to complex global shocks and the central role of the United Nations in this regard."
The UN secretary-general, in other words, is to control responses to "global shocks", which the UN describes as:
"Complex global shocks are events that have severely disruptive and adverse consequences for a significant proportion of countries and the global population, and that lead to impacts across multiple sectors, requiring a multidimensional and whole-of-government, whole-of-society response."
These could presumably be regional conflicts; a pandemic -- or whatever the UN deems a pandemic; a real or invented "climate crisis;" wars, or whatever other pretext the UN secretary-general comes up with to take control and impose measures on the world that the UN sees fit. The corrupt, unelected and unaccountable UN would now like to be the world's policeman -- presumably leaving defendants with no recourse.
The UN proclaimed in a press release last year:
"Our global interconnectedness means that shocks that occur in one country or sector can quickly have cascading consequences elsewhere, often in unforeseen ways. Those shocks are coming at us with greater strength and frequency, with serious implications for peace and security, economic stability, and environmental sustainability. And they can have a disproportionate impact in some areas. Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the global cost-of-living crisis hit the poorest and most vulnerable hardest, throwing SDG progress and Agenda 2030 further off-track. The global response to such shocks is often ad hoc, fragmented, and improvised. We need a mechanism to tackle multidimensional threats with a multidimensional response. This policy brief calls for a more formal, predictable, and structured approach. An emergency platform would leverage the UN's convening power and capacities in a timely and predictable way... Crucially, it would promote a global response based on solidarity and equity and the key principle of leaving no one behind. All people and countries hit by a shock must have access to the support they need," [bold added]"
This would not be optional. The UN makes clear that the new system "is leaving no one behind."
To ensure that all present and future UN and WEF agendas can pass without bothering with pesky dissenting opinions, the UN member states also passed the Digital Global Compact as an annex to the Pact. The Compact is a new totalitarian tool of censorship meant to silence anyone who disagrees with the globalist agenda. Buried near the end of the Digital Global Compact, in paragraph 30, is the only thing you need to know about it:
"We must urgently counter and address... all forms of hate speech and discrimination, misinformation and disinformation... We will establish and maintain robust risk mitigation and redress measures... We commit by, 2030 to: (a) Create a safe and secure online space for all users that ensures their mental health and well-being by defining and adopting common standards, guidelines and industry actions that are in compliance with international law, promote safe civic spaces and address content on digital platforms that causes harm to individuals, taking into account work under way by United Nations entities, regional organizations and multi-stakeholder initiatives... Establish regular collaboration between national online safety institutions to exchange best practices and develop shared understandings of actions... Develop, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, effective methodologies to measure, monitor and counter all forms of violence and abuse in the digital space... call on social media platforms to establish safe, secure and accessible reporting mechanisms for users and their advocates to report potential policy violations."
The UN, its member states and the Biden-Harris administration evidently want to establish world-wide censorship that will make any future criticism of their power grab impossible.
The foundations of the censorship are already in place and activated to a worrying degree: In 2021-22, the UN entered into a partnership with Google to ensure that the search engine only display information reflecting UN perspectives. Dissenting views would have to be erased. The UN did not even hide their totalitarian move, and issued a press release about it.
Melissa Fleming, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, said:
"We are happy to team with Google to ensure that factual, trustworthy content about climate is available to as wide a global audience as possible, Misinformation is so widespread these days that it threatens progress and understanding on many critical issues, including climate. The need for accurate, science-based information on a subject like climate change has therefore never been greater."
At the 2022 World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Fleming innocently revealed the UN agenda behind censoring the internet, making it clear that censoring the internet is for the good of the great unwashed masses, whom the UN deems too dangerous to make up their own minds:
"As long as the social media platforms had become so dominant, there was already a proliferation of mis- and disinformation that was making achieving what we were trying to achieve, a better world and a more inclusive, a more peaceful and harmonious world -- it was making it more difficult. But with Covid-19 we realized very quickly we were in a communication crisis... WHO called it an infodemic... which meant if you were a [internet] user... you were just confused because there was so much information... some of it good... some of it really, really, bad...
"You know, we partnered with Google, for example, if you Google climate change, you will, at the top of your search, get all kinds of UN resources. We started this partnership when we were shocked to see that when we Googled climate change, we were getting incredibly distorted information right at the top. So we're becoming much more proactive, you know we own the science and we think that the world should know it and the [social media] platforms also do. It's a huge challenge that all sectors of society need to be very active in."
The partnership has paid off tremendously for the UN and the globalists: Google is clearly doing the UN's bidding. If you try to google the words "climate change" today, every single dissenting view has been suppressed by the search engine. In the first twenty-plus pages of results that come up on Google, not a single of them deviates from the UN/WEF narrative, with most results only containing links to UN bodies or other institutions that partner with the UN, such as the EU, the World Bank, government websites and a few climate-alarmist articles from the Guardian, the New York Times, AP and Reuters.
This is what UN censorship looks like now. Can you imagine what it will be in a few years, if countries do not immediately move to stop it?
Robert Williams is based in the United States.
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A Trump victory will have horrendous consequences for Israel - opinion
Susan Hattis Rolef/Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
A Trump victory will have horrendous consequences for the US, the free world, and for Israel, not least of all from a democratic perspective.
The US presidential elections will at long last take place tomorrow.
Opinion polls show the two candidates – Vice President Kamala Harris, and former president Donald Trump – running neck to neck. Opinion polls in Israel show that if these elections were held here, well over 60% would vote for Trump and just around 20% for Harris.
The common answer one gets from Israelis who support Trump when asked about their choice is that “Trump is better for Israel.” On the surface this appears to be a perfectly logical reply.
First of all, the reality is that in Israel today a majority of the Jewish population is neither liberal nor progressive, so that ab initio, Kamala Harris doesn’t stand a chance, while the conservative (or rather illiberal and regressive) Trump has an inbuilt advantage. Secondly, the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has an obvious preference for Trump, and an unamiable relationship with Harris, who deliberately stayed away from his appearance before a joint session of Congress on July 24, certainly has an effect on large sections of public opinion in Israel.
However, I think that the proposition that Trump is preferable for Israel requires more serious examination. True, Trump has an appeal to certain population groups due to his illiberalism and non-progressive positions. However, I have quite a few illiberal and non-progressive friends and acquaintances, who are pleasant, and trustworthy persons. That is not something one can say about Trump. He is definitely an unpleasant person, vulgar, crude, a racist (especially when it comes to non-white immigrants), a misogynist, and a constant liar and fabricator of fake news.
Trump's statements suggest he's partial to fascists and Nazis
To those who still maintain that Trump is good for Israel, all I can say is: With friends like that, who needs enemies? I AM NOT sure I would call Trump a fascist as Harris has done, nor a Nazi as others have, but some of his utterings and statements definitely suggest that he is partial to both fascists and Nazis.
Thus, as president back in August 2017, he defended white nationalists and neo-Nazis, who participated in a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a woman demonstrating against the rally was run-over and killed by a neo-Nazi driver, saying that extreme right-wingers included “some very fine people.”
Trump was also reported by one of his former chiefs of staff during his presidency – retired Marine Gen. John Kelly – of having said on several occasions that “Hitler did some good things,” and that he needed some generals like Hitler’s generals, because they were loyal and obedient. It has been suggested by some of Trump’s critics, that calling him a fascist or a Nazi is counterproductive, because, in fact, “he is part of a ‘new authoritarianism’ that subverts democracy from within and solidifies power through administrative, rather than paramilitary means.
This brand of new authoritarianism... looks like something else – for example, right-wing populism that is anti-liberal, but not yet anti-democratic.
And then suddenly, it shows itself as anti-democratic extremism, as Trump did in refusing to accept the 2020 election result, and encouraging the storming of the Capitol” (Geoff M. Boucher, The Conversation, October 28, 2024).
It should be recalled that only last week Trump referred to the traumatic storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in which six persons died, as “a day of love.”
Two important points regarding Netanyahu-Trump
WHEN IT comes to Netanyahu’s pro-Trump bias in the elections, I believe two points should be made.
The first is that this bias might be connected to the fact that Netanyahu himself might be viewed as a “new authoritarian” in the making, and finds it congenial to deal with leaders of the same ilk.
However, it appears that the relationship between the two is not a mutual admiration society.
The Netanyahus’ visit to Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago in July, following Bibi’s UN appearance, was initiated by Netanyahu – not by Trump.
In addition, Trump has informed the media on several occasions that Netanyahu keeps calling him up, and that Bibi does not listen to president Biden when the latter requests that Israel restrain itself in the current war.
Of course, we do not know exactly what is said in the conversations between Netanyahu and Trump.
Perhaps Trump has made promises that have not been reported to the public.
However, it is no secret that Trump has isolationist inclinations that do not tally with a continued deep American involvement in the support of Israel in its current war against Iran and its proxies.
Trump is also opposed to massive American financial support for allies of various sorts (such as the Ukraine), and has expressed his disappointment with Netanyahu’s conduct regarding the 2020 presidential election results (when Netanyahu congratulated Biden upon his victory, which Trump denied and continues to deny).
TRUMP HAS also been reported as having called upon Netanyahu to end the war in Gaza and Lebanon, and the mutual blows with Iran as rapidly as possible, before he enters office in January 2025, assuming he wins the upcoming presidential election.
Though many Israelis (including myself) would welcome such a development, Netanyahu and his government are categorically opposed to the conflict ending before a “total Israeli victory.”
The fact, that in the last stage of his election campaign Trump decided to court the Muslim voters in several pivotal states, promising that “unlike the clowns who are currently running the show in the Middle East” (i.e. the Biden administration) he will bring peace to the region immediately, cannot but cause concern in Israeli government circles, since it is known that Trump views the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a peace process.
Furthermore, he has already announced that if Kamala Harris will be declared the victor in the election, it will be the fault of the Jewish voters, and all this after stating that any Jew who votes for the Democrats should have his head examined.
I also cannot see how the fact that Trump denies that there is a potentially disastrous global climate change in the making, and that the existence of NATO is still essential for the welfare of the free world, and seems intent on breaking up the post-Second World War world economic order, is “good for Israel.”
Yes, I know that Kamala Harris is not an ideal candidate for the presidency – neither from an American perspective nor from an Israeli perspective.
However, it is either Trump or her who will emerge victorious from tomorrow’s election, and as I see it, a Trump victory will have horrendous consequences for the US, the free world, and for Israel, not least of all from a democratic perspective.
A Trump defeat might lead to a period of unrest and even violence in the US should he once again refuse to recognize the election results. However, that, in my opinion, is preferable to the results of a Trump victory.
The writer worked in the Knesset for many years as a researcher, and has published extensively both journalistic and academic articles on current affairs and Israeli politics. Her most recent book, Israel’s Knesset Members – A Comparative Study of an Undefined Job, was published by Routledge.

Iran wants to hold region hostage with ‘retaliation op’ - analysis
Seth J. Frantzman/Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
Iran has preferred to keep the retaliation cycle going by continuing to claim it has an open account with Israel and could carry out new attacks.
Updated: NOVEMBER 4, 2024 17:40 Iran has been discussing retaliating against Israel for airstrikes on its territory in October. Those strikes were themselves retaliation for Iran’s ballistic missile attack on the Jewish state on October 1. Iran has preferred to keep the retaliatory cycle going by claiming it has an open account with Israel and could carry out new attacks. The Islamic Republic wants to normalize these direct attacks on Israel and keep the region hostage to these incidents. What that means is that Iran also threatens the US and Arab states via its ever-increasing rhetoric.
Iran knows that it keeps the region on edge by claiming it might attack Israel. For instance, the US has sent more aerial assets to the region and has even deployed the THAAD air defense system in Israel. These systems can’t be deployed forever, and all Iran has to do is keep threatening to keep the region on edge. The regime enjoys being in this position, feeling that it is a position of power. It also knows that reports say Israel neutralized Iranian air defenses in the October strikes.
Iran doesn’t mind these reports because it likely assumed its air defenses could not stop Israel in the first place. Iran knows the limitations of its various systems, such as the S-300 or 3rd Khordad air defense systems.Iran’s latest claim is that it will “use all material and spiritual facilities to respond” to Israel. This remark came from the new spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, on Monday. His remarks came as the commander of the IRGC slammed Israel and praised Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.
The overall gist of the comments from Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that the regime reserves the right to respond to Israel and that it does this in the context of supporting the Palestinians. In addition, the ministry said that the US is destabilizing the region via the deployment of US troops. This comment apparently refers to US troops in Iraq and Syria, close allies of the Islamic Republic.
“Iran responds to any encroachment on national security and territorial integrity in the most severe manner,” the ministry said. This refers to Israel’s strikes indirectly but also shows how Iran likes to speak in general terms more than specifics.
Iran is also backing Iraq in its complaints against Israel in international forums, showing its attempt to diplomatically isolate and condemn Israel while also preparing a possible military response. Iranian state media said on November 4 that the US is afraid of an Iranian “retaliatory” operation, evidencing that Iran believes it can achieve results via saber-rattling.
Apparently, there are other Iranian moves at hand. An article in the Iranian state media IRNA, has proposed increasing the range of Iran’s missiles, perhaps to target Europe.
“The reality is that confronting the recent approaches of the European Union members, which pose a threat to Iran, leaves no choice but to alter the defense doctrine,” the article said. “The Islamic Republic of Iran does not condone the invasion of other countries, but it firmly believes in maintaining its territorial integrity and will not allow any country to violate this principle. Investigating ways to enhance missile deterrence and improve missile range can be included in the agenda of Iranian officials.”In yet another recent statement, the head of the IRGC, Hossein Salami, discussed how Iran was “equipped” with all the means to strike at Israel. “We warn the number one enemy of the Iranian nation and the rabid dog of that terrorist and criminal Zionist regime [that] the Islamic resistance of the region, by the grace of God and with the help of the courage of the Mujahideen and faithful warriors who have the upper hand in the field of current developments, will give a tooth-breaking response to the evil front,” he said.
“And in this way,” he continued, “the resistance front and Islamic Iran will equip themselves with everything necessary to confront and triumphantly overcome the enemy, and in this holy way, they will not be afraid of the threats and killings of the evil people who rule Washington and Tel Aviv.”
The overall context of the statements is that Iran is seeking to hold the region hostage via its threats. It likes the attention and enjoys having the ball in its court to attack at a time and place of its choosing.

While Trump is first on Israel, Biden came through when Jews needed him - opinion
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach/Jerusalem Post/November 04/2024
We, the Jewish people who are living through the horrors of October 7th and beyond, will forever be grateful and never forget you
Normally, writing a column just before an election which will be published two days after, I should start by saying that by the time you read this you’ll already know whom the new President is, Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. But I can say with certainty that by the time you read this you will not know whom the President is, even though you’ll have voted 48 hours before. It’s going to be days (weeks?), I predict, until we have some resolution on whom our new Chief Executive is. But one thing is certain: It will not be Joe Biden.
And as he leaves the world stage after a half-century in politics, it behoves me as an American Jew to recognize one undeniable truth: While Donald Trump as President 45 turned out to be the best friend Israel ever had in the Oval Office, Joe Biden came through when historically Israel needed it most. Biden overtakes even Harry Truman who recognized Israel just eleven minutes after its declaration, against the threats to resign of his legendary Secretary of State George Marshall, and Richard Nixon who armed Israel when it was almost destroyed in the Yom Kippur War, against the delaying tactics of his Jewish Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, who died earlier this year.
Against the wishes of at least half his own party, Biden stuck to the guns he sent Israel literally and armed the Jewish state while it’s been engaged in the greatest battle the Jewish people have ever fought since the destruction of the Second Temple 2000 years ago. And if action matters even more than words, why is Trump still ahead of Biden as Israel’s greatest-ever friend? Because Trump took the most decisive action against Israel’s greatest enemy and enabler of Hamas and Hezbollah, Iran, by seeking to destroy them economically and killing their foremost terrorist commander Qassam Soleimani. Indeed, had Biden not had the embarrassing Obama Iran deal as part of his VP resume in the last year of the Barack Administration, he might have overtaken Trump as Israel’s greatest-ever friend in the White House.
But Donald Trump’s moral clarity on Iran, for which he is being severely punished by the terrorist regime which is seeking to engineer his assassination, and his Administration’s worldwide efforts to delegitimize any government that sough to delegitimize Israel, makes him the platinum standard of Israel’s friends. A big thank you to Biden
But what Biden has done is still none too shabby and we Jews all owe him our eternal gratitude.
Yes, I’m well aware that Anthony Blinken (America’s third Jewish Secretary of State) and Sec Def Lloyd Austin just wrote Prime Minister Netanyahu a letter threatening to significantly cut off American arms supplies to Israel unless there is tangible evidence of humanitarian relief. Press reports say that Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs, my former Oxford student Ron Dermer will be responding to this fraudulent charge against Israel with the real numbers of the vast humanitarian relief that Israel has provided to residents of Gaza which Hamas continues to steal. I’m also aware that Biden has already enforced a partial arms embargo on Israel with 2000-pound bombs for a few weeks. But for all of that, the sheer supply of essential armaments provided by Biden to prevent a second holocaust is staggering. To give you a quick idea of the magnitude of Biden’s support, since Israel’s founding 76 years ago, the United States has provided some $158 billion in economic and military aid, making the Jewish state the largest recipient of aid in American history. (And herein lies the tragedy of the Iran deal, where President Obama released $150 billion in frozen Iranian assets to be given to the Mullahs, money that was not theirs but rather belonged to the people of Iran, thereby matching everything Israel received since its founding.) But Biden alone accounts for nearly $18 billion in one year, since the October 7th attacks, pledging that Israel would get “whatever it needs” to defeat the terrorist enemy.
How many shipments of arms does that entail? We have to go back to March of 2024, when shipments first crossed the 100 markers, according to the Washington Post, to extrapolate at what the numbers are some 8 months later.
Yes, Biden has huffed and puffed and threatened and condemned Israel and at times used words that were overblown and overdone. But the essential spigot of arms to the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish state, fighting a seven-front war against unqualified evil, never stopped and never waivered.
If that isn’t political and moral heroism on the part of a President who was condemned for doing so by tens of millions of Jew-haters in America and hundreds of millions worldwide, then the word heroism has no meaning.
The young Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy of Massachusetts came to national prominence with his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Profiles In Courage where he told the stories of members of the Senate who stood up for principle and against political interests to do what was morally right.
We don’t really have a similar book on the Presidency, which is a great shame. But when it comes to Israel, four great moments would certainly stand out. Harry Truman recognized Israel when the most celebrated American alive, Marshall, told him he’d vote for his opponent if he did so. Nixon, who in speech when certainly an antisemite, rose to save Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur War after even Moshe Dayan nearly collapsed with the words "This is the destruction of the Third Temple.” Donald Trump for moving the American Embassy when his own first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told him the world would erupt in anger for doing so and all of Europe condemned his actions and taking a match to dynamite. And Joe Biden arming Israel in its greatest eve fight for survival as so many unrepentant Jew-haters in his own party, like AOC and Rashida Tlaib, and angry mobs of progressive students at America’s foremost universities, condemned him for doing so.
No one is perfect. And I hope that Biden will not tarnish his well-earned and not just self-declared reputation as “a great friend of Israel” by following through on this newest and most ignominious of all threats of an arms embargo that we’ve heard during the war, just as Israel is cleaning up the monsters of Hezbollah on its northern border. But assuming he does not do so, even after the election is over, the Jewish people must declare in unison, from the shores of the Kinneret to the blue waters of Bondi Beach, Australia where my wife grew up, President Biden, you have been our friend and champion. Your Jewish grandchildren salute you. Your Jewish daughter-in-law, Batya Cohen Biden salutes you. And we the Jewish people who are living through the horrors of October 7th and beyond will forever be grateful and never forget you.
*Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, “America’s Rabbi,” is the international best-selling author of the newly published guide to fighting for Israel “The Israel Warrior.” Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @RabbiShmuley.

The American Thread
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 04/2024
This is the mother of all battles. It is more important than the football World Cup final, boxing finals and Taylor Swift’s tours. A few American swing states will determine the fate of the world for the next four years. They will determine security and the economy, and the fate of maps that are in disarray and millions of refugees and displaced people. The ballot boxes will have their say and determine the identity of who will hold the American thread that stretches across borders and continents.
There is no need to remind that the master of the White House is the master of the world’s top economy and most advanced military machine in history. He is the master of fleets that move oceans and seas. The thread reassures, deters, threatens and attacks. It defends the interests and the image and thwarts some adventures and supports others.
The American elections are not purely American as their outcomes are important to allies and enemies alike and other nations across the global village. No one can ignore the results or pretend to be indifferent.
The powerful figures of the world are eagerly awaiting the results, and so are the weak people of the world. The results will determine their fates and agendas. The master of the Kremlin is a powerful man. He knows the results of the elections even before the polls open. He has fun in threatening the Europeans and the world with a nuclear attack should they think of defeating, besieging or humiliating Russia.
But Vladimir Putin knows that the end of the war in Ukraine needs the “signature” of the American president, not Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Putin knows the reach of the American thread. If it weren’t for it, he would have already unleashed his might in reclaiming all territories that the West had seized after the Soviet Union’s suicide.
Putin is not concerned with the resident of the Elysee Palace, 10 Downing Street or the German chancellor. He will be worried about the American thread if it chooses to corner his country with economic sanctions and pump more weapons and aid to Ukraine. He is concerned with a painful truth. Had he not threatened to use nuclear weapons, NATO forces would have advanced and defeated the Red Army on which he had spent a fortune rebuilding.
Another man will stay up late to find out the results of the American elections. Xi Jinping sits on Mao Zedong’s throne and the world’s second most powerful economy. He knows that he is struggling against the American thread in world markets and Taiwan. He knows that were it not for that thread, he would have achieved what his ancestors could not: Restoring Taiwan to China. He knows that if Donald Trump wins the race and decides to impose harsh tariffs on Chinese goods, then the repercussions will be felt in the markets and the entire global economy.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te will also be staying up late to learn the results of the American elections. He has a tiring and painful job. He watches the older brother’s ships and planes sail and fly by as a reminder of his power in strangling his rebellious island were it not for the American thread. Zelenskyy’s fate does not give him cause to be optimistic.
The people of the terrible Middle East will in turn stay up late to await the outcome of the elections. The American thread is still decisive in reining in their wars or organizing them. The Iranian supreme leader and Revolutionary Guards commanders will also stay up in anticipation of the results. Israel has gone too far in striking Iran’s proxies and “advisors” and has lured it into a ring it has long sought to avoid.
The satellites are spies that do not rest. They revealed that the Israeli strike on Iran was indeed painful and embarrassing. The supreme leader gave the signal for a retaliation. Will the Iranian response wait the outcome of the elections, precede it or take place as they are being announced? What if the man who ordered Qassem Soleimani’s killing returns to the White House? Is the deployment of the American B-52 bomber to the region just a message of deterrence or is there more to it?
On this day in 1979, student revolutionaries loyal to Imam Khomeini stormed the US embassy in Tehran and took its staff hostage. The ball of fire burned President Jimmy Carter, and the hostages were released only after Ronald Reagan took office.
The raid was aimed at cutting the American thread inside Iran. From the very beginning, the Iranian revolution believed that the thread was the wall that was preventing it from becoming a major regional power, especially after the US took it upon itself to take down the Iraqi wall that was preventing the flow of the revolution in the region. For decades, Iran sought to cut or weaken the American thread. Here it is today being confronted with it yet again, this time in the shape of Israeli retaliatory strikes.
Benjamin Netanyahu will await the results of the American elections. The thread that ties the US to America is not under threat. Israel’s American pillow is firm, but Kamala Harris has her approach and calculations and Donald Trump has his surprises. Netanyahu needs several billions of dollars and ammunition if he decides to forge ahead much farther in his coup against equations in the region.
The leaders of the Middle East will await the results of the American elections. They want to see what the limits are of the Israeli-Iranian duel, the roles in the region, and the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon. They can possibly bank on the American thread to push forward the dream of an independent Palestinian state and achieve it to prevent more wars from erupting in the future.
Lebanon will await the results of the elections. Past experience has shown that the American envoy alone can stop the Israeli fire. Amos Hochstein’s decision to not make a stop in Lebanon after his last trip to Israel was very costly. Israel wiped out more Lebanese villages off the map and replicated more images of destruction from Gaza in Lebanon.
Talking about America’s demise does not eliminate it. It is the world’s most powerful economy and boasts its most powerful navy. It doesn’t matter if you love it or hate it. It offers protection and hands out guarantees and solutions. Russia is busy with the Ukrainian banquet. China is too far in the distance. Antonio Guterres is semi-retired. There is no choice but to improve conditions related to the American thread to stop the wars and destruction and waves of funerals and displaced.