Bible Quotations For today When

English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 09/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 15/15-21/:"I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another. ‘If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, "Servants are not greater than their master." If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me."

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 08-09/2024
Our Maronite Patriarch and Bishops Live in Another World, Drowning in Dhimmitude/Elias Bejjani/November 6, 2024
Lebanon State Media Says Israel Blows Up Houses on Border
9 Dead and 30 Injured in Intense Airstrikes Shaking Tyre, Southern Lebanon
11 Intense Airstrikes Target Beirut’s Southern Suburb Following Israeli Warning
Health Ministry: 3,117 Killed Since October 2023
Airstrikes on Villages in Tyre and Bint Jbeil
Rocket sirens sound in Tel Aviv, Haifa suburbs, IAF strikes Hezbollah targets in Tyre
Bou Saab: Reaching ceasefire possible within few weeks
Israeli Strikes, Hezbollah Ambushes Escalate Along the Lebanese Border
Hezbollah attacks bases in south Tel Aviv and near Haifa
UNIFIL accuses Israel of deliberate attacks on positions
Halevi says Israel to use force against 'violations' if Lebanon solution reached
Blinken to keep working to end Gaza and Lebanon wars in remainder of term
Asharq Al-Awsat Reveals Trump’s Written Pledge for Peace to Lebanese Community in US
Trump wants Israel to defeat Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran by Jan. 20
Lebanon’s War Losses Double Compared to 2006
Geagea says accepts presidential vote session boycotted by Shiites
Brighter Prospects for Mikati?/Natasha Metni Torbey/This is Beirut/November 08/2024
The Shiite Community at a Crossroads: An Inevitable Transition to Statehood/Johnny Ftouhi/This is Beirut/November 08/2024
Druze Leadership on High Alert to Avert Reckless Ventures/Toni Issa/This is Beirut/November 08/2024

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 08-09/2024
Israel Says it Will Re-open Crossing into Gaza as Pressure Builds to Get More Aid In
Israeli Defense Minister Officially Steps Down
Nearly 70 percent of people killed in Gaza women and children, UN finds
Western states encourage belligerents by arming Israel, HRW chief says
Amsterdam rioters targeted Israeli fans in 'explosion of antisemitism', mayor says
'Strong likelihood' famine imminent in north Gaza, say food security experts
Israeli PM Netanyahu appoints new ambassador to United States
Israeli Defense Minister Officially Steps Down
UN peacekeepers say Israel's destruction of their property breaches international law
Morocco limits preaching about war in the Middle East that invokes jihad
Iran After Trump’s Win: Calls for New Approach, Challenge to Soleimani’s ‘Killer’
Justice Department brings criminal charges in Iranian murder-for-hire plan targeting Donald Trump
US judge rules against Biden legalization program for immigrant spouses
New York judge must do the unthinkable - and correct - thing to Donald Trump | Opinion
Yemen Houthis shoot down US drone
Kuwait Revokes Record Number of 930 Citizenships in One Day
AMCD Condemns the Biden Harris Admin for Sacrificing American Jimmy Sharmahd in Iran
Turkey's foreign minister visits Athens to help mend ties between the regional rivals

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on November 08-09/2024
Islamism, the West and Human Rights/Nils A. Haug/Gatestone Institute/November 08, 2024
Why America Stopped Winning Wars ...Since 1945, the U.S. has adopted patterns of thought and action that make victory impossible. Israel cannot afford to follow that example./Dan Zamansky/The Magazine/November 08, 2024
A ‘Pure Genocide’: Christians Slaughtered in Nigeria and the Great Press Cover-Up/Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/November 08, 2024
Question: “What does it mean to love one another?”/GotQuestions.org/November 08, 2024
Writers and Careless Use of Words/Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 09/2024
What Arabs should expect from the new White House/Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/ArabNews/November 08, 2024

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 07-08/2024
Our Maronite Patriarch and Bishops Live in Another World, Drowning in Dhimmitude, and Blinded to Hezbollah’s Occupation and its Crime of Usurping Sovereignty
Elias Bejjani/November 6, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/136590/
Matthew 5:37 / “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”
To the shepherd who has abandoned his flock, and to the Maronite bishops who participated in the misguided and sinful homage at the Mleeta Museum: Enough with the dhimmitude and blindness to the reality of occupation, its crimes, its wars, and its shameful arrogance. Your statement today is alienated from Lebanon, its state, its people, and their suffering; it is undoubtedly a grave mistake and a sin.
Know that the abduction of Imad Amhaz and Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon are by no means violations of Lebanese sovereignty, as you have falsely claimed in your “lamentable” statement. Sovereignty, you dear Bishops who are supposed to be guardians of sovereignty, has long been absent, usurped, confiscated and controlled by Hezbollah and its Persian masters.
Fear God, or resign, for your presence has become a disaster, and your absence would indeed be a relief and a blessing.

Lebanon State Media Says Israel Blows Up Houses on Border
Asharq Al Awsat/November 08/2024
Lebanese state media said the Israeli army on Friday detonated explosives planted inside houses in three border villages that have been battered by the Israel-Hezbollah war. Hezbollah says it is engaged in fighting Israeli forces in the area, more than a month into an Israeli ground invasion aimed at pushing the Iran-backed group away from the border. "Since this morning, the Israeli enemy's army has been carrying out bombing operations inside the villages of Yaroun, Aitaroun and Maroun al-Ras in the Bint Jbeil area, with the aim of destroying residential homes there," the official National News Agency said.
Israeli forces also conducted a raid in the nearby town of Bint Jbeil, NNA said, after Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli troops in the flashpoint border region, AFP reported. Hezbollah said on Thursday it had "ambushed" Israeli ground forces attempting to infiltrate Yaroun. The group has claimed eight operations since Wednesday targeting Israeli troops on the outskirts of Maroun al-Ras. Friday's explosions are the latest in a string of similar incidents that have impacted the border area. According to NNA, Israeli troops blew up buildings in at least seven border villages last month. Footage verified by AFP on Monday showed massive blasts that ripped through Mais al-Jabal and reduced homes to rubble. Israel's Channel 12 last month broadcast footage appearing to show one of its presenters blow up a building while embedded with soldiers in the village of Aita al-Shaab.

9 Dead and 30 Injured in Intense Airstrikes Shaking Tyre, Southern Lebanon
Asharq Al-Awsat / November 8, 2024
Lebanese media reported on Friday that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on the city of Tyre has risen to 9, with over 30 injured as recovery efforts continue. According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, these figures are not yet final following two rounds of airstrikes by Israeli warplanes and drones targeting residential buildings. Earlier today, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health confirmed that the total number of casualties from Israeli attacks across Lebanon has reached 3,117 killed and 13,888 wounded. In response, hospitals in Tyre have issued calls for blood donations of all types due to the high number of injured from the strikes. The attacks also caused extensive destruction to targeted areas, while Civil Defense, medical emergency teams, and the Red Cross are transporting the wounded to hospitals and extinguishing fires.
The Israeli military stated that it had targeted Hezbollah special forces positions within residential areas in the coastal city of Tyre, claiming that they destroyed rocket-launch platforms used to attack Israel, killed dozens of Hezbollah fighters, and destroyed weapons caches.

11 Intense Airstrikes Target Beirut’s Southern Suburb Following Israeli Warning
Beirut: Asharq Al-Awsat / November 8, 2024
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Friday that “extremely intense” airstrikes hit areas of Hadath, Burj al-Barajneh, Haret Hreik, and Mreijeh in Beirut’s southern suburb. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued a new warning to evacuate buildings in these areas.

Health Ministry: 3,117 Killed Since October 2023
National News Agency / November 8, 2024
The Health Ministry announced today, Friday, that Israeli attacks on Lebanon have led to the deaths of at least 3,117 people and injured 13,888 others since October 2023.

Airstrikes on Villages in Tyre and Bint Jbeil
National News Agency / November 8, 2024
Overnight and into the morning, Israeli warplanes continued strikes on villages in the districts of Tyre and Bint Jbeil, including towns such as Tayr, Sultaneyyeh, Tebnine, Shaqra, Kunin, and Khirbet Selm. In Tyre, while funeral processions were held for victims from Ain Baal, Israeli warplanes bombed a building in the city center, resulting in casualties. Past midnight, the town of Mansouri and the outskirts of Ghandourieh and Faroun were also targeted. Israeli reconnaissance, drone, and fighter jets continued their surveillance over the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts, dropping illumination flares over border villages near the Blue Line. At dawn, the villages of Ramiyeh, Aita al-Shaab, and Qouzah were fired upon with Israeli machine guns targeting the woods along the international border with Israel. Towns including Alma al-Shaab, Wadi al-Salouqi, Majdel Selm, and the city of Bint Jbeil faced artillery shelling, causing severe damage to homes and businesses. Separately, UNIFIL forces reported six wounded soldiers from the Malaysian battalion in an Israeli drone strike near an army checkpoint by the Awali River bridge. Meanwhile, the Amal Movement in Tyre held funerals for 16 martyrs from Ain Baal and three from Tayr Debba, who died in the Barja massacre.

Rocket sirens sound in Tel Aviv, Haifa suburbs, IAF strikes Hezbollah targets in Tyre
Jerusalem Post/November 08/2024
Rocket alert sirens sounded in Petach Tikva, Kfar Saba, and surrounding areas in central Israel on Friday afternoon, after rockets crossed from Lebanon, the IDF reported. A crash caused damage to a house in Kfar Yasif in northern Israel, the police announced, after sirens additionally sounded in Yokne'am Illit, Kiryat Ata, and in several areas surrounding Haifa. No casualties were reported. Five rockets were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory, the military stated. Most of the rockets were intercepted, and some fell in open areas. As of 5:00 p.m. on Friday, approximately 60 rockets were fired by Hezbollah into Israeli territory, the IDF announced. The Israel Air Force (IAF) on Friday conducted intelligence-based strikes on Hezbollah command centers from which Hezbollah commanders and terrorists operated near the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon, the IDF said. Over the course of Friday, IDF soldiers eliminated dozens of terrorists in southern Lebanon and struck numerous weapons storage facilities and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

Bou Saab: Reaching ceasefire possible within few weeks
Naharnet/November 08/2024
Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab on Friday said that Israel is “obliged to resort to a diplomatic solution” with Lebanon and that “the atmosphere is suitable for that.”“We expect the U.S. mediator to visit the region next week,” Bou Saab told Sky News Arabia. “Reaching a ceasefire is possible within a few weeks,” he added. He also noted that “Israel's goal is not to eradicate Hezbollah, but rather to create a weapons-free zone in the south” and that “a large-scale ground invasion of Lebanon was not not the objective of the Israeli operation.”

Israeli Strikes, Hezbollah Ambushes Escalate Along the Lebanese Border
This is Beirut/November 08/2024
Israeli attacks on several areas in Lebanon continue. Intense Israeli raids targeted the city of Tyre on Friday evening. The National News Agency (ANI) reported that the Israeli raids on Tyre left 3 people dead and more than 30 injured. The strikes also caused extensive damage in the targeted areas.
Lebanese state media also reported that on Friday, the Israeli army detonated explosives planted inside houses in three border villages that have faced repeated attacks since the conflict began. “Since this morning, the Israeli enemy's army has been carrying out bombing operations inside the villages of Yaroun, Aitaroun, and Maroun al-Ras in the Bint Jbeil area, with the aim of destroying residential homes,” the official National News Agency (NNA) stated. Israeli forces also conducted a raid in the nearby town of Bint Jbeil, according to NNA, following Hezbollah's announcement that it had targeted Israeli troops in the tense border region. On Thursday, Hezbollah reported it had “ambushed” Israeli ground forces attempting to infiltrate Yaroun. The group also claimed it had launched eight operations since Wednesday, targeting Israeli troops near Maroun al-Ras. Friday's explosions are the latest in a series of similar incidents impacting the border area. NNA reported that last month, Israeli troops detonated buildings in at least seven border villages. Footage, verified by AFP on Monday, showed large blasts that reduced homes in Mays al-Jabal to rubble. Israel's Channel 12 aired footage last month that appeared to show one of its reporters embedded with soldiers detonating a building in the village of Aita al-Shaab. Additionally, several villages were attacked from late Thursday night into early Friday, including Tyre, Khirbet Selm, Al Tayri, Soultaniyeh, Tibnine, Shaqra, Kounine (Bint Jbeil) and Kfar Remman (Nabatiyeh).
In Ain Baal, military aircraft targeted a building as funerals were planned for victims killed in Israeli attacks in Barja (Chouf district) the previous day. Shortly after midnight, the villages of Mansouri (Tyre), Ghandouriyeh (Nabatiyeh) and Froun (Bint Jbeil) were shelled.
On Thursday night, Israeli reconnaissance planes and drones flew over villages in the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts, with the Israeli air force dropping flares over border villages near the Blue Line.
At dawn on Friday, Ramya, Aita al-Shaab and Qaouzah in southern Lebanon came under machine gun fire, particularly in forested areas near the Israeli border. Additionally, Alma al-Shaab, Wadi Saluki, Majdal Selm and Bint Jbeil were bombarded by Israeli artillery, causing significant material damage. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced that six members of its Malaysian battalion were injured after a raid by Israeli drones near a Lebanese army checkpoint at the Awali River in Saida. In Israel, sirens sounded in Haifa, Nazareth, Kiryat Shmona and surrounding areas, as well as across large parts of the Galilee, early on Friday morning. The Israeli army reported it had “detected about twenty missiles launched from Lebanon towards northern Israel and in the direction of Haifa and Nazareth,” adding that “some were intercepted.”
Israeli Channel 12 also reported that “five missiles were observed over the finger of Galilee” and that “some fell in open areas.” According to the channel, “ten missiles were launched on Naharia and the Western Galilee.”Moreover, Israeli media reported that an army helicopter was searching for drones that had entered the airspace north of Caesarea. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack on the Stella Maris naval base northwest of Haifa on Friday morning, stating that it resulted in the base’s destruction and caused casualties and injuries among its crew and accompanying forces.

Hezbollah attacks bases in south Tel Aviv and near Haifa
Agence France Presse/November 08/2024
Hezbollah said its fighters launched missiles at an air base in central Israel on Friday, the latest attack by the Iran-backed group in more than a month of war. Hezbollah said it "targeted the Tel Nof Air Base, south of Tel Aviv... with a salvo of advanced missiles."Hezbollah had earlier on Friday targeted a naval base near the Israeli city of Haifa with missiles, the second such attack in less than 24 hours. The Lebanese group said it targeted the "Stella Maris" naval base northwest of Haifa with a missile barrage, "in response to the attacks and massacres committed by the Israeli enemy."
The group had on Thursday claimed another attack on the same area. In a separate statement, the group claimed that it had also targeted the Ramat David airbase, southeast of Haifa, with missiles. Israel has been at war with Lebanon's Hezbollah since late September when it broadened its focus from fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip to securing its northern border. It escalated its air campaign and later sent in ground forces into the country's south. This came after a year of cross-border exchanges with Hezbollah, which has said it was acting in support of Gaza. The war has killed more than 2,600 people in Lebanon since September 23, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

UNIFIL accuses Israel of deliberate attacks on positions
Naharnet/November 08/2024
UNIFIL has accused the Israeli army of deliberately attacking its positions and of recently destroying part of a fence and a concrete structure in a UNIFIL position in Ras Naqoura. "Yesterday, two IDF excavators and one IDF bulldozer destroyed part of a fence and a concrete structure in a UNIFIL position in Ras Naqoura. In response to our urgent protest, the IDF denied any activity was taking place inside the UNIFIL position," UNIFIL said in a statement. "The IDF’s deliberate and direct destruction of clearly identifiable UNIFIL property is a flagrant violation of international law and resolution 1701. We again remind the IDF and all actors of their obligation to ensure the safety and security of U.N. personnel and property and respect the inviolability of U.N. premises at all times," the statement said. Since 30 September, the Israeli army has repeatedly demanded that peacekeepers leave their positions near the Blue Line for their safety. "Yesterday’s incident, like seven other similar incidents, is not a matter of peacekeepers getting caught in the crossfire, but of deliberate and direct actions by the IDF," UNIFIL said. "We also note with concern the destruction and removal this week of two of the blue barrels that mark the U.N.-delineated line of withdrawal between Lebanon and Israel (the Blue Line). Peacekeepers directly observed the IDF removing one of them. "Despite the unacceptable pressures being exerted on the mission through various channels, peacekeepers will continue to undertake our mandated monitoring and reporting tasks under resolution 1701," the statement said.

Halevi says Israel to use force against 'violations' if Lebanon solution reached
Naharnet/November 08/2024
There is “nothing more symbolic of victory” than the safe return of displaced residents to north Israel, Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi told heads of local authorities during a meeting in the north. “We have the right to defend ourselves, and in any political settlement, if it is achieved, the IDF (Israeli army) will have to pursue violations with the force of fire,” he added. “We are striking at the structures that Hezbollah has established since 2006, and we are doing so with the greatest possible force, and we will not allow them to return,” Halevi said. He added: “We continue to work with great strength and determination. We have to make clear plans to ensure that the situation here will be much better than it was before the war.”

Blinken to keep working to end Gaza and Lebanon wars in remainder of term
Agence France Presse/November 08/2024
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to keep working to end the Gaza and Lebanon wars in his time remaining before handing over to President-elect Donald Trump, the State Department said Thursday. "We will continue to pursue an end to the war in Gaza, an end to the war in Lebanon, a surge of humanitarian assistance (to Gaza), and that is our duty to pursue those policies right up until noon on January 20 when the president-elect takes office," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Asharq Al-Awsat Reveals Trump’s Written Pledge for Peace to Lebanese Community in US
Beirut: Nazeer Reda/Asharq Al Awsat/November 08/2024
Lebanon’s parliament Speaker Nabih Berri spoke of a letter signed by American President-elect Donald Trump to pressure Israel to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon and go ahead with a plan to restore calm between Lebanon and Israel. The letter was a product of a role played by a family of Lebanese origin in the United States. Trump signed the letter about a week ago and it was released days later at the request of the Lebanese community there. It is seen as the first written pledge in history to be signed by a president to his voters, said Ali Abbas, who goes by the name Albert.
Abbas held talks with Trump’s adviser and son-in-law's father Dr. Massad Boulos, asking him that the president support the demands of the Lebanese and Arab diasporas in Michigan to exert pressure to stop the war and end the suffering of the Lebanese and Palestinian people in return for their votes in the presidential election. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Abbas said Boulos relayed the message to Trump, who in turn, sent a letter signed by him, cementing his pledge to the Lebanese community that he wants peace in the Middle East and world. The letter carried frank support from Trump to use his influence to stop the war, giving the Arab community hope that peace and stability would be restored. The Lebanese community looks at the letter as an “opportunity to achieve peace” and that it was better than any opportunity that the Democrats could have offered the diaspora.
Abbas family
Abbas, 48, hails from a Lebanese family that immigrated from Lebanon in the 1970s. He was born and raised in the US and has become involved in the Arab community there. He is following in his father’s footsteps, who left for the US in 1972, and played a role in the 1980s in sending messages between the Ronald Reagan administration and Lebanese. Abbas refuses to say that he comes from a political family, saying that the family works in the restaurant business and are peace activists.
From Harris campaign to Trump
Abbas had initially turned to Kamala Harris’ electoral campaign with the appeal for peace, but he was left “disappointed” after he learned that she was not interested in changing America’s foreign policy. So, he turned to Boulos. Abbas revealed that he met with representatives of Harris’ campaign in Detroit, demanding a ceasefire and easing the suffering of the Lebanese people. “The representatives informed us that Harris had no interest in changing the current foreign policy towards Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinians,” he said. “We told them that relatives of the Lebanese diaspora in Dearborn have died in the war and that its continuation will lead to more suffering. But they did not offer any commitment or pledge to end the current policy,” he continued.
Trump's signed letter to the Lebanese community. (dearbornareacommunitymembers on instagram)
Trump campaign
So, Abbas shifted his efforts to the Trump campaign and made the same demands during meetings with Boulos. He relayed to him the fears of the Lebanese and Palestinian communities over their families in Lebanon and Gaza. Boulos was asked to be receptive of these demands and in return, Trump would be welcomed in the city. Indeed, Boulos welcomed the calls for peace and prosperity in the Middle East, relaying them to Trump, “who agreed to our request that his pledge be in written form and signed by him.” The signed letter was sent days later. “This was the first time in history that a president signs a pledge to his voters. We were delighted and he gave us hope that he would use his power and apply pressure to stop the war and reach peace,” added Abbas to Asharq Al-Awsat. “Trump’s campaign sent us the signed letter and we showed it to the community here and it was released at our request. This would allow millions around the world to witness this pledge to work for peace,” he stressed. Addressing the Lebanese community, Trump said in his letter: “During my Administration, we had peace in the Middle East, and we will have peace again very soon! I will fix the problems caused by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden and stop the suffering and destruction in Lebanon. I want to see the Middle East return to real peace, a lasting peace, and we will get it done properly so it doesn't repeat itself every 5 or 10 years! “You have my word. I will preserve the equal partnership among all Lebanese communities. Your friends and family in Lebanon deserve to live in peace, prosperity, and harmony with their neighbors, and that can only happen with peace and stability in the Middle East. “I look forward to working with the Lebanese community living in the United States of America to ensure the safety and security of the great people of Lebanon.
“Vote Trump for Peace!”
Trump’s welcome
The letter motivated the Lebanese and Arab communities to welcome Trump in Dearborn in early November. Abbas made sure to mention the letter during a speech he made at the restaurant, Great Commoner, which is owned by brothers Hassan and Hussein, during the visit. He also called for putting an end to the way Muslims are portrayed in the media and for the stereotyping against them to end. Addressing Trump during the visit, Abbas said: “Our families are suffering at home. The current administration has failed miserably in managing the war and in all humanitarian aspects.” He added that the administration has betrayed Arab Americans. “We look forward to the Trump presidency with hope and envision a time when peace will flourish, especially in Lebanon and Palestine. I cannot stand in silence while Palestine is being erased. Please help us,” he continued. “In stopping the bloodshed, no amount of money and power should be given priority over human life.”For his part, Trump said at the meeting: “We have a great feeling about Lebanon, and I know a lot of people from Lebanon and we have to end all this, we want to have peace, I know a lot of the Lebanese people and the Muslim population, they love Trump and they had a good relationship with him. We want their votes, we are looking for their votes, and I believe we will get their votes.”
Trump’s speech
Abbas described Trump's speech at the meeting as “strong” and “serious.” He added: “We asked for peace, and Trump was enthusiastic and responsive. After this meeting, we noticed a decline in his statements about supporting Israel, and he confirmed his determination to achieve peace for the Lebanese and the Palestinians. He spoke about the intelligence of the Lebanese and knowing them as a peaceful people who yearn for peace and justice.”“So, I handed him a commemorative plaque and quoted Ronald Reagan on it about peace, and this plaque will be in the Oval Office in the White House,” added Abbas.
He handed Trump an honorary shield on behalf of all peace lovers in Michigan, and quoted Reagan on it: “Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to deal with conflict by peaceful means.”

Trump wants Israel to defeat Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran by Jan. 20
Yossi Aloni/Israel Today/November 08/2024
The US president-elect believes this is the dawn of a new Middle East, Evangelical advisor Mike Evans tells Israel Today. “Donald Trump wants Israel to finish the job from now until January 20th, eliminate Iran’s two proxies in Lebanon and Gaza, and end the war. I also believe he wants Israel to deal with Iran by January 20th. Israel cannot strike Iran’s nuclear facilities because they are hidden underground, so Israel should target Iran’s oil facilities and, by doing so, bankrupt Iran. If Israel hits Iran’s refineries located on a single island, it would lead to Iran’s bankruptcy.”
That according to American Evangelical leader Mike Evans in an interview with Israel Today. Evans is among a small group of prominent pro-Israel Christian leaders who advised Trump during his first presidency. Evans emphasized that Trump’s election victory is a gift to Israel from God: “Trump has moral clarity. He sees things simply. Good versus evil. In his eyes, Israel is good, and its enemies are evil. Under Biden, it was the opposite. They viewed Israel’s enemies as victims and Israel as the aggressor. They repeatedly pushed for concessions...

Lebanon’s War Losses Double Compared to 2006
Beirut: Paul AstihAsharq Al-Awsat/November 09/2024
A comparison of the current human and material losses from the ongoing Hezbollah-Israel conflict with those from the July 2006 war shows that current losses have doubled. Experts warn that the reconstruction funds and aid pledged to Lebanon 18 years ago may have limited impact once the war ends.
Total Losses
Mohammad Shamseddine, a researcher from Information International, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the death toll has risen from 900 in 2006 to 2,865 in the current conflict (as of October 31, 2024), with the number increasing daily. The number of wounded was 4,000 in 2006, but it has now exceeded 13,047. In 2006, 600,000 people were displaced, while today that number has surpassed 1.2 million. Of these, 189,174 are in shelters. A total of 358,133 Syrians and 172,604 Lebanese have fled to Syria, and 120,000 have sought refuge in other countries. Lebanese Economy and Trade Minister Amin Salam estimated that Lebanon’s total economic losses from the current conflict have reached $20 billion. However, economic associations report direct losses between $10 billion and $12 billion, covering damage to key sectors, homes, buildings, and infrastructure.These figures align with estimates from Shamseddine, who believes direct and indirect losses are around $10 billion. Of this, $4 billion occurred from October 8, 2023, to September 17, 2024 (when the conflict was mostly limited to the south), and $7 billion from September 17 to October 31, 2024, after Israel expanded the war. For comparison, losses during the 2006 war totaled $5.3 billion. In 2006, infrastructure damage was valued at $900 million, higher than the current war's $570 million in infrastructure losses. Housing losses in 2006 totaled $2.2 billion, while they have now surpassed $4.26 billion. Mohammad Shamseddine points out that commercial losses were similar in both conflicts, at $4.7 million. Agricultural and environmental losses in 2006 were $450 million, but now exceed $900 million. Indirect economic damages were $1.2 billion in 2006, while they have now surpassed $3.38 billion.
One notable difference is the number of airstrikes: from October 8, 2023, to October 31, 2024, there were 11,647, compared to just 3,670 during the 33-day 2006 war.

Geagea says accepts presidential vote session boycotted by Shiites
Naharnet/November 08/2024
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has said that he would accept that a parliamentary session be held to elect a new president without the participation of the Shiite MPs in it. “The constitution and the National Pact allow that. If for example Maronites reject something, would this mean that the country should be paralyzed?” Geagea added, in an interview on LBCI television. As for the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah war, Geagea said he believes that it will last three to four more months. “I expect the continuation and escalation of the battles during this stage, seeing as the two parties of the conflict consider themselves to be before a chance to enhance their positions prior to reaching a situation that would limit their movements,” Geagea added. Pointing out that “what’s happening today is exactly what the Israelis had planned for,” the LF leader noted that “throughout one month, the Israelis have occupied around 200 square kilometers (of south Lebanon), whereas the occupation of the 360-square-kilometer Gaza took eight to nine months, which means that they are a lot faster in Lebanon, contrary to what Hezbollah is promoting in this regard.”He added that “the Israelis are preparing for the second stage.”“I don’t know if it will reach the Litani or not, but it is the same, although the first stage was harder, because it was about Hezbollah’s first line of reinforcements. Unfortunately, all of this has fallen and now the second phase will begin,” Geagea said. He added: “We are on the brink of a war between Israel and Israel, and I believe that it will not end without a strike on the Iranian nuclear facilities, especially after Donald Trump was elected president.”As for the Lebanese presidency, Geagea acknowledged that “a lot of parliamentary blocs support the election of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun.”“I have announced that he is one of the serious candidates and that we don’t have a veto on him, but before nominating him formally, we will talk to him to explore his approach regarding some matters,” Geagea added. “A consensual president is not a real president and a consensual government is not a real government,” the LF leader went on to say. As for Hezbollah’s participation in the coming government, Geagea said: “If it turns into a political party, it will take part, and I don’t envision that it would keep its weapons under any settlement.”

Brighter Prospects for Mikati?
Natasha Metni Torbey/This is Beirut/November 08/2024
Expected in Riyadh on Sunday to participate in the Arab-Islamic summit scheduled for November 11, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati plans to arrive with strong political backing. His main challenge will be to present himself before the Arab community not only as Leban exon’s executive leader, but also as a national and, importantly, Sunni figurehead. The goal? To prepare for the post-war phase and position himself as a potential "candidate" to lead a prospective new government. Ahead of his visit to Saudi Arabia, Mikati took an initiative some political figures view as having sectarian undertones. After a meeting on Thursday at the Grand Serail with the Mufti of the Republic, Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, the prime minister called for a broader meeting on Friday with the country’s 27 Sunni MPs. While most responded affirmatively, three declined for various reasons. MP Imad el-Hout cited an overseas trip, while MPs Halime el-Kaakour and Oussama Saad refused to attend a meeting of a sectarian nature. “With 24 MPs gathered under the auspices of the caretaker prime minister, one can only acknowledge Mikati’s success in achieving his goal to rally the Sunni community in Lebanon,” suggested a source close to the matter, speaking anonymously. This gathering was further bolstered by support from a large portion of Christian political factions. It should be noted that, last Wednesday, two former presidents, Amine Gemayel and Michel Sleiman, along with former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, visited Mikati to present a joint report on the current situation and congratulate him on his recent actions. They praised his resistance to Iranian interference (notably through his recent stances) and his affirmation of Lebanese sovereignty. On October 18, Mikati had instructed the caretaker Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, to summon the Iranian chargé d’affaires to relay Lebanon’s protests. This controversy arose following comments by Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf in an interview with Le Figaro. Among other statements, Ghalibaf had suggested that Tehran was prepared to negotiate a ceasefire in Lebanon with Paris. This led to accusations, particularly by Mikati, of Iran interfering in Lebanon’s internal affairs and attempting to establish control over the country. Set against a particularly tense and complex political backdrop, the "Sunni-to-Sunni" meeting was held discreetly, away from the media. While it might spark high expectations, it also risks having significant repercussions on Lebanon's political balance. Regarding its connection to the aforementioned Arab-Islamic summit, opinions are divided. Some observers argue that the two matters are unrelated, while others speculate that this meeting might not have been held if not for the upcoming summit.
For Mikati, three critical imperatives are at stake, benefiting from the “absence” and regional “boycott” imposed on his predecessor, Saad Hariri: becoming the ultimate reference within the Sunni community (despite lacking a parliamentary bloc), assuming the post-war mission, and establishing himself alongside Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri as a national authority capable of unifying ranks.
In other words, the meeting he convened with Sunni MPs aims to strengthen unity within the community, particularly in light of the uncertainty surrounding Saad Hariri’s succession and the internal division that has persisted since Hariri’s withdrawal from political life. Mikati likely intends to bring together various Sunni factions around a common platform, capable of contributing to the country's governance while safeguarding the community’s interests. This appears crucial for him, not only to secure political power but also to ensure Sunni representation in Lebanese institutions. Furthermore, Mikati might leverage this gathering to solidify his role as a mediator and political leader, especially given that his interim mandate is perceived by some, considering the current climate, as a temporary or even fragile arrangement. In this regard, it is worth noting that the caretaker prime minister has played a vital role in managing Lebanon's government crisis, even as the cabinet remains partially functional and political tensions persist. Although he has so far avoided fully engaging in the struggle for Sunni leadership, could his position as the caretaker prime minister, with broad popular support, grant him a central role in stabilizing the country?

The Shiite Community at a Crossroads: An Inevitable Transition to Statehood
Johnny Ftouhi/This is Beirut/November 08/2024
Amid Lebanon’s escalating political and security crises, discussions about the future of the state have become vital. The issue of the Shiite community and its stance toward the state and its institutions is particularly significant, especially as regional and local tensions increase due to the Israeli war. In this context, voices within the Shiite community advocate for a return to the state project and engagement with official institutions, stressing that protection and stability come from embracing a unifying project centered on Lebanon’s unity and sovereignty.
Amin: Hezbollah’s Weapons Have Brought Catastrophe to Lebanon
Commenting on this issue, journalist Ali Amin told This is Beirut, “There are various trends, and we cannot speak of a unified approach. Despite the diversity of opinions, one central idea emerges from dissenting voices: it is imperative that the State regains its role and authority, so that Lebanon is ruled by a truly Lebanese authority. This is not just the demand of the Shiite opposition or a single group; it is a national challenge. Hezbollah’s influence is a national issue. Calling it a ‘Shiite challenge’ is simply evading responsibility. It is up to all involved forces to play a key role, with broad Lebanese efforts necessary to change this reality.”He added, “The chaos we face today stems from the Lebanese government’s complacency and collusion with Hezbollah. The Lebanese government, as the legitimate authority, must take a firm stance, condemning this infringement on state sovereignty and the flagrant violation of its institutions. This solution must emphasize the role of the official institutions—from the government to the parliament and down to the Lebanese army, all of which must fulfill their duties comprehensively. This is the way forward to find solutions to exit the crisis we’re in.”
Addressing the accusations from Hezbollah supporters that dissenters within the Shiite community are “Shiites of embassies,” Amin remarked, “It’s amusing that they label us this way, considering that they themselves are the ones cooperating openly with foreign embassies and Iran. If others were actually ‘Shiites of embassies,’ their material and security resources would be very different.”Amin emphasized, “We are not against a relationship with Iran; we are against total allegiance to Iranian interests over national interests. The dissenters within the Shiite community have shown no signs of loyalty to any foreign state over Lebanon and its official institutions.”Regarding Hezbollah’s weaponry, Amin said, “We have repeatedly stated that this weaponry should be part of a national defense strategy. Moreover, these weapons have proven incapable of protecting the Shiite community, the south, or the Bekaa region. The claim that these arms are essential is fundamentally flawed. Quite the contrary, they have only brought disaster to Lebanon. Had the Lebanese army been deployed along the borders, we would not have reached our current situation, which has led to a million displaced Shiites and allowed Israel unprecedented destruction of Lebanon.”Amin concluded, “I believe the call for a return to the state and its institutions will resonate more within the Shiite community, but this requires collective effort from all parties, especially the state itself, which must assert its authority as the sole decision-maker. It is the state's weapons that ultimately protect Lebanon.”
Johari: The Idea That Security Forces Are Weak Is Invalid
In this context, Sheikh Abbas Johari said, “The idea is to work towards building the state and establishing it firmly in the minds of the Shiite community, clarifying that the state protects everyone and that we must be a part of it since we have no objectives beyond its borders. The state is our freedom and our future, through which we can repel any external enemy. Today, some attempted to defend themselves from outside the state’s framework, dividing Lebanese, Arab, and international opinion, giving the enemy an opportunity to pounce on them. The state is the essential foundation for the next phase, establishing it in the minds, hearts, and spirits of the Shiite community so that they adopt the state as the only means of self and societal protection.”He added, “There must be a discourse assuring them that their security lies in the state and does not challenge their human, national, and community pride. A thoughtful, intelligent approach towards the Shiite community allows us to bring them into the fold of the state. Alienating them instead, by aligning with the enemy, will only make them more reticent and less open to dialogue.”Johari also noted, “The idea that security forces are weak is now defunct. Today, we face intense, systematic bombardment, and the resistance can achieve success on its own territory. However, the approach of fighting like regular armies has failed. When such tactics ignore the balance of power, a revolutionary narrative is used to compensate, as we saw in Hassan Nasrallah's speeches. In his absence, it is clear that such rhetoric was flawed and not grounded in reason.”Regarding the issue of Hezbollah's weapons, Sheikh Johari emphasized the need to integrate these arms within the national defense system under the authority of the Lebanese army. He stated that “these weapons have become a burden and must be incorporated into the state to be part of political decision-making.” He clarified that no faction should be able to use them outside of a governmental framework. He added that if the Lebanese can build mutual trust and integrate these weapons into the defense system, it would help prevent a civil war. However, he warned against any form of provocation, stressing that a demand for disarmament perceived as surrender could harm the country. The discourse, he concluded, must remain wise and thoughtful, aiming to heal an ailing body without provoking dangerous reactions.
Murad: The Shiite Community Should Embrace the Concept of National Belonging
For his part, political activist Dr. Hadi Murad said, “What we seek today is to avoid terms like ‘Shiite opposition’ and instead use ‘moderation,’ in support of the state project. Sectarian narratives cannot build a nation; they end with the passing of certain leaders, as seen in the Christian and Sunni communities with the assassinations of Bachir Gemayel and Rafik Hariri, respectively. We don’t want to repeat this past, relying on leaders who drive communities into sectarianism. The Shiite community must embrace national belonging, aligning with the army and people. Other options have failed, and we must emphasize that the Shiite community is part of Lebanon’s fabric.” He added, “We are not confronting Hezbollah, which has political legitimacy in Lebanon. Rather, we want it to be part of the landscape alongside other parties, and for the Shiite community to open up like other sects. The Shiite community was the only one that remained politically unbroken in the 2022 elections, mainly due to the presence of arms. That era is fading. We do not aim to dismantle the party. Our goal is to bring this environment together, offering them a new voice grounded in state support—a voice that Hezbollah’s narrative has overshadowed for 40 years.”
Murad highlighted that achieving this project “requires international and Arab support. The Shiite community is in crisis and has suffered immense destruction due to Hezbollah’s policies, which have entangled Lebanon in endless conflict. This monopolistic logic opposes the Shiite spirit, which originally stood with Hussein in Karbala for justice. The Shiite community needs a safe refuge, and the only path is through Arab relations and a return to statehood. As Musa Sadr said, the Shiites in Lebanon are Arabs, and it is on this basis that we build the project of reintegrating the Shiite community into the state.”

Druze Leadership on High Alert to Avert Reckless Ventures
Toni Issa/This is Beirut/November 08/2024
The threat the Druze community is currently confronting also faces Christians and Sunnis. Without swift action, the burden of displacement will hit them all at once, making it far more difficult to address. Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming plan seeks to reshape the entire Middle East, including Lebanon. Lebanon's political and sectarian forces cannot approach the current Israeli war as they did previous conflicts, including the 1982 invasion that reached Beirut. This war risks dismantling the existing “rules of engagement” between Lebanese sectarian groups, potentially ushering in a new balance of power. As a result, all factions are bracing for the “day after” the war.
In this context, Druze leaders met in Baadaran last Saturday to chart their course in response to the ongoing and anticipated changes, reflecting Walid Jumblatt’s belief that “the war will be very long.”
This gathering effectively lays the groundwork for a provisional collective leadership for the Druze community. Wisdom now dictates roles distribution and efforts coordination to ensure a smooth transition to safety, without disruptions.
This distribution of roles is a strategy frequently adopted by Druze spiritual and political forces in pivotal moments. The Baadaran meeting evokes the unity of the community's leaders after the events of May 7–8, 2008, when Jumblatt feared a Hezbollah invasion of the Jabal (Shouf). At that time, they set aside their political divisions—whether aligned with March 8 or March 14—and overcame traditional leadership rivalries. Jumblatt even entrusted Talal Arslan with temporarily leading the community, given his closeness to Hezbollah, with the understanding that the situation would be reassessed once the crisis had passed.
Today, it seems that Jumblatt, the convener of the Baadaran meeting, intended it to be a historically significant gathering with deep symbolism, opting for this setting rather than his Mukhtara residence. His goal was to ensure inclusivity, under the guidance of spiritual leadership represented by Sheikh Akl Sami Abi al-Mona and other religious figures (Mashayekh), lending the gathering legitimacy and instilling trust and confidence among all parties involved.
The question is: What developments and signals led Druze leaders to mobilize and deem this phase decisive?
According to insiders close to the meeting, everyone understands how and when the Israeli war began, but no one can predict how or when it will end. Thus far, it has displaced hundreds of thousands from the South, Beirut’s southern suburbs, and the Beqaa to the Jabal regions and beyond, with many of their homes facing systematic daily destruction. If this conflict drags on for several more months, as anticipated, it could cement significant demographic shifts in Lebanon.
The crisis is further exacerbated by Israel's deliberate efforts to depopulate certain areas through systematic destruction of residential neighborhoods. With international and regional tensions likely to delay reconstruction aid, the displaced are expected to remain in the Jabal regions and other areas indefinitely, with no clear end in sight. This situation will carry serious demographic and security implications for Lebanon.
In response, the leaders gathered in Baadaran underscored the urgent need to manage the crisis before it escalates further. They cautioned the Druze community against selling their properties during this sensitive period and called on the Army and security forces to take decisive action to prevent any sectarian strife that could be triggered by tensions between the displaced people and host communities.
As a stark illustration of the volatility, just hours after the meeting, despite calls for calm and restraint, a security incident flared up in Baaqlin between locals and displaced individuals, which was quickly contained. There are rising fears that similar incidents could recur under the mounting pressure affecting both sides, especially with the risk of a “fifth column” exploiting the situation to incite a conflict that no one wants. Until recently, Jumblatt took it upon himself to avert security tensions between the supporters of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and those of Hezbollah in certain Jabal areas, relying on a network of preventive communication. Coordination committees between the two parties have been continuously operating to handle any issues. However, concerns have escalated with the erupting displacement crisis, which shows no clear end in sight, causing a decline in the effectiveness of these committees.
Some analysts fear that ongoing campaigns of distrust and accusations within Hezbollah's community—coupled with threats of “accountability” after the war with Israel—could fuel further tensions. While the Lebanese Army Forces (LAF) remain the only reliable force capable of quelling any potential sectarian conflict at its root, political sensitivities toward the Army’s Command are undermining its role. This leaves the entire country in a precarious position. The threat the Druze community is now confronting is one that also looms over the Christians and Sunnis. The displacement pressure on their regions is equally heavy—demographically, economically, and security-wise. If they do not swiftly act to launch initiatives similar to those of the Druze in addressing the situation at its inception, the full weight of displacement will fall on them all at once, making it much harder to manage. This is compounded by Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for the coming months, which aims to reshape the entire Middle East, including Lebanon, a transformation that will come at a significant cost.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 08-09/2024
Israel Says it Will Re-open Crossing into Gaza as Pressure Builds to Get More Aid In
Asharq Al Awsat/November 8, 2024
The Israeli military said on Friday it was planning to reopen the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza to increase the flow of aid into the southern end of the Gaza Strip. The move comes amid growing international pressure on Israel to get more aid into Gaza, where aid agencies have warned of a gathering humanitarian crisis in the north of the enclave, where Israeli troops have been conducting a major operation for more than a month. The new crossing would be opened following engineering work over recent weeks by army engineers to build inspection points and paved roads, the army said, Reuters reported. Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote to Israeli officials demanding concrete measures to address the worsening situation in the Palestinian enclave. The letter, which was posted to the internet by a reporter from Axios, gave the Israeli government 30 days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.Among the demands included in the letter was for the opening of a fifth crossing into Gaza.

Western states encourage belligerents by arming Israel, HRW chief says
Emma Farge/Reuters/November 8, 2024
GENEVA - The head of Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday that states supplying weapons to Israel as it pursues conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon despite evidence of violations of international law are empowering belligerents elsewhere. Tirana Hassan, HRW's Executive Director, said that countries like the United States, Germany and Britain could influence Israel's actions and should do so by ending arms sales."If there continues to be military support to the Israeli Defense Force and they (Western governments) know that these weapons are being used in the commission of war crimes, then that should be enough for weapons sales and transfers to stop," she told Reuters in an interview. "At this stage, the parties that could have some sort of influence and curb the behavior of the warring parties, when it comes to Israel, it's the U.S, it's the UK, and it's Germany, and it's through weapons sales and transfers."Israel says it takes care to avoid harming civilians and denies committing abuses and war crimes in the conflicts with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
It says its enemies are fighting amongst civilian populations, making its operations more difficult, and that it is acting in self-defence. Reuters has asked the Israeli authorities for comment on Hassan's remarks. Hassan said that when states which abused rights saw there were no consequences, they felt emboldened to continue. Governments supplying them with weapons were undermining their own credibility as defenders of international law and human rights as well as the credibility of the international system, she said. "It sends a message that these rules apply differently to us and our allies as they do to others, and that has really serious consequences," she said. This contradiction when Western countries were demanding accountability for Russia's invasion of Ukraine was being exploited by countries like Russia and China, she said.
"They are very quick to point out double standards from the West and are trying to use that to undermine the system." Hassan spoke to Reuters as the U.N. rights office released a report on the death toll in the Israel-Hamas Gaza war where it said nearly 70% of verified fatalities were women and children. Palestinian authorities say that more than 43,500 people have been killed in Gaza in the 13-month war triggered by Hamas attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. "This should now motivate the world into action. There is really no justification for the killing of children," Hassan said. On Oct. 13, Washington imposed a deadline for its ally Israel to improve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza or face potential restrictions on U.S. military aid. Asked about the likely impact of the election of Donald Trump in the United States, she said there was "little assurance" of his commitment to international law during his previous tenure as president. "Now we have seen in some of the statements on the campaign trail threats of mass deportation of millions of people and this sends a very worrying message," she added.

Antisemitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans bring shame on Amsterdam, mayor says
Eugenia Yosef, Edward Szekeres and Lauren Kent, CNN/November 8, 2024
Israeli soccer fans were beaten and injured in violent clashes in Amsterdam overnight, which Dutch authorities condemned Friday as antisemitic. Dutch police said they had launched a major investigation into multiple incidents following the Europa League soccer game Thursday night between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and Dutch side Ajax. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said criminals on scooters searched the city in search of Maccabi supporters in “hit-and-run” attacks. “This is a terrible moment for our city. … I am very ashamed of the behavior that was shown last night,” she said in a Friday news conference. Amsterdam authorities said Friday morning that five injured Israeli soccer fans have since been released from the hospital, and 20 to 30 other people were lightly injured. In total, 63 individuals were arrested and 10 remain in custody, police said.
Tensions had been rising in the lead up to Thursday night’s match with multiple social media videos showing Maccabi fans chanting anti-Arab slurs, praising Israeli military attacks in Gaza and yelling “f**k the Arabs.” Other videos apparently filmed in Amsterdam show men ripping Palestinian flags off buildings. It is unclear when those videos were filmed. After the game, hundreds of Maccabi fans “were ambushed and attacked in Amsterdam,” the Israeli embassy to the United States said on social media platform X, sharing video of the violence.
One video shows a man being kicked while he lies on the ground, while another video shows a man being hit by a man yelling “free Palestine” and “for the children, motherf***er.” CNN has not yet been able to verify those videos. Another video shows a man shouting “I am not Jewish” as he is chased down street, thrown to the ground and beaten.
Police have said the atmosphere at the stadium was relatively calm and fans left without incident after Ajax won the game 5-0, but during the night various clashes in the city center were reported.
The mayor of Amsterdam added, “There can be tensions there are many demonstrations and protests and we are always prepared for them, and of course, they are related to the situation in the Middle East and the ongoing war. But what happened last night wasn’t a protest. … It was crime.”“There is no excuse for the antisemitic behavior exhibited last night by rioters who actively sought out Israeli supporters to attack and assault them,” local authorities in Amsterdam said Friday, adding that police intervened several times to protect fans and escort them to hotels.
Police earlier said they had boosted their presence in the city center on Wednesday night, citing “tensions” in several areas, one day ahead of the game. Officers “prevented a confrontation between a group of taxi drivers and a group of visitors who came from the adjacent casino” on Wednesday, the police said in a statement on X, noting another incident, in which, a Palestinian flag was torn down in Amsterdam’s center by unknown perpetrators. On Thursday, pro-Palestinian demonstrators tried to reach the Johan Cruyff stadium, though the city had forbidden them to protest there, Reuters reported. Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof called the attacks “terrible” and “horrific” while talking to journalists on Friday. “There are always problems around football matches, and football matches regarding the Israeli team also has special attention from the police, but the things that happened last night are just terrible, horrific,” he said, before adding that he was “utterly ashamed” that this had happened in the Netherlands.
“This is completely unacceptable. I am in close contact with all parties involved and have just spoken to (Israeli Prime Minister) Netanyahu by phone to stress that the perpetrators will be identified and prosecuted,” he said, adding, “The situation in Amsterdam is now calm once more.”
Netanyahu on Friday received a briefing from the country’s Foreign Ministry regarding efforts to return Israeli citizens from Amsterdam. During the meeting, Netanyahu compared the antisemitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans to Kristallnacht, or the “Night of Broken Glass,” when the Nazi regime attacked Jewish-owned businesses, synagogues and homes throughout Germany in 1938. “Tomorrow, 86 years ago, was Kristallnacht - an attack on Jews, whatever Jews they are, on European soil. It’s back now - yesterday we celebrated it on the streets of Amsterdam. That’s what happened. There is only one difference - in the meantime, the Jewish state has been established. We have to deal with it,” Netanyahu said, according to a government statement. In a separate statement from his office, Netanyahu urged Dutch authorities to “act firmly and quickly against the rioters and ensure the peace of our citizens.” He initially said he was ordering “rescue planes” to assist Israeli citizens, but his office later said it would focus on commercial flight solutions.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar traveled to the Netherlands in the wake of the attacks, which he condemned as “barbaric and antisemitic” and called them “a blaring alarm call for Europe and the world.”Following a meeting with top Dutch officials on Friday, Sa’ar highlighted that Israel expected criminal proceedings to be taken against Thursday’s perpetrators. “We expect arrests, we expect a severe punishment,” Sa’ar said in a statement. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday that it “condemns anti-Arab chants by Israelis and attacks on the symbolism of the Palestinian flag in Amsterdam.” It also called on the Dutch government to “protect Palestinians and Arabs in the Netherlands.”Israel’s National Security Council has urged citizens to avoid Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Friday night game against Virtus Bologna in Italy. The Israeli foreign ministry is reviewing security for Israelis living abroad and for all future Israeli team sporting events in Europe, including enhancing cooperation with local authorities, an Israeli official told CNN. Following the Amsterdam incident, some people in France have called for next week’s match between the French and Israeli national soccer teams to be relocated. However, France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said Friday: “France is not backing down, as this would be tantamount to abdicating in the face of threats of violence and antisemitism.” Security arrangements are being put in place for the match at the Stade de France near Paris, he added. Meanwhile, European soccer’s governing body UEFA announced Monday that a Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Turkish football team Beşiktaş in late November will be moved to a neutral venue, following a decision by Turkish authorities.

'Strong likelihood' famine imminent in north Gaza, say food security experts
Lena Masri, Michelle Nichols/Reuters/November 8, 2024
There is a "strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas" of the northern Gaza Strip, a committee of global food security experts warned on Friday, as Israel pursues a military offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas in the area. "Immediate action, within days not weeks, is required from all actors who are directly taking part in the conflict, or have influence on its conduct, to avert and alleviate this catastrophic situation," the independent Famine Review Committee (FRC) said in a rare alert. The warning comes just days ahead of a U.S. deadline for Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on U.S. military aid. Israel's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "If no effective action is taken by stakeholders with influence, the scale of this looming catastrophe is likely to dwarf anything we have seen so far in the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023," the FRC committee said. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that there are between 75,000 and 95,000 people still in northern Gaza.
The Famine Review Committee said that it could be "assumed that starvation, malnutrition, and excess mortality due to malnutrition and disease, are rapidly increasing" in north Gaza. "Famine thresholds may have already been crossed or else will be in the near future," it said. Israel began a wide military push in northern Gaza last month. The United States has said it is watching to ensure that its ally's actions on the ground show it does not have a "policy of starvation" in the north. The Famine Review Committee reviews findings by the global hunger monitor - an internationally recognised standard known as the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC). The IPC defines famine as when at least 20% of people in an area are suffering extreme food shortages, with at least 30% of children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or malnutrition and disease. The IPC is an initiative involving U.N. agencies, national governments and aid groups that sets the global standard on measuring food crises. The IPC warned last month that the entire Gaza Strip was at risk of famine, while top U.N. officials last week described the northern Gaza Strip as "apocalyptic" and everyone there was "at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence." The amount of aid entering Gaza has plummeted to its lowest level in a year, according to U.N. data, and the U.N. has repeatedly accused Israel of hindering and blocking attempts to deliver aid, particularly to Gaza's north. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon last month told the Security Council that the issue in Gaza was not a lack of aid, saying more than a million tons had been delivered during the past year. He accused Hamas of hijacking the assistance. Hamas has repeatedly denied Israeli allegations that it was stealing aid and says Israel is to blame for shortages. "The daily average number of trucks entering Gaza in late October was about 58 per day," Jean-Martin Bauer, the U.N. World Food Programme's director of food security and nutrition analysis, told Reuters on Friday. "We were getting about 200 a day in September and August, so that's really a big, big decline," he said.

Israeli PM Netanyahu appoints new ambassador to United States
Reuters/November 8, 2024
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed U.S.-born Yechiel Leiter, an official who previously served as chief of staff in the finance ministry, as the next Israeli ambassador to the United States. "Yechiel Leiter is a highly capable diplomat, an eloquent speaker, and possesses a deep understanding of American culture and politics," Netanyahu said in a statement. His appointment was also welcomed by Yisrael Ganz, the head of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organisation representing councils of Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a territory Palestinians want as part of a future state. Ganz said Leiter, who lives in the Gush Etzion settlement area, as "a key partner in English-language advocacy for Judea and Samaria", a name used by many Israelis for the West Bank, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
Leiter's appointment came three days after Donald Trump's election to a second term as U.S. president, celebrated by many Israelis because of his strong support for Israel. As well as serving in the finance ministry, Leiter also held positions as deputy director general in the Education Ministry and acting chairman of the Israel Ports Company. His son was killed last year in the Gaza war against Palestinian militant group Hamas while serving with the Israeli military.

Israeli Defense Minister Officially Steps Down
Asharq Al Awsat/November 8, 2024
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant officially stepped down Friday in a ceremony that replaced him with Israel Katz, the former foreign minister, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Gallant earlier this week. Israel has been rocked by Gallant’s dismissal, with the news setting off mass protests across the country. Many in Israel view Gallant as the sole moderate voice in a far-right government, and see his removal as a sign that the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu has lost interest in returning hostages still held in Gaza, The AP reported. Israel Katz, his replacement, currently serves as foreign minister and is a longtime Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister. Also Friday, the Israeli military body handling aid to Gaza, COGAT, said it is preparing to open a new aid crossing into Gaza as the deadline for a US deadline to increase desperately-needed aid into the war-ravaged territory approaches. But the body did not say when the crossing will open nor if aid will be delivered to north of Gaza, where the UN and aid groups say the humanitarian situation is most dire. The United Nations humanitarian office says Israel's monthlong offensive in northern Gaza is preventing the estimated 75,000 to 95,000 Palestinians in the north from receiving essential items for their survival. On Thursday, the Israeli military said it will allow 300 truckloads of humanitarian aid supplied by the United Arab Emirates to enter the Gaza Strip in the coming days. That’s less than the 350 trucks per day that the United States said it wants to see enter the war-ravaged territory.

UN peacekeepers say Israel's destruction of their property breaches international law
Reuters/November 8, 2024
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations' peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said on Friday that the Israeli military's "deliberate and direct destruction" of its property was a "flagrant violation" of international law. The 10,000-strong U.N. mission, known as UNIFIL, is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the 'blue line' separating Lebanon from Israel. Since Israel launched a ground campaign across the border against Hezbollah fighters at the end of September, UNIFIL has accused the Israeli military (IDF) on several occasions of deliberately attacking its bases, including by shooting at peacekeepers and destroying watchtowers. In its latest accusation, it said the IDF used excavators and a bulldozer to destroy part of a fence and concrete structure at a U.N. peacekeeping position in southern Lebanon on Thursday. Peacekeepers had also observed Israeli troops this week removing a barrel that marks blue line, it said. "The IDF's deliberate and direct destruction of clearly identifiable UNIFIL property is a flagrant violation of international law and resolution 1701," UNIFIL said, referring to a U.N. resolution that mandates a cessation of hostilities in southern Lebanon after a previous war. "Yesterday's incident, like seven other similar incidents, is not a matter of peacekeepers getting caught in the crossfire, but of deliberate and direct actions by the IDF," UNIFIL said.
It said the U.N. force would remain in Lebanon "despite the unacceptable pressures being exerted on the mission". The statement came a day after six Malaysian peacekeepers on a U.N. bus crossing through a checkpoint were wounded by an Israeli drone strike that killed three Lebanese people in a nearby car. Israel says U.N. troops provide a human shield for Hezbollah fighters and has told UNIFIL to evacuate from southern Lebanon for their own safety - a request that the force has rejected.

Morocco limits preaching about war in the Middle East that invokes jihad
Sam Metz/RABAT, Morocco (AP)/November 8, 2024
Politicians and activists in Morocco are questioning limitations imposed on preachers regarding what they may say about war in the Middle East during sermons.
During a meeting at the country's parliament this week, socialist lawmaker Nabila Mounib bemoaned the way that imams were curtailed in how they can speak about the plight of Palestinians and call for religious struggle to support their cause.
“No imam can speak about the Palestinian issue,” Mounib claimed on Tuesday. “Today no one is demanding jihad for our brothers in Palestine.”In Morocco, imams are employed by the state and their sermons cannot be overtly political. Regardless of the extent to which they have focused on the Israel-Hamas war, Morocco’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs has said that such subject matter is permitted. Yet activists are still worried about de facto limits placed on preaching about Palestinians.
The question first arose in October 2023 after a document circulated on social media claiming to outline such limits. Morocco's Ministry of Islamic Affairs said in a statement that preaching about the suffering of Palestinians was authorized and that the document was faked.
In an interview with Moroccan newspaper Anfas Press on Friday, Mounib said she had intended to denounce efforts to prevent imams from preaching about Palestinians but had not said they should call for jihad from their pulpits.
“Jihad,” which means struggle or effort in Arabic, can denote striving to live in accordance with the path of God, either through internally finding one’s faith or externally fighting for Islamic principles like justice. However, it can be interpreted in more militant terms as “holy war” and has been used by some as a religious concept used to recruit volunteers to fight since the Soviet-Afghan war began in 1979. The debate centers on whether it should be allowed to invoke jihad in regard to the war between Israel and Hamas. Minister of Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq later denied Mounib’s claim that preachers cannot broach the Israel-Hamas war but acknowledged and defended the prohibition on calls for jihad. “Any imam who talks about barbarism and injustice and denounces them is welcome, but calling for jihad is something else,” he said. Explaining the prohibition this week, Toufiq cautioned that there were different interpretations of jihad. Yet to some pro-Palestinian activists in Morocco, the limitations are less about jihad and more about the tensions between state and society that have simmered since the war began. “Imams have a right to take a stand and, in Islam, even have a duty,” said Ahmed Wehman of the Moroccan Observatory for Anti-Normalization told The Associated Press. “The government has nothing to do with Moroccan public opinion. They do not represent Morocco and Moroccans.”Morocco has one of the region’s most historically significant Jewish communities and was one of four Arab states to normalize ties with Israel in 2020. But tens of thousands of protesters have regularly taken to the streets of its major cities throughout the 14-month war, protesting Israel’s actions and demanding Morocco cut diplomatic ties. Protests have united socialists like Mounib with Islamists, including those from the Justice and Development Party and Al Adl Wal Ihsane, a banned but tolerated Islamist movement that doesn’t participate in electoral politics. Some of its members have faced arrest and imprisonment for opining on social media about Morocco's ties with Israel amid the war.
Many governments dictate what preachers can say from the pulpit in Muslim-majority countries, including Morocco, which has long worked to describe its brand of Islam to the world as a moderating force. Doing so is among authorities’ strategies to curb extremism but can at times push believers to look for spiritual guidance outside the government-controlled religious sphere. Francesco Cavatorta, a political science professor at Université Laval in Quebec, said countries like Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Syria have historically exerted control over imams to control the narrative of religion and ensure sermons don't undermine national stability. In Morocco, he said, the regulation is “part of an effort to be seen as a country that is a Muslim country but a tolerant country and a welcoming country.”Morocco has this year suspended preachers who veer from directives. Its Ministry of Islamic Affairs publishes guidance for imams on Wednesdays, two days before Friday prayers. The content of sermons has in the past pitted the government against activists. In 2017, when anti-government protests were sweeping Morocco’s north, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs directed preachers to reproach activists for promoting division among Muslims, the online news outlet Le Desk reported. Nasser Zefzafi, the country’s most famous political prisoner, was arrested later that year after interrupting a sermon about the protests, shouting a question about whether mosques served God or the monarchy. Morocco's Ministry of Islamic Affairs did not respond to requests for comment. Imams throughout the Middle East and North Africa have regularly referenced the war since October 2023, including in countries where the government oversees their sermons. “The way to eliminate oppression and evil, no matter where it is in the world, is through the unity and solidarity of Muslims,” Ali Erbas, the head of the Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs, said in a Friday sermon delivered in Azerbaijan. ”When Muslims act together with the consciousness of brotherhood and the spirit of solidarity, all people will find peace."

Iran After Trump’s Win: Calls for New Approach, Challenge to Soleimani’s ‘Killer’
London: Asharq Al Awsat/November 8, 2024
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson has said that Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election offers an opportunity for the US to reassess its “misguided policies.”
“What matters for Iran is the performance of the US administration,” said Ismail Baghai on Thursday, noting that Tehran had “bitter experiences” with past US policies. He added that Trump’s win is a “chance to reconsider the previous wrong directions” of the US, according to the official IRNA news agency. Iranian newspapers were divided, with some calling for Tehran to adopt a new approach, while others opposed the policies of the “architect of maximum pressure” and the “killer” of Gen. Qasem Soleimani. On Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the US election result was of no concern to Iran. “It doesn't matter to us who won the US election, as our strength lies in our internal power and a great nation,” Pezeshkian said. “We are not narrow-minded in developing relations with other countries, prioritizing ties with Islamic and neighboring nations,” he added, according to Iranian media. It was unclear if he was referring to the US, with which Iran has no diplomatic ties.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has banned direct talks with the US.
On Wednesday, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mahdiani downplayed the importance of the election. “The US presidential election won’t affect us. Iran’s policies remain unchanged,” she said. “It doesn't matter who the US president is. We’ve already planned for various scenarios, given the sanctions on Iran for over 40 years,” she added. Last Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: “We don’t place much importance on the US election or who is elected.”
Baghai, speaking at his weekly press conference on Monday, said Iran’s stance on Trump is “clear” when asked how Tehran would respond if Trump offered to negotiate. Trump’s victory comes amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, with direct strikes exchanged after years of indirect conflict. Reuters speculated that Trump’s return to office would mean stricter enforcement of US oil sanctions on Iran, which were imposed in 2018 after the US left the nuclear deal. Trump criticized President Joe Biden’s policy of not enforcing strict sanctions on Iran’s oil exports, claiming it weakened the US and emboldened Tehran to expand its nuclear program and support armed groups. In his first term, Trump reimposed sanctions after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, which had limited Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for economic benefits.
These sanctions hurt Iran’s oil exports, reduced government revenue, and led to unpopular measures like tax hikes, while inflation remained near 40%.
In September, Pezeshkian said Tehran was ready to resolve the nuclear issue with the West, which accuses Iran of seeking nuclear weapons.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but officials have hinted at possibly changing its direction. Biden tried to revive the nuclear deal but failed to reach a new agreement. It’s unclear if Trump would pursue a similar approach.
Trump’s victory in the US presidential election dominated Iranian newspapers on Thursday morning, with the reformist Sazandegi newspaper, under the headline “Trump’s Return,” saying that no decision-makers in Iran are comfortable with Trump’s win, as it could harm the country in several ways. The paper, aligned with former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s faction, predicted that Trump might increase uncertainty, tighten sanctions, block Iran’s oil exports, and destabilize the economy, which would hurt ordinary Iranians.
The paper also suggested that the situation could change if the Iranian government adjusts its approach in response to Trump’s win but criticized Iran’s decision-makers for being slow to adapt.
It acknowledged that while Iran’s actions over the past 50 years have led all US administrations to view it as an enemy, the impact of the US president can vary.
The newspaper warned that Trump’s policies could lead to a bigger budget deficit, rising inflation, and a higher exchange rate, all of which would harm various sectors of Iran’s economy.
It noted that the country’s currency stability relies on oil revenues and foreign political relations.
With ongoing regional tensions and sanctions, any drop in oil revenues and difficulty accessing global markets could worsen Iran’s economic challenges, making it harder for the government to manage its budget and financial crises.
Analysts quoted by Sazandegi said Trump’s reelection might not lead to war but could result in harsher sanctions targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile programs without military action.
They also predicted that Russia might increase its pressure on Iran, potentially pushing the country toward a “Look East” strategy. Reformist politician Mohammad Hashemi Rafsanjani wrote in Arman Emruz that Trump, as a businessman, would likely prefer economic cooperation with Iran over military conflict.
He suggested Trump might push for trade talks with Iran, opening the market to US companies, similar to European firms before the nuclear deal. Hashemi noted that any conflict could drive up oil and gas prices, and as a businessman, Trump would likely avoid this. Instead, he would seek to strengthen economic ties between Iran and the US. Hashemi also pointed out that the nuclear deal brought Iran significant economic benefits, including the return of $100 billion in frozen assets. Arman Emruz warned that Trump’s return could escalate Middle East tensions and complicate relations with China and Russia over issues like Ukraine and Taiwan.
Etemad newspaper said that during his first term, Trump tried to turn Iran from a legitimate player into a pariah state, aiming to restrict and isolate it. It added that Trump’s return now is not in Iran’s interest. The paper called for a “different policy” toward Trump. Reformist activist and former MP Mahmoud Sadeghi said it’s too early to assess Trump’s performance, especially since he won unexpectedly. Sadeghi pointed out that for Iranians, the key concern is how Trump’s election will affect domestic issues, recalling his role in the strike that killed Gen. Soleimani five years ago. He warned against falling into “self-sanctions” and urged Iran to address the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) rules to fight money laundering.
On regional policy, Sadeghi stressed the need for the government to act wisely to avoid being caught in the Netanyahu-Trump rivalry. He emphasized the importance of seizing every opportunity, no matter how small. Former MP Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh compared Trump’s return to the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan and dismissed the idea that Democrats and Republicans are the same, especially on the nuclear deal.

Justice Department brings criminal charges in Iranian murder-for-hire plan targeting Donald Trump
Eric Tucker And Larry Neumeister/WASHINGTON (AP)/November 8, 2024
The Justice Department on Friday disclosed an Iranian murder-for-hire plot to kill Donald Trump, charging a man who said he had been tasked by a government official before this week's election with assassinating the Republican president-elect. Investigators learned of the plot to kill Trump while interviewing Farhad Shakeri, an Afghan national identified by officials as an Iranian government asset who was deported from the U.S. after being imprisoned on robbery charges. He told investigators that a contact in Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard instructed him this past September to put together a plan within seven days to surveil and ultimately kill Trump, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court in Manhattan. Two other men who the authorities say were recruited to participate in other assassinations, including a prominent Iranian American journalist, were also arrested Friday. Shakeri remains in Iran. "There are few actors in the world that pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
The plot, with the charges unsealed just days after Trump's defeat of Democrat Kamala Harris, reflects what federal officials have described as ongoing efforts by Iran to target U.S. government officials, including Trump, on U.S. soil. Last summer, the Justice Department charged a Pakistani man with ties to Iran in a murder-for-hire plot.

US judge rules against Biden legalization program for immigrant spouses
Ted Hesson/Reuters/November 8, 2024
WASHINGTON - A U.S. judge in Texas on Thursday ruled against President Joe Biden's program offering a path to citizenship for certain immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens, a blow that could keep the program blocked through Biden's final months in office. U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker found the program, which offers a path to citizenship to around 500,000 immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally if they are married to U.S. citizens, exceeded Biden's executive authority.
The initiative, known as Keeping Families Together, launched in August but was blocked days later by Barker, who left it frozen while he considered a legal challenge brought by Texas and a coalition of U.S. states with Republican attorneys general. Pompeii DNA evidence contradicts long-held assumptions about victims buried in ash. Union puts potential Philadelphia mass transit strike on hold as talks continue
Study: Weather extremes are influencing illegal migration and return between the U.S. and Mexico
Biden, a Democrat, announced the program in June before dropping out of the presidential race and paving the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to face Republican Donald Trump, an immigration hardliner. Trump defeated Harris in Tuesday's election and is expected to launch a wide-ranging immigration crackdown that would likely include rolling back Biden's initiative for immigrant spouses, which the Trump campaign called a "mass amnesty" that would encourage illegal immigration.
Americans see immigration as the most pressing issue for Trump to address when he takes office in January, and a large majority believe he will order mass deportations of people living in the U.S. illegally, a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Thursday found.
The Biden administration could appeal Thursday's court ruling. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

New York judge must do the unthinkable - and correct - thing to Donald Trump | Opinion
Bill Dalton/San Luis Obispo Tribune/November 8, 2024
The president-elect’s first act will undoubtedly try to pardon himself. Judge Juan Merchan needs the courage Mike Pence had on Jan. 6. On Nov. 5, the American people did the unthinkable — they elected a convicted felon president. Judge Juan Merchan should now do what was once unthinkable — force a president-elect to take the oath of office in a jail cell. After taking the oath on Jan. 20, Donald J. Trump’s first act of his second term undoubtedly would be to try to pardon himself and walk out a free man. But the surreal scene, while certainly shocking for the rest of the free world to witness, would send an unmistakable message — the rule of law still rules in America. That message needs to be sent because, after Inauguration Day, the rule of law will cease to exist for sitting presidents thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. Trump proved Tuesday, aided and abetted by 72 million voters, that crime does indeed pay. He thumbed his nose at America’s once respected system of justice. He made a laughingstock of prosecutors and the judicial process. He turned what used to be a political liability for candidates into a political asset for fundraising. The Justice Department’s long-standing policy of not pursuing criminal charges against a sitting president now works in Trump’s interests, but against the interests of justice.
All the federal charges against him will likely be shelved, which means the only hope for any accountability is sentencing in the New York hush money case on Nov. 26. Trump’s lawyers reportedly are already moving to delay or derail the sentencing. But Merchan should sentence and jail Trump while he is still a private citizen, no better nor more privileged than any of the millions of people who voted for or against him. Merchan should show the same courage that Vice President Mike Pence showed on Jan. 6 when he stood for the rule of law, risking his life and destroying his political career in the process. Trump’s election should not alter Merchan’s judgment on whether jail time is justified or not. Even if it’s sentencing Trump to serve only the day of Jan. 20 — an extremely light sentence for 34 felony convictions — it would reinforce what used to be a judicial cornerstone: No one is above the law. If that principle no longer means anything in America, then more was lost on Election Day than just Kamala Harris’ race for president. Bill Dalton is a former reporter and editor for The Kansas City Star and worked at several Michigan newspapers. This commentary originally appeared on his Substack at judydalton.substack.com

Yemen Houthis shoot down US drone
Associated Press/November 8, 2024
Yemen's Houthi rebels shot down what bystanders described as an American drone early Friday, potentially the latest downing of a U.S. spy drone as the militants continue their attacks on the Red Sea corridor. The U.S. military acknowledged the videos circulating online showing what appeared to be a flaming aircraft dropping out of the sky and a field of burning debris in what those off-camera described as an area of Yemen's al-Jawf province. The military said it was investigating the incident, declining to elaborate further. It wasn't immediately clear what kind of aircraft was shot down in the low-quality night video. The Houthis have surface-to-air missiles capable of downing aircraft such as the Iranian missile known as the 358. Iran denies arming the rebels, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in seaborne shipments heading to Yemen for the Shiite Houthi rebels despite a United Nations arms embargo. The Houthis have been a key component of Iran's self-described "Axis of Resistance" during the Mideast wars that includes Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups. The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for downing the aircraft. However, it can take their fighters hours or even days after an incident before they acknowledge it. Since Houthis seized the country's north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the rebels have shot down MQ-9 Reaper drones in Yemen in 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2024. The U.S. military has declined to offer a total figure for the number of drones it has lost during that time. Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the U.S. military and the CIA over Yemen for years. The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well. The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran. The tempo of the Houthi sea attacks also has waxed and waned over the months. In October, the U.S. military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by the Houthis.

Kuwait Revokes Record Number of 930 Citizenships in One Day
Kuwait: Asharq Al Awsat/November 08, 2024
The Supreme Committee to Investigate the Kuwaiti Citizenship has taken a significant step by revoking and annulling the citizenship of 930 individuals, in preparation for presenting their cases to the Cabinet. The Ministry of Interior announced that the Committee convened on Thursday and made the decision to revoke the Kuwaiti citizenship of 930 individuals. This action is subject to final approval and will be submitted to the Cabinet for further review. On October 31, the committee revoked the citizenship of 489 individuals, setting a new record for the largest single nationality revocation, surpassing the previous record set on September 20, when 112 individuals had their citizenship annulled. No official statistics are available on the total number of nationality revocations since the committee began its work in early March, when Kuwaiti authorities launched a campaign aimed at revoking citizenships for various reasons, primarily related to fraud. By the end of September, unofficial estimates suggested that over 2,000 individuals had lost their citizenship, with some cases still pending formal decrees. Kuwait’s Interior Minister, Sheikh Fahad Yusuf, emphasized that the nationality revocations are aimed at individuals and their dependents who obtained citizenship without fulfilling the legal requirements, particularly those who never received an official decree. He pointed out that some members of previous governments had bypassed legal procedures by approving citizenship applications without awaiting the formal decree. In a statement to a local newspaper, Sheikh Fahad Yusuf explained that those whose citizenships were revoked did not contest the committee’s decisions, as they were based on clear evidence and proper documentation. He emphasized that the process of nationality revocation would continue, stating: “We are still at the beginning,” and assured that revocations would proceed only after thorough examination and verification of all cases.

AMCD Condemns the Biden Harris Admin for Sacrificing American Jimmy Sharmahd in Iran
November 08, 2024
The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy (AMCD) is vehemently condemning the Islamic regime in Iran for allegedly executing Jimmy (Jamshid) Sharmahd, an American national and a Los Angeles resident on October 28 per their own statement issued that day and taking responsibility for the murder. AMCD announces that it considers the regime responsible for any criminal action they took, including the execution of a decent American freedom advocate. We respect the will of Ms. Gazelle Sharmahd, Jimmy’s daughter, and her family has stated that she and her family will not receive any condolences, cards or flowers before the US Government presents evidence that her father was executed. Her family will make further announcements regarding any public expression while waiting for the process of returning Jimmy’s body to his hometown in Los Angeles. until Jimmy’s body is returned home in Los Angeles.
Chris Como interviews Gazelle here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=525285610367504
AMCD will comply by M,s Gazelle Sharmahd wishes and stands by her and her family, thanking her for her support to AMCD’s world work and her participation in a joint delegation to the UN in New York where she demanded from the UN to take action to liberate her father and other foreign hostages and political prisoners submitted to torture and executions. AMCD is outraged at the inaction of the Biden Administration for four years, their refusal to receive Jimmy’s daughter and family at the White House as they received other hostage families before.
Our Coalition demands a full investigation of the Biden-Harris inaction for four years by the next Congress and Administration. AMCD demands the publication of any correspondence between the Administration’s envoys and third-party negotiators and their Islamic Regime counterparts about the case of Jimmy Sharmahd, to inform the public about the refusal of the White House to take action to liberate Mr. Sharmahd from his bullies in Tehran, and the refusal to share any information about this American national neither with his family nor with members of Congress.
AMCD demands that the US Government and the German Government take all steps jointly to repatriate Jimmy’s body is legitimate and has to and precede before any other steps. The family must have a closure and allowing the regime to be in control of a German-American body is not only a breach of international law, but an insult to the dignity of Americans and Germans. The Office of the U.S. Special Envoy to Iran wrote on X: “We are looking into reports that the Iranian regime has executed German-Iranian dual citizen Jamshid Sharmahd, which, if true, would represent the latest abhorrent act in the regime’s long history of transnational repression and accelerating rate of executions. Sharmahd should never have been imprisoned in the first place. His kidnapping and rendition, as well as sham trial and reports of torture, were reprehensible. We will continue to get to the bottom of these reports and stand with the international community in holding the regime accountable for its horrific abuses.”
To which Ms. Sharmahad replied: “Is the State Department truly still denying that my father #JamshidSharmahd is an AMERICAN with no connections at all to America and US laws, such as the Levinson Act? At this critical moment, are you seriously trying to shift responsibility to Germany? Where is your shame? Where is your compassion? Let us make it clear to every stakeholder – government, media, and civil society – that has either remained silent or actively censored the truth: YOU HAVE HELPED TIGHTEN THE NOOSE AROUND #JIMMYSHARMAHD’S NECK. Jimmy Sharmahd is a German-American patriot, who while living the American dream, raising a family and providing, was also fighting against jihadist terrorism every single day even right here in America and California. Jimmy was kidnapped and abandoned—held hostage for four years while you did NOTHING, and was left behind every time the US or EU negotiated with the terrorists. YOU left him to die, while the Biden-Harris Administration handed $6 billion to his captors and, if confirmed, his murderers. We will not rest until every responsible party is held accountable, this includes people in Europe and the UAE who were involved in this matter.”AMCD’s senior advisor Dr Walid Phares said: “The killing of Jimmy Sharmahd as admitted in public by the Khomeinist regime is a terror criminal act that should be presented -as one criminal case added to many others- to an International Special Tribunal on Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes perpetrated by the organs of the “Islamic Republic” (Islamic Regime) that should be formed as soon as possible by the United Nations to try the regime for its multi decades mass crimes against its own people and the citizens of other nations in the region and in the free world. The US, Europe and other willing Governments must introduce demands at the UN Security Council to initiate such tribunal.”
John Hajjar, co=chair of AMCD said: “Millions of Mideast Americans in the United States condemn all the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Islamic Regime against Iranians, Arabs and Middle Easterners in the region and in their diaspora and ask the Congress to vote for a resolution on Sharmhad’s dossier in preparation for a legislation aimed at protecting Middle East Americans from the threat of the regime. “
Tom Harb, co-chair of AMCD said: “The abject crime committed against Jimmy Sharmahd, started in August of 2020 when he was abducted from Dubai and taken to Iran via two countries, the UAE and Oman, where he was tortured for four years, sentenced to death by a sham court, then used in a judicial scam where he was sentenced by the regime to pay billions along with US leaders. His so called execution is a state crime that should be prosecuted internationally.”
Gazelle Sharmahd, who has led a relentless campaign to free him, is now the successor to her father’s work, as a freedom advocate and activist leader committed to Jimmy’s ideals and struggle for the liberation of Iran and the Middle East from Jihadism, oppression and terror. AMCD and the communities that are represented in the coalition is in full support of her efforts and in the memory of her father’s ideas

Turkey's foreign minister visits Athens to help mend ties between the regional rivals
Elena Becatoros/ATHENS, Greece (AP)/November 8, 2024
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Recent efforts to smooth the frequently volatile ties between neighbors and regional rivals Greece and Turkey are bearing fruit, their foreign ministers said Friday, as the two countries seek ways to prevent spats from escalating dangerously. Despite both being members of NATO, Greece and Turkey have been at loggerheads for decades over a long series of issues, including complex maritime boundary disputes that led them to the brink of war in 1987 and in 1996. In 2020, tension over drilling rights led to Greek and Turkish warships shadowing each other in the eastern Mediterranean. Over the past 16 months, the two sides have made concerted efforts to reduce tensions, with the Greek and Turkish leaders meeting six times. Last December, the two countries signed more than a dozen cooperation deals during a meeting in Athens between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “I am not claiming that through the dialogue we have developed, all the problems in the two countries' relations have been magically resolved,” Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said in statements to the media after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in Athens. The ministers didn't take any questions. “There were indeed difficult moments during the past year,” Gerapetritis said. “But in all cases, there was an immediate and honest channel that prevented escalation.”With two brutal conflicts raging in the wider region, in Ukraine and in the Middle East, mending ties and preventing flare-ups in tension between the two neighbors has become all the more essential. "We are working to understand each other better on critical issues. The region we are in has many problems," Fidan said. "Turkey and Greece need to be able to act with mutual trust in this difficult geography. Through a win-win approach, we can contribute to the prosperity and peace of our people.”
Despite the positive climate, the two sides remain far apart on some of the thornier issues, notably on territorial rights in the Aegean Sea. The two disagree on the delineation of the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, which determines exploitation rights for resources, as well as on the extent of territorial waters. Turkey has said that any move by Greece to extend its territorial waters around its islands in the Aegean Sea from six nautical miles to 12 nautical miles, which Greece insists it has the right to do at any time, would be a cause for war. Turkey also doesn’t recognize that Greek islands off its borders have a continental shelf, while Greece insists that position is in contravention of international law. Athens insists the issue of the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone is the only dispute it has with Turkey and is willing to bring it to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Friday’s talks “included the evaluation of the conditions for the start of a fundamental discussion for the delineation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone in the Aegean and the eastern Mediterranean,” Gerapetritis said. “It is an initial, honest approach of a difficult but also crucial issue.”Fidan stressed that all areas of disagreement connected to the Aegean, the sea that lies between the two countries, must be tackled. “There are many problems that are interconnected in the Aegean. These disputes cannot be reduced to the issues of the continent shelf and exclusive economic zones," Fidan said. "We must address all issues that have the potential to create tensions and crises on the basis of mutual respect and cooperation.”“As Turkey, we continue to defend the principle of equitable sharing in the eastern Mediterranean,” he added. Migration has been a source of tension between the two countries for years. Tens of thousands of people make their way each year from Turkey to nearby Greek islands, using European Union-member Greece as a gateway to more prosperous countries in the 27-nation bloc. While thousands of migrants continue to arrive in Greece, risking sometimes fatal sea crossings, the two ministers stressed the need to crack down on illegal migration and smuggling networks. The two “emphasized the importance of acting together to combat irregular migration,” Fidan said.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on November 08-09/2024
Islamism, the West and Human Rights
Nils A. Haug/Gatestone Institute/November 08, 2024
Sharia tenets – which have views of human rights, justice, mercy and compassion that differ from those of the West -- can appear alien to Judeo-Christian precepts. Sharia, in usage, often appears to contravene the basic humanistic values of the West.
The outcome is that, in application, the moral laws of each tradition -- that of the Torah as opposed to that of Sharia -- which prescribes harsh punishments, such as amputation for theft; death for leaving Islam (apostasy) or blasphemy, or being stoned to death for adultery, which can include having been raped -- are consequences inimical to Western ideas of justice, mercy and human rights.
By practicing a different faith, those who do not subscribe to Sharia are "disbelievers" (infidels), deemed to be in breach of "The Path" and consequently subject to a penalty of conversion, subjugation or death.
This is particularly true for Jews and Christians, who were offered opportunities to accept the gift of Islam but ungratefully declined.
"Slay the infidels wherever you find them..." — Qur'an, Sura 9:5.
The concept of universal human rights might seem quite strange to Islamists.
The intent of jihadi state actors .... in their own words, appears to be the imposition of Sharia law and Islamic dominance over the world.
That is why textual originalism in the interpretation of US Constitutional law is of particular concern to jurists. Emphasis on the original intent of the writers of the US Constitution rather than the fluctuating views of a succession of lawyers is of prime importance.
Reinterpreting the US Constitution can easily become like the children's game of "telephone": after a few migrations, the original intent of the founders could well become unrecognizable.
Western leaders find it difficult to regard religiously powered radicalism with the weight it deserves. "[I]t's precisely because it's religiously grounded that such radicalism is exceptionally dangerous." — George Weigel, First Things, January 31, 2024.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, during World War II, said in the House of Commons on June 18, 1940: "If we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age."
Although Churchill's statement also applies to Western nations at this time, Israel has been largely alone in the fight to preserve the West's Judeo-Christian ideals. It would be to the West's advantage for other nations to join Israel in this noble task.
The Torah's ethical and moral laws, which became known to the world as Moses' Ten Commandments, founded the West's moral-ethical precepts on which its laws and judicial concepts such as justice and mercy are based. This development is reflected in the United States' founding documents, as well as England's Magna Carta of 1215, among others. The concept of universal human rights might seem quite strange to Islamists. (Image source: iStock/Getty Images)
The Torah's ethical and moral laws, which became known to the world as Moses' Ten Commandments, founded the West's moral-ethical precepts on which its laws and judicial concepts such as justice and mercy are based. This development is reflected in the United States' founding documents, as well as England's Magna Carta of 1215, among others.
The opening paragraph of America's 1776 Declaration of Independence, for instance, refers to "the laws of nature" and "nature's God." From this assertion, the imperative of a sound ethical, moral and religious foundation for America's values was established. According to America's founding fathers, therefore, the laws of Moses – those moral codes collectively referred to as the natural law – underpin the value-based Western order.
The moral components of the laws given to Moses, says American scholar Leon Kass, are "an orienting aspirational guide for every Israelite and every human heart and mind." Adoption of Mosaic codes thus gives advent, in the West, to civilization as distinguished from barbarism. In terms of religion, the Jewish people generally value the underlying importance of the Torah to their community.
The emphasis on ethical and moral parameters might disturb many in the West, particularly those who hold a secular or atheistic worldview. Social unrest can take place, but the West has an obligation to protect its core principles of upholding the values of civilization.
Islamic values have not come from the West. They originated from the Quran and the Hadith -- the sayings and actions of Mohammed. Both works form the bases of Sharia, Islamic law. Sharia law in application can have severe moral and ethical requirements contrary to Western concerns of justice.
Sharia tenets – which have views of human rights, justice, mercy and compassion that differ from those of the West -- can appear alien to Judeo-Christian precepts. Sharia, in usage, often appears to contravene the basic humanistic values of the West.
The outcome is that, in application, the moral laws of each tradition -- that of the Torah as opposed to that of Sharia -- which prescribes harsh punishments, such as amputation for theft; death for leaving Islam (apostasy) or blasphemy, or being stoned to death for adultery, which can include having been raped -- are consequences inimical to Western ideas of justice, mercy and human rights.
The result of ethical and religious difference is seen in the motivation of the two primary combatants of the Gaza War, begun on October 7, 2023. Human Rights Watch released a report, stating that "Hamas-led armed groups committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity against civilians during the October 7 assault on southern Israel," and that Hamas had engaged in a "systematic" assault against civilians.
Unsurprisingly, these findings were rejected outright by Hamas, whose spokesman, Gazi Hamad, justified the killing of civilians: "Israel has no right to exist in this region." In other words, Israel must be eliminated, whatever the cost."
By practicing a different faith, those who do not subscribe to Sharia are "disbelievers" (infidels), deemed to be in breach of "The Path" and consequently subject to a penalty of conversion, subjugation or death:
"So, when you meet those who disbelieve [in battle], strike [their] necks until, when you have inflicted slaughter upon them, then secure their bonds, and either [confer] favor afterwards or ransom [them] until the war lays down its burdens. That [is the command]. And if Allah had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them [Himself], but [He ordered armed struggle] to test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the cause of Allah - never will He waste their deeds." – Qur'an 47:4 (Sahih Translation).
This is particularly true for Jews and Christians, who were offered opportunities to accept the gift of Islam but ungratefully declined.
On January 4, 2024, Abu Hudhayfa al-Ansar, spokesman for the jihadist Islamic State - an offshoot of the transnational radical movement, Muslim Brotherhood (of which Hamas is a branch), called on devotees around the world to carry out mass slaughter. He said this would be vengeance for the people of Gaza:
"Oh lions of Islam, hunt your prey — the Jews, Christians, and their allies — in the streets and alleyways of America, Europe, and the world. Break into their homes, kill them, and torment them in every way you can."
This is precisely what took place in Israel on October 7, 2023, without mercy of any kind. Validation as found in the Quran's many verses urging the death of those who decry the core Islamic declaration: "There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet." Sura 9:5 reads, "Slay the infidels wherever you find them..."
The de facto leader of Al-Qaeda, Salem Al-Sharif, on July 16, 2024, wrote in his essay, "This Is Gaza: A War Of Existence, Not A War Of Borders" that Muslims should not take civilians as prisoners, as Hamas did on October 7. "Islam," he said, "tells us killing takes precedence over taking prisoners." In other words, they should not bother to kidnap hostages but simply kill them.
The recently assassinated leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, said, "We will tear down the border and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies [and] eat their livers." Of the 101 Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas, only 51 are thought to be still alive.
The intent of jihadi state actors, such as Iran, Syria and Iraq, and non-state actors such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Taliban, Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah, in their own words, appears to be the imposition of Sharia law and Islamic dominance over the world. "Iran's main goal," wrote the Middle East scholar Neville Teller: "Destroy the world as we know it, impose Shia Islam globally."
These groups seek to entrench Islamic law, often upon an unwilling populace and subjugate them to a life under the constant threat of penalty. Meanwhile, Hamas's political elite in Qatar, Lebanon, Turkey and elsewhere, became exorbitantly wealthy, enjoying comforts unavailable to the general population.
The concept of universal human rights might seem quite strange to Islamists. Sourced from the tradition of Moses' Commandments, articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights form the basis for international humanitarian law which in turn defines parameters of just-war and armed conflict. The precepts of Islamist fundamentalism are equally foreign to Westerners who live by the humanitarian values and principles of the Western democratic tradition, as founded on the Torah.
Establishing humanitarian values provides rights and obligations. Without this basis, the influence of ethics that include relativism and subjectivity, will temper the objective authority necessary for wide acceptance. That is why textual originalism in the interpretation of US Constitutional law is of particular concern to jurists. Emphasis on the original intent of the writers of the US Constitution rather than the fluctuating views of a succession of lawyers is of prime importance.
The reasoning is that there should not be a compromise on foundational truths, despite a diversity of moral and ethical convictions and a fickle social popularism. Reinterpreting the US Constitution can easily become like the children's game of "telephone": after a few migrations, the original intent of the founders could well become unrecognizable. Concessions could open a "Pandora's Box" of competing ideologies all striving for prominence. To avoid the relaxing of established human rights through fashionable ideologies is the task of the US Commission of Unalienable Rights.
In 2020, and on behalf of the Commission, former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, declared the Commission's purpose was to "Ground our discussion of human rights in America's founding principles" -- those derived from the Judeo-Christian moral and ethical order, rather than those which might vary according to the spirit of the times.
This would be a concerning maneuver, yet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made exactly those proposals at the most recent meeting of the Commission: he concealed, in his terminology, tenets of identity politics relating to race, gender and the like. It seems politicians cannot refrain themselves from manipulating foundational dogma for their own purposes.
Refutation of traditional human rights principles results in situations like that of September 11, 2011 in the US, and of October 7, 2023, in Israel. Free from all civilized constraints, yet averring religious convictions, Hamas revealed the malevolent spirit of their motivation: jihad, based on Sharia. Considering themselves independent of Western conventions of war and human rights, they had no hesitation in slaughtering civilians, without mercy.
Ideologies of holy war and martyrdom are underpinned by Sharia. Islamic jihadists believe they are doctrinally permitted to sow terror, death and destruction among non-Muslims wherever they operate, while ultimately aiming for the "Great Satan" (the United States) and Europe. To varying degrees, all Western -- and even some Muslim nations, such as the captive citizens of Iran -- are adversely impacted by jihadists seeking global domination over their religion and its Sharia laws.
While much of the West bemoans the increase in Islamist radicalization, they pay lip-service to "multiculturalism"; to increased military budgets; and to preparedness, despite looming internal and external conflicts. This is particularly true of Europe, which relies on the US, through NATO, to carry much of the burden for its military defense.
A pertinent reason for the wilfull "blindness" of the US and other major Western powers towards religious extremists, and their aberrant values, is that the West's foreign policies are based on an outlook which George Weigel refers to as "rationalist secularism." Western leaders find it difficult to regard religiously powered radicalism with the weight it deserves. Weigel concludes: "it's precisely because it's religiously grounded that such radicalism is exceptionally dangerous."
Iran and its proxies -- Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad -- and other Islamists are fully grounded in religious dogma, hence their glorification of a martyrdom that anticipates lofty rewards in the life hereafter. The late Fr. Richard J. Neuhaus, remarked about such an outlook:
"[W]e think it true to say that politics is, in largest part, an expression of culture, and at the heart of culture is religion."
Inevitably, the two major monotheistic religions of the world collide over issues of legitimacy (the biblical Creator or Allah), justice and other values (the Torah or Sharia), and transcendent truth (Judeo-Christianity or nihilist Islamism). On October 7, 2023, the confrontation between these two opposing worldviews was once again demonstrated in earnest with Israel not only as the focal point, but as a crucible for testing the resolve of Western powers in safeguarding their traditional values, culture and society.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, during World War II, said in the House of Commons on June 18, 1940:
"If we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age."
Although Churchill's statement also applies to Western nations at this time, Israel has been largely alone in the fight to preserve the West's Judeo-Christian ideals. It would be to the West's advantage for other nations to join Israel in this noble task.
**Nils A. Haug is an author and columnist. A trial lawyer by profession, he is member of the International Bar Association, the National Association of Scholars, the Academy of Philosophy and Letters. Retired from law, his particular field of interest is political theory intersecting with current events. He holds a Ph.D. in Theology (Apologetics). Dr. Haug is author of 'Politics, Law, and Disorder in the Garden of Eden – the Quest for Identity'; and 'Enemies of the Innocent – Life, Truth, and Meaning in a Dark Age.' His work has appeared in First Things Journal, The American Mind, Quadrant, Minding the Campus, Gatestone Institute, Anchoring Truths, Jewish Journal, and elsewhere.
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Why America Stopped Winning Wars ...Since 1945, the U.S. has adopted patterns of thought and action that make victory impossible. Israel cannot afford to follow that example.
Dan Zamansky/The Magazine/November 08, 2024
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/why-america-stopped-winning-wars
To find a way out of its current security crisis, the United States must recognize some hard truths. Most important among these is understanding why America stopped winning wars. The last American war to date ended, in substance, a decade ago, when the U.S. formally concluded its combat operations in Afghanistan. Since then, a country forged in war, and sustained to a large degree by victories in numerous highly consequential wars which followed, has lost sight of the fundamental fact that there is often no alternative to war, and no alternative to victory.
For the United States to emerge as a country in the first place, of course, it needed to gain its independence from the British Empire, which was not inclined to let the Colonies go. On April 19, 1775, the colonists took to their muskets at Lexington and Concord, and began the multiyear Revolutionary War. It was in this war that America’s Declaration of Independence was born, and its excoriation of the king includes the charge that he “has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.”
Within less than two months of the declaration’s signing, British regulars nearly destroyed George Washington’s Continental Army on Brooklyn Heights, and forced him to retreat hastily in the dead of night. The war only ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783. If the colonists had not persevered, for years, against what was then the world’s richest empire, there would have been no United States of America.
America’s example quickly proved infectious abroad. On July 14, 1789, barely more than a year after the ratification of the Constitution, the people of Paris stormed the Bastille. The fall of the absolutist monarchy, the Old Regime, initiated a very slow and bloody, but nonetheless irreversible, spread of republican institutions through most of Europe.
Perfecting America itself would also require war, on a greater scale than the War of Independence. President Lincoln’s preliminary Emancipation Proclamation of Sept. 22, 1862, came five days after the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in American history. The 13th Amendment, which finally abolished slavery, was passed on Jan. 31, 1865, as the Union Army was at long last gripping the Confederacy’s throat on the siege lines of Petersburg. More Americans died in the Civil War than in all the rest of America’s wars combined.
If the primary objective of all military operations is the absolute protection of civilian populations, the purpose of these operations is lost.
This is the most basic pattern not just of American history, but of the history of the world. The greatest of political disputes, over fundamental questions of policy and morality, are not settled by negotiation, eventually leading to peaceful diplomatic compromise. Rather, they are resolved in bloody battle, in which one side imposes its view of what is right upon the other. American colonists imposed their independence on Britain at the point of a gun. The Union states imposed the liberation of the slaves upon the Confederate states in the same way.
Both world wars, the worst catastrophes so far in human history, happened in large part because the United States watched from afar, year after year, before acting decisively to win wars that directly threatened its national security. The aggressive ambitions of kaiser’s Germany were already on display at the beginning of the First Moroccan Crisis in March 1905. Yet, it took two and a half years of a gigantic war starting in August 1914, a German policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, and the extraordinary Zimmermann Telegram in which Germany’s foreign minister offered Mexico parts of American territory, for America to finally abandon neutrality and join the war in April 1917. Without fresh American forces, there would have been no Allied victory. With them, victory was won, and an Armistice was forced upon Germany on Nov. 11, 1918.
Victory having been won, isolationism was again triumphant in the U.S. On Jan. 10, 1923, President Harding ordered the withdrawal of the last American troops from Germany, thereby making the terms of Versailles, or any other alternative peace arrangement, unenforceable. Ten years and 20 days after American troops were redeployed back home, Adolf Hitler became German chancellor. Without American involvement, Britain and France could not find the strength to act against him.
Hitler began the Second World War in September 1939 and by June 4, 1940, France was in a state of collapse. Only the extraordinary efforts of Winston Churchill, who in his famous speech on that day declared that “we shall go on to the end,” prevented Britain from either coming to an arrangement with Hitler, or pursuing a long, ineffectual phony war against him while he and his Axis allies conquered the rest of the Eastern Hemisphere.
Churchill ended his speech with an appeal to “the New World, with all its power and might” to rescue the Old. But it wasn’t until another aggressor state, Japan, attacked America at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, that the U.S. joined the war against the Axis powers in the Pacific. American involvement in the European war theater might have taken a considerable additional amount of time, had Hitler not taken the initiative by declaring war on America on Dec. 11. With a certain lack of self-reflection, he accused President Roosevelt of seeking “unrestricted world domination and dictatorship.”
America, rather than initiating and controlling events, had been dragged out of years of slumber into both world wars. However, even before the country was fully mobilized for war, its industrial strength made a decisive contribution to Allied victory. On the Eastern front of the European war, almost 18 million metric tons of Allied lend-lease aid to the Soviet Union, most of it American, were a pillar of the Soviet war effort. On other fronts, America’s enormous strength combined directly with that of her Allies to put in the field forces of hitherto unimaginable size. By the end of the war, the U.S. Navy alone had 6,768 ships, including 23 battleships and 99 aircraft carriers. Little wonder that within less than four years of America’s entry into the war, the Axis powers were obliterated.
Yet when America marks the 80th anniversary of VE-Day and VJ-Day next year, it will also mark eight decades since it has won a decisive victory in war. The reason is that since 1945, America has adopted patterns of thought and action that make victory impossible.
First and foremost, the U.S. has adopted a set of laws and practices which it did not, and could not, follow in the world wars. The protection of civilians is now, and has been for decades, an essential consideration in U.S. military operations. The latest formal document on this subject is the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan of Aug. 22, 2022, which claims that “mitigating … civilian harm … makes us the world’s most effective military force.” Of course, the opposite is true. When the U.S. armed forces are required to “integrate civilian protection into our mission objectives from the start,” as the plan directs, attaining objectives that are essential to victory becomes impossible.
Senseless and wanton attacks on civilians are indisputably immoral. But if the primary objective of all military operations is the absolute protection of civilian populations, the purpose of these operations is lost. Military leaders are turned into second-rate lawyers, and instead of defeating the enemy decisively and winning the war, they focus instead on following rules that make war interminable. This ethos, which leads to years of inconclusive military engagements that in the end do little to reduce civilian death totals, was a central cause of America’s expensive and demoralizing military failures in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
As anyone who understands military operations knows, war by its very nature often involves terrible harm to civilians. When America was pursuing the essential objective of defeating Japan as rapidly as possible in 1945, it was deemed necessary to incinerate much of Tokyo with cluster bombs filled with napalm bomblets. That led to a horrific number of civilian deaths—more than in any other air raid in history, including America’s subsequent nuclear strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yet this merciless way of waging war achieved the objective of bringing the Second World War to a victorious end, saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers and millions of Japanese civilians, and allowing the United States to transform Japanese politics and society in a manner that has benefited the lives of hundreds of millions of Japanese since.
Because the mass armies of dictatorships are drawn from civilian populations, and are necessarily supported by them at every level of society, it is not possible to defeat them without a large number of civilian casualties. In a dictatorship, many civilians serve the regime in a wide variety of ways, from working in vast government organizations to informing the dictatorship’s police and intelligence services about its current or potential opponents, to the manufacture of armaments.
Control of a territory by an extremist movement necessarily means that the majority of the civilian population either actively sustains it or else tacitly accepts its activities. Those whom the extremists perceive as threats are murdered, or else driven into voluntary or involuntary exile. Many of those who remain are beneficiaries of the terrorists’ efforts to maintain wide public support. This is especially the case in sectarian societies such as Lebanon, where the Shia, who are represented in the state by Hezbollah, benefit from the group’s social foundations. It is impossible to win a war against such an enemy by maintaining a false pretense that the population at large is fully distinct from the terrorists.
It should be clearly understood, and publicly stated, that if a population lives in a territory controlled by a hostile force, especially a densely populated territory like parts of Iraq and much of Gaza, it will suffer serious and continuous losses during a war. Any other approach gives murderous criminals an extraordinary and intolerable freedom to wage war and murder others.
The purpose of wars waged by democracies, including America, is to remove acute military danger, not anything else. Protecting the population of a hostile territory or state in a manner compatible with the removal of the acute military danger is appropriate. What is neither appropriate nor acceptable is taking such measures to protect the population that it becomes impossible to achieve the purpose of the war, the defeat of the enemy.
Another reason for America’s failure to win wars is the poorly defined and easily manipulated doctrine of proportionality, which holds in the version appearing in the U.S. Department of Defense Law of War Manual, that “force may be used … only to the extent that it is required to repel the armed attack and to restore the security of the party attacked.” Applied to individual military actions, it implies that a military should “refrain from attacks in which the expected harm incidental to such attacks would be excessive in relation to the concrete … military advantage.”
As with all law on controversial subjects, this legal doctrine is a very flexible servant of the meaning attached to it in practice. As the world can see in the case of America’s feeble fighting with the Houthis, proportionality becomes the bedrock of a practice of avoiding decisive action. Proportionality becomes the policy of not doing more than beating back the latest enemy attack—they shoot at us, we shoot back, the incident ends. The enemy is allowed to retain the initiative, to choose when, where, and how to launch the next attack, all while gaining experience and adapting to defeat American tactics more effectively. Instead of deterring the enemy, proportionality encourages the enemy in the belief that with proper preparation, America can and will be forced to retreat.
America used to be defined, with the confidence of stating a self-evident fact, as a superpower. In fact, Americans still like to use the term. A sober view shows that America has spent decades in a manner which have drained away its resources on strategically questionable wars that resulted in failure and led to strategic gains by America’s enemies.
Israel, a country of just 10 million with no friendly population on any of its borders, cannot afford to follow America’s example. America might be able to avoid national suicide by correcting its policy errors, because of the great physical distance that separates it from its enemies. Israel’s enemies are right on the border, and Israel has neither a moment nor a square foot to spare.
The events of Oct. 7 demonstrated that Hamas indeed posed and continues to pose a catastrophic threat to Israel’s citizens. If Hezbollah’s forces poised on Israel’s northern border had followed through on its own invasion plans for the Galilee on Oct. 7, for which we now know it was amply prepared, the result might well have been three or four times the scale of mass killings, perhaps precipitating the collapse of Israel. Proportionality, in its true sense, would therefore dictate the annihilation of Hamas in response, to remove an existential threat.
Control of a territory by an extremist movement necessarily means that the majority of the civilian population either actively sustains it or else tacitly accepts its activities.
Yet, in contemporary American military and government understanding, proportionality means that every Israeli action should be examined from the point of view of whether “disproportional harm”—often meaning, any harm—has been inflicted on noncombatants. This is insane in the literal sense, as there is no way for Israel to apply this principle in practice and at the same time destroy Hamas.
The reason why the U.S. managed to spend the extraordinary sum of $2.3 trillion on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and other, associated operations, is largely “proportionality.” Careful assessment of what is and is not a proportional attack, or a proportional campaign, is incredibly expensive. It requires the constant collection of a vast amount of detailed intelligence on such subjects as the number of civilians likely to be present in a particular building. In its implementation, proportionality is taken to require the use of guided “smart” low-impact munitions in almost all circumstances, another enormous drain on the budget. Repeated attacks on the same target with expensive munitions often substitute for single attacks with cruder weapons, whose death tolls might be higher—but which will not exhaust America’s financial strength and are more likely to lead to victory. If the Union had spent the Civil War obsessing about the proportionality of its actions instead of annihilating the Confederacy, the war would likely have ended in a stalemate, and the continuation of slavery in the South.
A third and final reason why America stopped winning wars is its misunderstanding of democratization, which is not at all limited to the actions of President George W. Bush, or the ideas of so-called “neoconservatives.” Predictably, relying on democratization as a long-term solution to a foreign threat has proved a misguided and exceptionally expensive approach.
A dangerous regime like Saddam Hussein’s is a proper target for war. Those who are inclined to suggest that Saddam was not dangerous, or no longer dangerous, by 2003, are invited to consider what a vicious dictator like him would have done with Iraq’s vast oil revenue over time. Iran, a very dangerous regime, earns much less money exporting oil than Iraq, partly because it is much simpler to extract and export Iraqi oil. Thus, making sure that Saddam was not left permanently sitting on top of a vast revenue stream to support future aggression was a legitimate military objective.
Imposing democracy on Iraq was not a legitimate military objective, because it could not be reasonably achieved in a limited period of time through force. A society which has existed as a tyranny for decades cannot suddenly be turned into a democracy, especially if the society is not very sophisticated, either technologically or socially, simply by means of military invasion and occupation. It is worth remembering that West Germany had previously been a democracy, however flawed, during the Weimar Republic. It was also an advanced industrial power. Under direct occupation by the Western Allies after a catastrophic military defeat, and with massive Marshall Plan aid, West German society was capable of again sustaining democracy—which was already a familiar form of government. Nothing of the kind was possible in Iraq.
Seeking democracy, or even some substantively democratic form of government, is futile in places like Iraq and Gaza, because democratic governance requires a preexisting institutional and social basis. What should be done, and what America can do, is to rapidly destroy military threats to its national security and economy—as was in fact done in America’s initial invasion of Iraq in 2003. Instead of attempting to police Iraq into the future, America should have then maintained forces in safe areas in close proximity, like Iraqi Kurdistan and Kuwait, to make sure that the old regime could not return to power.
America cannot afford to fight long wars against its enemies, both because of the cost, and because any long campaign inevitably teaches the enemy to adapt and adjust, and thereby become at least partially immune to attack. What the United States should do instead is carry out sudden crushing attacks, which can be repeated without warning. America’s nature as a distant power with a large air force and navy makes this approach ideally suited to its strengths, while avoiding its weaknesses. If you don’t want to suffer the consequences of such an attack, then don’t do things like attack shipping in the Red Sea or take Americans hostage.
For the moment, America has no strategy, no operational approach, not even a clear sense of the tactics it should employ, even in simple situations where America’s interests are clear—like keeping shipping lanes open or keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of an Iranian regime that regularly promises “Death to America.” What America has, in overabundance, are empty soundbites. As long ago as Jan. 17, 2005, President Bush said of Iran’s nuclear program, “I hope we can solve it diplomatically, but I will never take any option off the table.” Two decades later, Vice President Harris says on that same topic, “diplomacy is my preferred path … but all options are on the table.” After two decades of continuing inaction, such rhetoric, on both sides of the aisle, is a portent of further failures to come.

A ‘Pure Genocide’: Christians Slaughtered in Nigeria and the Great Press Cover-Up
Raymond Ibrahim/Gatestone Institute/November 08, 2024
The “pure genocide” of Christians in Nigeria, as it has been characterized by several international observers, is reaching unprecedented levels, according to two separate reports.
“Countering the myth of religious indifference in Nigerian terror (10/2019 – 9/2023),” a comprehensive, 136-page report published by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa on August 29, 2024, found that Muslim militants slaughtered 16,769 Christians in just the four years between 2019 and 2023. That comes out to 4,192 Christians killed on average per year—or one Christian murdered for his/her faith every two hours.
More than half of these killings (55%) were committed by radicalized Muslim Fulani herdsmen, who over the last decade have become greater persecutors of Christians than more internationally recognizable terror groups, such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province—though these latter, too, are playing their part in the genocide: Fulani killed 9,153 Christians between 2019 and 2023; all other terrorist groups killed 4,895.
The second report, “NO ROAD HOME: Christian IDPs displaced by extremist violence in Nigeria,” published by Open Doors on September 1, 2024, states that the persecution, slaughter, and displacement of Christians in Nigeria is “unrelenting” and “a time bomb.” Because “militant Fulani groups have deliberately targeted Christians or Christian communities, their livelihood, faith leaders and places of worship,” Christians are becoming “an endangered species” in Nigeria, where they once amounted for more than half of the West African nation’s population (the other half being Muslim).
The violence has reached the point that many traumatized Christian children sleep, the report says, in trees as they try to avoid being butchered during the night, when Fulani are most prone to attack. “My children,” a parent is quoted, “each time they hear anything, they panic or go into hiding because it triggers the trauma. The terror of the attacks has not stopped, rather it has increased.”
In just the last decade, the amount of people to be displaced by the havoc and chaos caused by the Islamic groups has tripled: in 2014, there were 1.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria; as of 2023, there are 3.4 million.
One of these displaced persons, a Christian Pastor, Benjamin Barnabas, who has been living in a tiny tent for five years, shared his story in the report. He and his family were working on their farm when Fulani militants “came with guns, machetes and sticks,” thrashing the pastor and his family: “We lost everything that I had. Everything in my home and village was burnt, I was left with nothing… We are displaced because of violence. The news doesn’t care about it, we are remaining in darkness—being forgotten, being disregarded.”
This point, that the media is indifferent or worse concerning the plight of Christians—and obfuscating the identity of their tormentors—was emphasized by the Observatory report:
For over a decade atrocities against civilians in Nigeria have been downplayed or minimized. This has proved a major obstacle for those seeking to understand the violence. Misleading euphemisms, such as ‘armed herdsmen’ and ‘cattle grazers’ are used to describe continual waves of invasion, torture and killing in rural communities. Descriptions of attacks as ‘ethnic clashes’, ‘farmers-herders clashes’ or retaliatory attacks are seriously misleading. The use of the phrase ‘bandits’ to refer to militias carrying out mass kidnaps, and enforcement of serfdom on communities, is another case in point. And a policy of concealing the religious [Christian] identity of victims also serves to distort the true picture.
Behind all these misleading euphemisms, the facts remain: the murderers are Muslims and their victims are overwhelmingly Christian. Although the Observatory report focuses mostly on Nigerian media’s distortion of events, Western mainstream media has been following suit—devoutly refusing to use the most obvious, bottom-level identifiers of both the attackers (Muslims) and the attacked (Christians).
Thus, when Muslim terrorists slaughtered nearly 200 Christians last Christmas, the Associated Press failed to mention the identities of the assailants and their victims. Rather, it presented the atrocity, as so many now do, as a regrettable byproduct of climate change—which is, apparently, forcing “herders” (Muslims) to encroach on the lands of “farmers” (Christians).
In another AP report on the 2022 Pentecost Sunday church bombing that left 50 Christian worshippers dead, the words “Muslim” and “Islam”—even “Islamist”—never appear. Rather, readers were told, “It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack on the church.” To maintain this ambiguity, the AP failed to mention that Islamic terrorists have stormed hundreds of churches and slaughtered thousands of Christians “for sport” over the years in Nigeria—a fact that just might have offered a hint as to “who was behind the attack.”
Or consider the words of Obama’s then-Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson, after Muslim terrorists slaughtered 50 Christian church worshippers on Easter Sunday, 2012: “I want to take this opportunity to stress one key point and that is that religion is not driving extremist violence [in Nigeria].” Instead, “inequality” and “poverty”— to quote former US President William J. Clinton — are “what’s fueling all this stuff” (“this stuff” being the Muslim genocide of Christians).
Back on the ground in Nigeria, most Christians see these ongoing attacks for what they are. As the nun, Sister Monica Chikwe, once observed: “It’s tough to tell Nigerian Christians this isn’t a religious conflict since what they see are Fulani fighters clad entirely in black [like ISIS], chanting ‘Allahu Akbar!’ and screaming ‘Death to Christians.’”
The recent reports also include quotes and anecdotes that underscore the true source of the hostility. According to one survivor, “When the Fulani gunmen came to attack, they could be heard shouting ‘Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest), we will destroy all Christians.’…. The Fulani started to shoot, burning houses. They burnt our animals and maize plants.”
As the Christian Association of Nigeria once rhetorically asked: “How can it be a [secular or economic] clash when one group [Muslims] is persistently attacking, killing, maiming, destroying, and the other group [Christians] is persistently being killed, maimed and their places of worship destroyed?”
In 2018, when the attacks were nowhere near as bad as they are now, the National Christian Elders Forum of Nigeria succinctly summarized the ultimate source behind the genocide of Christians in Nigeria:
JIHAD has been launched in Nigeria by the Islamists of northern Nigeria led by the Fulani ethnic group. This Jihad is based on the Doctrine of Hate taught in Mosques and Islamic Madrasas in northern Nigeria as well as the supremacist ideology of the Fulani. Using both conventional (violent) Jihad, and stealth (civilization) Jihad, the Islamists of northern Nigeria seem determined to turn Nigeria into an Islamic Sultanate and replace Liberal Democracy with Sharia as the National Ideology. … We want a Nigeria, where citizens are treated equally before the law at all levels….
Although both reports agree that, while every day and often nominal Muslims—whom the terrorists see as little better than apostates—are also suffering and being displaced by the chaos, Christians “have been singled out for violence, face harsh living conditions and experience faith-based challenges throughout their displacement journey.” After pointing out that “Since 2015, there have been consistent reports of disparate treatment meted out to Christian and Muslim captives by members of Terror Groups,” the Observatory gives the following examples:
Forced Labor: Christian captives, including men, women, and children, are routinely subjected to forced labor and grueling physical tasks, often under inhumane conditions. In contrast, their Muslim counterparts are typically spared from such treatment.
Sexual Violence: Christian women and girls are frequently subjected to rape, sexual abuse, and other forms of sexual violence perpetrated by their captors. Muslim women, on the other hand, are generally not subjected to such atrocities.
Ransom Demands and Release: Muslim captives who cannot afford to pay ransoms are sometimes released without payment, indicating a degree of preferential treatment. However, Christian captives are rarely granted such leniency.
Execution Risks: According to media reports and research conducted over the past 10 years, Christian captives are more likely to be executed in captivity than Muslim captives held by the same terror groups. There are numerous instances where Christian captives were brutally murdered by their abductors, even after ransoms were paid.
The “radicalization” in Nigeria is such that even local and IDF camp officials are discriminating against and persecuting Christians: “some efforts to pressure, coerce or force conversion to Islam by the local government and members of public were described.” For example, “to gain access to critical support” in Borno State camps, “some have felt compelled to convert to Islam or deliberately hide their faith… [and] in some places of education they could not gain access with Christian names.”
Needless to say, the persecution continues. Below are a few headlines to appear in August and September of 2024, right around the publication times of and therefore not counted in these two reports:
· Oct. 3: Herdsmen Kill Christians in Northern and Central Nigeria
· Oct. 1: Herdsmen Kill Christians in Plateau State, Central Nigeria
· Sept. 23: Fulani Herdsmen Kill Christians at Church Services in Nigeria: Pastor and 30 others kidnapped.
· Sept. 2: Fulani Herdsmen Kill Six Christians in Central Nigeria
· Aug. 20: Fate of Pastor, Daughter Kidnapped in Nigeria Unknown: Captors receive ransom payment but demand another.
· Aug. 14: Muslims Burn Down Church Building in Central Nigeria: RCCG worship auditorium destroyed for second time.
· Aug. 13: Nigeria Continues to Tolerate Terrorism, USCIRF States
· Aug. 12: Bandits Kill Church Cleric, One Other, Abduct Eight Persons In Kaduna State Community
· Aug. 9: Herdsmen, Criminal Gang Kill at least 50 Christians in Nigeria
· Aug. 7: Herdsmen Injure Four Christians in Plateau State, Nigeria: One farmer who was shot suffers a shattered hand.
· Aug. 1: Prominent Christian Woman Kidnapped from Church in Nigeria: Policeman, driver are killed in attack.
In 2020, President Donald J. Trump placed Nigeria on the State Department’s List of Countries of Particular Concern—that is, nations which engage in, or tolerate violations of, religious freedom. Trump, moreover and with characteristic bluntness, went on to ask the then Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, “Why are you killing Christians?”
During President Joseph R. Biden, however, the State Department, rather bizarrely, removed Nigeria—where one Christian is butchered every two hours—from the list. Antony Blinken apparently made this concession three days before meeting with Muhammadu Buhari.
At the time, many observers responded by slamming the Biden administration. As Sean Nelson, Legal Counsel for Global Religious Freedom for ADF International, 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, as well as Muslims who oppose the goals of terrorist and militia groups, 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.
At any rate, such is the current state of affairs: for many years now, a jihad of genocidal proportions has been declared on the Christian population of Nigeria—even as American media and government present Nigeria’s problems in purely economic terms that defy reality.
Put differently, for mainstream media and politicians, black lives—one every two hours for several years now—do not matter. At least not when those lives are Christian being slaughtered by Muslims.
**Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West, Sword and Scimitar, Crucified Again, and The Al Qaeda Reader, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Question: “What does it mean to love one another?”
GotQuestions.org/November 08, 2024
Answer: In John 13:34 Jesus taught, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Then He added, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (verse 35). How do we do this? What does it mean to love one another?
The “one another” in these verses is a reference to fellow believers. A distinguishing mark of being a follower of Christ is a deep, sincere love for brothers and sisters in Christ. The apostle John reminds us of this fact elsewhere: “He has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister” (1 John 4:21).
In giving this command, Jesus did something the world had never seen before—He created a group identified by one thing: love. There are many groups in the world, and they identify themselves in any number of ways: by skin color, by uniform, by shared interest, by alma mater, etc. One group has tattoos and piercings; another group abstains from meat; yet another group wears fezzes—the ways people categorize themselves are endless. But the church is unique. For the first and only time in history, Jesus created a group whose identifying factor is love. Skin color doesn’t matter. Native language doesn’t matter. There are no rules about diet or uniforms or wearing funny hats. Followers of Christ are identified by their love for each other.
The early church demonstrated the type of love Jesus was talking about. There were people in Jerusalem from all over the known world (Acts 2:9–11). Those who were saved got together and immediately began meeting each other’s needs: “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” (Acts 2:44–45). This was love in action, and you can be sure it made an impression on the people of that city.
Jesus’ statements in John 13:34–35 raise a couple of other questions that may be good to answer. First, how does Jesus love? He loves unconditionally (Romans 5:8), sacrificially (2 Corinthians 5:21), with forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32), and eternally (Romans 8:38–39). At the same time, Jesus’ love is holy—characterized by transcendent moral purity—because He is holy (Hebrews 7:26). The culmination of Christ’s amazing love for us is His death on the cross, burial, and bodily resurrection (1 John 4:9–10). Believers are to love each other like that.
Second, how then can the believer in Christ love as Christ loved? The believer in Christ has the Holy Spirit living within him (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). By obeying the Spirit, through the Word of God, the believer can love like Christ does. He shows that unconditional, sacrificial, forgiving love to fellow believers, but it doesn’t stop there. He also shows the love of Christ to friends, to family members, to coworkers, etc. (Ephesians 5:18–6:4; Galatians 5:16, 22–23). Even enemies are the recipients of Christ’s love (see Matthew 5:43–48).
Christ’s love displayed through the believer is unlike the “love” generated by the flesh, which can be selfish, egotistical, unforgiving, and insincere. First Corinthians 13:4–8 gives a wonderful description of what Christ’s love will be like in and through the believer who walks in the Spirit.
People don’t naturally love with a 1 Corinthians 13-type love. To love like that, there must be a change of heart. A person must realize that he is a sinner before God and understand that Christ died on the cross and rose again to provide him forgiveness; then he must make the decision to accept Christ as his personal Savior. At that point he is forgiven by Christ and receives God’s gift of eternal life—in fact, he becomes a participant in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). In Christ he knows that he is genuinely loved by God. The new life the believer receives includes a new capacity to love like Christ loves, for the believer now has living within him the unconditional, sacrificial, forgiving, eternal, and holy love of God (Romans 5:5).
To love one another is to love fellow believers as Christ loves us. Those who love like Christ in the Holy Spirit’s power will give evidence that they are disciples, or learners, of Jesus Christ.

Writers and Careless Use of Words
Amir Taheri/Asharq Al-Awsat/November 09/2024
“Think twice! No, think thrice before you put a word on paper!” This was the advice that the great Persian poet Muhammad Iqbal, a son of India, advised his disciples in the last century. “In using words let caution be your guide.”
That thought found an echo in the writings of Sayyed Kazem Assar, an Iranian theological scholar. He wrote: “I have sat down to put pen on paper and words are jostling one another to assume existence. But do I know which one I should let in and what each will do?”
The letter published by 1001 writers from more than 30 countries calling for a cultural boycott of Israel in solidarity with the “the Palestinian cause” reminded me of Iqbal’s “caution,” Assar’s “unexpected event” and Kierkegaard’s anxiety.
Having thrown all caution to the winds the esteemed writers did at least four things that one does not expect from people of letters.
The first was casting anathema on publishers, book clubs, cultural associations, art festivals and, inevitably, hundreds or perhaps thousands of writers, poets, composers, cineastes, dramatists, painters and other artists associated with them simply because they happen to be Israelis.
Sally Rooney, an Irish novelist who signed the letter, went even further by saying she would not allow her novels to be translated in Hebrew. Annie Ernaux, the French winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, also a signatory, explained her move as opposition to “institutions that have never recognized the undoubted rights of the Palestinian people” without saying what those rights were and why are they undoubted.
The second move not expected from the literati, even including its glitterati fringe, is to preach blanket censorship based on guilt by association.
In other words, if we disagree with what the Israeli government does, we have the right, nay the duty, to try and shut Israeli poets, writers and artists out of the global market. This is all the more surprising because most signatories are from the “Western world” where refusing guilt by association is a fundamental principle of the law.
Thirdly, a writer always provides, even the character he most dislikes, the chance to put his case before he is stamped with a final judgment of banishment.
Finally, a writer should not throw his other words around the cavalier the way some politicians do. Words such as “genocide” and “Apartheid” are verbal hand-grenades. That a few Israelis label the October 7 attack as “genocide” or a new “Holocaust” against the Jews does not bat back against all Israelis.
As for “Apartheid,” Israel did build walls to ensure a physical separation from its avowed foes. But wall-building, now done by the United States, Türkiye, Iran, Hungary, Poland and Estonia doesn’t amount to Apartheid. In any case, as Israelis built walls to keep Hamas away, Hamas built tunnels to go and visit them. In other words, a writer cannot or should not stoop to the level of an ideologue let alone a penny-farthing propagandist for even the “noblest of causes.”
The Palestinian cause may be a noble one. So, as a writer, show us what it is and why it is. A writer isn’t a labelling machine or a virtue-signaling device.
In the 1960s, as student activists in London and Paris, on several occasions, we sought the signatures of the then fashionable French intellectuals for our juvenile petitions on a range of then fashionable “noble causes.” Jean-Paul Sartre always signed without even reading our petitions. It was enough that we were fighting for a “noble cause.” Raymond Aaron, on the other hand, sent us packing, telling us to properly understand the “cause” before asking him to buy a ticket.
Few of the 1001 signatories have a direct experience of witnessing the Palestinian tragedy. One who has is the African-American writer Alice Walker who says she visited Palestinian refugee camps and was moved. But she, like former British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbin, another peddler of the “cause” who visited Gaza before the October 7 attack and was dithyrambic about how Palestinian refugees in camps were building an economy and creating a cultural sphere.
However, neither Walker nor Corbyn wondered why so many Palestinians in Gaza were still in refugee camps although Hamas had ruled Gaza for more than a decade after the Israeli withdrawal.
More broadly, they and the 1001 writers have never wondered why it is that since World War II the world has absorbed millions of refugees from more than 40 countries while keeping four generations of Palestinians in refugee camps, thus inventing refugee-ness as a hereditary career. Nor did they wonder why millions of Palestinians did settle across the globe but not in Gaza, the West Bank and four Arab states.
Virtue-signalers do no service to Palestinians by using and abusing their undoubted sufferings to vent historic, cultural and pseudo-religious hatreds.
If they are sincere in supporting the Palestinians, they should call for transforming a “cause,” that in Hamas’ version means the annihilation of Israel-a cause that has produced nothing but grief eight decades into a “project” to shape a better future for Palestinians beyond eternal refugee camps.

What Arabs should expect from the new White House
Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/ArabNews/November 08, 2024
Arab countries face the task of reevaluating their expectations and strategies for dealing with a new Donald Trump administration in the White House.
During his previous term, Trump reshaped many aspects of US foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, adopting an unconventional approach focused on transactional alliances and strict stances towards Iran, while moving away from traditional diplomacy. With his return, Arab leaders are considering whether will revisit his previous policies, or adjust to the evolving geopolitical landscape.
Several issues are expected to be high on his agenda, including the Gaza conflict, Israeli military actions in Lebanon, and the Iranian nuclear program. Trump’s first term marked a dramatic shift from the approaches of his predecessors, emphasizing an “America First” policy that prioritised US interests. This led to significant changes in the way the US interacted with allies and adversaries in the Middle East, creating both opportunities and challenges for Arab countries.
Perhaps Trump’s most influential legacy in the Middle East was the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. These agreements were designed to foster economic cooperation and promote peace through new alliances with Israel. While they were hailed as a historic step toward stability, some viewed the accords as focusing more on economic gains than addressing core regional issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Critics argued that sidelining the Palestinian cause could lead to long-term instability in the region.
Trump’s approach to Iran was central to his Middle East policy. He withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Iran nuclear deal established under Barack Obama, and imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran in an attempt to limit its regional influence. Although some Gulf countries supported this strategy, it heightened tensions and increased the risk of conflict. The assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani and the subsequent rise in hostilities underscored the fragile state of affairs.
Trump also frequently questioned the necessity of maintaining a large American military presence in the Middle East, expressing a desire to reduce US involvement in conflicts that he viewed as not directly tied to American interests. In 2019, he ordered the withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria. This raised concerns among US allies and prompted many Arab leaders to question the reliability of American military support, and to explore alternative security arrangements.
Trump’s policies strongly favored Israel, such as moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. His “Peace to Prosperity” plan was widely criticized by Palestinians, who viewed it as biased and dismissive of their aspirations. By prioritizing Israel’s strategic interests, Trump’s administration diminished America’s role as a neutral mediator in the conflict, further polarizing an already divided region.
With Trump back in office, there are key areas where Arab countries might see continuity in his policies, while other areas may require adjustments to align with the evolving geopolitical environment.
Trump has expressed interest in expanding the Abraham Accords to other Arab states. Normalizing relations with Israel could present significant economic opportunities for these countries, particularly in technology, tourism, and defense. However, the lack of progress on the Palestinian issue might provoke a public backlash in many Arab countries where support for Palestinian rights remains strong. Balancing these opportunities with public sentiment will be a delicate task for Arab leaders.
Trump is likely to engage in strategic bargaining, offering broader normalization with key Arab states in exchange for specific concessions by Netanyahu.
Trump may also pursue further reductions in the US military footprint in the Middle East, relying on targeted operations rather than large-scale deployments. This would require regional countries to strengthen their defensive capabilities and perhaps form new alliances to manage their security independently. A reduced US presence could also encourage greater intervention from other global powers, such as Russia and China, whose growing influence in the region presents its own set of challenges.
Trump is well-known for using economic pressure as a foreign policy tool, and this could extend to Arab oil-producing countries. He may press Gulf states to adjust their oil production to meet global market demands, impacting the region’s economies. While Trump supports US energy independence, the interconnectedness of global markets ensures that Arab oil producers will remain integral to his economic strategy.
Trump’s re-election is expected to have major implications for the Middle East. During his campaign, he hinted at “peace through strength” and promised Arab and Muslim leaders that he would end conflicts if re-elected. Many Arabs feel that Biden, as a Democrat, was less effective in pressuring Israel’s prime minister to halt military action in Gaza, while Trump may wield more influence and respond to requests for restraint. Across the Arab world, Trump is perceived as a pragmatic businessman who prioritizes economic stability and views Middle Eastern stability as essential for fostering economic growth. Gulf states, in particular, believe that development and improved relations cannot flourish amid constant conflict. As a result, cooling tensions in Gaza and Lebanon is seen as a key objective for Trump’s administration.
Arab leaders also expect Trump’s strong relationship with GCC countries to be leveraged in influencing Benjamin Netanyahu. Rather than public reprimands, Trump is likely to engage in strategic bargaining, offering broader normalization with key Arab states in exchange for specific concessions by Netanyahu. Such an approach would align with Trump’s transactional style of diplomacy.
The Middle East peace plan introduced during Trump’s first term and championed by his son-in-law Jared Kushner remains a contentious issue. While its details were never fully disclosed, there were indications that it moved away from the two-state solution long considered the foundation for peace. The plan proposed a Palestinian capital in “parts of East Jerusalem,” connected by modern transport infrastructure, including a high-speed train linking the West Bank and Gaza. However, the lack of consensus on this plan continues to hinder progress.
One thing is certain: Trump’s policies will primarily be driven by what he perceives as America’s interests.
Trump’s policies in the Middle East present both opportunities and challenges. Arab leaders will need to navigate these dynamics cautiously, safeguarding their interests while seizing potential advantages. Marginalizing the Palestinian issue without addressing core concerns may exacerbate tensions and fuel public dissent.As Trump prepares for his second term, the Arab world can expect policies that largely mirror his previous approach, including a hard line on Iran, reduced US military involvement, and a focus on economic agreements. While these policies present significant opportunities, they also carry risks related to regional stability and security.
• Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy has covered conflicts worldwide. X: @ALMenawy