English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 17/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
Biblical Verses telling the Story of Zechariah the Priest &
His Wife Elizabeth, John the Papist’s Parents
Luke 01/01-25/:”Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly
account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were
handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants
of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the
very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so
that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been
instructed. In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named
Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a
descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous
before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations
of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both
were getting on in years. Once when he was serving as priest before God and his
section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the
priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the
time of the incense-offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying
outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right
side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear
overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for
your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you
will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his
birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine
or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit
and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to
their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make
ready a people prepared for the Lord.’Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How will I
know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in
years.’The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I
have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because
you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will
become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.’ Meanwhile, the
people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary.
When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had
seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to
speak. When his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After those days
his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She
said, ‘This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favourably on me and
took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.’”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on November 16-17/2024
Elias
Bejjani: Hezbollah in All Its Forms is an Existential Threat to Lebanon and the
Lebanese People/November 17, 2024
Will the Iranians Withdraw from Lebanon in Exchange for Preserving their
Regime?/Colonel Charbel Barakat/November 17/ 2024
Significant’ Damage: IDF Strikes Hezbollah Smuggling Routes Between Syria and
Lebanon
Lebanon Ceasefire Talks: Beware of Trusting Russia to Restrain Hezbollah
Israeli troops reach deepest point in Lebanon since Oct. 1 invasion, Lebanese
media say
Israel pounds southern Beirut as Hezbollah considers fresh ceasefire proposal
IDF destroys Hezbollah weapons cache, uncovers rocket launchers in Lebanon raids
Israeli air force strikes Hezbollah sites in Beirut suburb Dahiyeh
Rockets fired from Lebanon cause power outages in Haifa: Israeli media
US Envoy Amos Hochstein expected in Israel after Lebanon visit
Berri says ceasefire chances above 50%
Netanyahu and Israel's Defense Minister approve scaled-up attacks on Lebanon to
"pressure Hezbollah"
Beirut's southern suburbs struggle with dual crises: Airstrikes and looting
Israel pummels south Beirut as Hezbollah targets Haifa area
Israeli troops reach deepest point in Lebanon since October 1 invasion
Civilians killed, neighborhoods destroyed in fresh Israeli strikes on Beirut,
Tyre
Flares spotted near Israeli PM Netanyahu's home in Caesarea
Israeli Channel 14: Israeli forces deploy artillery batteries in South Lebanon
Lebanon rescuer picks up 'pieces' of father after Israel strike
Israeli strikes kill 11 in Lebanon, including parents and their 3 kids
Fresh airstrikes and evacuation warnings in Beirut's southern suburbs
Hezbollah says it hit Israeli tank in Chamaa, South Lebanon
Renowned Lebanese journalist quits MTV over death threats by alleged Hezbollah
supporters
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on November 16-17/2024
Israeli
strike on Iran's Parchin facility disrupts key nuclear bomb development
capabilities
Trump admin. plans to bankrupt Iran with 'maximum pressure' policies - report
Fifteen killed in Israeli strikes on Damascus, Syrian state media say
U.S. Forces Strike at Iranian Proxies in Syria in Response to Series of Attacks
Ilhan Omar Gives Explicit Reply After Pro-Israel Protester Says 'Go To Gaza,
Sweetheart'
Israel’s war conduct in Gaza ‘consistent with the characteristics of genocide,’
UN Special Committee finds
Iran's U.N. Ambassador met with Elon Musk in New York, report suggests
With Trump, already small US distance with Israel to vanish
The family of Israeli-American hostage pleads with Biden and Trump to bring
hostages home
Trump defense pick Hegseth accused of 2017 sexual assault
Yemen’s Houthis say they attacked 'vital target' in Israel's Eilat
Iran ‘categorically’ denies envoy’s meeting with Musk
UK doubles aid to war-torn Sudan
The urgency of climate finance: Is the world ready to commit?
Sudan women sexually exploited in Chad camps
1st female airman awarded Silver Star for shootdown of Iranian drones
Qatar's step back from hostage negotiations will only serve as inconvenience -
opinion
Do Trump’s picks Rubio, Huckabee signal his approval of West Bank annexation? -
analysis
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on November 16-17/2024
Question: “What does the Bible say about anger?”/GotQuestions.org/November 16,
2024
Egypt’s disappearing women/Mariam Wahba/Washington Examiner/November 16/2024
The Possibility of a 'Golden Age' in the Middle East/Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone
Institute/November 16, 2024
God chose Donald Trump to win the election and change the world -
opinion/Stewart Weiss/Jerusalem Post/November 16/2024
Can Donald Trump actually do good as president? - opinion/Amotz ASA-El/Jerusalem
Post/November 16/2024
Trump’s regional changes/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed//Arab News/November 17/2024
Who needs gatekeepers if Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir are in charge?/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab
News/November 17/2024
Can Baku maintain the momentum on climate change action?/Ranvir S. Nayar/Arab
News/November 17/2024
Starmer tries to stay focused on his domestic agenda/Andrew Hammond/Arab
News/November 17/2024
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published
on November 16-17/2024
Elias Bejjani: Hezbollah in All Its Forms is an Existential Threat to Lebanon
and the Lebanese People
November 17, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/136914/
Hezbollah’s Threat to Lebanon Is
Beyond Armed Resistance
Hezbollah, the armed Iranian jihadist terrorist proxy, represents a multifaceted
and existential threat that transcends its military capabilities. It poses a
grave danger to Lebanon, the Arab world, Israel, and the international peace as
a whole—whether it exists as an armed militia or a so-called political entity.
Dismantling Hezbollah, disarming it, and prosecuting its leadership as enablers
of the Shiite political Islamist ideology are crucial steps to preserving
Lebanese, regional, and global stability.
The threat of Hezbollah lies in its religious ideology, which mirrors the Shiite
branch of political Islam and is almost a carbon copy of the Sunni variant, with
its extremist and jihadist organizations like ISIS, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, and
the Muslim Brotherhood offshoots. Despite sectarian differences, all political
Islamist groups share a unified goal: imposing a totalitarian
religious-political agenda that threatens nation-states, disrupts societal
stability, and causes global unrest. Hezbollah’s Shiite agenda is no less
dangerous or extreme than its Sunni counterparts.
Hezbollah Does Not Represent Shiites in Lebanon or the Arab World
Contrary to the propaganda spread by Iran and its so-called "Resistance Axis" in
Lebanon and beyond, Hezbollah does not represent Lebanese or Arab Shiites.
Instead, it stands as their greatest adversary. In the 1980s, through a
conspiracy between Syria’s Assad regime and Iran’s mullahs, Hezbollah was
created and equipped with extensive military, financial, and sectarian resources
to hijack Lebanon's Shiite community and hold it hostage.
This destructive reality persists today, just last year, Hezbollah launched a
war against Israel under direct Iranian orders, continuing it despite disastrous
consequences on Lebanese Shiites, including destruction, death, impoverishment,
humiliation, and displacement. Despite the devastation and suffering caused by
its policies and wars in its areas of influence, Hezbollah persists in waging
senseless battles solely to serve Iran’s regional agenda, which starkly opposes
the interests of Shiites, Lebanon, and the Lebanese people. These suicidal
policies underscore Hezbollah's loyalty to Iran, surpassing any concern for the
community it falsely claims to defend and represent—its so-called
“supportive-embracing base.”
Hezbollah’s Role in Undermining Lebanon’s Sovereignty
Since 2005, following Syria's forced withdrawal from Lebanon, Hezbollah has
entrenched itself as a "state within a state." It seized control of the
government, coerced or bought off political parties and figures, and transformed
Lebanon into an arms depot, monopolizing decisions of war and peace.
Despite this reality, most Lebanese politicians and leaders of corrupted
political parties, driven by ignorance, opportunism, or betrayal, openly propose
allowing Hezbollah to continue as a political party after its inevitable
military defeat. This servile stance highlights the shortsightedness of these
individuals, serving only Iran’s hegemonic agenda by ensuring Hezbollah's
ideological and cultural dominance and extending its function as Tehran’s tool
in the region.
The Heresy of the “Defense Strategy” Hoax
Amid this political and religious subjugation, calls have emerged to integrate
Hezbollah’s weapons into a so-called “national defense strategy” or to
incorporate thousands of its fighters into the Lebanese Army under the guise of
“border guards.” These proposals are national betrayals designed to cement
Hezbollah’s status as a parallel armed entity dominating the Lebanese Army's
leadership and institutions, effectively creating a state within the state.
This is the same model Iran has promoted through the Popular Mobilization Forces
in Iraq, the Houthis in Yemen, and its militias in Syria, undermining the
sovereignty of these nations’ governments. Hezbollah mirrors this structure in
Lebanon today.
Iran: Chaos, Destruction, and the Fragmentation of States
Iran’s strategy is clear: weaken nation-states, empower sectarian militias loyal
to Tehran, and consolidate its influence. In Lebanon, Hezbollah serves as Iran’s
primary tool for maintaining its grip on the country. The same strategy is
replicated in Iraq, Yemen, and Syria, where Iranian militias systematically
dismantle national institutions, replacing legitimate governance with chaos and
mini-states.
The Path to Liberating Lebanon from Iranian Occupation
Dismantling Hezbollah, disarming it, and banning its participation in political
life are essential preconditions for freeing Lebanon from Iranian occupation.
The Lebanese people, alongside political, religious, academic, and partisan
elites, must recognize a crucial truth: Hezbollah, in any form, is incompatible
with sovereignty, constitutional governance, independence, democracy, freedoms,
coexistence, and national unity. The international community must support
Lebanon by exerting maximum pressure on Hezbollah and its Iranian sponsors to
dismantle the group, liberate the Shiites and all Lebanese from its
authoritarian control, and restore Lebanon's sovereignty.
Lebanon’s future hinges on breaking the vicious cycle of occupations and
external dependency that have plagued it since the 1970s. Achieving this
requires the complete eradication of Hezbollah as a military force, its
dissolution as a political entity, and its prosecution as an organization
promoting terrorism and jihadist wars. Only then can Lebanon regain its
sovereignty and lay the foundation for a stable and prosperous future.
Will the Iranians Withdraw
from Lebanon in Exchange for Preserving their Regime?
Colonel Charbel Barakat/November 17/ 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/136947/
(Freely translated from Arabic and quoted by Elias Bejjani, editor and publisher
of the LCCC website)
Introduction
Colonel Charbel Barakat, a retired Lebanese Army officer, historian, terrorism
expert, and author of numerous works on Lebanon, the Iranian regime’s schemes,
and jihadist movements, has testified multiple times before the U.S. Congress on
critical issues, including Iranian and Syrian terrorism, the Syrian occupation
of Lebanon, jihadist threats, and the pursuit of Middle East peace.
In his analysis today, Colonel Charbel Barakat provided an in-depth examination
of whether Iran might abandon Hezbollah, its terrorist proxy in Lebanon, in
exchange for preserving its regime. He also issued a powerful call to the free
Lebanese Shiites, urging them to unite in condemning Hezbollah’s war and its
allegiance to Iran. Barakat emphasized the need for decisive and patriotic
stances to save their community, bring them fully under the constitutional
authority of the Lebanese state, and join other Lebanese as active partners in
fostering Middle East peace with Israel and all regional countries.
Barakat started his analysis by saying,”The ongoing war in Lebanon today and the
destruction it causes stem from the Iranian regime’s obstinacy and its grip on
its last effective card—the Lebanese card, represented by the terrorist and
Jihadist Hezbollah. Iran has lost the Palestinian card in Gaza and is preparing
to lose the Yemeni card, which it will inevitably relinquish as it impacts a
critical global trade route affecting everyone from China to India, along with
East Asia’s trade with Europe. These stakes also include the interests of
regional countries, especially Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states, as well
as global oil and gas trade. Pressure will increase further if progress
materializes in Saudi-Israeli relations under President Trump in the future.
Thus, the Lebanese card becomes pivotal. If it falls, it may also jeopardize
Iran’s grip on Iraq, though Iraq’s proximity and historical ties to Iran make
maintaining influence easier. Historically, this proximity was seen during the
Sassanid Empire, where the Persian capital ‘Ctesiphon’ stood, and the subsequent
imposition of Islam on Persia left an enduring historical wound, shaping events
from the Abbasid Revolution to the Safavid era under Shah Ismail.
Barakat emphasized Iran’s attachment to its armed well equipped and well trained
Hezbollah proxy, rooted in the ideological ambitions of Ayatollah Khomeini, who
envisioned dominance and expansion. He explained that the seeds of this
expansionist agenda were sown even during the Shah’s reign when Imam Musa al-Sadr
was sent to organize the Shiite presence in Lebanon and bolster influence in a
region dominated by leftist forces aligned with the Soviet Union and the rising
strength of Eastern Bloc-armed Palestinian factions.
Today, after severe blows have dismantled Hezbollah’s organization from its
leadership to its logistical backbone—including its weapons caches,
fortifications, and funding sources—the Revolutionary Guard has been forced to
intervene directly. Barakat noted that Iran has deployed militia elements from
Syria to bolster Hezbollah’s resilience, attempting to prevent any semblance of
surrender or defeat. This is likely a strategic move to position itself for
potential negotiations about future arrangements while ensuring its grip on
power in Iran. If assured of its regime’s survival, Tehran may accept any
conditions proposed by Israel and its Western allies, including internal reforms
and accommodating international demands, while attempting to placate future
Iranian uprisings.
Barakat observed a pattern in Tehran’s behavior—frequent declarations followed
by retractions, numerous delegations visiting Lebanon, and efforts to present
itself as a peace-seeker uninterested in war. He highlighted the regime’s
willingness to compromise, even reopening its nuclear sites to international
inspectors, as recently announced.
He elaborated on Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani’s recent visit to
Lebanon, noting that it ostensibly aimed to provide limited financial support to
Hezbollah to address its dire situation, mitigate discontent among its displaced
supporters, and alleviate rejection within its base. Barakat viewed this visit
as an attempt to project influence and gauge the dynamics among Lebanese
factions and influential actors that could shape Israel’s actions. The ease with
which Larijani’s security checks at the airport were handled, without
significant objection, further demonstrated Tehran’s intent to adapt its
tactics.
Barakat questioned: ‘Will Israel’s ability to neutralize Iran’s nuclear threat
today, during this unique window, prevent the revival of the Mullah regime’s
role as a global terrorism sponsor and an opponent of peace in the Middle East?
Or will the concessions and acceptance of international conditions enable true
peace and regional cooperation while allowing the regime to survive, provided it
abandons its expansionist rhetoric and missile and nuclear ambitions?’
He predicted that any Iranian intransigence will inevitably lead to direct
confrontation, requiring the regime’s ultimate elimination alongside its
manifestations in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Syria. Barakat stressed that the
ongoing war serves to dismantle the arsenal amassed by this ‘Axis of Evil’ over
four decades. However, he expressed optimism, seeing the end of the era of
terrorist expansion and the dawn of genuine peace sought by nations and peoples
alike.
He urged the Lebanese Shiite community, victimized by Hezbollah’s control, to
awaken from the delusion of fleeting power and recognize the devastation brought
upon them. Barakat implored them to abandon the hopeless war and embrace the
principles of state-building, asserting that illicit profits and criminal
enterprises will no longer suffice to sustain them.
Barakat concluded: The Mullah regime is willing to sell Lebanon to preserve its
power in Iran and will readily betray the Shiites of Lebanon faster than they
might imagine. Therefore, he urged them to take the initiative, demand
Hezbollah’s disarmament, and work tirelessly to end the ongoing futile war. He
also called on the Shiites to unite in building a better Lebanon rooted in
neutrality, good governance, and cooperation, paving the way for an open and
prosperous Middle East.
‘Significant’ Damage: IDF Strikes Hezbollah Smuggling Routes Between Syria and
Lebanon
FDD-Policy Brief/November 16, 2024
• Israeli Airstrikes Target Weapons Smuggling Routes: The IDF carried out
strikes on November 13 targeting smuggling routes that Hezbollah’s Unit 4400
uses to transport weapons into Lebanon. Syrian state media reported
“significant” damage to bridges and roads near the Syria-Lebanon border.
• Unit 4400 Coordinates Cash Transfers From Iran: In addition to transporting
weapons from Iran and its regional proxies to Lebanon, Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 is
responsible for transferring funds. In a televised briefing on October 21, IDF
spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari explained that Hezbollah raises funds
through sales of Iranian oil in Syria as well as by flying in cash directly from
Tehran to Beirut. On October 1, the IDF eliminated Unit 4400 chief Muhammad
Jafar Qassir in Beirut. Israeli forces killed his successor in Syria on October
21.
• Israel’s Pre-October 7 ‘Campaign Between Wars’: Before Hamas drew Israel into
war with its massacre on October 7, 2023, the Jewish state had been striking
Iranian assets in Syria as part of a shadow operation known as the “campaign
between wars.” Israel rarely claimed responsibility for individual strikes,
although it acknowledged a sustained effort to prevent Iranian entrenchment in
Syria and the transportation of advanced weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon via
Syria.
FDD Expert Response
“For over a month, Israel has concentrated a disproportionate number of attacks
on Hezbollah’s Unit 4400. Israel’s purpose is to strangle Hezbollah’s weapons
supply to degrade its ability to fight the current war as well as complicate the
group’s ability to regenerate after the war.” — David Daoud, Senior Fellow
“Hezbollah’s military infrastructure extends well beyond the borders of Lebanon,
reaching into Syria, Iraq, Iran, and beyond. For Israel, dismantling this
infrastructure is crucial, as it would significantly undermine Hezbollah’s
capacity to transfer advanced arms into Lebanon. However, Israel needs to
anticipate future developments and strategize for the possibility that Hezbollah
may substitute parts of its smuggling operations with locally manufactured
advanced weaponry.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War
Journal
“The Syrian-Lebanese frontier remains a critical lifeline for Hezbollah,
allowing the group to rearm. Syria functions as a strategic base, facilitating
the storage and transfer of weapons to Lebanon from Iran, which are used to
launch attacks on Israeli population centers.” — Ahmad Sharawi, Research Analyst
Lebanon Ceasefire Talks: Beware of Trusting Russia to
Restrain Hezbollah
Ahmad Sharawi/FDD-Policy Brief/November 16, 2024
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, on Monday questioned the enforceability
of a ceasefire with Hezbollah but suggested that Russia might help by blocking
smuggled arms from Syria. Yet trusting Moscow would be risky. Russia has a
longstanding alliance with the Syrian regime and an increasingly close
relationship with Iran, and Moscow has shown little desire to rein in Hezbollah.
Israel is seeking Russian support for a ceasefire through discreet diplomacy,
including a secret visit to Russia by cabinet member Ron Dermer. Days later,
Dermer met with President-elect Donald Trump as well as the Secretary of State
Antony Blinken. Yet Saar’s expression of confidence in Russia may be more of a
diplomatic gesture than a true signal of Israeli thinking.
Russia teamed up with Iran and Hezbollah to prop up the Assad regime
In Syria, Russia has spent nearly a decade working closely with Iran and
Hezbollah to prop up the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Accordingly, Moscow is
unlikely to compromise Iran’s strategic interests, particularly the flow of
weaponry from Iran through Syria into Hezbollah’s hands, especially since Iran
supplies Russia with weaponry for its war in Ukraine. For over a decade, the
Syrian-Lebanese border has been largely controlled by Hezbollah and other
Iranian-led proxies, so any prospective Russian presence would likely
necessitate a separate agreement with Iran and Hezbollah. In addition to
facilitating illicit arms trafficking, control of the border is also vital to
trafficking drugs, especially Captagon.
Russian flagrantly violated a 2017 agreement with Jordan and the U.S. to
restrain Hezbollah in Syria
In 2017, Trump reached an agreement with Russia and Jordan to stabilize southern
Syria, pledging to maintain a ceasefire between the Assad regime and anti-Assad
rebel factions. However, Russia did little to hold back Assad and his allies, so
the agreement created an opening for Iranian proxies, including Hezbollah, to
expand their influence and military infrastructure in the area, ultimately
forcing out the rebels. Hezbollah also moved closer to the Israeli-held Golan
Heights as well as the Syrian-Jordanian border, which facilitated the smuggling
of arms and narcotics into Jordan.
IDF needs to be able to enforce any ceasefire
Since the initiation of Operation Northern Arrows in September, the
Syrian-Lebanese border has been a frequent target for Israeli airstrikes.
However, air operations alone are unlikely to dismantle Hezbollah’s arms
smuggling network. Once a ceasefire is in place, someone will have to monitor
and enforce it. The Lebanese Armed Forces are not an option, since they have
shown they are incapable of acting against Hezbollah. Nor are UN peacekeepers,
who failed to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding and rearming after the previous
war with Israel. Thus, an Israeli right to enforce the ceasefire militarily
remains the most viable option.
U.S. should only support an enforceable agreement
The United States has previously signaled its support for Israel’s right to
intervene in Lebanon should any potential ceasefire be breached, including if
Hezbollah maintains a presence south of the Litani or continues smuggling arms
through Lebanon’s air and seaports or from Syria. Washington should stand firmly
by that position, since neither Russia nor any other actor has demonstrated both
the will and the ability to restrain Hezbollah. **Ahmad Sharawi is a research
analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on
Middle East affairs, specifically the Levant, Iraq, and Iranian intervention in
Arab affairs as well as U.S. foreign policy toward the region. For more analysis
from Ahmad and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Ahmad on X @AhmadA_Sharawi.
Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research
institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
Israeli troops reach deepest point in Lebanon since Oct. 1 invasion, Lebanese
media say
Bassem Mroue/AP/November 16, 2024
BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli ground forces reached their deepest point in Lebanon since
they invaded six weeks ago before pulling back Saturday after battles with
Hezbollah militants, Lebanese state media reported.
The clashes and further Israeli bombardment of Beirut's southern suburbs, a
Hezbollah stronghold, came as Lebanese and Hezbollah officials study a draft
proposal presented by the U.S. earlier this week on ending the war. Israeli
troops captured a strategic hill in the southern Lebanese village of Chamaa,
about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Israeli border, the state-run National
News Agency reported. It said the troops were later pushed back. The agency
added that Israeli troops blew up the Shrine of Shimon the Prophet in Chamaa as
well as several homes before they withdrew, but the claim could not be
immediately verified. Israel's military did not immediately respond to requests
for comment but said in a statement that its troops “continue their limited,
localized and targeted operational activity in southern Lebanon.”
Israeli warplanes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs known as Dahiyeh as well as
several other areas in southern Lebanon including the port city of Tyre.
Israel's military said its planes hit multiple sites used by the militant group.
Residents were given advance warning by Israel. There were no immediate reports
of casualties. Since late September, Israel has dramatically escalated its
bombardment of Lebanon, vowing to cripple the Iranian-backed Hezbollah and end
its barrages in Israel that the militants have said are in solidarity with
Palestinians during the war in Gaza. Israel said Hezbollah fired more than 60
projectiles into Israel on Saturday but gave no details. More than 3,400 people
have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli fire — 80% of them in the past eight
weeks — according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Israel has said it wants to
ensure that thousands of Israelis can return to their homes near the border with
Lebanon.
A search for peace
On Friday, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister apparently urged Iran to try and
convince Hezbollah to agree to a cease-fire deal with Israel, which would
require the group to pull back from the Israel-Lebanon border. The proposal is
based on U.N. Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the last
Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006. A copy of the draft proposal presented by the U.S.
was handed over this week to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been
negotiating on behalf of Hezbollah, according to a Lebanese official. The
official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to
speak about the secret talks, said Berri is expected to give Lebanon’s response
on Monday. Another Lebanese politician said Hezbollah officials had received the
draft and would express their opinion to Berri. The politician also spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media about
the ongoing talks. Berri told the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that the
draft does not include any item that allows Israel to act in Lebanon if the deal
is violated. “We will not accept any infringement of our sovereignty,” Berri was
quoted as saying. He added that one item in the draft that Lebanon does not
accept is the proposal to form a committee to supervise the agreement that
includes members from Western countries. A U.N. peacekeeping force already
operates near the border in Lebanon. Berri said talks are ongoing regarding that
and other details, adding that “the atmosphere is positive but all relies on how
things will end.”
Meanwhile, in Gaza
There is also a push to end the war between Israel and Hamas, which began after
Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200
people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others. The Health Ministry in
Gaza said Saturday that 35 people had been killed in Israeli strikes in the past
24 hours, bringing the war's overall death toll to 43,799. The ministry does not
distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said more than half of
those killed have been women and children.
The U.N. Security Council’s 10 elected members on Thursday circulated a draft
resolution demanding “an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire” in
Gaza. The U.S., Israel’s closest ally, holds the key to whether the council
adopts the resolution. The four other permanent members — Russia, China, Britain
and France — are expected to support it or abstain.
Israel pounds southern Beirut as Hezbollah considers fresh
ceasefire proposal
Mostafa Salem, Eyad Kourdi and Charbel Mallo, CNN/November 16,
2024
Intense Israeli strikes targeted areas of Beirut’s southern suburbs Saturday as
the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah considered its response to a fresh
ceasefire proposal. The strikes marked the fifth straight day of Israeli attacks
on the Dayiyeh region of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold. Lebanon’s National News
Agency said three areas were hit. Large plumes of smoke were rising from the
heavily damaged buildings, according to videos geolocated by CNN. It remains
unclear if there were casualties from the strikes. The Israel Defense Forces
said it had targeted Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure, accusing the
Iran-backed group of embedding itself within the civilian population. It issued
evacuation orders across several locations ahead of the attacks. Israel has
intensified its strikes on the capital and expanded its ground operation in
southern Lebanon in recent days. The heavy strikes coincide with revived
negotiations for a ceasefire in Lebanon. The US ambassador to Lebanon, Lisa
Johnson, relayed a new US-Israeli ceasefire proposal to the Lebanese government
on Thursday night, a Lebanese official familiar with the discussions told CNN.
The latest proposal is the first to be submitted by the US and Israel since a
temporary ceasefire was negotiated in late September. Those efforts were upended
when Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a major bombing attack
in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Authorities are “optimistic” that Hezbollah will
agree to the terms of the agreement and expect to submit an official response to
the latest proposal next Monday, the Lebanese official said. But Hezbollah is
yet to respond. It remains unclear if the intensified strikes across Lebanon
will influence the ceasefire negotiations. On Thursday alone, Israeli airstrikes
resulted in the deaths of at least 59 individuals throughout Lebanon, according
to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. A man watches smoke rising behind a
destroyed building following an Israeli airstrike on the district of Haret Hreik
in Beirut's southern suburbs on November 16, 2024, amid the ongoing war between
Israel and Hezbollah. The strike hit the area shortly after the Israeli army
issued a new call to evacuate it. - A man watches smoke rising behind a
destroyed building following an Israeli airstrike on the district of Haret Hreik
in Beirut's southern suburbs on November 16, 2024, amid the ongoing war between
Israel and Hezbollah. The strike hit the area shortly after the Israeli army
issued a new call to evacuate it. Most of the strikes have been in Shia-majority
areas where Hezbollah wields influence, but Israel has also struck buildings
housing displaced families well outside areas of the militant group’s dominance.
Meanwhile Hezbollah has continued systematically firing projectiles onto areas
in northern Israel. At least 60 projectiles were identified crossing from
Lebanon into Israel on Saturday, the IDF said. Israel launched a major offensive
in Lebanon in mid-September following months of tit-for-tat border attacks,
which started when Hezbollah attacked Israel in solidarity with Hamas and
Palestinians in Gaza. Returning 60,000 civilians to their homes in northern
Israel has become a political imperative for the Israeli leadership.
IDF destroys Hezbollah
weapons cache, uncovers rocket launchers in Lebanon raids
Jerusalem Post/November 16/2024
The Commando Brigade of the 91st Division has conducted precise, small-scale
raids in southern Lebanon, targeting areas linked to recent rocket fire on
Israeli communities, the IDF reported on Saturday midday. These operations,
carried out in challenging terrain, involved airstrikes, tank fire, and
specialized equipment to eliminate Hezbollah infrastructure and destroy weapon
systems. During the raids, the 7th Armored Brigade discovered an underground
weapons storage facility containing crates of explosives, ammunition, and
grenades.The entire cache was destroyed using controlled explosives.
Additionally, the IDF reported it seized a truck equipped with a mobile rocket
launcher aimed at Israeli areas.
IDF located over 25 crates of rockets
Further searches by the Commando Brigade uncovered significant Hezbollah
military assets, including anti-tank missiles, mortar shells, and combat vests.
Over 25 crates of new rockets, prepared for immediate launch according to the
IDF, were also found. All discovered weapons and infrastructure were either
seized or destroyed, further disrupting Hezbollah’s offensive capabilities in
the region.
Israeli air force strikes
Hezbollah sites in Beirut suburb Dahiyeh
Jerusalem Post/November 16/2024
The IDF's Arabic spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, had earlier warned Lebanese
civilians in Haret Hreik in Dahiyeh to evacuate. The Israel Air Force conducted
a series of airstrikes in the Dahiyeh district in Beirut, targeting Hezbollah
terrorist infrastructure sites, the IDF announced on Saturday. Initially, the
IDF announced it had targeted the area in a first wave of airstrikes in the
morning. Later in the afternoon, the IDF reported another wave of airstrikes in
the area, stressing it had attacked Hezbollah terror targets, among which were a
weapons storage facility, a command center, and Hezbollah terrorist
infrastructure. Dahiyeh is a key Hezbollah terrorist stronghold in Beirut, where
Hezbollah has systematically embedded its terrorist infrastructure amidst the
Lebanese civilian population, according to the IDF. The IDF's Arabic
spokesperson, Col. Avichay Adraee, had earlier warned Lebanese civilians in
Haret Hreik in Dahiyeh to evacuate on Saturday morning on X/Twitter. Shortly
after the announcement, Kan reported that there were reports of a strike in the
neighborhood. After being warned they were near Hezbollah infrastructure that
would soon be targeted, the IDF official instructed civilians to move no less
than 500 meters from the sites. At around Saturday midday, Adraee posted another
warning on X, emphasizing that residents of the southern suburban areas in
Beirut, specifically in the Haret Hreik and Ghobeiry areas, were "located near
facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah."
Adraee further stressed that the IDF will target these areas "in the near
future."Shortly after, Adraee posted another warning on X, stating that
residents in several villages in south Lebanon "must evacuate [their] homes
immediately and move north of the Awali River." Adraee listed the following
villages: Kafr Hamam, Kafr Shuba, Burj al-Muluk, Khiam, Blat, Debbin, Arnoun,
Yuhmur, Deir Siryan, Taybeh, Qasbiya, Mazraat Koutheriyeh al-Rouz, Himyari,
Matariyet al-Shumar, and Kafr Tibnine. In his post, the IDF Arabic spokesperson
wrote that Hezbollah terrorist activities "are forcing the [IDF] to take strong
action in these areas," further emphasizing that the IDF does "not intend to
harm" Lebanese civilians. Moreover, Adraee said, "Anyone near Hezbollah members,
their facilities, or weapons is putting their life at risk."
IDF troops operate in southern Lebanon
The IDF later reported that Divisions 36 and 91 troops have located and
destroyed weapon depots, tunnels, and Hezbollah infrastructure in southern
Lebanon in the last 24 hours with the assistance of the IAF. Directed by Fire
Brigade 282, the IAF targeted a military compound housing multiple rocket
launchers that had fired numerous rockets toward the western Galilee over the
past week, the military added.
Ceasefire efforts
The latest strikes come as the US attempts to broker a truce agreement between
Israel and Hezbollah, the terror group which began firing at Israel on October
8, 2023. Hezbollah rockets on Saturday morning set fires across northern Israel
and directly struck a home in Nahariya.
Rockets fired from Lebanon
cause power outages in Haifa: Israeli media
LBCIs/November 16, 2024
Israeli media reported that eight rockets were launched from Lebanon toward
Haifa and its surrounding areas, causing significant damage and disruptions.
According to Israel's Channel 14, several buildings and vehicles in the Carmel
region of Haifa sustained heavy damage. The Israeli Army Radio confirmed that
one of the rockets landed in the Carmel area, sparking a fire, though no human
casualties have been reported so far. The Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom stated
that the rocket attacks also resulted in power outages across parts of Haifa,
compounding the impact on the city's infrastructure.
US Envoy Amos Hochstein expected in Israel after Lebanon
visit
LBCIs/November 16, 2024
Al Jazeera, citing the Israeli Public Broadcasting Authority, reported that U.S.
Special Envoy Amos Hochstein is expected to arrive in Israel on Wednesday
following a visit to Lebanon. Hochstein's trip is believed to focus on mediating
discussions aimed at de-escalation and exploring possibilities for a ceasefire.
Berri says ceasefire chances above 50%
Naharnets/November 16, 2024
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has said that the chances of reaching a ceasefire
between Lebanon and Israel are now above 50 percent, noting that U.S. mediator
Amos Hochstein has obtained a green light from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump
to press on with the negotiations. In an interview with ad-Diyar newspaper,
Berri added that he will declare his final stance on Hochstein's latest
ceasefire proposal next week.Stressing that Lebanon will not accept any
amendment or addition to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, the Speaker said
any regional pacification will represent a chance to activate the presidential
file and that once a ceasefire is reache he will call for a presidential
election session.
Netanyahu and Israel's Defense Minister approve scaled-up
attacks on Lebanon to "pressure Hezbollah"
LBCIs/November 16, 2024
Israel's Channel 12 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense
Minister Israel Katz have approved a plan to intensify attacks on Lebanon in a
move to exert "pressure on Hezbollah."
Beirut's southern suburbs struggle with dual crises: Airstrikes and looting
LBCIs/November 16, 2024
Israeli airstrikes continued to pound Beirut's southern suburbs for the sixth
consecutive day, targeting areas in Borj El Brajneh, Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry, Bir
al-Abed, Al Kafaat, and Chiyah. The rounds of airstrikes were preceded by
evacuation warnings to residents. One of the fiercest strikes in Chiyah sent
shockwaves beyond the immediate area, gravely injuring 17-year-old Lebanese
national soccer player Celine Haidar. She suffered a severe head injury while at
the Maroun Misk area. Amid the devastation, criminal activity has added to the
residents' anguish. Looting gangs, reportedly comprising Lebanese and Syrians,
have been exploiting the chaos by issuing false evacuation warnings, prompting
residents to flee and leaving homes vulnerable to theft. Security forces have
taken action, apprehending five individuals involved in looting. The Ghobeiry
Municipality intercepted two trucks and a tuk-tuk loaded with stolen furniture
under the guise of scrap collection, handing them over to the Internal Security
Forces (ISF). In response, the Union of Southern Suburb Municipalities and
neighborhood committees have decided to partially close key intersections, such
as Msharafieh and Ghobeiry-Haret Hreik crossings, to control movement and curb
theft. Haret Hreik Municipality also implemented strict measures, including
prohibiting vehicle operation by undocumented foreign nationals, scrutinizing
the transport of furniture and goods, and banning the collection of scrap metal
to protect what remains of residents' belongings and memories.
Israel pummels south Beirut as Hezbollah targets Haifa area
AFP/November 16, 2024
BEIRUT: Israel launched a wave of air strikes on Hezbollah bastions in Beirut
and south Lebanon on Saturday, as the Iran-backed militants said they fired on
several Israeli military bases around the coastal city of Haifa. Israel’s
military reported a “heavy rocket barrage” on Haifa and said a synagogue was
hit, injuring two civilians. Since September 23, Israel has escalated its
bombing of targets in Lebanon, later sending in ground troops after almost a
year of limited, cross-border exchanges of fire begun by Iran-backed Hezbollah
militants in support of Hamas in Gaza. In the Palestinian territory, where
Hamas’s attack on Israel triggered the war, the civil defense agency reported 24
people killed in strikes on Saturday. Security services in Israel said two
flares landed near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in the town of
Caesarea, south of Haifa, but he was not home. The incident comes about a month
after a drone targeted the same residence, which Hezbollah claimed. Israel’s
military chief, in comments issued Saturday, said Hezbollah has already “paid a
big price” but Israel will keep fighting until tens of thousands of its
residents displaced from the north can return safely. “We will continue to
fight, to implement plans, to go further, conduct deep strikes, and hit
Hezbollah very hard,” Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said on a visit earlier in the week
to the Kfar Kila area of south Lebanon.AFPTV footage showed fresh strikes
Saturday on the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, after
Israel’s military called on residents to evacuate.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported a series of strikes.
The Israeli military said aircraft had targeted “a weapons storage facility” and
a Hezbollah “command center.”The NNA also reported strikes on the southern city
of Tyre, including in a neighborhood near UNESCO-listed ancient ruins. Israel’s
military late Saturday said it had hit Hezbollah facilities in the Tyre area.
In Lebanon’s east, the health ministry said an Israeli strike in the Bekaa
Valley killed six people including three children. Hezbollah said it fired a
guided missile which set an Israeli tank ablaze in the southwest Lebanon village
of Shamaa, about five kilometers (three miles) from the border.
Late Saturday, after Israel reported the rocket barrage on Haifa, Hezbollah said
it had targeted five military bases, including the Stella Maris naval base which
it said it fired on earlier in the day. In eastern Lebanon, funerals were held
for 14 civil defense staff killed in an Israeli strike on Thursday. “They
weren’t involved with any (armed) party... they were just waiting to answer
calls for help,” said Ali Al-Zein, a relative of one of the dead.
Lebanese authorities say more than 3,452 people have been killed since October
last year, with most casualties recorded since September. Israel announced the
death of a soldier in southern Lebanon, bringing to 48 the number killed in
fighting with Hezbollah. In Hamas-run Gaza, the Israeli military said it
continued operations in the northern areas of Jabalia and Beit Lahia, the
targets of an intense offensive since early October. Israel said its renewed
operations aimed to stop Hamas from regrouping. A UN-backed assessment on
November 9 warned famine was imminent in northern Gaza, amid the increased
hostilities and a near-halt in food aid. Israel has pushed back against a
172-page Human Rights Watch report this week that said its displacement of
Gazans amounts to a “crime against humanity,” as well as findings from a UN
Special Committee that pointed to warfare practices that “are consistent with
the characteristics of genocide.”A foreign ministry spokesman dismissed the HRW
report as “completely false,” while the United States — Israel’s main military
supplier — said accusations of genocide “are certainly unfounded.” The Gaza
health ministry on Saturday said the overall death toll in more than 13 months
of war has reached 43,799. The majority of the dead are civilians, according to
ministry figures which the United Nations considers reliable. In Rafah, southern
Gaza, Jamil Al-Masry told AFP a house was hit, causing “a massive explosion.”“We
went to the house, only to find it in ruins, with fire raging and smoke and dust
everywhere.”Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war resulted in the
deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli
official figures. Demonstrators in Tel Aviv on Saturday reiterated demands that
the government reach a deal to free dozens of hostages still held in Gaza. The
protest came a week after mediator Qatar suspended its role until Hamas and
Israel show “seriousness” in truce and hostage-release talks. In a rare claim of
responsibility for a strike on Syria, Israel said it targeted the Islamic Jihad
group on Thursday. A statement from the group on Saturday confirmed that
“prominent leader” Abdel Aziz Minawi and external relations chief Rasmi Yusuf
Abu Issa were killed in the air raid on Qudsaya, in the Damascus area. Islamic
Jihad still holds several Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 attack.
Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad are all backed by Israel’s arch-enemy Iran,
which said Friday it supported a swift end to the nearly two-month war in
Lebanon. With diplomacy aimed at ending the Gaza war stalled, a top government
official in Beirut said on Friday that US ambassador Lisa Johnson had presented
a 13-point proposal to halt the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. It includes a 60-day
truce, during which Lebanon will deploy troops to the border. The official added
that Israel has yet to respond to the plan.
Israeli troops reach deepest point in Lebanon since October
1 invasion
AP/November 16, 2024
BEIRUT: Israeli ground forces reached their deepest point in Lebanon since they
invaded six weeks ago, before pulling back early Saturday after fierce battles
with Hezbollah militants, Lebanese state media reported.Israeli troops captured
a strategic hill in the southern Lebanese village of Chamaa, about 5 kilometers
(3 miles) from the Israeli border early Saturday, the state-run National News
Agency reported. It said Israeli troops were later pushed back from the hill. It
added that Israeli troops detonated the Shrine of Shimon the Prophet in Chamaa
as well as several homes before they withdrew, but the claim could not be
immediately verified. Israel’s military said in a statement that its troops
“continue their limited, localized, and targeted operational activity in
southern Lebanon.” The military did not immediately respond to requests for
comment on the Lebanese media reports. The push on the ground came as Israeli
warplanes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs as well as several other areas in
southern Lebanon including the port city of Tyre. The morning strike in Beirut
hit an area known as Dahiyeh, which the Israeli military called a Hezbollah
stronghold, saying its planes had hit multiple sites used by the militant group.
Residents were given advance warning by Israel, and it was not immediately clear
whether there were any casualties. The increase of violence came as Lebanese and
Hezbollah officials are studying a draft proposal presented by the US earlier
this week on ending the war. Since late September, Israel dramatically escalated
its bombardment of Lebanon, vowing to cripple Hezbollah and end its barrages in
Israel. More than 3,400 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli fire – 80
percent of them in the eight weeks – according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. On
Friday, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister apparently urged Iran to try and
convince Hezbollah to agree to a ceasefire deal with Israel, which would require
the group to pull back from the Israel-Lebanon border. The proposal is based on
UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the last Israel-Hezbollah war
in the summer of 2006.
A copy of the draft proposal was handed over earlier this week by the US
ambassador to Lebanon to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been
negotiating on behalf of Hezbollah, according to a Lebanese official. The
official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to
speak about the secret talks said Berri is expected to give Lebanon’s response
on Monday.
Another Lebanese politician said Hezbollah officials had received the draft,
were studying it and would express their opinion on it to Berri. The politician
also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to
the media about the ongoing talks.
Berri told the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat daily newspaper that the draft does not
include any item that allows Israel to act in Lebanon if the deal is violated.
“We will not accept any infringement of our sovereignty,” Berri was quoted as
saying. He added that one of the items mentioned in the draft that Lebanon does
not accept is the proposal to form a committee to supervise the agreement that
includes members from Western countries. Berri added that talks are ongoing
regarding this point as well as other details in the draft, adding that “the
atmosphere is positive but all relies on how things will end.”There is also a
push to end the war between Israel and Hamas, which began after Palestinian
militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people –
mostly civilians – and abducting 250 others. The UN Security Council’s 10
elected members on Thursday circulated a draft resolution demanding “an
immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza. The US, Israel’s
closest ally, holds the key to whether the UN Security Council adopts the
resolution. The four other permanent members – Russia, China, Britain and France
– are expected to support it or abstain.
Israel’s bombardment and ground offensives since the initial Hamas attack have
killed more than 43,000 people in Gaza, Palestinian health officials say. The
officials don’t distinguish between civilians and combatants but say more than
half of those killed have been women and children.
Civilians killed, neighborhoods destroyed in fresh Israeli strikes on Beirut,
Tyre
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/November 16, 2024
BEIRUT: Toxic white dust hangs over the skies of Chiyah, the only area in
Beirut’s southern suburbs where residents, until three days ago, clung to their
homes, believing it was relatively safe from Israeli airstrikes. Israeli
warplanes launched more than 10 intermittent airstrikes on Saturday on
buildings, whose residents had been warned half an hour before by the Israeli
army to evacuate. The number of strikes targeting the area in recent days has
exceeded 30, reducing neighborhoods in Chiyah to rubble. Fires have consumed
buildings that remain standing, despite the intense destruction caused by
missile explosions.
Kamel, a lawyer and a resident of the area, initially hesitated to return to the
neighborhood that he had fled less than an hour earlier. He intended to check on
his home after a strike hit a building adjacent to his own. As Kamel tried to
enter the area, all he could see were “piles of rubble that have changed the
landmarks of the neighborhood where I was born and lived, a place where I knew
the placement and color of every stone.”Kamel, his eyes reddened by the
pervasive smoke and his voice choked from the dust, said: “I do not understand
why this neighborhood is being targeted. There is no Hezbollah presence here,
only families who migrated from the countryside to the capital’s outskirts to
live at the lowest possible cost. “Who will compensate us? We do not belong to
any party. Why all this destruction? How long will this go on? I am at
retirement age; how can I rebuild what I lost today?”
Israeli raids on Saturday covered a significant number of targets, including a
building near the headquarters of the Supreme Islamic Shia Council in Ghobeiri,
as well as Burj Al-Barajneh, Haret Hreik, Ghobeiri and Bir Abed.A raid destroyed
four buildings on Abbas Al-Moussawi Street, and a building adjacent to the Haret
Hreik municipality. Safia, an 18-year-old resident, sustained a head injury from
missile shrapnel. This was despite abiding by the Israeli evacuation warnings
and remaining 500 meters from the targeted area. Safia was taking pictures on
her phone at the time of the strike. The increased hostilities that escalated in
southern Lebanon have apparently halted the settlement talks that have taken
place over the past two days, especially with the draft diplomatic solution
received by Hezbollah. Two paramedics were killed and four others were injured
in a raid that targeted Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Organization in Kfar Tebnit.
Israeli warplanes carried out violent strikes against Tyre and its suburbs,
where raids targeted the monuments area, Al-Hosh area and the industrial zone,
injuring three people.
The raids destroyed houses in dozens of villages in Nabatieh, Tyre and Iklim Al-Teffah,
and injured six people in Arnoun. Lebanon’s Civil Defense Forces pulled two
victims from the rubble in Al-Ramadieh. Paramedics said that they had recovered
five bodies.
An Israeli raid on a house in Qana in Iklim Al-Teffah Friday night killed
citizen Nehmatallah Hussein Mallah, his wife and his three children. Israeli
forces continued their incursion into Lebanese territory in the town of Chamaa,
6 km from the southern border, under extensive fire cover. Hezbollah reported
that it engaged in confrontations with the Israeli army to the east of the
Lebanese town of Markaba.The Israeli army carried out the demolition of the
Shimon Shrine in the town of Chamaa on Friday night. Additionally, the
headquarters of UNIFIL in the town was struck by an artillery shell.
Israeli army units made additional attempts to infiltrate the town of Ad-Dahira,
as well as the axis of Tyre Harfa and Al-Jabeen. This led to intense
confrontations between Hezbollah and the Israeli forces, resulting in heavy
Israeli artillery bombardment of these towns.
Hezbollah reported targeting of several Israeli sites, including the command
center of the infantry battalion of the Eastern Brigade 769, located at the
Ramim barracks, the Stella Maris naval base (a strategic site for maritime
surveillance along the northern coast), the Shraga base (the administrative
headquarters of the Golani Brigade) north of the city of Acre, and a gathering
of soldiers at the newly established command center of the Western Brigade in
the Yara barracks and the settlement of Kiryat Shmona. Hezbollah launched an
“aerial offensive using a swarm of attack drones targeting the headquarters of
the special naval unit Shayetet 13 at the Atlit base, located south of Haifa.
Additionally, an aerial assault was carried out with a group of attack drones on
a gathering of soldiers in the settlement of Yeroam.” Israeli media reported
that there was a “power outage in several areas of Nahariya following the sound
of sirens. This occurred after drone attacks and missile launches targeted
Nahariya and the Galilee region from southern Lebanon. Additionally, a missile
landed near a building in one of the towns in western Galilee.”The Israeli
military reported that it “detected the launch of 20 missiles from Lebanon, with
some being intercepted, as well as four drones that were launched from Lebanon
toward western Galilee in the morning.”
Flares spotted near Israeli PM Netanyahu's home in Caesarea
LBCIs/November 16, 2024
The Israeli Army Radio reported Saturday an incident involving the deployment of
flares near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Caesarea. Police
have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the
event. Video footage showed two flares lighting up the night sky over Caesarea,
raising concerns about a security breach. This incident comes amid heightened
tensions in the region, adding to concerns about the escalation of violence
between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israeli Channel 14: Israeli forces deploy artillery
batteries in South Lebanon
LBCIs/November 16, 2024
Israel's Channel 14 reported that Israeli forces have deployed artillery
batteries within South Lebanon to enhance their firepower and increase the range
of their operations deeper into the region. This move is part of Israel's
ongoing military campaign targeting 'Hezbollah's infrastructure and operational
capabilities in southern Lebanon.'
Lebanon rescuer picks up 'pieces' of father after Israel
strike
Agence France Presses/November 16, 2024
Suzanne Karkaba and her father Ali were both civil defense rescuers whose job
was to save the injured and recover the dead in Lebanon's war. When an Israeli
strike killed him on Thursday and it was his turn to be rescued, there wasn't
much left. She had to identify him by his fingers. Karkaba then rushed back to
the bombed civil defense center to search for her fellow first responders under
the rubble. Israel struck the center, the main civil defense facility in the
eastern Baalbek area, while nearly 20 rescuers were still inside, said Samir
Chakia, a local official with the agency. At least 14 civil defense workers were
killed, he said. "My dad was sleeping here with them. He helped people and
recovered bodies to return them to their families... But now it's my turn to
pick up the pieces of my dad," Karkaba told AFP with tears in her eyes.Unlike
many first-responder facilities previously targeted during the war, this
facility in Douris, on the edge of Baalbek city, was state-run and had no
political affiliation. Israel's military did not immediately respond to an AFP
request for comment. Friday morning, dozens of rescuers and residents were still
rummaging through the wreckage of the center. Two excavators pulled broken slabs
of concrete, twisted metal bars and red tiles. Wearing her civil defense uniform
at the scene, Karkaba said she had been working around-the-clock since Israel
ramped up its air raids on Lebanon's east in late September. "I don't know who
to grieve anymore, the (center's) chief, my father, or my friends of 10 years,"
Karkaba said, her braided hair flowing in the wind. "I don't have the heart to
leave the center, to leave the smell of my father... I've lost a part of my
soul."
'Now we are targets' -
Beginning on September 23, Israel escalated its air raids mainly on Hezbollah
strongholds in east and south Lebanon, as well as south Beirut after nearly a
year of cross-border exchanges of fire. A week later Israel sent in ground
troops to southern Lebanon. More than 150 rescuers, most of them affiliated with
Hezbollah and its allies, have been killed in more than a year of clashes,
according to health ministry figures from late October. Friday morning, rescuers
in Douris were still pulling body parts from the rubble, strewn with dozens of
paper documents, while Lebanese army troops stood guard near the site. Civil
defense worker Mahmoud Issa was among those searching for friends in the rubble.
"Does it get worse than this kind of strike against rescue teams and medics? We
are among the first to... save people. But now, we are targets," he said. On
Thursday, Lebanon's health ministry said more than 40 people had been killed in
Israeli strikes on the country's south and east. The ministry reported two
deadly Israeli raids on emergency facilities in less than two hours that day:
the one near Baalbek, and another on the south that killed four
Hezbollah-affiliated paramedics. The ministry urged the international community
to "put an end to these dangerous violations." More than 3,400 people have been
killed in Lebanon since the clashes began last year, according to the ministry,
the majority of them since late September.
Israeli strikes kill 11 in Lebanon, including parents and
their 3 kids
Associated Presss/November 16, 2024
An Israeli airstrike killed five members of the same family in a home in Ain
Qana in the southern province of Nabatieh, Lebanon’s state media said. The
report said a mother, father and their three children were killed but didn't
provide their ages. Three other Israeli strikes killed six people and wounded 32
in different parts of Tyre province on Friday, also in south Lebanon, the report
said. Around 24 hours after an Israeli airstrike destroyed a center for Lebanese
emergency workers, officials said they were halting efforts to find any more
survivors beneath the rubble. The Lebanese civil defense service said in a
statement that 14 rescue workers and volunteers were killed Thursday in Douris,
near Baalbek in eastern Lebanon. Human remains that require DNA identification
were also recovered. In an earlier statement Friday, the General Directorate of
Civil Defense condemned the attack, expressing “deep regret” and reaffirming its
commitment to its humanitarian mission despite the challenges and sacrifices.
The Israeli military did not respond to an AP request for comment Friday on why
the civil defense center was targeted. Lebanon’s civil defense forces have no
affiliation with Hezbollah and provide crucial rescue and medical services in
one of the world’s most war-torn nations. The U.N. humanitarian agency voiced
concern over the escalating toll of Israeli airstrikes in densely populated
areas of Lebanon, calling the daily casualties and displacement “deplorable.” In
three waves of renewed strikes on Friday, the Israeli military hit more
buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, setting off explosions in the area known
as Dahieh. In a warning notice on X, a spokesman for the Israeli military said
that the airstrikes were targeting “Hezbollah facilities and interests,” without
providing further details.
There were no immediate reports of casualties. In a post on X, the U.N.
humanitarian agency known as OCHA said indiscriminate attacks are prohibited
under international law and stressed the importance of avoiding disproportionate
harm to civilians.
Fresh airstrikes and evacuation warnings in Beirut's
southern suburbs
Agence France Presses/November 16, 2024
Three Israeli airstrikes hit the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut
on Saturday morning, shortly after the Israeli army issued a new call to
evacuate the area. Since Tuesday, Israel has carried out several strikes on the
city's southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah. AFPTV video showed three
plumes of smoke rising over the buildings in the area on Saturday morning.
Shortly before the attack, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X
a call for residents of the Haret Hreik suburb to evacuate. "You are close to
facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah, against which the Israeli
military will be acting with force in the near future," the post said in Arabic,
identifying specific buildings and telling residents to move at least 500 meters
away. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Israel carried out
three air raids, including one near Haret Hreik. "The first strike near Haret
Hreik destroyed buildings and caused damage in the area," it said. Adraee later
issued evacuation warnings for three buildings in Haret Hreik, Burj al-Barajneh
and Ghobeiri. Repeated Israeli air strikes on south Beirut have led to a mass
exodus of civilians from the area, although some return during the day to check
on their homes and businesses. In southern Lebanon, Israel carried out several
strikes on Friday night and early Saturday, according to NNA. Overnight,
Hezbollah also claimed two rocket attacks targeting the headquarters of an
infantry battalion in northern Israel. Since September 23, Israel has ramped up
its air campaign in Lebanon, later sending in ground troops following almost a
year of limited, cross-border exchanges begun by Hezbollah over the Gaza war.
Lebanese authorities say that more than 3,440 people have been killed since
October last year, when Hezbollah and Israel began trading fire. The conflict
has cost Lebanon more than $5 billion in economic losses, with actual structural
damage amounting to billions more, the World Bank said on Thursday.
Hezbollah says it hit Israeli tank in Chamaa, South Lebanon
AFPs/November 16, 2024
Hezbollah said it hit an Israeli tank in South Lebanon Saturday near the Chamaa
village around five kilometers from the border with Israel. Hezbollah fighters
targeted "a Merkava tank on the eastern outskirts of the village of Chamaa with
a guided missile, causing it to catch fire," the Iran-backed group said in a
statement. Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) had reported on
Saturday morning that Israeli troops "renewed their incursion towards the
outskirts" of Chamaa.
Renowned Lebanese journalist quits MTV over death threats by alleged Hezbollah
supporters
Arab News/November 16, 2024
DUBAI: A renowned Lebanese journalist has taken to social media platform X to
announce her departure from MTV following alleged death threats believed to have
been made by supporters of Hezbollah. Not mentioning the Iran-backed group by
name, Dr. Eman Shweikh, a TV presenter at MTV, journalist and university
professor, wrote: “I decided to leave MTV because of the intimidations that
reached the point of death threats and the harassment that I am exposed to,
which reached the point of following me home and chasing me on the road, in
addition to harassing my family.”The Samir Kassir Eyes Center reported that
since Nov. 12 Shweikh had been subjected to a campaign of threats, incitement
and accusations of treason due to her political opinions that she publishes on
X, and because of her work for MTV. The purported threats and harassment
prompted her to leave her job at the channel. The TV presenter added in her
tweet: “The (Lebanese) state is absent, and laws are inexistent, and I do not
want to expose my life and the lives of my family to danger. I want to live in
safety and peace. Thank you to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of MTV
Michel Murr.”Shweikh’s tweet received thousands of likes and hundreds of
retweets and comments. Replying to her tweet, advocate Tarek Chindeb said: “The
threat to kill journalist Eman Shweikh makes us believe at every moment that we
cannot build a state in Lebanon in the presence of illegal weapons and militias
outside accountability.” Expressing solidarity, Chindeb hoped that the Lebanese
security and judicial authorities would do their duty to protect her, and arrest
the culprits. Political analyst Magdi Khalil also replied to Shweikh’s tweet,
saying: “Ideological militias do not know participation, but rather
overpowering. They do not know dialogue, but rather the threat of violence.” MTV
journalist Nawal Berry and cameraman Dany Tanios were attacked in July while
attempting to cover the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern
suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold. It was not the first time Berry and her team had
been assaulted by Hezbollah loyalists. During the early days of the Oct. 17
revolution in 2019, she and her team faced a violent attack and had their camera
smashed. Supporters of Hezbollah have a history of assaulting and threatening
journalists. Targets have included Layal Alekhtiar, who received death threats
in 2021 and faced legal action last year for interviewing an Israeli
spokesperson; Dima Sadek; Ali Al-Amin; and others. At the time of publishing,
Shweikh could not be reached for comment.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on November 16-17/2024
Israeli strike on Iran's Parchin facility disrupts key nuclear bomb
development capabilities
Walla/November 16/2024
The sophisticated equipment destroyed in the attack was essential for shaping
and testing plastic explosives that encase uranium in a nuclear device. The
Israeli strike at the end of October on Iran's military complex in Parchin
significantly hindered Iran's ability to develop a nuclear bomb, should it
choose to do so, according to two senior Israeli officials. The sophisticated
equipment destroyed in the attack was essential for shaping and testing plastic
explosives that encase uranium in a nuclear device, crucial for initiating a
nuclear chain reaction. This equipment was previously used by Iran before it
froze its military nuclear program in 2003. Over the past year, Iran has resumed
research related to nuclear weapons, according to American and Israeli
officials, although it has not taken concrete steps toward building a nuclear
bomb. The Israeli officials noted that if Iran decides to develop nuclear
weapons, it would need to replace the destroyed equipment.They believe Israeli
or American intelligence would likely detect any attempt by Iran to build or
acquire such machinery. "This equipment is a bottleneck. The Iranians are stuck
without it," stated a senior Israeli official. The Taleghan 2 facility within
the Parchin military complex was used before 2003 for testing explosives
necessary for a nuclear device. This activity was halted when Iran suspended its
military nuclear program. Additionally, the equipment destroyed had been stored
at the site since at least 2003, Israeli officials say. American and Israeli
officials reported that Iran resumed scientific activities in the past year that
could serve as a basis for developing nuclear weapons, although these could also
be presented as civilian research. "They conducted scientific work that could
lay the groundwork for nuclear weapons production. It was highly secretive,
known only to a small part of the Iranian government," said an American
official.
Strike disrupts Iran's nuclear progress
The destroyed equipment at Taleghan 2 was reportedly not being used for these
research activities but would be critical in future stages if Iran decided to
build a nuclear bomb. "This is equipment the Iranians would need if they wanted
to move towards a nuclear bomb. Now, they don't have it, and finding an
alternative won't be easy. We would see any such effort," a senior Israeli
official explained. When planning a retaliatory strike following Iran's massive
missile attack on October 1, Israel selected the Taleghan 2 facility as a
target. President Biden requested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to
target Iranian nuclear sites to avoid sparking a war with Iran, according to
American officials. However, since Taleghan 2 was not part of Iran's declared
nuclear program, Tehran could not acknowledge its existence or the damage
incurred without admitting to violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"The strike sent a not-so-subtle message that Israel has significant access to
what is happening in the Iranian system, even with activities kept secret and
known only to a very small group in the Iranian government," noted an American
official.
Trump admin. plans to bankrupt Iran with 'maximum pressure' policies - report
Jerusalem Post/November 16/2024
Sources revealed that the administration plans to impose stricter sanctions,
particularly on Iran’s oil exports, which serve as a critical revenue source.
US President-elect Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to reinstate its
"maximum pressure" strategy against Iran, targeting Tehran’s economic stability
and its ability to support militant proxies and nuclear development, The
Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing sources close to the transition
team. The sources revealed that the administration plans to impose stricter
sanctions, particularly on Iran’s oil exports, which serve as a critical revenue
source. The anticipated sanctions could drastically reduce Iranian oil exports,
which currently exceed 1.5 million barrels per day, up from a low of 400,000
barrels per day in 2020. Experts suggest that these measures would severely
impact Iran’s economy. Bob McNally, an energy consultant and former US
presidential adviser, indicated that reducing exports to a fraction of current
levels would leave Iran in a far worse economic position than during Trump’s
first term, Financial Times reported. According to the report, the renewed
strategy aims to bring Iran back to the negotiating table for a comprehensive
nuclear deal. According to Trump’s transition team, the approach involves
crippling Iran’s financial resources to push its leadership into talks. However,
experts cited in the report expressed skepticism, noting that Tehran is unlikely
to agree to what are expected to be stringent US terms. The Financial Times
highlighted Trump’s campaign statement regarding Iran in September, saying, “We
have to make a deal because the consequences are impossible.”
Not giving in to pressure
Iranian officials have already rejected the possibility of resuming negotiations
under coercion. In a statement posted on X/Twitter earlier this week, Iranian
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that repeating the “maximum pressure”
policy would result in failure, as it had during Trump’s first term. He
emphasized that Tehran remains open to talks but only under fair conditions.
The security risks associated with the deteriorating US-Iran relationship were
also addressed in the report. The Financial Times noted ongoing threats against
Trump and former US officials following the 2020 assassination of Iranian
General Qassem Soleimani. Additionally, it highlighted legislative efforts by
Trump’s advisers, such as Mike Waltz, to impose secondary sanctions on Chinese
entities purchasing Iranian oil.
Fifteen killed in Israeli strikes on Damascus, Syrian state media say
Mostafa Salem and Eyad Kourdi, CNN/November 16, 2024
Fifteen people were killed and 16 others injured in Israeli strikes on Damascus
in Syria, state media SANA said, citing a military source and marking one of the
deadliest strikes in months to hit the Syrian capital. The strikes targeted
several residential buildings in the upscale Mezzah neighborhood in the capital
and the Qudsaya area in the Damascus countryside, Syrian state media reported.
Among those killed were women and children, Syrian state media added. The
Israeli military said in a statement it was striking Islamic Jihad in Syria
earlier Thursday and had “inflicted significant damage to the terrorist
organization’s command center and to its operatives.” Islamic Jihad is the
second-largest militant group in Gaza. Syrian state media said: “The Israeli
enemy launched an aerial attack from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan,
targeting several residential buildings in the Mezzah neighborhood of Damascus
and the Qudsaya area in the Damascus countryside. “This resulted in the
martyrdom of fifteen people and the injury of sixteen others, including women
and children, as an initial toll, along with significant material damage to
private property and the targeted and neighboring buildings,” Syrian state media
said.
Islamic Jihad said the strike killed “a group” of its members in a statement
Thursday, but did not specify how many were killed. The group denied Israel’s
claims that the strike “targeted military headquarters and centers belonging to
the movement,” and instead said the strike hit civilian institutions and
residential homes. Syria’s foreign ministry condemned the strikes on Thursday,
calling them “brutal crimes,” SANA reported. The statement outlined that the
attacks on Syria came just two days after the Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh
issued a “broad condemnation of (Israel’s) brutal and escalating aggression on
Syrian territory,” according to SANA. The latest assault come after Israeli
airstrikes intensified in Syria over the weekend, killing at least seven
civilians and leaving 20 injured, according to Syrian state news agency SANA.
The strikes targeted a residential building in the Sayyidah Zaynab area of the
Damascus countryside, with women and children among those killed, SANA said. The
Sayyidah Zaynab area, south of Damascus city, is known to have a Hezbollah
presence and has come under attack from Israel in recent weeks. On November 4,
SANA reported Israeli strikes in Sayyidah Zaynab the same day the IDF said
Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck Hezbollah intelligence infrastructure in
the Damascus area. On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it struck “smuggling
routes” between Lebanon and Syria, that it alleges were used to transfer weapons
to Hezbollah. The Syrian defense ministry said on Wednesday an Israeli strike
targeted bridges on the Syria-Lebanon border in the Qusayr area of Homs
countryside in western Syria, causing “significant damage.”
U.S. Forces Strike at
Iranian Proxies in Syria in Response to Series of Attacks
FDD-Policy Brief/November 16, 2024
• U.S. Forces Respond to Attacks in Syria: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)
conducted strikes against an Iranian proxy terrorist group in Syria on November
12. According to a CENTCOM statement, a weapons storage and logistics
headquarters facility was targeted in response to a rocket attack against U.S.
forces at Patrol Base Shaddadi. The latest strikes came one day after U.S.
strikes against nine Iranian proxy targets in Syria in response to two separate
attacks against U.S. forces at the Green Village mission support site in
northeastern Syria on November 10.
• U.S. Forces Under Attack by Iranian Proxies: Iranian proxies have attacked
U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan more than 180 times since October 2023,
wounding dozens of U.S. servicemembers and killing three American soldiers.
• U.S. Navy Battles Houthis in the Red Sea: Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked two
U.S. Navy destroyers with at least eight drones and eight anti-ship missiles on
November 11. The attacks followed a series of CENTCOM strikes against multiple
Houthi weapons storage facilities over the weekend. The Houthis have waged a
systematic assault against commercial shipping and freedom of navigation in the
Red Sea over the past year, attacking U.S. naval vessels on multiple occasions.
FDD Expert Response
“America’s adversaries should know that if they attack our troops or our bases,
the response will be punishing and overwhelming. We should not wait for American
casualties to respond in a way that makes the adversary regret the attack. Let’s
hope the Biden administration follows this more assertive policy between now and
the presidential inauguration in January, and let’s hope we see a strong policy
from the outset of the incoming administration.” — Bradley Bowman, Senior
Director of FDD’s Center of Military and Political Power
“Central Command’s recent strikes in Syria should represent a shift in how the
United States responds to attacks on its forces in the Middle East. Rather than
waiting for the number of attacks to spiral out of control or for Americans to
be killed or wounded for a forceful response to take shape, these strikes served
as near-immediate responses to attacks that were relatively small in both number
and scale. These timely and forceful responses should be the norm, not the
exception.” — Cameron McMillan, Research Analyst
Ilhan Omar Gives Explicit
Reply After Pro-Israel Protester Says 'Go To Gaza, Sweetheart'
Marco Margaritoff/HuffPost/November 16, 2024
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who has long called for a ceasefire between Israel
and Hamas, and has urged the administration of President Joe Biden to withhold
U.S. military aid to Israel, didn’t mince words when she was harassed Wednesday
on Capitol Hill.
The progressive lawmaker, who is one of the only Muslim women in Congress, was
captured in footage shared on social media being surrounded by pro-Israel
protesters as she tried to enter an elevator who told her to “go to Gaza,
sweetheart.”
Omar responded bluntly with an explicit retort: “Fuck you.”
Israel’s military has relentlessly bombed the Gaza Strip for more than a year in
retaliation for a Hamas attack Oct. 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people. The
bombings and other military actions have killed at least 40,000 men, women and
children, destroyed schools and hospitals, and led to serious concerns about
famine.
Omar’s response came after nearly an entire minute of the group waiting
alongside her at the elevator while asking “what are you doing,” “why do you
stand with Hamas” and “would you just condemn Hamas, would you just say that
it’s wrong to take hostages?”
“Just say that,” one of the protesters continued in the footage. “You can’t say
that?”
Omar previously called for President Joe Biden to withhold U.S. military support
for Israel.
Omar previously called for President Joe Biden to withhold U.S. military support
for Israel. Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press
She has been subjected to Islamophobia since taking office in 2019, including
being targeted by then-President Donald Trump on Twitter.
The group of protesters who ambushed Omar on Wednesday were identified as
members of Betar US, a movement of staunch Israel supporters, by Israeli
newspaper Ynet.
The group also shared footage of members knocking on the door of Rep. Rashida
Tlaib on Capitol Hill while laughing — one day before the United Nations
released a report detailing how Israel’s actions in Gaza are “consistent with
the characteristics of genocide.”
Israel’s war conduct in
Gaza ‘consistent with the characteristics of genocide,’ UN Special Committee
finds
Lauren Kent and Lauren Izso, CNN/Sat, November 16, 2024
Palestinians are seen among the rubbles of demolished house as Palestinians try
to continue their daily lives despite the destroyed buildings and difficult
conditions in Khan Yunis, Gaza on November 15, 2024.
Israel’s war conduct in Gaza “is consistent with the characteristics of
genocide,” including mass civilian casualties and using starvation as a weapon,
according to a new United Nations Special Committee report released Thursday.
“Through its siege over Gaza, obstruction of humanitarian aid, alongside
targeted attacks and killing of civilians and aid workers, despite repeated UN
appeals, binding orders from the International Court of Justice and resolutions
of the Security Council, Israel is intentionally causing death, starvation and
serious injury, using starvation as a method of war and inflicting collective
punishment on the Palestinian population,” the UN committee said in a press
release.
“The Israeli military’s use of AI-assisted targeting, with minimal human
oversight, combined with heavy bombs, underscores Israel’s disregard of its
obligation to distinguish between civilians and combatants and take adequate
safeguards to prevent civilian deaths,” the committee said.
The UN committee added that Israeli officials have publicly supported policies
to destroy “vital water, sanitation and food systems” in Gaza as well as prevent
access to fuel.
COGAT, the Israeli agency that approves aid shipments into Gaza, responded on
Saturday in statement that said Israel “does not use hunger as a weapon of war.”
The Israeli agency said the quantity of food trucks entering the Gaza Strip has
“risen sharply and significantly” and Israel is “exerting enormous efforts” to
facilitate the entry of aid into Gaza with “no limit on quantity.” The agency
added that the UN’s work in collecting and distributing the aid to residents the
enclave is “neither steady nor effective.”“Despite the repeated claims of the
international community, which sometimes do not fully reflect the situation in
the Gaza Strip and the humanitarian efforts there, the State of Israel is
tirelessly working to provide for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip,” COGAT
said.
Israel earlier this year rejected what it called the “grossly distorted”
accusation of genocide leveled against it by South Africa, arguing in the UN’s
International Court of Justice (ICJ) that its war was fought in self-defense and
that it was targeting Hamas rather than Palestinians, following the Hamas-led
October 7, 2023, terror attacks in Israel. The UN Special Committee is composed
of three UN member states, including Malaysia, Senegal and Sri Lanka. The UN
report comes after the US-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) released
a report detailing Israel’s forced mass displacement of Palestinians in Gaza in
a deliberate and systematic campaign that amounts to a war crime and a crime
against humanity. In a response to the HRW report on Thursday, the Israeli
military said it is “committed to international law and operates accordingly,”
and that it issues evacuation orders to protect civilians from combat.
Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza after weeks of intense Israeli military
operations in recent weeks have told described a chronic lack of food and people
dying of hunger, as aid agencies warn that the area is on the brink of famine.
But after a US deadline for Israel to improve getting humanitarian aid into Gaza
expired this week, the Biden administration assessed that Israel is not blocking
aid and so is not violating US law governing foreign military assistance. The
State Department said that while changes were needed, progress had been made, so
there would be no disruption to US arms supplies.
But the US view is a stark contrast with the bleak picture on the ground, where
much of the aid that reaches Gaza is not being distributed. “We have not seen
any aid, and no one has sent us food,” 63-year-old Palestinian Umm Muhammad Al-At’out
told CNN this week. “Our children have died of hunger and thirst.”The accounts
of desperate civilians echo the World Health Organization’s warning last Friday
of “a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas within the northern
Gaza Strip.”
Iran's U.N. Ambassador met with Elon Musk in New York,
report suggests
Daniel Bellamy/Euronews/November 16, 2024
Iran successfully sought a meeting with Elon Musk, according to a U.S. official,
one in a series of steps that appeared aimed at easing tensions with
President-elect Donald Trump.
Iran however has denied the report. Iran's U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani
met with Musk — a Trump ally named this week to advise his administration on
ways to cut the federal government — on Monday in New York, according to a U.S.
official briefed on the meeting by a foreign colleague. The official said he had
been informed that the discussion covered a variety of topics, most notably
Iran’s nuclear programme, its support for anti-Israel groups throughout the
Middle East and prospects for improved relations with the United States.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a non-U.S.
governmental meeting, said no immediate decisions were taken by either side. The
official said the Iranians sought the meeting with Musk, the world's richest
man, and that it did not take place at the Iranian mission to the U.N.
The Trump transition team would not confirm or deny the meeting, which was first
reported by The New York Times. “The American people re-elected President Trump
because they trust him to lead our country and restore peace through strength
around the world. When he returns to the White House, he will take the necessary
action to do just that,” Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump
transition, said in a statement. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported on
Saturday that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei denied the
country’s U.N. Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani met with Musk in New York and
expressed surprise at the extensive media coverage on the matter.
Iran's outreach comes as Trump has been announcing picks for key foreign policy
posts — including Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state and Rep. Mike Waltz
for national security adviser — who are expected to be tough on Iran.
Intelligence officials have said Iran opposed Trump's second term, seeing him as
more likely to increase tension between Washington and Tehran. Trump’s
administration ended a nuclear deal with Iran, reimposed sanctions and ordered
the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, an act that prompted Iran’s
leaders to vow revenge. The Justice Department this month revealed an Iranian
murder-for-hire plot to kill Trump, charging a man who said he had been tasked
by an Iranian government official in September with planning Trump's
assassination. The Iranian foreign ministry rejected the report.
The plot was part of what federal officials have described as ongoing efforts by
Iran to target U.S. government officials, including Trump, on U.S. soil. Last
summer, for instance, the Justice Department charged a Pakistani man with ties
to Iran in a murder-for-hire plot targeting American officials.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials, that
Iran told the Biden administration in a written message delivered on Oct. 14
that it would not try to kill Trump. It was a response to an earlier warning
from the U.S. that an attempt on Trump's life would be considered an act of war,
the Journal reported. In response to inquiries about reports in the Journal and
other outlets, Iran's U.N. mission said it does not issue public statements
about “official messages exchanged between the two countries.”
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has long declared its commitment to pursuing
Martyr Soleimani’s assassination through legal and judicial avenues, while
adhering fully to the recognised principles of international law,” its statement
said. While Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all
matters of state, has repeatedly expressed his own disgust with Trump, Iran’s
new reformist president has kept the door open to talks with Trump to seek
relief from international sanctions.
The Trump transition team did not respond to messages seeking comment on the
Iranian mission's statement Friday.
With Trump, already small
US distance with Israel to vanish
Agence France Presse/November 16, 2024
For more than a year, the United States has steadfastly backed Israel in its
Gaza war while quietly counseling restraint. With Donald Trump's return, the
nuance will vanish, although his hunger for deal-making makes him less
predictable. Trump, unlike every other recent president, has never committed to
a fully sovereign, independent Palestinian state. He leads a Republican Party so
pro-Israel that some local offices handed out Israeli flags alongside Trump
yard-signs -- a far cry from President Joe Biden, whose support for Israel faced
fierce criticism from the left of his Democratic Party. And while Biden's two
ambassadors to Israel were Jewish Americans who would occasionally nudge Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump's pick is evangelical Christian pastor Mike
Huckabee, a former governor who sees biblical reason to champion Israel. Other
Trump nominees include Senator Marco Rubio -- a hawk on Iran -- as secretary of
state, and Representative Elise Stefanik, who made waves by assailing
universities' handling of pro-Palestinian protests, as U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations. "They're, like, more pro-Israel than most Israelis," said Asher
Fredman, director of the Misgav Institute for National Security and Zionist
Strategy, an Israeli think tank. He expected Trump to take an "America First"
approach aimed at reducing U.S. military resources and refocusing on countering
China -- which means both empowering Israel to fight enemies and encouraging its
normalization with Arab states, notably Saudi Arabia. "There is really
tremendous paradigm-shifting potential in a number of realms, such as advancing
regional cooperation and putting maximum pressure on Iran," Fredman said.
End of Biden's approach -
Biden flew to Tel Aviv in October 2023, days after Hamas inflicted the
deadliest-ever attack on Israel, embracing Netanyahu and declaring himself a
proud supporter of Israel. Biden has since repeatedly criticized Netanyahu for
the heavy toll on civilians in the relentless war in Gaza and unsuccessfully
sought to prevent a second Israeli front in Lebanon. But Biden has only once
exercised the ultimate U.S. leverage -- holding some of the billions of dollars
in military aid to Israel -- with officials insisting their quiet approach has
paid off. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
in a mid-October letter gave Israel a month to allow more assistance into Gaza
or face cutoffs of some U.S. weapons.
They ultimately decided not to take action, despite Israel not meeting metrics
on the number of aid trucks and a new U.N.-backed assessment warning of imminent
famine in Gaza.
Blinken told reporters Wednesday that the letter succeeded in injecting a "sense
of urgency" to Israel, which addressed 12 of the 15 listed areas of concern.
Allison McManus, managing director for national security and international
policy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said the letter had
offered an opening but that Biden wanted "near unconditional support" for Israel
to be his legacy. "Biden was very risk-averse -- not wanting to rock the boat
too much in terms of the traditional U.S. support for Israel," she said. "He was
dogmatic and quite orthodox in approaching the U.S.-Israel relationship. Trump
is, certainly, neither of those things," she said. Despite Trump's stance on a
Palestinian state, he has also boasted of seeking historic deals. "There is
certainly a world in which, if Netanyahu is obstinate, as he has been in
reaching a ceasefire, then I wouldn't be surprised if we actually see Trump
applying some pressure," she said. "What that would look like, I don't know."
Deal not easy -
Aaron David Miller, a longtime State Department advisor on the Middle East, said
that Trump's previous term showed a foreign policy that was "opportunistic,
transactional and ad hoc."He said that Huckabee could turn out to be a "performative
appointment" for political reasons, as top officials in Washington often work
directly with their Middle Eastern counterparts. But Miller said that even if
Trump sought a Gaza deal, he would face some of the same impediments as Biden --
the risk of Hamas surviving and the lack so far of a new security architecture.
"He cannot end the war in Gaza and won't pressure Netanyahu to do so," said
Miller, now at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Elie Pieprz,
director of international relations at the Israel Defense and Security Forum,
said that Trump's victory had already yielded wins for Israel, including Qatar
distancing itself from Hamas and a more conciliatory tone from Iran. As Biden
had a difficult relationship with Israel, Trump will likely seek to ease
friction, Pieprz said. "Trump likes to see things in comparison to his
opponents," he said. Much like his domestic slogan, Pieprz said, Trump wants to
"make the U.S.-Israel relationship great again."
The family of Israeli-American hostage pleads with Biden
and Trump to bring hostages home
AP/November 17, 2024
TEL AVIV, Israel: Over the past two weeks, the political landscape around the
negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza have undergone a dramatic transformation.
The American elections, the firing of Israel’s popular defense minister, Qatar’s
decision to suspend its mediation, and the ongoing war in Lebanon all seem to
have pushed the possibility for a ceasefire in Gaza further away than it has
been in more than a year of conflict. Still, some families of the dozens of
hostages who remain captive in Gaza are desperately hoping the changes will
reignite momentum to bring their loved ones home — though the impact of Donald
Trump returning to the White House and a hard-line new defense minister in
Israel remains unknown. “I think maybe there is new hope,” said Varda Ben
Baruch, the grandmother of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, 20, a
soldier kidnapped from his base on the Gaza border during the Hamas attack on
Oct. 7, 2023. Alexander’s parents, Adi and Yael Alexander, who live in New
Jersey, met this week with Trump and President Joe Biden in Washington and
pleaded with them to work together to bring all the hostages home in a single
deal. “As a grandmother, I say, cooperate — Trump wants peace in this region,
Biden has always said he wants to release the hostages, so work together and do
something important for the lives of human beings,” Ben Baruch said. She said
neither leader offered specific details or plans for releasing the hostages or
restarting negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire.
Talks have hit a wall in recent months, largely over Hamas’ demands for
guarantees that a full hostage release will bring an end to Israel’s campaign in
Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vows to continue fighting until
Hamas is crushed and unable to rearm.
“We’re not involved in politics, not American and not Israeli, the families are
above politics, we just want our loved ones home,” she said. “Edan was kidnapped
because he was Jewish, not because he voted for a certain party.”More than 250
people were kidnapped and 1,200 killed when Hamas militants burst across the
border and carried out a bloody attack on southern Israeli communities. Israel’s
campaign of retaliation since has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians,
according to local health officials, and some 90 percent of its 2.3 million
people have been displaced.
As militants attacked on the morning of Oct. 7, Edan Alexander, then 19, was
able to send a quick message to his mother amid the intense fighting around his
base. He told her that despite having shrapnel embedded in his helmet from the
explosions, he had managed to get to a protected area. After 7 a.m., his family
lost contact. Alexander was considered missing as the family desperately
searched hospitals for him. After five days, friends recognized him in a video
of Hamas militants capturing soldiers.
The family was happy: He was alive, Ben Baruch said. “But we didn’t understand
what we were entering into, what is still happening now.”When a week-long
ceasefire last November brought the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240
Palestinian prisoners, some of the freed hostages said they had seen Alexander
in captivity. Ben Baruch said they told her Alexander kept his cool, encouraging
them that everyone would be released soon. Ben Baruch said she was disheartened
when Netanyahu last week fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who she said had
consistently reassured the families that the hostages were at the top of his
agenda. “I felt he was a partner,” she said. Gallant was replaced by a Netanyahu
loyalist who has urged a tough line against Hamas. A mass protest movement
urging the government to reach a hostage deal has shown signs of weariness, and
hostage families have struggled to keep their campaign in the headlines. A
delegation of former hostages and their relatives met with the pope on Thursday
and expressed hope the incoming and outgoing American administrations would
bring their loved ones home.
In Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square, the headquarters of the protest movement, opinions
were mixed on the effect of Trump’s election on hostages.
“I don’t think this is good for Israel or the hostages, I’m really scared of
him,” said David Danino, a 45-year-old hi-tech worker from Tel Aviv. He was at
Hostages Square with his family, visiting from France, who wanted to pay their
respects.
Danino noted that Israel had already achieved many of its war goals, including
killing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. “They
are building us a photo of what is ‘victory,’ but how is there victory without
the hostages?” he asked.
Others thought Trump’s reputation might help the situation.
“When he decides to do something, he does it, without blinking, and he can
create ultimatums,” said Orly Vitman, a 54-year-old former special education
teacher from the Tel Aviv suburb of Holon.
She comes every few months to the square with her daughter to light candles in
honor of the hostages. While she was opposed to the firing of Gallant in the
middle of the war, she was heartened by Trump’s election.
“We will have the legitimacy and ability to use the full force of what we know
how to do,” she said.
Ben Baruch, a philanthropist and accomplished artist whose modernizt sculptures
dot the Tel Aviv home where she has lived for 52 years, said she has pushed
everything aside in her life to focus on the struggle to bring her grandson
home. Her days are filled with meetings, interviews, rallies, protests and
communal prayer sessions uniting different groups of Israelis from across the
religious spectrum. “It’s like people’s lives went back to their routine, but
ours did not,” she said. “There’s nothing left to say. All the words have been
said. We have heard everything. We have met with everyone. But they are still
there.”
Trump defense pick Hegseth accused of 2017 sexual assault
Agence France Presse/November 16, 2024
One of Donald Trump's most controversial cabinet picks just became even more so:
Pete Hegseth, tapped for defense secretary earlier this week, was accused of
sexual assault in 2017, according to police. No charges were filed in the case,
but shocked Trump transition team officials are nonetheless reportedly weighing
next steps for the Fox News host, whose nomination took many in Washington by
surprise. President-elect Trump nominated the 44-year-old National Guard veteran
on Tuesday to run the world's most powerful military, despite having never
managed a large organization. Police in Monterey, California confirmed Thursday
that they had investigated "an alleged sexual assault" at a hotel involving
Hegseth that included bruising to the victim's right thigh, in early October
2017. News of the woman's accusations caught the Trump team off guard, according
to Vanity Fair, which first reported the story. Hegseth's lawyer Timothy
Parlatore told the publication that the allegation "was already investigated by
the Monterey police department and they found no evidence for it." And Trump's
communications director Steven Cheung said that Hegseth "has vigorously denied
any and all accusations, and no charges were filed. "We look forward to his
confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day
One to Make America Safe and Great Again," Cheung said. Hegseth's hearing in the
Senate is likely to be among the more fraught, not only due to his lack of
experience but also other controversies, such as his lobbying of Trump during
his first term to pardon service members accused of war crimes. Hegseth joined
Fox News as a contributor in 2014 and now co-hosts "Fox and Friends Weekend" and
serves as a host for "Fox Nation." He additionally served as an infantry officer
in the National Guard, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. The accusations
against Hegseth come as Trump's pick for attorney general, far-right former
congressman Matt Gaetz, stunned many following his lengthy embroilment in sexual
misconduct allegations. And Trump himself was convicted of financial wrongdoing
for covering up payments to a former porn star and found liable for defaming and
sexually abusing an author. Hegseth has been married three times, divorcing his
first wife in 2009 following an "irretrievable breakdown" and "infidelity,"
according to the Washington Post. His second wife filed for divorce in September
2017, one month after he had a baby with a Fox News producer whom he
subsequently married, according to U.S. media.
Yemen’s Houthis say they attacked 'vital target' in
Israel's Eilat
Reuters/November 16, 2024
Yemen's Houthi forces attacked "a vital target" in Israel's Red Sea port of
Eilat with a number of drones, the group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree
said in a televised speech on Saturday.
Iran ‘categorically’ denies envoy’s meeting with Musk
AFP/November 16, 2024
TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman on Saturday “categorically” denied The
New York Times report on Tehran’s ambassador to the United Nations meeting with
US tech billionaire Elon Musk, state media reported. In an interview with state
news agency IRNA, spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei was reported as “categorically
denying such a meeting” and expressing “surprise at the coverage of the American
media in this regard.”The Times reported on Friday that Musk, who is a close
ally of President-elect Donald Trump, met earlier this week with Iran’s
ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani. It cited anonymous Iranian sources
describing the encounter as “positive.”Iranian newspapers, particularly those
aligned with the reformist party that supports President Masoud Pezeshkian,
largely described the meeting in positive terms before Baghaei’s statement.In
the weeks leading up to Trump’s re-election, Iranian officials have signalled a
willingness to resolve issues with the West.Iran and the United Stated cut
diplomatic ties shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the
US-backed shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Since then, both countries have
communicated through the Swiss embassy in Tehran and the Sultanate of Oman.
UK doubles aid to war-torn Sudan
AFP/November 17, 2024
LONDON: The UK on Sunday announced a £113 million ($143 million) aid boost to
support more than one million people affected by the war in Sudan, doubling its
current package. The new funding will be targeted at the 600,000 people in Sudan
and 700,000 people in neighboring countries who have fled the conflict. “The
brutal conflict in Sudan has caused unimaginable suffering. The people of Sudan
need more aid, which is why the UK is helping to provide much-needed food,
shelter and education for the most vulnerable,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy
said in a government press release. “The UK will never forget Sudan,” he vowed.
Fighting broke out in April 2023 between the army under the country’s de facto
ruler Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his
former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Last month, United Nations experts accused
the warring sides of using “starvation tactics” against 25 million civilians,
and three major aid organizations warned of a “historic” hunger crisis as
families resort to eating leaves and insects. Lammy is due to visit the UN
Security Council on Monday, where his ministry said he will call on the Sudanese
Armed Forces (SAF) to keep the vital Adre border crossing open indefinitely to
allow aid deliveries. “We cannot deliver aid without access. Starvation must not
be used as a weapon of war,” he said. The new funding package will support UN
and NGO partners in providing food, money, shelter, medical assistance, water
and sanitation, said the Foreign Office. Deaths in the conflict are likely to be
“substantially underreported,” according to a study published this week, which
found more casualties in Khartoum State alone than current empirical estimates
for the whole country.
The urgency of climate finance: Is the world ready to
commit?
MANAL AL-BARAKATI/Arab News/November 16, 2024
BAKU: As global leaders gather in Baku for the COP29 UN climate change
conference, the focus on climate finance has never been more pressing. This
year’s conference theme, “Accelerating Climate Action for Sustainable
Development,” suggests that climate action must advance economic stability as
well as address environmental concerns. Yalchin Rafiyev, Azerbaijan’s lead
negotiator for COP29, has said that “trillions of dollars” are needed to fund
the fight against climate change — a significant increase from the longstanding
annual target of $100 billion, which itself remains unmet. Vulnerable nations
are especially affected by this shortfall, lacking the resources to build
resilience against climate impacts.
The need for equitable financing
Delegates from developing regions, including African representatives, have
called for climate finance to reflect the distinct economic realities faced by
less developed countries. Shaimaa Al-Sheiby, senior director of strategic
planning at OPEC, spoke to Arab News about the importance of ensuring that
climate finance meets the needs of developing economies. “In many countries,
it’s difficult for governments to sustain economic progress without accessible
financing,” Al-Sheiby said. She advocated for wealthier nations and financial
institutions to play a greater role in “de-risking” investments in developing
markets to attract private capital for renewable projects. Yusuf Idris Amoke, a
Nigerian climate adviser, said: “The Global South is on the receiving end of
climate impacts while contributing far less to emissions.”For these countries,
the push to phase out fossil fuels often clashes with immediate economic needs,
especially given that alternatives are limited and expensive. “Financing third
world countries or the Global South is key,” Amoke added, saying that
transitioning without robust financial support is neither equitable nor
feasible.
Voluntary carbon markets and climate solutions
Voluntary carbon markets have been gaining traction as a flexible solution for
reducing emissions, especially in regions where compulsory systems have
struggled to achieve significant results. These markets encourage companies to
take part in climate initiatives by creating financial incentives, which, as Al-Sheiby
said, are essential for involving the private sector. “Private capital is very
shy,” she added, saying that risk-reduction strategies could help attract these
funds to where they are most needed. The success of voluntary markets, however,
depends on strong regulatory support, transparency and accountability.
Global initiatives and South-South collaboration
The COP29 Presidency has launched the Baku Initiative for Climate Finance,
Investment and Trade, a collaborative platform designed to align climate finance
and trade with sustainable development priorities. By convening leaders from
developed countries and the Global South, the initiative aims to foster
equitable climate solutions. In Africa, Saudi Arabia’s “Empowering Africa
Initiative” exemplifies South-South collaboration. Minister of Energy Prince
Abdulaziz bin Salman has signed agreements with Ethiopia, Chad, Senegal and
other countries to promote energy equity as well as accelerate the continent’s
energy transition. These agreements are set to harness Africa’s vast renewable
energy potential, including its 10 terawatts of solar capacity. Abid Malik, ACWA
Power’s geo head for Central Asia, highlighted the importance of fostering local
expertise during an interview with Arab News. “Our projects in Africa don’t just
bring renewable energy; they create jobs, enhance technical skills and empower
local communities to take charge of their energy futures,” he said.
The intersection of climate finance and conflict recovery
The recently announced Baku Call on Climate Action for Peace, Relief and
Recovery highlights the role of climate action in stabilizing conflict-affected
regions. “Climate-induced challenges such as water scarcity and food insecurity
are catalysts for conflict,” said Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 president.
“Peace-sensitive climate action is crucial for the most vulnerable.”Gilles
Carbonnier, vice president of the International Committee of the Red Cross,
highlighted the environmental fallout in conflict zones like Gaza. “In places
like Gaza, where infrastructure has been decimated, renewable energy offers a
lifeline,” he told Arab News. “Solar microgrids in refugee camps are providing
critical electricity for healthcare and other essential services.”
Charting a path forward
The commitments announced at COP29 reflect a growing recognition of the
interconnected challenges of climate finance, energy equity and conflict
recovery. With asset owners controlling $10 trillion pledging to accelerate
private capital deployment and initiatives like BICFIT gaining momentum, the
foundations for transformative change are being established. For vulnerable
nations, these efforts offer a glimmer of hope. However, achieving a just
transition will require sustained political will and a reimagining of global
financing systems. As COP29 unfolds, the world is watching to see if the pledges
made in Baku will translate into tangible action.
Sudan women sexually exploited in Chad camps
SAM MEDNICK/AP/November 17/2024
Some victims said among those who exploited them were humanitarian workers and
local security forces
Nidhi Kapur, who works on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse, said
exploitation represents a deep failure by the aid community
Many of the women interviewed were unaware of the free hotline and feedback
boxes put up by UN agencies to report abuse anonymously
ADRE, Chad: Crossing into Chad, the 27-year-old thought she’d left the horrors
of Sudan’s war behind: the bodies she ran over while fleeing, the screams of
girls being raped, the disappearance of her husband when gunmen attacked. But
now she says she has faced more suffering — being forced as a refugee to have
sex to get by.She cradled her 7-week-old son, who she asserted was the child of
an aid worker who promised her money in exchange for sex. “The children were
crying. We ran out of food,” she said of her four other children. “He abused my
situation.” She and other women who spoke to The Associated Press requested
anonymity because they feared retribution. Some Sudanese women and girls assert
that men, including those meant to protect them such as humanitarian workers and
local security forces, have sexually exploited them in Chad’s displacement
sites, offering money, easier access to assistance and jobs. Such sexual
exploitation in Chad is a crime. Hundreds of thousands of people, most of them
women, have streamed into Chad to escape Sudan’s civil war, which has killed
over 20,000 people. Aid groups struggle to support them in growing displacement
sites. Three women spoke with the AP in the town of Adre near the Sudanese
border. A Sudanese psychologist shared the accounts of seven other women and
girls who either refused to speak directly with a reporter or were no longer in
touch with her. The AP could not confirm their accounts.
Daral-Salam Omar, the psychologist, said all the seven told her they went along
with the offers of benefits in exchange for sex out of necessity. Some sought
her help because they became pregnant and couldn’t seek an abortion at a clinic
for fear of being shunned by their community, she said.
“They were psychologically destroyed. Imagine a woman getting pregnant without a
husband amid this situation,” Omar said. Women who fled war in Sudan rest in a
refugee camp in Adre, Chad, on Oct. 5, 2024. (AP) Sexual exploitation during
large humanitarian crises is not uncommon, especially in displacement sites. Aid
groups have long struggled to combat the issue. They cite a lack of reporting by
women, not enough funds to respond and a focus on first providing basic
necessities. The UN refugee agency said it doesn’t publish data on cases, citing
the confidentiality and safety of victims. People seeking protection should
never have to make choices driven by survival, experts said. Nidhi Kapur, who
works on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse in emergency contexts, said
exploitation represents a deep failure by the aid community. Yewande Odia, the
United Nations Population’s Fund representative in Chad, said sexual
exploitation is a serious violation. UN agencies said displacement camps have
“safe spaces” where women can gather, along with awareness sessions, a free
hotline and feedback boxes to report abuse anonymously.
Yet many of the Sudanese women said they weren’t aware of the hotline, and some
said using the boxes would draw unwanted attention. The Sudanese woman with the
newborn said she was afraid to report the aid worker for fear he’d turn her in
to police.
She said she approached the aid worker, a Sudanese man, after searching for jobs
to buy basic necessities like soap. She asked him for money. He said he’d give
her cash but only in exchange for sex.
They slept together for months, she said, and he paid the equivalent of about
$12 each time. After she had the baby, he gave her a one-time payment of
approximately $65 but denied it was his, she said.
The man was a Sudanese laborer for Doctors Without Borders, known by its French
acronym MSF, she said. Two other Sudanese women said Chadian men working at MSF
sites— one wearing MSF clothing — solicited them after they applied for work
with the organization. The men took their phone numbers and repeatedly called,
saying they’d give them jobs for sex. Both women said they refused.
Christopher Lockyear, MSF’s secretary general, said the organization was not
aware of the allegations and wanted to investigate. “Asking for money or sex in
exchange for access to care or a job is a clear violation of our behavioral
commitments,” he said. MSF would not say how many such cases had been reported
among Sudanese refugees in Chad. Last year, out of 714 complaints made about MSF
staff behavior where it works globally, 264 were confirmed to be cases of abuse
or inappropriate behavior including sexual exploitation, abuse of power and
bullying, Lockyear said. Lockyear said MSF is creating a pool of investigators
at the global level to enhance its ability to pursue allegations. One woman told
the AP that a man with another aid group also exploited her, but she was unable
to identify the organization. Omar, the psychologist, said several of the women
told her they were exploited by aid workers, local and international. She gave
no evidence to back up the claims. Another woman, one of the two who alleged
they were approached after seeking work with MSF, said she also refused a local
policeman who approached her and promised an extra food ration card if she went
to his house. Ali Mahamat Sebey, the head official for Adre, said police are not
allowed inside the camps and asserted that allegations against them of
exploitation were false. With the growing influx of people, however, it’s hard
to protect everyone, he said. The women said they just want to feel safe, adding
that access to jobs would lessen their vulnerability. After most of her family
was killed or abducted in Sudan’s Darfur region last year, one 19-year-old
sought refuge in Chad. She didn’t have enough money to support the nieces and
nephews in her care. She got a job at a restaurant in the camp but when she
asked her Sudanese boss for a raise, he agreed on the condition of sex. The
money he paid was more than six times her salary. But when she got pregnant with
his child, the man fled, she asserted. She rubbed her growing belly.
“If we had enough, we wouldn’t have to go out and lose our dignity,” she said.
1st female airman awarded Silver Star for shootdown of
Iranian drones
LUIS MARTINEZ/ABC News/November 15, 2024
The Air Force has awarded the Silver Star to a female airman for the first time
following her role in the shootdown of more than 80 Iranian drones that were
part of Iran's large missile and drone attack on Israel in mid-April. The
historic award of the nation's third-highest award for valor to a female airman
comes at a time when the role of women in ground combat units has been front and
center because of critical comments made by Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald
Trump's pick to be the next defense secretary.
Capt. Lacie "Sonic" Hester, an F-15E instructor weapons systems officer, is the
first Air Force woman to receive the Silver Star and only the 10th female
service member ever to receive the award. Also receiving the Silver Star on
Tuesday was her pilot, Maj. Benjamin "Irish" Coffey, for his role in
coordinating the shootdowns from their two-seat fighter and then using all of
their missiles and their fighter's Gatling guns to bring down some of the
drones.
The actions by the U.S. Air Force units involved in the shootdown of about 80
Iranian drones have been described as the largest air-to-air enemy engagement by
the United States in over 50 years.
Tuesday's award ceremony at Hester's and Coffey's home base of Royal Air Force
Lakenheath in the United Kingdom honored the men and women of the 494th Fighter
Squadron and the 494th Fighter Generation Squadron with two Silver Stars, six
Distinguished Flying Crosses with the valor device, four Distinguished Flying
Crosses with the combat device, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze
Stars, seven Air and Space Commendation Medals and seven Air and Space
Achievement Medals.
On the night of April 13, Iran launched more than 300 ballistic missiles and
drones at Israel in retaliation for an Israeli missile strike in Damascus,
Syria, that killed a top Iranian commander. U.S. military aircraft and naval
ships helped Israel in bringing down 99% of the weapons Iran fired at Israel in
the attack.
Soon after the attack, President Joe Biden reached out to the commanders of the
two units involved, the 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and 335th
Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, to praise their units' actions. One of those
commanders was Lt. Col. Timothy "Diesel" Causey, the commander of the 494th
Fighter Squadron. "We all fell into an execution rhythm: Call, shoot, and
confirm the target was destroyed before we moved on to the next task we had to
accomplish to keep everyone safe," Causey said in a U.S. Air Force story about
this week's ceremony.
On the night of April 13, the F-15E's from his squadron flew 14 sorties from an
undisclosed base in the Middle East to shoot down the incoming drones. Patriot
air defense missiles at the base were also fired to intercept the drones. Some
of those fighters had to return to the base to rearm their planes before going
back up to engage more of the drones, some of which occurred so close to that
base that some of the falling debris landed on that base. Other aircraft had to
be redirected to mid-air refueling tanker aircraft so they could stay in the air
longer.
"Although intelligence provided the numbers of how many [one-way attack] drones
we could expect to see, it was still surprising to see them all," Hester said in
an Air Force interview.
That night, Coffey and Hester were the airborne mission commanders directing the
fighters toward the drones and were also actively engaged in shooting down
drones, resorting to bringing the drones down with their fighter's Gatling guns
after they had used up all of their air-to-air missiles.
"It takes a high-performing team with high-performing individuals to be able to
find these things to begin with and then to engage it," Coffey said. Among those
receiving awards this week were many members of the squadrons' airmen on the
ground who helped keep the fighters flying in and out, especially as some of the
fighters experienced in-flight emergencies.
Hester's receipt of the Silver Star occurred the same week that Hegseth drew
scrutiny for recent comments on a podcast in which he criticized the decision to
allow women to serve in ground combat units.
"I'm straight up just saying, we should not have women in combat roles," Hegseth
said last week on the "The Shawn Ryan Show."The process of integrating women
into combat units was a gradual one that began in 1993, when Defense Secretary
Les Aspin issued an order that allowed women to fly fighter jets and bomber
aircraft in combat.But women were not allowed to serve in ground combat units
until 2013, when Defense Secretary Leon Panetta rescinded the ban, which was
subsequently enhanced in 2015 by Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who cleared the
path for women to serve in jobs that were still limited to men, including some
in special operations. On the podcast, Hegseth drew a distinction between women
serving as pilots and those serving in ground combat units. "I'm not talking
about pilots," Hegseth said. "I'm talking about physical labor type, labor
intensive type job. … I'm talking about something where strength is a
differentiator. Pilots? Give me a female pilot all day long. I got no issues
with that."1st female airman awarded Silver Star for shootdown of Iranian drones
originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Qatar's step back from hostage negotiations will only
serve as inconvenience - opinion
Ruby Chen//Jerusalem Post/November 16/2024
Hostages, like my son Itay and the other 101 hostages who are held captive in
Hamas dungeons, remain secondary still. While Qatar evicting Hamas leaders is a
necessary step – no country should harbor terrorists –the impact will serve
mainly as an inconvenience. Hamas’s main leadership in Doha will simply relocate
and continue operations as usual. It will be the same terrorist group with a
different mailing address but the same bank account. Why won’t it matter? As in
most cases, one simply has to follow the money.
It won’t make a difference because, in large part, the global financial network
supporting Hamas remains intact. “Charity organizations” operating out of
Turkey, financial backing from Iran and Kuwait, and other shadowy funding
sources have not been, and will not be, affected by Qatar’s decision. The money
Hamas relies on to fund its terror, pay its operatives, and rebuild its
infrastructure in Gaza will continue to flow. Without seriously disrupting
Hamas’s financial network, diplomatic efforts won’t accomplish enough to address
the ongoing threat. The real issue is dismantling the global infrastructure of
resources and financial networks that fuel Hamas’s ongoing operations. Having
said that, there are likely several reasons behind Qatar’s alleged decision,
including diplomatic pressure from Israel and the US, but I believe that the
main motivation behind it was indeed, as the Qataris stated, that both Hamas and
Israel have not made a hostage deal a priority and Qatar does not wish to be
further blamed for the failed deal. I believe that if Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu felt that freeing all the hostages was a top priority, both morally
and strategically for Israel, given the victory of the military operations in
Gaza, a deal could be signed in days. Hostages not on list of priorities
Unfortunately, other objectives are taking precedence.Hostages, like my son Itay
and the other 101 hostages who are held captive in Hamas dungeons, remain
secondary. As a US citizen, I believe the US election’s decisive outcome
presents a window of opportunity that should not be missed. President-elect
Trump has a proven track record of caring and succeeding in freeing hostages.
Now is the time for the Biden administration to bring in their successors to the
National Security Council and CIA and state that the hostage issue is a
bipartisan issue that cannot wait till January 20. The teams should immediately
work together and force a deal for the release of all the hostages, the return
of Israeli citizens to their homes, and an end to the humanitarian crisis in
Gaza. We call on all of you who believe there must be a deal to show your
presence this coming Tuesday evening and every Tuesday evening at Hostages
Square in Tel Aviv to pray and sing with us, together with religious leaders,
for the well-being and release of all the hostages. *The writer is the father of
Itay Chen, a 19-year-old Israeli-American held by the Hamas terrorist
organization. Ruby and his wife, Hagit, live in Israel with their two other
children. www.bringitayhome.com
Do Trump’s picks Rubio, Huckabee signal his approval of
West Bank annexation? - analysis
Tovah Lazaroff/Jerusalem Post/November 16/2024
Choosing two men with such strong views on the legitimacy of the West Bank
settlements at a time when their status is being legally challenged in
international courts makes a powerful statement.
There was a time when Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich would have created a
deep crisis with Washington by declaring, as he did this week, that 2025 is the
year in which sovereignty will be applied to Judea and Samaria. Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s opposition to a two-state resolution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict has already been a source of deep tension with the
Biden administration, which holds fast to Palestinian statehood based on the
pre-1967 lines.
Casting his eyes to a future Trump administration and skipping over the last
three months of the Biden one, to which he has been a persona non grata,
Smotrich declared to his faction already on Monday that he intended to start
working on a sovereignty plan.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on November 16-17/2024
Question: “What does
the Bible say about anger?”
GotQuestions.org/November 16, 2024
Answer: Handling anger is an important life skill. Christian counselors report
that 50 percent of people who come in for counseling have problems dealing with
anger. Anger can shatter communication and tear apart relationships, and it
ruins both the joy and health of many. Sadly, people tend to justify their anger
instead of accepting responsibility for it. Everyone struggles, to varying
degrees, with anger. Thankfully, God’s Word contains principles regarding how to
handle anger in a godly manner, and how to overcome sinful anger.
Anger is not always sin. There is a type of anger of which the Bible approves,
often called “righteous indignation.” God is angry (Psalm 7:11; Mark 3:5), and
it is acceptable for believers to be angry (Ephesians 4:26). Two Greek words in
the New Testament are translated as “anger.” One means “passion, energy” and the
other means “agitated, boiling.” Biblically, anger is God-given energy intended
to help us solve problems. Examples of biblical anger include David’s being
upset over hearing Nathan the prophet sharing an injustice (2 Samuel 12) and
Jesus’ anger over how some of the Jews had defiled worship at God’s temple in
Jerusalem (John 2:13-18). Notice that neither of these examples of anger
involved self-defense, but a defense of others or of a principle.
That being said, it is important to recognize that anger at an injustice
inflicted against oneself is also appropriate. Anger has been said to be a
warning flag—it alerts us to those times when others are attempting to or have
violated our boundaries. God cares for each individual. Sadly, we do not always
stand up for one another, meaning that sometimes we must stand up for ourselves.
This is especially important when considering the anger that victims often feel.
Victims of abuse, violent crime, or the like have been violated in some way.
Often while experiencing the trauma, they do not experience anger. Later, in
working through the trauma, anger will emerge. For a victim to reach a place of
true health and forgiveness, he or she must first accept the trauma for what it
was. In order to fully accept that an act was unjust, one must sometimes
experience anger. Because of the complexities of trauma recovery, this anger is
often not short-lived, particularly for victims of abuse. Victims should process
through their anger and come to a place of acceptance, even forgiveness. This is
often a long journey. As God heals the victim, the victim’s emotions, including
anger, will follow. Allowing the process to occur does not mean the person is
living in sin. Anger can become sinful when it is motivated by pride (James
1:20), when it is unproductive and thus distorts God’s purposes (1 Corinthians
10:31), or when anger is allowed to linger (Ephesians 4:26-27). One obvious sign
that anger has turned to sin is when, instead of attacking the problem at hand,
we attack the wrongdoer. Ephesians 4:15-19 says we are to speak the truth in
love and use our words to build others up, not allow rotten or destructive words
to pour from our lips. Unfortunately, this poisonous speech is a common
characteristic of fallen man (Romans 3:13-14). Anger becomes sin when it is
allowed to boil over without restraint, resulting in a scenario in which hurt is
multiplied (Proverbs 29:11), leaving devastation in its wake. Often, the
consequences of out-of-control anger are irreparable. Anger also becomes sin
when the angry one refuses to be pacified, holds a grudge, or keeps it all
inside (Ephesians 4:26-27). This can cause depression and irritability over
little things, which are often unrelated to the underlying problem.
We can handle anger biblically by recognizing and admitting our prideful anger
and/or our wrong handling of anger as sin (Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9). This
confession should be both to God and to those who have been hurt by our anger.
We should not minimize the sin by excusing it or blame-shifting.
We can handle anger biblically by seeing God in the trial. This is especially
important when people have done something to offend us. James 1:2-4, Romans
8:28-29, and Genesis 50:20 all point to the fact that God is sovereign over
every circumstance and person that crosses our path. Nothing happens to us that
He does not cause or allow. Though God does allow bad things to happen, He is
always faithful to redeem them for the good of His people. God is a good God
(Psalm 145:8, 9, 17). Reflecting on this truth until it moves from our heads to
our hearts will alter how we react to those who hurt us.
We can handle anger biblically by making room for God’s wrath. This is
especially important in cases of injustice, when “evil” men abuse “innocent”
people. Genesis 50:19 and Romans 12:19 both tell us to not play God. God is
righteous and just, and we can trust Him who knows all and sees all to act
justly (Genesis 18:25).
We can handle anger biblically by returning good for evil (Genesis 50:21; Romans
12:21). This is key to converting our anger into love. As our actions flow from
our hearts, so also our hearts can be altered by our actions (Matthew 5:43-48).
That is, we can change our feelings toward another by changing how we choose to
act toward that person.
We can handle anger biblically by communicating to solve the problem. There are
four basic rules of communication shared in Ephesians 4:15, 25-32:
1) Be honest and speak (Ephesians 4:15, 25). People cannot read our minds. We
must speak the truth in love.
2) Stay current (Ephesians 4:26-27). We must not allow what is bothering us to
build up until we lose control. It is important to deal with what is bothering
us before it reaches critical mass.
3) Attack the problem, not the person (Ephesians 4:29, 31). Along this line, we
must remember the importance of keeping the volume of our voices low (Proverbs
15:1).
4) Act, don’t react (Ephesians 4:31-32). Because of our fallen nature, our first
impulse is often a sinful one (v. 31). The time spent in “counting to ten”
should be used to reflect upon the godly way to respond (v. 32) and to remind
ourselves how the energy anger provides should be used to solve problems and not
create bigger ones. At times we can handle anger preemptively by putting up
stricter boundaries. We are told to be discerning (1 Corinthians 2:15-16;
Matthew 10:16). We need not "cast our pearls before swine" (Matthew 7:6).
Sometimes our anger leads us to recognize that certain people are unsafe for us.
We can still forgive them, but we may choose not to re-enter the relationship.
Finally, we must act to solve our part of the problem (Romans 12:18). We cannot
control how others act or respond, but we can make the changes that need to be
made on our part. Overcoming a temper is not accomplished overnight. But through
prayer, Bible study, and reliance upon God’s Holy Spirit, ungodly anger can be
overcome. We may have allowed anger to become entrenched in our lives by
habitual practice, but we can also practice responding correctly until that,
too, becomes a habit and God is glorified in our response.
Egypt’s disappearing women
Mariam Wahba/Washington Examiner/November 16/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/136908/
In America, progressive feminists often speak out against toxic
masculinity. But in Egypt, women, especially Christian women, live with its
brutal reality.
Julia Atef, 21, never made it to church on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 26. No
one has heard from her since she left her family’s home on the outskirts of
Cairo, headed to a meeting at St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church. In my native
country, Coptic Christians remain a target of persecution; hundreds of young
women have been kidnapped, forced to convert to Islam, and coerced into
marriage.
While many Western feminists remain focused on domestic issues, they are often
silent on the grave threats faced by women abroad.
In a population of 110 million, there are 10 to 15 million Copts, the largest
Christian community in the Middle East. This community has endured both
spectacular violence and day-to-day prejudice.
On Palm Sunday in 2017, 44 worshipers died in the bombing of two Coptic
churches. Islamic extremists burn Coptic homes and ambush buses carrying
visitors to monasteries. Growing up in Minya, a mid-sized city in southern
Egypt, I recall family from Cairo pointing out job listings that read,
“Christians need not apply.” At school, the more religious teachers would use
sticks to beat me and my Coptic peers on our wrists, where we proudly wore
Coptic cross tattoos.
Kidnapping, followed by forced conversion and marriage, also poses a perennial
threat. In 2012, the U.S. Helsinki Commission heard testimony to the effect that
there had been 550 abductions and disappearances over a period of five years. In
its 2020 report, “Jihad of the Womb,” U.S.-based nonprofit group Coptic
Solidarity estimated there had been 500 cases over the previous decade in which
“elements of coercion were used that amount to trafficking.” Yet, Egyptian
officials often insist the forced marriages are genuine and refuse to intervene.
CS estimates there were 12 kidnappings in the first half of 2023.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi professes to be an advocate of
interfaith toleration, yet the Coptic community lacks confidence in the state.
Several years ago, a Coptic bishop in Los Angeles said local authorities in
Egypt turn a blind eye to persecution. Girls may be snatched from public spaces
at any time — on their way home from school, while waiting for the bus, or
running errands.
Julia Atef’s case is not unique.
Earlier this year, 21-year-old medical student Irene Ibrahim Shehata disappeared
in Asyut, Egypt. Her father said he reported her disappearance, but police
claimed she had willingly run off with a Muslim man. The family later tracked
Shehata to the southern city of Sohaj, only to encounter police resistance.
“The police officers threatened to arrest the family if they tried to rescue her
and warned them that the kidnappers are armed,” an anonymous source recounted.
Weeks later, Egypt’s electronic records showed that Shehata’s religion on her
national ID card had been changed from “Christian” to “Muslim.” As of Sept. 4,
Irene was still in captivity, according to the American Center for Law and
Justice, a nonprofit organization that promotes religious freedom.
In August 2023, 25-year-old graduate student Mariam Samir Fayez was taken en
route to a bus station in Cairo. Her family filed a report, but no action was
taken. Days later, a video surfaced showing Fayez in a hijab, reciting the
Shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith, under the supervision of an Islamist
preacher. Fortunately, Fayez was rescued and returned to her family a few days
later.
The reality is grim for many Coptic women who do not escape their captors,
leaving their families in agony for months, or even years. A culture of impunity
ensures that not many return home, and the authorities continue to look the
other way.
The State Department briefly mentioned the problem of abduction in its 2023
Report on International Religious Freedom, yet it described the Coptic community
as grateful to the Egyptian government for helping to find and return several
victims. The department’s annual reports on human rights and human trafficking
do not mention Coptic women in their sections on Egypt.
The next editions of those reports should do better, and the secretary of state
should raise the issue directly with Sisi at their next meeting. Under U.S. law,
a portion of the $1.3 billion in military aid that Egypt receives each year is
contingent on Cairo’s efforts to improve its record on human rights. When the
next review of Cairo’s record begins, the safety of Coptic women should be front
and center.
**Mariam Wahba is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of
Democracies. Follow her on X @themariamwahba.
The Possibility of a 'Golden Age' in the Middle East
Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/November 16, 2024
Iran launched from its own soil hundreds of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles
and attack drones at Israel, a country smaller than the state of New Jersey -- a
demonstration of the regime's fundamentalist commitment to destroying the Jewish
state.
President-elect Donald J. Trump at present seems averse to regime change in
Iran. Unfortunately -- due to the regime's commitment to "wipe Israel off the
map" and, as stated in its constitution, to export its version of Islam across
the world -- there does not appear to be the possibility for a real long-term
peace in the Middle East without regime change. Anything short of that simply
invites the regime to wait Trump out, as well as whoever succeeds him.
Not enough can be said to warn nations of the dangers that can arise from a lack
of robust leadership, the perils of underestimating the ambitions of adversarial
states, and the paralysis of being unable to confront an adversary for fear of
escalation. The adversary, not the leader of Free World, is supposed to fear
"escalation."
The repercussions of allowing Iran... to operate without meaningful deterrence,
simply underscores the need for a "Golden Age" -- especially a new regime in
Iran more aligned with the dreams of so many of its citizens -- and not a moment
too soon.
Never underestimate the power of an administration's single term or the harm
that policies – whether constructive or poorly-informed -- can have on the
international stage. As President Joe Biden's administration approaches the end
of its term, it is hard not to see the global volatility, emboldened
adversaries, and fractured alliances.
Never underestimate the power of an administration's single term or the harm
that policies – whether constructive or poorly-informed -- can have on the
international stage.
As President Joe Biden's administration approaches the end of its term, it is
hard not to see the global volatility, emboldened adversaries, and fractured
alliances.
Those are lessons to be learned about the costs of weakness in leadership and
the consequences of strategic missteps in foreign policy.
Throughout the past four years, authoritarian leaders worldwide exploited
opportunities afforded them by what they appear to have viewed as a weakness of
American leadership. Dictators who had previously been isolated or reined in
evidently saw an opening and capitalized on this strategic vacuum. Russia
invaded Ukraine. China flew spy balloons over America's most sensitive nuclear
military installations, in addition to killing at least 100,000 Americans each
year with fentanyl and other opiates.
Iran, once on the brink of economic collapse and mired in domestic unrest, found
itself reinvigorated as U.S. policies allowed billions to flow into its economy.
This infusion of resources and a perceived lack of decisive U.S. opposition
empowered Iran's leadership to assert itself more aggressively on the world
stage. No doubt emboldened by this renewed strength, Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and terrorist proxies - Hamas, Hezbollah,
Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis, among others -- launched brazen
attacks on Israel and effectively shut down shipping through the Suez Canal. For
the first time, Iran launched from its own soil hundreds of ballistic missiles,
cruise missiles and attack drones at Israel, a country smaller than the state of
New Jersey -- a demonstration of the regime's fundamentalist commitment to
destroying the Jewish state.
More importantly, witnessing a weakened U.S. stance, the Iranian regime
accelerated its nuclear weapons ambitions, advancing its program reportedly to
within "1-2 weeks" of a full nuclear breakout. Iranian leaders now openly claim
that they have achieved the technological threshold required to build nuclear
weapons. Tehran has been racing closer to this long-standing goal. Iran
acquiring nuclear weapons is an accomplishment that will not only destabilize
the Middle East, but undoubtedly spur "the mother of all arms-races."
President-elect Donald J. Trump at present seems averse to regime change in
Iran. Unfortunately -- due to the regime's commitment to "wipe Israel off the
map" and, as stated in its constitution, to export its version of Islam across
the world -- there does not appear to be the possibility for a real long-term
peace in the Middle East without regime change. Anything short of that simply
invites the regime to wait Trump out, as well as whoever succeeds him.
Russia, not content with merely violating Ukraine's sovereignty, has also
cultivated an increasingly robust military partnership with China, North Korea
and Iran. Iran has been transformed into a significant weapons supplier for
Moscow, and has provided crucial drones and missiles, and other arms essential
for Russia's continued military aggression in Ukraine.
Recently, North Korea reportedly sent Russia 10,000 soldiers. "Why is Putin
doing this?" U.S. Senator Rick Scott observed. "Because he knows Biden is weak."
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham asserted that Biden "has screwed the world up every
way you can." "[T]he world's on fire," Graham stated on NBC's "Meet the Press."
China and North Korea have joined Iran in supporting Russia's objectives,
thereby introducing a new group that challenges Western influence. The Biden
administration's inaction has not just permitted, but catalyzed, the formation
of this formidable coalition among the world's most repressive regimes -- a new
"Axis of Evil": China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
The Biden administration's lack of decisive responses seems to have created a
void of leadership on the global stage -- a void that was quickly filled by this
axis of authoritarian dictators. The Tehran Times, a newspaper close to Iran's
foreign ministry, openly boasted, "today we are witnessing the formation of a
new world order," and acknowledged how the vacuum had allowed them to further
their agendas.
Iran has also openly defied sanctions by selling weapons to Russia and engaging
in oil trade with both Russia and China. Iran's oil exports have apparently
reached a peak.
Not enough can be said to warn nations of the dangers that can arise from a lack
of robust leadership, the perils of underestimating the ambitions of adversarial
states, and the paralysis of being unable to confront an adversary for fear of
escalation. The adversary, not the leader of Free World, is supposed to fear
"escalation."
Biden's single term in office has contributed to an unprecedented
destabilization of global security in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and in the
Indo-Pacific. It is a turmoil marked by Iran's unchecked nuclear advancements,
empowered authoritarian regimes, and an emboldened axis of nations ready to
challenge U.S. interests across the globe.
"I never worry about action," Winston Churchill once stated, "but only about
inaction."
The repercussions of allowing Iran, its proxies, and its allies -- Russia,
China, North Korea and other malign actors -- to operate without meaningful
deterrence, simply underscores the need for a "Golden Age" -- especially a new
regime in Iran more aligned with the dreams of so many of its citizens -- and
not a moment too soon.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, is a scholar, strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated
analyst, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and
president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has
authored several books on the US Foreign Policy and Islam. He can be reached at
Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
© 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.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21117/golden-age-middle-east
God chose Donald Trump to win the election and change
the world - opinion
Stewart Weiss/Jerusalem Post/November 16/2024
God voted not only for Trump but for all these presidents, Democrat and
Republican alike. God – along with us – chose them and placed them in a position
to impact the world. Laugh about it, shout about it. When you have to choose.
Every way you look at it, you lose – Simon & Garfunkel, “Mrs. Robinson,” 1968.
You could almost hear a global sigh of relief last week when the final results
came in and the American presidential campaign came to an end. For the
supporters of Donald Trump, it was an ecstatic feeling of victory and
vindication, while for Democrats it was a shocking, even historic,
disappointment. For the world at large, it was the long-awaited opportunity to
finally move on from an endless war of words, interminable insults, and
character assassination (with a too-close, almost true-to-life assassination
thrown into the mix) that preoccupied us to an extreme.
But with all due respect to those nice musical Jewish boys Paul and Art, we
didn’t lose in this election. Any time citizens of a country gather to exercise
their right to freely select their leaders, that is a win. Elections cost a lot
but are worth every dime. In a world filled with despotic dictators and evil
totalitarian regimes that hold absolute power over their helpless victims, we
are privileged to live in countries where our voices can be heard and our votes
counted. On a spiritual level as well, elections are a good thing. The essence
of Jewish belief is that mankind and God are partners. We humans have been
granted freedom of choice as an eternal sine qua non, and it is as much a reward
as it is a responsibility. Already from the creation of the world, God decrees
to Adam: “This is the Earth, and you shall subdue it” (Genesis 1:28).
That is, the world is imperfect – no surprise there – but mankind, by utilizing
its energy, intellect, and ingenuity, has the ability to bring it to greater
perfection. God gives us the tools, but we must develop and utilize them to
effect progress. One of these tools is free and fair elections, whereby we
jointly – hopefully – plot a course toward a greater good. Did God play a role
in the election of Donald Trump?
But what of the Almighty? Does God have any active say in the movement of
history? Are we the sole decisors, or is God somehow also part of the process?
Does God simply watch events from some all-knowing abode, totally disconnected
from what’s going on below, or is there at least a trace of divine intervention
– when needed?
Did the creator pack it up when creation was over, or does God “move the needle”
a bit here and there, sending heavenly help when humanity needs a bit of a
nudge?
I AM convinced that God is indeed active rather than inert; supportive rather
than static. And Jewish sources affirm this concept. “No one so much as cuts his
finger in the world below,” says the Talmud, “unless it is so ordained in the
world above.” And the inclusion of our exodus from Egypt in our daily prayers
and in the Kiddush of every Shabbat – not to mention an entire seven- to
eight-day holiday centering around it – affirms the principle that God indeed
intervenes in history when the time calls for it.
On numerous occasions, Jewish history has been “moved along” by magnanimous
gestures from unexpected sources. The Babylonians, though cruel, allowed an
exiled Jewish community to exist, and thrive, leading to the creation of the
Babylonian Talmud. The conquering Romans acceded to Rav Yohanan ben Zakai’s
request for Jewish life and scholarship to continue in Yavne. Napoleon took a
liking to the Jews and offered us full citizenship.
And in the US, in what would become the largest Jewish Diaspora, American
presidents also came to our aid and significantly affected Jewish history in
remarkable ways.
America’s first president, George Washington, reassured the Jews that they would
have full rights, despite the fact that Jewish colonists were not always
welcomed with open arms by their neighbors. In his famous 1790 visit and letter
to the Touro Synagogue – America’s oldest – in Newport, Rhode Island, Washington
reassured those who had fled religious tyranny that life in the new nation would
be different, that religious “toleration” would give way to religious liberty,
and that the government would not interfere with individuals in matters of
conscience and belief.
Paraphrasing the Bible, Washington wrote: “Every one shall sit in safety under
his own vine and fig-tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid [Ed: Micah
4:4]. For happily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry
no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live
under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on
all occasions their effectual support.”
ABRAHAM LINCOLN – arguably the greatest of all American presidents – also quoted
the Bible on numerous occasions; and he, too, was a great defender of American
Jewry. He not only appointed the first Jewish chaplain in 1861, but he also came
to the defense of the Jewish community when it was defamed by general Ulysses S.
Grant. Grant had sparked antisemitism by accusing Jews of illicit trading;
and,in his infamous 1862 General Order 11, he ordered all Jews to leave
Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Lincoln, upon hearing of the expulsion,
immediately rescinded the order and reaffirmed the integrity of American Jews.
In 1948, the Yishuv in Israel was struggling to generate support for statehood.
America’s then-secretary of state George C. Marshall, president Harry S.
Truman’s closest confidante, was diametrically opposed to voting in favor. But
Truman – upon the urging of his dearest friend and former business partner,
Eddie Jacobson – had earlier met with Israel’s future first president, Chaim
Weizmann, and agreed that he would indeed support our independence.
Truman resisted intense pressure to vote against, or even abstain, and the long,
ongoing American-Israel friendship was secured. The positive American vote in
the United Nation – the first vote cast – undoubtedly swayed many other
countries to also vote in favor.
In 1973, Israel was caught shockingly unawares by Egyptian and Syrian forces.
Running out of ammunition, the Jewish state was in serious danger of being
overwhelmed by the Arab attackers, and so appealed to America for desperately
needed arms. A contentious debate took place within the higher echelons of the
US government, with secretary of defense James R. Schlesinger and the rest of
the Pentagon adamantly opposed to intervening in the conflict.
While there has always been a question of who gave the final orders – I
personally believe White House chief of staff Alexander Haig was the unsung hero
– president Richard Nixon put his foot down and insisted that Israel be
re-armed. “We will not let Israel go down the tube,” Nixon vowed. “Do it now!
Send everything that can fly to Israel!” The drastic airlift, named Operation
Nickel Grass, would reverse the tide of the war, turning defeat into victory and
saving the Jewish state.
AND NOW we come to the modern era. Lively debate over Israel – our policies and
our politics – continues in America. Our ongoing historical journey has taken
dramatic giant steps into the future during the tumultuous tenure of the last
quarter-century’s chief executives. We have had our low points and our high
points, filled with problems as well as praise for our recent relationships with
the presidents.
We clearly disdained the Obama administration’s coddling of Iran and its
shipment of billions of dollars to a regime that openly threatens our survival.
Yet that same administration gave Israel more financial help than any previous
US government. The Biden presidency has also stirred the pot on many levels.
Removing the sanctions that were crippling Iran and restoring mass funding of
the Palestinian Authority – despite the pledge not to do so until the PA’s “pay
for slay” policy was repealed – has irked many Israelis.
But President Biden’s lightning visit to Israel at the beginning of the Gaza
war, his stalwart backing of Israel’s right to engage the enemy, and the ongoing
massive shipments of arms to our fighting forces – despite aggressive and
vocal-in-the-extreme worldwide opposition are clear signs of a deep partnership,
and certainly deserving of our gratitude and recognition.
Despite his cringe-worthy rhetoric and bombastic style, president-elect Donald
Trump’s first term was literally earth-shaking in its expansive support of
Israel’s legitimacy, and in its determination to see us proudly represented on
the world stage. Decisions we had waited decades for – officially recognizing
Jerusalem as our capital and the Golan Heights as part of Israel – were finally
carried out, and the Abraham Accords moved us closer to neighboring Arab states,
even as the Palestinians finally received just punishment for their
intransigence.
IT SEEMS clear to me that Trump’s four-year “break” in the White House has now
allowed him to return at just the right moment. The struggle against Iran and
its fiendish obsession to bring the planet under Islamist domination is reaching
the point of crisis. The impending nuclear threat from Tehran can no longer be
shoved under the rug, minimized, or ignored. Only someone who has the
undiplomatic ability to frankly call out a crisis and deal defiantly with it
stands a chance of bringing the world back from the brink of doom.
This grand play of history, then, is overseen by the divine director and acted
out by selective, significant actors. World leaders must play their part and
focus on their assigned tasks; they must never fail to see the bigger picture
and to hear and heed the voice of our own Mordechai, a voice that reverberates
throughout the generations and whispers in their ear, “Who knows if it was not
for this reason that you have achieved your high position?”
So, in reply to the question “Did God vote for Donald Trump?” the answer is a
definite “Yes!” God voted not only for Trump but for all these presidents,
Democrat and Republican alike. God – along with us – chose them and placed them
in a position to impact the world.
Let us hope they both validate that vote, as well as the trust both we and God
place in them.
**The writer is the director of the Jewish Outreach Center of Ra’anana.
rabbistewart@gmail.com.
Can Donald Trump actually do good as president? - opinion
Amotz ASA-El/Jerusalem Post/November 16/2024
Middle Israel: The president-elect can deliver historic breakthroughs on three
fronts
‘Never make predictions,” said baseball legend Casey Stengel, “especially
concerning the future.”
True for the future of anything and anyone, it is doubly so for Donald Trump,
whose second coming now has pundits predicting what America’s most unpredictable
leader might do once back at its helm.
This column has no such predictions. It does, however, have a wish list of good
things Trump, warts and all, might actually make happen: one in his native New
York, another in distant China, and the rest in our sorry Middle East.
FRED TRUMP and Mary Anne MacLeod were cradling four-month-old Donald in their
six-bedroom Tudor house when another baby, the United Nations, emerged in nearby
Flushing Meadows, a 10-minute car ride from the Trumps’ abode in well-to-do
Jamaica Estates.
Both newborns would later move from Queens to Manhattan and become pillars of
its iconic cityscape. Both would also become wellsprings of scandals and lies,
but only one would become an engine of anti-Western abuse. Back when they
conceived the UN, its American masterminds envisioned an accelerator of
tolerance and peace. Alas, once it matured the UN has made a fool out of the
American people, taking its money – more than one fifth of the organization’s
budget – and in return fighting America’s values, undermining its interests, and
ganging up on its friends. Trump, because of his America First commitment and
impulsive personality, can put an end to the farce by withdrawing from the UN
and evicting it from the Tower of Babel in which it nests. The same attitude
might lead him to do something right vis-à-vis Beijing.
CHINA’S ECONOMIC resurgence after Mao’s departure can generally be split into
two eras. The first was about making China prosper at home, the second was about
making it lord abroad.
China’s industrial accomplishments have been impressive, but its commercial
practices have been unfair – subsidizing industries, dumping exports,
obstructing imports, and manipulating the yuan’s exchange rate.
In recent years, this interventionist economics was coupled with naval bullyism
toward a host of neighbors around the South China Sea. The same attitude then
proceeded to the Middle East, when Beijing hosted a Hamas delegation,
disregarding its violent record, antisemitic agenda, and Islamist zeal. No one
in the West, until now, has figured out how to make China treat the outer world
with greater fairness and respect.
Impulsiveness comes in handy
That is why here, too, Trump’s America First commitment and impulsive
personality might come in handy.
Yes, the president-elect’s vow to impose tariffs of 60-100% on all Chinese
imports runs against libertarian values, capitalist principles, and all modern
economic experience. Still, politically it might actually work. Maybe what
China’s leaders need is an encounter with national egoism and diplomatic
audacity on par with theirs. Surely, if Trump humbles China and also handles the
UN, millions will applaud him, setting aside, at least momentarily, their
revulsion with the rest of his baggage.
Then again, even such breakthroughs would pale compared with what he might
achieve in the Middle East.
SADLY, TRUMP’S isolationist inclination does not bode well for the Middle East.
The America First attitude means letting our region’s patchwork of nations,
tribes, faiths, republics, monarchies, princedoms, sheikhdoms, and militias
bleed each other white while Americans take care of America. Then again, in
Trump’s case, personality trumps conviction. And in terms of his personality,
the president-elect may well be eager to hand Iran’s ayatollahs the defeat that
they deserve, and a war-torn Middle East begs. Trump already has effectively
declared war on the Islamic Republic when he killed Qasem Soliemani, the general
who conceived, built, and cast Iran’s network of subversive militias in multiple
Arab lands. Since then, reasons for Trump to pick up from where he left off have
only multiplied.
Iran’s proxies have attacked international trade, damaging global shipping in
general, and in particular the economies of Egypt and Israel, two major American
allies.
This is besides effectively occupying and paralyzing Lebanon, historically a
European outpost in the Levant, and now a battlefield in a war that Iran
fomented, and the Lebanese people loathe.
Now, following Trump’s return, the mullahs appear to be shivering.
That is why, as of this writing, they have yet to respond to Israel’s aerial
attack last month outside Tehran. They know that one wrong move of theirs can
make Trump forget about his isolationist rhetoric, and deal their regime a blow
it will not endure. From Trump’s viewpoint, such aggressiveness is all the more
tempting, because it will invert the American humiliation that animated the
birth of Iran’s Islamist revolution back in 1979. If he brings an end to the
regime that has bludgeoned the Iranian people, torched Saudi oil fields,
bombarded Israeli towns, and strangled the Egyptian economy, Trump will go down
in history as the man who repaired the damage of Jimmy Carter’s presidency. The
ayatollahs – who transformed Iran from America’s ally to its sworn enemy while
humiliating 52 American hostages in 1981 with impunity – will be gone, and Trump
will be a hero.
Potential for Israeli-Palestinian peace
Lastly, and even more dramatically, Trump might deliver an Israeli-Palestinian
peace treaty.
The 47th president’s motivation on this front does not need to be speculated.
It’s a project he already launched when he delivered the Abraham Accords, by far
the most impressive achievement of his entire life so far. The deal would
deliver a demilitarized Palestinian state based on the plan Trump presented in
January 2020. It would, no doubt, displease many in our current government, but
it might bring peace with the entire Muslim world, especially if Trump involves
his friend Vladimir Putin in this.
Obviously – like the UN’s dissolution, China’s transfiguration, and Iran’s
redemption – this is not a prediction.
It’s just a wish, voiced before telling the man whose troubled relationship with
truth, morality, and justice this column has repeatedly attacked: good luck,
Donald.
www.MiddleIsrael.net
The writer, a Hartman Institute fellow, is the author of the bestselling Mitzad
Ha’ivelet Ha’yehudi (The Jewish March of Folly, Yediot Sefarim, 2019), a
revisionist history of the Jewish people’s political leadership.
Trump’s regional changes
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed//Arab News/November 17/2024
One of the gravest mistakes that people make when dealing with US
President-elect Donald Trump is underestimating his capabilities. The fact that
he doesn’t speak the language of academia, doesn’t use the jargon of analysts,
and isn’t known for the politeness or maneuvering of seasoned politicians
doesn’t mean he has any less understanding or awareness of the issues at hand.
His opponents have mocked him extensively, whether domestically, during his
electoral campaign and partisan skirmishes, or internationally, as foreign
commentators sought to tarnish his reputation.
Trump is not like Bill Clinton, a Yale graduate, nor like Joe Biden, with 50
years of experience navigating Congress and the world of politics. However, what
he achieved when dealing with unfolding issues in the four years he governed the
US was far more successful, by comparison.
When he threatened to cancel or renegotiate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action with Iran, he was met with refusal and told it was an international
agreement from which he could not withdraw. He ripped it up entirely, altering
the course of history in the region and saving it from the dangers of that
flawed agreement. Trump may not be as intellectual as Henry Kissinger or as
humble as Jimmy Carter, but coming from a background in business, investment,
and real estate plays to his advantage in a capitalist country like the US,
which thrives on hard work, competition, and success. Trump demonstrated his
leadership capabilities, most notably with his shock victory in his first
presidential campaign, which he repeated, even more surprisingly, this month.
Unlike most previous American presidents, who relied on the support of their
parties and PR campaign planners, Trump’s victories have been unique, in that
they can largely be attributed to him personally — a testament to his
popularity. And this enables him to make changes and decisions many others would
not dare to.Trump is geared to face numerous domestic battles, as he promised
his supporters that he would make changes to immigration, the economy, and
education, which will likely lead to many controversies during his upcoming
four-year term.
What about the Middle East?
Let’s recall what he did at the beginning of his term in 2017. He decided to
bypass protocol. Traditionally, Britain is the first overseas call for a new
American president. Trump chose Riyadh. At the time, Saudi Arabia faced fierce
criticism from US politicians, and Trump’s predecessor, President Barack Obama,
had relegated the relationship with the Kingdom to the past of US diplomacy.
Trump, despite having entered the elections amid accusations of racism against
Arabs and Muslims, made a bold move which surprised everyone by choosing Saudi
Arabia as his first stop.
The final point worth examining is not how Trump views the world, but how the
world views Trump. That visit sent a message to adversarial politicians in
Washington and to countries in the region. Over the next four years, the
US-Saudi relationship progressed as Trump intended. When Biden succeeded him, he
eventually followed Trump’s path. When the president-elect claims he can resolve
serious crises like Ukraine, and the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, we should believe
it. With a majority in both houses, he has already begun reaching out before he
officially assumes office on Jan. 20.
The final point worth examining is not how Trump views the world, but how the
world views Trump. Internationally, he is seen as a strong personality, quick to
act, and committed to his words. This image forces America’s adversaries to
think twice before getting entangled with him in conflicts. Most would prefer to
negotiate deals with him, given that he possesses both the will and the tools to
push such deals through. I believe Trump intends to reshape the Middle East his
way. We will see this through agreements and sanctions, not wars. Indeed, as he
repeatedly emphasizes, he governed for four years without waging a single war.
He was firm in enforcing sanctions. The region must prepare for, and adapt to,
the changes his second term will bring.
• Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a Saudi journalist and intellectual. He is the former
general manager of Al-Arabiya news channel and former editor-in-chief of Asharq
Al-Awsat, where this article was originally published.
X: @aalrashed
Who needs gatekeepers if Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir are in
charge?
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/November 17/2024
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not seem to think that his
country fighting a war on seven fronts is enough. Therefore, he has opened
another one. Or, more accurately, he has reopened a battle on the domestic front
with greater intensity.
More specifically, he is targeting the gatekeepers of Israel’s democratic
system. Without them to worry about, he believes he can remain in power forever,
while avoiding a reckoning in his corruption trial.
Long before the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, and the subsequent war, Netanyahu’s
sole aim was to get himself off the hook from the fraud, bribery, and breach of
trust charges that have been under deliberation by a court in Jerusalem for a
staggering four-and-a-half years.
The first trial of an Israeli prime minister while in office should have been a
triumph for the rule of law, an illustration of the equality of all people in
the eyes of the law and of good governance. Instead, it has become a battle for
the very soul of Israeli democracy, conducted cynically by Netanyahu through
exploitation of the fragility of the democratic system and the ever-widening
cracks within it.
Netanyahu and his political minions have been purging the democratic system of
its gatekeepers, without whom the path to authoritarianism is frighteningly
short.
When the first allegations of corruption against Netanyahu emerged in 2017, over
expensive gifts from wealthy businessmen with economic interests in the country,
I naively believed his days in politics were surely numbered. After all, even if
the case was found not to be worthy of criminal prosecution, it still
demonstrated a gross lack of judgment, and detachment from the daily hardships
that many of those who voted for him endure in their daily lives.
Instead, Netanyahu, his family, and his close political allies declared war on
anyone who suggested he might be guilty of any wrongdoing, be it the public
prosecutor, the media, political rivals or civil society. His critics became the
targets of vicious attacks, including allegations that they were serving foreign
interests; in other words, they were guilty of treason.
When Netanyahu was offered a plea bargain deal by Avichai Mandelblit, the
attorney general at the time, he rejected it almost instantly. To be honest, the
offer also felt wrong to me; it would have stuck in the collective Israeli
memory that, unlike us mere mortals, the high and mighty receive preferential
treatment when they break the law, and it would have allowed him to leave
politics with hardly any blemish on his character.
This would probably have seen him become a darling of the political right,
mainly in the US but also in Europe, able to charge obscene fees for lecture
appearances worldwide while galvanizing those who believed the “deep state” was
out to get him.
On reflection, despite my opposition at the time to the very idea of a plea
bargain for the most powerful politician in the country, I now believe that the
lives of so many Israelis, Palestinians and others could have been spared had he
not still been in power, and Israeli society would not have become so polarized.
However, the plea bargain train left the station a long time ago. Instead, there
has been an all-out attack on the very foundations of Israeli democracy. It
began immediately after the first allegations against Netanyahu came to light
and has intensified in stark correlation with the worsening state of his
political and legal entanglements. No one plays the victim, domestically and
internationally, better than Netanyahu.
To this end, in 2022 he was prepared to form a coalition government with the
most extreme, far-right, racist, and antidemocratic elements in Israeli society,
and has bent over backward to appease them. With their support, he has embarked
on an assault on the judiciary and its independence, and is subjecting the civil
service to his personal whims and interests.Netanyahu is now behaving like the
head of a mafia family by making it clear that the only criterion for working
with him is to demonstrate total loyalty and be prepared to support his toxic
machinery of smears, slurs, and incitements against all those still fighting to
save Israel’s democracy, the rule of law, and the principle of decency in public
life.
No one is more directly in the firing line than Attorney General Gali
Baharav-Miara, who has been under constant attack to the extent that she
requires round-the-clock security to protect her. It was reported that during a
recent Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu accused her of being a “contrarian” who was
prepared to allow the previous Bennett-Lapid government to act illegally but
obstructs his government with legal challenges.
No one plays the victim, domestically and internationally, better than
Netanyahu. Of course, he is actually the bully. In an unprecedented move against
the problem that Baharav-Miara presents him with, he has ordered Justice
Minister Yariv Levin “to solve it.” This is the type of behavior one might
expect from the head of an organized crime family, not the leader of a free
country.
Baharav-Miara infuriates Netanyahu’s government because she insists, for
example, on following the orders of the High Court of Justice to ensure that
ultra-Orthodox youths are drafted into military service like everyone else, or
that appointments to key civil service positions are transparent and meet legal
guidelines. It remains to be seen what kind of “solution” Levin, who is the
driving force behind the judicial coup, will come up with; we can only hope no
bags of cement will be involved.
But it is not only Baharav-Miara who has been targeted by the coalition. Defense
Minister Yoav Gallant was sacked this month. He advocated for a ceasefire deal
with Hamas, the drafting of ultra-Orthodox youths into military service and, sin
of all sins, a formal inquiry into the disastrous security failures of Oct. 7
that most likely would have found Netanyahu to be the principal culprit and
would have led to calls for his resignation.
For similar reasons, Netanyahu would also like to see the back of the Israeli
army’s chief of staff, Hertzi Halevi, and the head of security agency Shin Beit,
Ronen Bar, thereby allowing him to replace them with loyalists and lay the
entire blame for Oct. 7 at the door of the security services while portraying
himself as the innocent victim of their failures. Both Halevi and Bar, unlike
Netanyahu, accepted responsibility for their parts in the disaster almost from
day one. But it was the prime minister who appointed them, and that alone should
have been enough for him to shoulder the responsibility for their failures, let
alone the fact that they were implementing his policies, which ended in the
worst massacre of Jews in a single day since 1945.
Make no mistake, the most dangerous of all the fronts in this war for Israel is
the attacks by Netanyahu and his current coalition partners on the country’s
democratic system and the institutions that are keeping the country going
despite a failing government.
Without them, Israel would change beyond recognition forever and be much the
worse for it.
• Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate
fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House.
X: @YMekelberg
Can Baku maintain the momentum on climate change action?
Ranvir S. Nayar/Arab News/November 17/2024
The 29th UN Climate Change Conference, COP29, began in Baku, capital of
Azerbaijan, on Monday. Over the course of two weeks, representatives of more
than 190 nations have been tasked with finding ways to bring under control
global carbon emissions, which have been rising for decades.
The negotiators are expected to secure concrete commitments and pledges of
action from the leading economies of the world on how they intend to cut
emissions and, more specifically, the time frame for doing so. But this is not
all they are expected to do. Another equally or even more challenging task is to
ensure rich countries finally meet their commitments on financing to help the
developing world deal with climate change through mitigation, adaptation, and
upgrading infrastructure to cut carbon emissions.
For more than two decades, wealthier nations have repeatedly reneged on
agreements to provide the hundreds of billions of dollars needed each year to
help developing nations, in which more than 75 percent of the global population
live, address the effects of climate change, which are already causing havoc and
widespread destruction, again mainly in the developing world.
In any global negotiations, international geopolitics are a key factor;
countries that are not viciously divided over numerous issues can, indeed, find
ways to reach agreement. However, the current global situation is terrible; the
world has rarely been so divided and countries rarely so distrustful of each
other as they are now. This is not only a matter of prolonged conflicts such as
those between Russia and Ukraine or Israel and Palestine, but also China’s
disagreements with the US and the EU, and friction between Africa and European
nations, notably France. The list goes on. Even at the peak of the Cold War, the
world did not appear so divided. The geopolitical situation seems unlikely to
evolve in a positive way in the near future, although there are some who are
hoping against hope that the Trump 2.0 White House might actually help to reduce
tensions globally. It is against this backdrop, then, that COP29 began in Baku
on Nov. 11 and will continue until Nov. 22. One vital question for negotiators
is whether they can maintain what little momentum was obtained, against all
odds, during COP28 in Dubai last year.
The first major breakthrough a year ago was an agreement for the first-ever
global stocktake, basically an exercise to determine exactly what is happening
with carbon emissions at the global and national levels, and to benchmark the
figures against commitments made during COP21 in Paris in 2015.
This review of the situation is essential to ensure the nations that signed up
to the Paris Agreement are actually keeping their promises, to ensure
accountability, and so that corrective action can be taken in terms of adjusting
the pace and form of efforts to meet the goals of the agreement.
The global stocktake also includes a review of the financial assistance provided
by developed countries to their developing counterparts.
The world has rarely been so divided and countries rarely so distrustful of each
other as they are now.
Another significant outcome of the conference in Dubai was a commitment by
nations, for the first time in 30 years of UN negotiations, to transition away
from fossil fuels in a “just, orderly, and equitable manner.”
The fact that this agreement on a commitment to ditch oil, gas, and coal was
reached in a country, and region, that depends on fossil fuels for more than 70
percent of its gross domestic product was not lost on anyone.
Though this transition agreement remains only a promise on paper for now like
almost every other major decision so far in climate change negotiations, COP28
President Sultan Al-Jaber nonetheless deserves plaudits for pulling it off
during his presidency. Compare this to COP24 in Katowice in 2018, when host
nation Poland refused to push a proposal to phase out coal because the host city
was the site of a historic coal mine and the country depends on coal to meet a
small fraction of its energy needs.
Five years later, the momentum generated under the presidency of Al-Jaber
indicated that even in difficult situations, the right kind of guidance and
leadership can help negotiators to find a way to navigate even the most
complicated issues.
The man who took up the mantle from Al-Jaber as president of COP29 is Mukhtar
Bahadur Babayev, an Azerbaijani minister, whose country, like the UAE, depends
to a very large extent on oil and gas exports.
Babayev can perhaps take inspiration from what Al-Jaber managed to achieve in
Dubai and try to keep the ball rolling in Baku. Despite the many differences
between the backdrops to the two conferences, he can maybe take heart from the
similarities that also abound.
After all, both the UAE and Azerbaijan are relatively small, wealthy countries,
with economies that depend to a significant degree on fossil fuels, and both
Baku and Dubai are among the most modern cities in the world, attracting
millions of tourists each year.
Just as Al-Jaber managed to secure an agreement on the transition away from
fossil fuels, Babayev can perhaps secure an agreement for a mechanism to ensure
that countries, in particular the rich ones, are actually held accountable and
face a real threat of punitive action if they continue to fail to keep their
promises and meet their commitments.
This is what the world needs to see after watching the leaders of wealthy
nations make false promises, year after year for more than two decades.
• Ranvir S. Nayar is the managing editor of Media India Group and
founder-director of the Europe India Foundation for Excellence.
Starmer tries to stay focused on his domestic agenda
Andrew Hammond/Arab News/November 17/2024
When the Conservatives won the 2019 UK general election with their largest
majority since the victories of Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, party leader
Boris Johnson had high hopes of remaining in power for another decade. Within a
few weeks, however, the political landscape was upended by the COVID-19
pandemic, and at the general election in July this year, the Conservatives were
defeated by Labour in a landslide. It is now more than a month since UK Prime
Minister Keir Starmer marked his first 100 days in office, and he will be aware
that Johnson’s experience illustrates the truth of the famous political maxim
from former Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, who said it is often
“events, dear boy, events” that decide the fate of governments.
Though Macmillan is widely credited as the originator of this insight, others
voiced it before him. After the 1918 general election, for example, future prime
minister Winston Churchill asserted that the main concern for the then dominant
coalition government was the “opposition of events.” That government enjoyed a
283-seat majority; even with the historic nature of Labour’s overwhelming win on
July 4, Starmer’s majority is more than 100 seats less than this.
Even during a relatively short time in power, Starmer’s government has already
faced several significant, unexpected developments. The standout example was
perhaps the riots across several UK urban areas in August following the murder
of three young girls in Southport, England.
However, the biggest obstacles to the smooth running of the Labour government
might prove to be international in nature. As the experience of the pandemic
underlined, the global challenges the new government might face could be
largely, if not entirely, unexpected.
Perhaps the biggest defined uncertainty is the dawn of a second Donald Trump US
presidency. The full scale of the challenges Trump could create for bilateral
relations are huge. These include issues related to economic factors such as
sanctions, environmental and climate change matters, and defense and military
challenges in, for example, Ukraine and the Middle East.
Disagreements between the countries, traditionally close allies, were legion
when Trump was president from 2017 to 2021, and might be worse during the next
four years.
The best that Starmer can probably hope for when Trump takes office in January
is to largely set aside their political differences and try to forge some sort
of constructive partnership, even if it is much more transactional in nature
than he would prefer.
Starmer’s goal of redefining the UK’s polity and economy into the 2030s reveals
huge ambition that will require more than a single term in office.
It could be best built on emphasizing the traditional ties between the two
nations, which are founded on demographics, religion, culture, law, politics,
and economics. This could be supplemented by highlighting the longstanding
security cooperation that has traditionally been at the core of the bilateral
relationship, given the close partnership between the nations in areas such as
intelligence and defense.
The UK, and indeed other key states in western Europe, could send a signal to
Trump that the region is serious about this agenda in particular. In 2023,
Britain was the biggest military spender in Europe in absolute terms. A
strategic defense review ordered by Starmer’s government is expected to make the
case for increasing defense spending, sooner rather than later, to meet
Britain’s commitment of 2.5 percent of gross domestic product (it is currently
estimated to be about 2.3 percent).
As he seeks a potential upside to his government’s relationship with Washington,
however, Starmer would be wise not to overestimate the UK’s ability to shape US
power under Trump. He will not be unaware that Trump might care little about
core British interests unless they align with his “America First” vision,
despite his connection to Scotland as the birthplace of his mother.
As we move into what might, once again, be a much more volatile period for
transatlantic ties, now is therefore the time for the UK to plan ahead for some
very difficult decisions. That there will be bilateral tensions under Trump is
inevitable, the only question is when.
Given this volatile international backdrop, Starmer probably spent more time on
foreign policy during his first few months in office than any other prime
minister in living memory. This has continued into November with, for example,
his trips to Azerbaijan for COP29, followed by one to Brazil for the G20 summit.
Despite this, Starmer knows he must also try to push ahead as quickly as
possible with his domestic agenda so that it is not derailed. He will be acutely
aware that although Democratic President Joe Biden achieved a wide range of
significant accomplishments in the past four years, his administration’s record
has been trashed by Trump, and Kamala Harris lost the presidential election by a
clear margin.
Starmer’s goal of redefining the UK’s polity and economy into the 2030s reveals
a huge ambition that will require more than a single term in office. He has
repeatedly warned the British public that his government inherited a “societal
black hole” from the Conservatives and “things are worse than we ever imagined.”
The prime minister has promised to “fix the foundations of this country” but
warned that “change will not happen overnight. When there is rot deep in the
heart of a structure, you can’t just cover it up. You can’t tinker with it or
rely on quick fixes. You have to overhaul the entire thing. Tackle it at the
root. Even if it’s harder work and takes more time.”
One example of this is the government’s ambition to transform the UK into a
“clean energy superpower.” Some down payments on this have already been made,
including the creation of Great British Energy, a new state-owned generator of
green electricity, and the reversal of a Conservative ban on new onshore wind
farms. However, this will be a long-term, generational project.
Labour therefore has a big agenda it hopes to deliver in government, which will
require intense focus amid the growing international flux. While the party
enjoys a huge majority in the House of Commons, whether or not it succeeds with
its agenda might ultimately depend, to a critical degree, on events and factors
that are not fully within its control, including those created by Trump’s second
presidency.
**Andrew Hammond is an associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics.