English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 22/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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22.24.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never
see death
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 08/51-55/:"Very truly, I
tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.’The Jews said to him, ‘Now
we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you
say, "Whoever keeps my word will never taste death." Are you greater than our
father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?’Jesus
answered, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who
glorifies me, he of whom you say, "He is our God", though you do not know him.
But I know him; if I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like
you. But I do know him and I keep his word."
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on November
21-22/2024
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: Independence Day: A Mere Memory for Occupied
Lebanon
Elias Bejjani/Walid Jumblat's hypocrisy in politics, his role as a resistance
merchant, and his partnership with Berri in everything must end with Hezbollah
and Berri.
Elias Bejjani: Text and Video/Naiem Qassem’s Speech: A Bundle of Deceit,
Dhimmitude-Taqiyya, and Political Hypocrisy
Elias Bejjani/Why Dr. Charles Chartouni And Why Now?
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video: The Lebanese Security Forces Intimidate and Threaten
Dr. Charles Chartouni, Summoning Him for Interrogation Without Legal
Justification
MEMRI/Lebanese Academic Charles Chartouni: Israel Is Not An Aggressor, It Was
Attacked By Hizbullah; We Should Sign A Peace Accord With Israel; Hizbullah
Should Surrender; There Is No Shame In That – It Would Spare Further Casualties
Le terrorisme d’État et l’État de terreur/Charles Elias Chartouni/21 novembre
2024
State terrorism and state of terror/Charles Elias Chartouni/November 21/2024
Will Lebanon’s Ceasefire Gambit Bring a More Sustainable Peace?
Israeli Strikes Resume on Southern Suburbs of Beirut
4 Hezbollah Members Among 71 Fighters Killed in Syria's Palmyra
Lebanese Army Chief Says Military Units Deployed in the South and ‘Will Not
Leave
Israeli Strikes Kill 47 People in Eastern Lebanon
Hezbollah Says Fired Missiles at Base Near South Israel's Ashdod
22 killed in Israeli strikes on Bekaa
Hezbollah claims 7 attacks on Israeli troops in and near Khiam
Hezbollah says fired missiles at base near south Israel's Ashdod
Strikes resume on south Beirut after Hochstein visit
Berri says truce paper discussed in depth after 'two weeks' of deliberations
'Significant progress' in Lebanon-Israel talks but no deal before 'next week'
Israeli army, security agencies voice support for Lebanon ceasefire
Hezbollah Attempts Addressing War’s Financial, Emotional Impact on Supporters
Displaced by War, Cancer Patients in Lebanon Struggle for Survival
Hezbollah causing the destruction of itself and Lebanon/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab
News/November 21, 2024
Lebanon-Israel ceasefire talks: Latest developments
Report: Hezbollah rockets remain a threat despite Israel's crushing offensive
Between bomb craters: Taxis stuck on war-hit Lebanon-Syria border
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on November
21-22/2024
Israel strikes on Syria’s Palmyra kill 79 pro-Iran fighters: new toll from
monitor
UN nuclear agency’s board condemns Iran for the 2nd time this year for failing
to fully cooperate
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister
Netanyahu
Death toll in Gaza from Israel-Hamas war passes 44,000, Palestinian officials
say
At Gaza funeral, lost dreams and condemnation of U.S. and Arab states
Dozens feared dead in Gaza after Israeli strikes
WHO Chief Back to Work after Being Discharged from Hospital
Reactions to the ICC warrants
America's allies in Syria hope they can sway Trump's decisions about US troops
there
Iraq Implements 12 Measures in Response to Israeli Complaint to UN
Putin says hit Ukraine with new mid-range ballistic missile
Russia fires what appears to be intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine,
Kyiv says
At least 38 killed as gunmen open fire on vehicles carrying Shiites in northwest
Pakistan
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on November
21-22/2024
China Puts Trump, Trade, and Foreign Business in the Crosshairs/Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone
Institute/November 21, 2024
The US Has Two Faces, and This is The Luminous One/Suleiman JawdaAsharq Al Awsat/November
21/ 2024
Political Thought as Processes, Not Mere Binary Opposition/Hazem SaghiehAsharq
Al Awsat/November 21/ 2024
The urgent need for climate action in Africa/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab
News/November 21, 2024
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News &
Editorials published
on November
21-22/2024
Elias
Bejjani/Text & Video: Independence Day: A Mere Memory for Occupied Lebanon
Elias Bejjani/November 22, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/137152/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0WxOm8g2Gc&t=4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYvkf-jZcTo&t=43s
November 22, Lebanon’s Independence Day, was once a
celebration of freedom and sovereignty. However, today, the reality we live
stands in stark contrast to the values of independence. Independence has been
reduced to a mere memory, stripped of its core elements such as free
decision-making, liberty, law, equality, democracy, services, peace, security,
stability, and protected borders—the list goes on, and all are absent.
Today, Lebanon has completely lost its independence and against the will of its
majority, it finds itself under sectarian, jihadist, and terrorist Iranian
occupation. This occupation is enforced through a local armed militia comprised
of Lebanese mercenaries working under the command of Iran’s mullahs, operating
under the blasphemously named "Hezbollah." This armed Iranian proxy, through its
actions of force, terror, assassinations, wars, and displacement, stands against
everything Lebanon represents—justice, rights, love, peace, stability, identity,
and openness to the world.
As a result of this occupation, Lebanon is now witnessing a destructive war
between Iran's Hezbollah and the State of Israel. This is an Iranian-Israeli war
in which Lebanon and its vast majority have no stake. It is not Lebanon's war
while Hezbollah initiated it under direct orders from Iran, serving Tehran's
terrorist, expansionist, and colonial agendas.
There is no independence to celebrate today. Lebanon has effectively become a
Hezbollah state. This failed and rogue state continuously violates the
constitution and paralyzes governance. Hezbollah prevents the election of a
president, shuts down parliament, and dismantles state institutions.
The current parliament, subservient and failing in its constitutional duties,
was formed under an electoral law crafted by Hezbollah to ensure its dominance.
This law predetermined the election results before they even took place.
How can we celebrate Independence Day when state institutions are infiltrated,
the judiciary is controlled, citizens' savings have been stolen from banks,
borders are wide open for smuggling, and chaos reigns? Killings, theft, poverty,
displacement, and humiliation define the daily lives of Lebanese citizens.
The independence we should be celebrating today has become an empty memory. True
independence will not return to Lebanon until it is liberated from Hezbollah's
occupation and Iran's domination. Achieving this liberation requires
implementing all international resolutions pertaining to Lebanon, including the
Armistice Agreement and Resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680. It also demands
conducting free parliamentary elections under a modern electoral law,
eradicating corruption, and holding the corrupt political class accountable.
Until then, Lebanon remains an occupied state, and Independence Day is but a
painful reminder of a freedom that is no more.
Elias Bejjani/Walid
Jumblat's hypocrisy in politics, his role as a resistance merchant, and his
partnership with Berri in everything must end with Hezbollah and Berri.
Elias Bejjani, November 21, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/137135/
Jumblat's heresy in demanding the inclusion of Hezbollah elements in the
Lebanese army turns the Lebanese army into a new Hezbollah—a legal, jihadist,
terrorist party affiliated with the Iranian mullahs and a tool in their hands.
This is a suicidal project that eliminates Lebanon and turns it into a
militarized Iranian state. Walid Jumblat is a political charlatan and hypocrite.
What some call his wisdom and realism is, in reality, nothing more than
stupidity, Dhimmitude-taqiyya, and a murderous cowardice.
Jumblat's talk about the Palestinians' right to eternal resistance and Lebanon's
refusal to make peace with Israel isolates Lebanon and keeps it a
playground-battlefield for charlatans who trade in the Palestinian cause, just
as its fate since the establishment of the Israeli State, while all Arab
countries have made peace with Israel. Enough of these illusory ideologies.
Iran is the enemy.
Iran is a terrorist and jihadist state that occupies Lebanon through its
jihadist, criminal proxy (Hezbollah), the assassination machine, and the Party
of the Devil, which specializes in smuggling, drugs, prostitution, and money
laundering. It has ruined Lebanon, struck the Shiites, displaced them, killed
their youth, and destroyed their areas. Any Lebanese who is Iranian and acts as
a cover for the Iranians can go to the Iran. Dr. Charles Chartouni is a Lebanese
patriot, brave, and truthful. We need peace with Israel and peace treaties like
all Arab countries. Anyone who doesn't like it can go to Iran, which has sold
out Hezbollah or failed to protect it and has traded in the Shiites and is
fighting through them. Israel is a neighboring country, not an enemy. Lebanon's
enemy is Iran, its party, Hezbollah and anyone who carries a Lebanese identity
but is loyal to someone other than Lebanon. Enough of the charlatanry and
bravado."
Summary of Key Points:
The statement accuses Jumblat of hypocrisy and a "resistance merchant" who has
partnered with Hezbollah and Nabih Berri.
Hezbollah is portrayed in the statement as a terrorist organization affiliated
with Iran, and its integration into the Lebanese army is seen as a threat to
Lebanon's sovereignty.
Iran is blamed according to the statement for Lebanon's problems and is accused
of occupying the country through Hezbollah.
The statement advocates for peace with Israel and criticizes those who support
the ongoing Palestinian war against Israel, that it has isolated Lebanon.
The statement supports Dr. Charles Chartouni as a true Lebanese patriot and
criticizes those who are loyal to Iran.
Elias Bejjani: Text and Video/Naiem Qassem’s Speech: A
Bundle of Deceit, Dhimmitude-Taqiyya, and Political Hypocrisy
November 21, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/137102/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uTOWTIr-AM&t=103s
Anyone who listened to Sheikh Naiem Qassem’s speech yesterday or read its text
would undoubtedly recognize the absolute Iranian identity of Hezbollah. It was
glaringly obvious that the speech was packed with lies, hypocrisy, heresies, and
delusions that tainted every word Qassem uttered in his recorded address.
In his actions and roles, Qassem is no more than a submissive servant to Iran’s
rulers, carrying out their orders without any decision-making power or personal
opinion. He is merely a reader of dictated texts, just like all Hezbollah
members and leaders, who have been completely subservient to the Iranian mullahs
since the organization's establishment in the 1980s as a sectarian, jihadist,
Persian, terrorist, and armed proxy fully controlled by the Iranian
Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Qassem’s speech yesterday was a blatant example of deceit, Dhimmitude-taqiyya,
evasion, and political duplicity. It was summarized in four points, through
which he boasted with deceptive and misleading pseudo-Lebanese rhetoric. He said
verbatim:
1-"We will rebuild together, in cooperation with the state, all honorable
individuals, and the countries and forces that will help, God willing, to
restore Lebanon, making it better and more beautiful."
2-"We will actively contribute to electing a President of the Republic through
the parliamentary process in accordance with the constitution."
3-"Our political actions and state affairs will remain within the framework of
the Taif Accord", in cooperation with political forces."
4-"We will be active in the political arena with our representative and popular
strength and our significant presence, to build and protect the nation
simultaneously."
It is worth recalling that Hezbollah has never adhered to the "Taif Accord",
which explicitly demands the disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese
militias and the transfer of their weapons to the state. It also requires the
extension of state authority over all Lebanese territories.
Hezbollah is the antithesis of the "Taif Accord", the constitution, the Lebanese
people, civil peace, and freedom. Hezbollah, like a snake, may change its skin
but remains venomous, treacherous, and dangerous, never to be trusted.
Hezbollah cannot adopt a Lebanese identity, affiliation, culture, or loyalty.
Doing so would nullify its raison d’être as an armed, sectarian, jihadist,
Persian and terrorist tool solely serving Iran’s expansionist and imperialist
project.
The critical conclusion: Every word spoken by Naiem Qassem, from start to
finish, was nothing but bundles of deceit and political duplicity brimming with
evasion and Dhimmitude-taqiyya. Accordingly, No one should be deceived by it.
There is no doubt that Hezbollah, in its military, political, or social form, is
a Persian cancer and a sectarian, jihadist terrorist tool. Lebanon cannot regain
its health, sovereignty, or independence as long as Hezbollah exists. For
Lebanon to survive, Hezbollah must be completely dismantled, its existence
terminated, and its leaders arrested and tried. Hezbollah is the antithesis of
everything Lebanon and Lebanese stand for.
Elias Bejjani/Why Dr. Charles Chartouni And Why Now?
Elias Bejjani/November 20, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/137056/
First, because he is a “thinker,” which is deemed a “threat.” Second, because he
is a “messenger” of salvation and freedom, which is “forbidden” and “oppressed”
in the Lebanon of the Syrian and Iranian era—a state ruled by tyrants who
control both the people and their subjugated masses.
Perhaps it is due to a single “word” he wrote or said in an article or
interview, like this one, that puts the finger on the wound, calls things by
their true names, digs up the roots of problems, and plants the seeds of
solutions. Like a grain of wheat, it will sprout into a harvest for the near
future.
Why the intimidation of Dr. Why Charles Chartouni?
Because a domineering ruler, who has enslaved both the free and the oppressed of
Lebanon, once raised his finger in an era of disgrace and declared: “I tell you,
be silent!”
Now his minions and lackeys echo his command, crying out, “We come to discipline
you,” just as their predecessors and allies once declared, “We come to slaughter
you.”
But they forget that the dark Obama-era of humiliation has ended without return,
and the radiant dawn of Lebanon’s freedom has already appeared, with its light
near and inevitable.
Cain advised his son to urge his descendants to search for his brother’s killer,
appointing a so-called “seeker of justice” who buried justice, truth, and
investigation along with it. Similarly, the kidnapper of the Imam urged his
children to pursue the cause with loyalty. He too appointed a so-called “seeker
of justice,” who buried both the kidnapped and the kidnapping, legitimizing the
inheritance of the criminal despite the rule that a criminal “does not inherit.”
One day, in an era of disgrace, Fares Khashan wrote an article titled:
“I Am Joseph Sader.”
Today, we declare:
“I Am Shadi Kardouhi.”
“I Am Why Dr. Charles Chartouni"
And we are all the 17,415.
We are many, so many. Yet, in our multitude, we remain few—still voiceless,
still inactive.
However,
However, the dawn is coming, and it is near…
Elias Bejjani/Text & Video:
The Lebanese Security Forces Intimidate and Threaten Dr. Charles Chartouni,
Summoning Him for Interrogation Without Legal Justification
Elias Bejjani/November 20/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/137037/
live/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmulnfnxWEA&t=362s
Video/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyVWg7Kpqrs&t=85s
In a brazen act of intimidation, Lebanon’s State Security forces attempted
yesterday to summon Dr. Charles Chartouni, a dual Lebanese-American citizen, to
their headquarters in Ramleh al-Baida without due legal process. Dr. Chartouni,
a renowned patriotic politician, university professor, writer, and human rights
activist, has been a vocal critic of Hezbollah and the Iranian occupation of
Lebanon.
In a statement to the media, Dr. Chartouni described this illegal act as an
assassination attempt cloaked under the guise of legality. He emphasized his
refusal to comply without his lawyers present and highlighted the suspicious and
terrorizing manner in which the State Security forces approached his residence,
knocking on his door without even ringing the bell.
"This is typical terrorist intimidation reminiscent of the Nazi State Police
tactics," Dr. Chartouni stated. "This is the beginning of a confrontation with
Hezbollah’s terrorist apparatus, operating under spurious legal credentials."
It is worth mentioning that Lebanon has been turned into a lawless state under
Iranian occupation, with its officials and security forces acting as mere tools
for Hezbollah’s agenda. This recent incident is yet another example of how the
country’s institutions have been weaponized to silence patriotic voices who dare
to speak against this occupation.
Dr. Chartouni has notified the U.S. Embassy, asserting his rights as an American
citizen and calling on international bodies to condemn these illegal practices.
On behalf of all the free and sovereign individuals in Lebanon and the diaspora,
I strongly condemn this blatant act aimed at terrorizing a prominent national,
acadamic and patriotic figure. I call on all sovereign Lebanese politicians,
political Lebanese parties in Lebanon and Diaspora to stand in solidarity with
Dr. Chartouni in his confrontation with this terrorism. I also urge human rights
organizations, the Maronite Patriarchate, the Vatican, and the United Nations to
support Dr. Chartouni and hold the Lebanese ruling regime accountable for its
flagrant violations of human rights and national sovereignty.
MEMRI/Lebanese Academic
Charles Chartouni: Israel Is Not An Aggressor, It Was Attacked By Hizbullah; We
Should Sign A Peace Accord With Israel; Hizbullah Should Surrender; There Is No
Shame In That – It Would Spare Further Casualties
MEMRI/November 21, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/11/137122/
Lebanon | Special Dispatch No. 11688
Click Here To read this report on MEMRI
In a November 15, 2024, interview on Transparency News YouTube, Lebanese
academic Charles Chartouni called for Lebanon to sign a peace accord with
Israel. He urged Hizbullah to surrender to avoid further casualties, stating
that the ongoing conflict is not an “Israeli aggression” but a war between
Hizbullah and the Israeli state. Chartouni emphasized that it is in Lebanon’s
best interest for Hizbullah to be destroyed.
رابط فيديو مقابلة من موقع “البديل” مع د. شارل شرتوني/نريد 17 أيّار جديد،
واتّفاقيّة الهدنة عام 1949 حمت لبنان، وحزب الله انتهى
Click here or below to view the clip on MEMRI TV:
Israel Is Absolutely Not An Aggressor – It Was Attacked; When This Conflict Is
Over, Hizbullah Will Be Destroyed; There Is No Way For Lebanon To Survive So
Long As Hizbullah Exists
Charles Chartouni: “I am not talking about an [Israeli] aggression, but rather
about a war between Hizbullah and the Israeli state. This is not an aggression
against Lebanon…”
Interviewer: “First of all, it is still an ‘entity.’ Why do you say ‘Israeli
state,’ and recognize it as a state?”
Chartouni: “As far as I am concerned, it is a state, because it is part of the
United Nations. It exists and has its own constitution. It has the features of a
state. Some people use an ideological description, but that’s another thing.
Objectively speaking, this state exists and it is part of the United Nations.
“When this conflict is over, Hizbullah will be destroyed. I think the Lebanese
state has a great interest in the destruction of Hizbullah, because there is no
way for Lebanon to survive or to be resurrected, so long as Hizbullah exists.
“There is no such thing as the ‘Israeli criminal machine.’ Israel is waging a
war, and when you wage war…”
Interviewer: “Israel is not an aggressor, in your view?”
Chartouni: “Absolutely not. Israel was attacked. Israel was attacked. As simple
as that.”
Hizbullah Has Taken Cover Behind Civilians In Southern Lebanon, Jeopardizing
Their Safety – This Is The Real Crime
Interviewer: “Israel was attacked? Really?”
Chartouni: “I’ll explain this to you. When for many years, you make speeches
targeting Israel’s national security, and the security of the Israeli cities on
the border with Lebanon – what do you expect to happen? The second thing is that
when Hizbullah, which purports to protect its own people, booby-traps south
Lebanon in its entirety, and turns every area into arms depots and tunnels for
military operations, and makes it impossible to distinguish between residential
units and military bases, and acts according to the principle of…
Whatchamacallit… The strategy of…”
Interviewer: “Defensive strategy?”
Chartouni: “No… The strategy of human shields. Using the strategy of human
shields means that you take cover behind civilians in order to execute a certain
military policy. Hizbullah has taken cover behind civilians, and allowed itself
to jeopardize the safety of the civilians, and this is the real crime.
We Should Sit Down With The Israelis And Sign A Peace Accord; Slogans About
Israel’s Territorial Designs Are Not True – Israel Only Has Geostrategic Goals
In Lebanon Because Lebanon Allowed Foreign Intervention On Its Soil
“Naim Qassem is a little boy. Who is Naim Qassem? He’s a little boy. Naim Qassem
is a fraud.”
Interviewer: “You cannot talk like this. He is the Secretary-General of
Hizbullah. There is a large sector that…”
Chartouni: “He’s a fraud. He’s an irresponsible individual. You listen to his
statements… Man, where are you going? Where are you heading with this suicide
operation? What are you urging the people to do? Just die more and more?”
Interviewer: “What do you expect him to do? To say: ‘We surrender?'”
Chartouni: “Absolutely yes. What is wrong with surrendering? Is there shame in
surrendering?”
Interviewer: “After all the victims we have sacrificed…?”
Chartouni: “So let’s sacrifice more victims… There are 1,500 victims. Let’s make
it 5,000. Let’s make it 10,000.
“We should move on to a new phase. We can definitely do it.”
Interviewer: “How?”
Chartouni: “Sign a peace accord with Israel and get it over with.”
Interviewer: “Ahhh… This is where you want to go?”
Chartouni: “Of course.”
Interviewer: “Before the liberation of the lands…”
Chartouni: “No liberation is needed when you have a peace accord.”
Interviewer: “Before the Sheba Farms are…”
Chartouni: “Sheba Farms? There will be a peace accord.”
Interviewer: “So you say we should give up everything.”
Chartouni: “I’m not giving up anything. We should sit down with the Israelis,
and put all the pending problems on the negotiations table, and reach an
agreement.”
Interviewer: “Do you think that Israel, with its territorial designs, will give
us what we demand…?”
Chartouni: “These slogans are not true. Israel had no territorial designs
originally. Israel now has geostrategic goals in Lebanon, after Lebanon allowed
foreign intervention on its soil, and this has exposed it to military violations
by Israel.”
Le terrorisme d’État et
l’État de terreur
Charles Elias Chartouni/21 novembre 2024
Lorsque j’ai été interpellé par les services de sécurité de l’État, je me suis
rappelé les méthodes de la police politique du temps de l’Allemagne nazie, la
fameuse Gestapo de Heinrich Himmler. À la différence de la police politique de
l’ère nazie, la police politique instrumentalisée par le fascisme chiite est un
ramassis de tueurs à gage et de mafieux qui instrumentalisent des soldats
intègres qui ont rejoint l’armée pour servir sous les drapeaux et assurer une
vie décente à leurs familles. Les paradoxes et les contresens en tous genres
m’ont sauté aux yeux lors de l’application de la procédure: la soldatesque me
demande de signer une interpellation sans me préciser la nature de cette
interpellation, alors qu’il est de mon droit de connaître les chefs d’accusation
et les griefs retenus contre moi. La seule réponse à laquelle j’ai eu droit,
c’est de signer la requête qui m’est lancée sans autres formes de procès.
Je dois signer sans rien savoir sur les motifs de l’interpellation. S’ajoute à
cela une demande formelle de me rendre à la mal famée Ramlet el-Baïda, le
chef-lieu de la police politique du Baas du temps de l’occupation syrienne et le
lieu emblématique de l’ère de la torture et des tortionnaires de la dictature
alaouite et de ses sbires meurtriers (Ghazi Kanaan et Roustom Ghazali). Les
réminiscences meurtrières sont tellement associées à la nature de
l’interpellation en cours, que j’ai résolument refusé d’obtempérer, et j’ai
expressément demandé aux soldats de me mettre en lien avec leur supérieur
hiérarchique. J’ai eu droit à la même réponse, la venue inconditionnelle, sans
pour autant préciser les motifs de cette interpellation, tout en concédant sur
le lieu d’interrogation.
Un État qui se dit de droit s’autorise des interpellations arbitraires: on
débarque en début de soirée (pas la moindre notion d’Habeas Corpus), on interdit
à la conciergerie de m’informer alors qu’elle est tenue de le faire de par les
règlements statutaires; arrivés à ma porte, ils tapent de manière nerveuse,
alors qu’ils pouvaient très bien sonner. Les techniques habituelles
d’intimidation d’une république bananière qui m’ont surpris et profondément
irrité. Je réalisais qu’il s’agissait d’une malfaisance qui a redoublé ma
détermination à faire face à l’imprévu sans aucune précaution et avec
l’intrépidité du vieux gladiateur et du militant qui n’a cessé depuis
cinquante-deux ans de porter les fardeaux de cette lutte sans merci et sans
répit contre la terreur et les dictatures qui ont ponctué ce calvaire qui ne
finit plus, soixante ans après.
L’inculture démocratique de cette police politique est d’autant plus inquiétante
qu’elle confirme l’état de décomposition des institutions de ce qui fut jadis le
seul État de droit dans une région qui évoluait entre les abîmes du tribalisme
le plus archaïque, de la religiosité totémique et du totalitarisme primitif qui
ont délibérément détruit les socles anthropologiques et historiques de la
démocratie constitutionnelle et pluraliste, et ceux du libéralisme qui ont
miroité les chances d’un paradigme alternatif dans cette région du monde. En
décidant de faire face à la terreur d’État, j’ai reçu l’appui du monde
journalistique, des avocats des droits de l’homme, des partis de l’opposition
démocratique, de l’ULCM et des diverses diasporas, des universitaires, des
milieux d’Église et de mes camarades de lutte, comme pour mieux marquer notre
détermination, notre opiniâtreté et notre lutte jusqu’au-boutiste.
Notre société civile n’a jamais eu les institutions d’État qu’elle mérite, alors
qu’elle subissait les soubresauts des impérialismes régionaux qui se sont
acharnés sur notre modèle de civilité politique et de convivialité dans ce monde
où le choc des sauvageries est sans rebords. Je mènerai ma défense au nom de
toutes les victimes sans voix, et j’en ferai un exemple de rigueur et de
ténacité en vue de défendre notre droit national, notre État de droit et nos
valeurs humanistes qui restent à jamais le fondement ultime du vivre en commun
qui nous a caractérisés. Nous nous opposerons fermement aux enfermements
totalitaires et à cet univers concentrationnaire qui nous sont imposés. Notre
pays se définit et à jamais au croisement entre le patriotisme constitutionnel
d’un État de droit et celui de l’humanisme multiséculier et ses fonds baptismaux.
Y la lucha continua.
State terrorism and state of terror
Charles Elias Chartouni/November 21/2024
(translation from French by the LCCC website and Google)/November 21/2024
When I was intercepted by state security services, I was reminded of the methods
of the political police of Nazi Germany, Heinrich Himmler's famous Gestapo.
Unlike the Nazi-era political policing, the political policing instrumentalized
by Shiite fascism is a collection of assassins and mobsters who instrumentalize
soldiers with integrity who have joined the army to serve under the flags and
ensure a decent life for their families. Paradoxes and contradictions in all
kinds have jumped to my eyes during the application of the procedure: the
soldier asks me to sign an interpellation without specifying me the nature of
this interpellation, while it is my right to know the charges and grievances
held against me. The only response I was entitled to was to sign the petition
filed against me with no other form of trial.
I have to sign without knowing anything about the motive for the interpellation.
In addition to this a formal request to return to the infamous Ramlet el-Baida,
the headquarters of the political police of the Baas of the Syrian occupation
and the iconic site of the era of torture and torture of the Alaout dictatorship
and its murderous spires (Ghazi) Canaan and Roustom Ghazali). Homicidal
reminiscences are so associated with the nature of the ongoing interpellation
that I resolutely refused to dampen, and specifically asked the soldiers to link
me up with their higher superior. I was entitled to the same answer,
unconditional arrival, without stating the motives for this interpellation,
while conceding at the scene of questioning.
A state that claims to be law allows arbitrary interpellations: we arrive at the
beginning of the evening (not the least notion of Habeas Corpus), the concierge
is forbidden to inform me when it is required to do so by statutory regulations;
when they arrive at my door, they knock in a manner nervous, yet they could
sound very well. The usual banana republic intimidation techniques that
surprised me and deeply irritated me. I realized that it was an evil deed that
doubled my resolve to face the unexpected without any precautions and with the
fearlessness of the old gladiator and the militant who for fifty-two years has
continued to bear the burdens of this merciless and restless struggle against
terror and the dictatorships that punctured this ordeal that never ends, sixty
years later.
The democratic unculturedness of this political police is all the more worrying
that it confirms the state of decomposition of the institutions of what was once
the only rule of law in a region evolving between the abyss of the most archaic
tribalism, totemic religion and primitive totalitarianism that have deliberately
destroys the anthropological and historical bases of constitutional and
pluralist democracy, and those of liberalism that mirrored the chances of an
alternative paradigm in this region of the world. Deciding to face the terror of
the state, I received the support of the journalism world, human rights lawyers,
democratic opposition parties, ULCM and various diasporas, academics, church
communities and my fellow struggle members, to better mark our resolve, our
Opinionism and our struggle to the shop.
Our civil society has never had the state institutions it deserves, while it was
under the under-jury of regional imperialism that have become hardened on our
model of political civility and conviviality in a world where the shock of
savages is endless. I will lead my defense on behalf of all voiceless victims,
and I will make it an example of rigor and tenacity in order to defend our
national right, our rule of law and our humanistic values, which remain forever
the ultimate foundation of the common life that we live in. a characterized. We
will strongly oppose the totalitarian lockdowns and this concentrated universe
imposed upon us. Our country is and forever defined at the intersection of
constitutional patriotism of a rule of law and that of multicultural humanism
and its baptismal funds. And the struggle continues.
Will Lebanon’s Ceasefire Gambit Bring a More Sustainable
Peace?
Ahmad Sharawi/FDD-Policy Brief/November 21/2024
Lebanon’s willingness to assent to a U.S.-proposed ceasefire offers a pathway to
ending the current war, but significant challenges remain. Chief among these is
Israel’s demand for operational freedom, a point of contention fiercely opposed
by Hezbollah and its patron, Iran. Tehran’s endorsement of a ceasefire will
provide Hezbollah with the space to regroup and fortify its capabilities.
Compounding these concerns are doubts about enforcement given the historical
inability and unwillingness of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the United
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to effectively curb Hezbollah’s
activities.
Opposition to Israeli Freedom of Action If Ceasefire is Violated
Israel has demanded freedom to operate within Lebanese territory if Hezbollah
violates the terms of a ceasefire. Such violations would include Hezbollah’s
rearmament, a presence in southern Lebanon, or attacks upon Israel. Hezbollah
has rejected this condition, viewing it as a license for Israel to strike at the
group whenever it chooses. Hezbollah also considers rearming after the war
essential for its survival, and agreeing to such a clause could jeopardize its
ability to regenerate. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a long-time
Hezbollah ally and the Lebanese state’s representative in the negotiations, has
also opposed this demand, stating that to grant Israel such freedom of action is
“unacceptable and cannot be discussed in principle.”The absence of this clause
risks repeating the failure to enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1701,
which enabled Hezbollah to rebuild unchecked.
Iran’s Maneuver to Secure Hezbollah’s Survival and Regeneration
Ali Larijani, an advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, indicated that Iran would
support any decision Lebanon takes in ceasefire talks with Israel. This aligns
with the stance of Lebanese officials, including Nabih Berri, who seem eager to
end the conflict. Berri recognizes that continuing the war is not in Hezbollah’s
favor. Prolonged fighting risks the further degradation of Hezbollah’s
capabilities, loss of territory in southern Lebanon, damage to key leadership,
and growing internal opposition. However, while Lebanon appears willing to push
for a ceasefire, this willingness is largely driven by the pressure of Israel’s
military campaign. Once the fighting stops, there is no assurance that Lebanon
will prevent Hezbollah from rearming, nor that Iran will abandon its Shia proxy.
Israel’s Military Success Creates Opportunity for Further Strategic Gains
Israel’s best chance to gain an advantage in this conflict is through military
pressure to maximize leverage in negotiations with Hezbollah. Although to avoid
appearing weak to Hezbollah’s base, the terrorist organization’s
Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, insists there is no separation between the Gaza
and Lebanon fronts, Hezbollah’s actions suggest otherwise. The sustained Israeli
military pressure over the past two months seems to have forced Hezbollah to
decouple the two conflicts. The specific goal of Israel’s ground operation —
whether to establish a 10-kilometer buffer zone or to advance to the Litani
River — remains unclear. Reaching the Litani would give Israel a significant
bargaining chip in negotiations.
United States Should Guarantee Israel’s Security
The United States should ensure that Israel’s freedom of action remains
non-negotiable in any ceasefire agreement. Guaranteeing Israel’s right to defend
itself against Hezbollah’s violations is essential for securing its military
objectives. *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 Strikes Resume on Southern Suburbs of Beirut
Asharq Al Awsat/November 21/2024
Renewed strikes hit southern Beirut on Thursday, after the Israeli military
warned people to evacuate the area.The Israeli military’s Arabic-language
spokesman Avichay Adraee called in several posts on X for the evacuation of
specific buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, warning that it was ready to
strike Hezbollah targets there. Strikes also hit south Lebanon, including the
border town of Khiam where Israeli troops are pushing to advance, according to
Lebanon's National News Agency. Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah
have been locked in a deadly war since Sept 23, which has killed more than 3,000
people in Lebanon.Israel’s military says several soldiers have been killed in
the Lebanon campaign since it began ground operations on Sept 30.
4 Hezbollah Members Among 71 Fighters Killed in Syria's
Palmyra
Asharq Al Awsat/November 21/2024
Israeli strikes killed 71 pro-Iran operatives in the Syrian city of Palmyra,
with more than a third of them identified as fighters from Iraq and Lebanon, a
monitor said Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said those killed
in Wednesday's strikes included 45 fighters from pro-Iran Syrian groups, 26
foreign fighters, most of them from the Iraqi Al-Nujaba movement, and four from
Lebanon's Hezbollah armed group. The strikes targeted three sites in the city
renowned for its ancient ruins, including one that hit a meeting of pro-Iranian
groups with leaders from Al-Nujaba and Hezbollah. Syria said the Israeli strikes
on the central city killed 36 people and wounded more than 50 others, in the
latest toll issued by the defense ministry, according to Agence France Presse.
"The Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the direction of the Al-Tanf
area, targeting a number of buildings in the city of Palmyra," it said on
Wednesday.
Lebanese Army Chief Says Military Units Deployed in the South and ‘Will Not
Leave
Beirut: Asharq Al Awsat/November 21/2024
Lebanon’s Army Commander General Jospeh Aoun stressed on Thursday that the
Lebanese military is deployed in the south of the country and will not leave it.
He said the army's presence there is an integral part of Lebanon’s national
sovereignty. In a statement, Aoun emphasized that the Lebanese Army continues to
carry out its missions in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL), in full adherence to UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
He further stated that the Lebanese Army is resolutely countering "any
attempts to destabilize security and stability," underscoring that national
unity and civil peace are paramount priorities. These, he emphasized, are red
lines that will not be crossed by anyone. Aoun vowed that the false accusations
and "incitement campaigns" targeting the army would only reinforce its resolve,
determination, and cohesion. Since expanding its operations from Gaza to Lebanon
in September, Israel has conducted extensive bombing primarily targeting
Hezbollah strongholds mainly in south Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs.
Israeli Strikes Kill 47 People in Eastern Lebanon
Asharq Al Awsat/November 21/2024
Israeli strikes killed at least 47 people in eastern Lebanon on Thursday, a
Lebanese official said. Bachir Khodr, governor of
Lebanon's Baalbek-Hermel province, said at least 47 were killed and 22 wounded
in Israeli strikes in the Baalbek region. Posting on X, he said rescue
operations were underway. Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,583 people and
wounded 15,244 in Lebanon since October 2023, with 25 fatalities reported on
Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said on Thursday.
Hezbollah Says Fired Missiles at Base Near South Israel's
Ashdod
Asharq Al Awsat/November 21/2024
Hezbollah said its fighters on Thursday fired missiles at a military base near
south Israel’s Ashdod, the first time it has targeted so deep inside Israel in
more than a year of hostilities. Hezbollah fighters
"targeted... for the first time, the Hatzor air base" east of the southern city,
around 150 kilometers from Lebanon’s southern border with Israel, "with a
missile salvo," the Iran-backed group said in a statement. A rocket fired from
Lebanon killed a man and wounded two others in northern Israel on Thursday,
according to the Magen David Adom rescue service. The
service said paramedics found the body of the man in his 30s near a playground
in the town of Nahariya, near the border with Lebanon, after a rocket attack on
Thursday. Israel meanwhile struck targets in southern
Lebanon and several buildings south of Beirut, the Lebanese capital. Israel has
launched airstrikes against Lebanon after Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones
and missiles into Israel the day after Hamas' attack on Israel last October. A
full-blown war erupted in September after nearly a year of lower-level conflict.
More than 3,500 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the
country’s Health Ministry, and over 1 million people have been displaced. It is
not known how many of those killed were Hezbollah fighters and how many were
civilians. On the Israeli side, Hezbollah’s aerial attacks have killed more than
70 people and driven some 60,000 from their homes.
22 killed in Israeli
strikes on Bekaa
Agence France Presse/November 21, 2024
Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes on several locations in the
eastern Bekaa Valley killed 22 people on Thursday, with state media reporting
four family members killed in one village. "Israeli enemy" strikes on five areas
in the Baalbek region killed a total of 22 people, the ministry said in separate
statements, with the National News Agency reporting that a strike on the village
of Maqneh killed at least four members of the same family.
Hezbollah claims 7 attacks on Israeli troops in and near
Khiam
Agence France Presse/November 21, 2024
Hezbollah on Thursday claimed seven attacks on Israeli soldiers in and near
south Lebanon’s Khiam, after official media said Israel troops were dynamiting
homes and buildings in the town. In seven separate statements, Hezbollah said
its fighters targeted Israeli troops in and near Khiam, including with
artillery, rockets and drones, as Lebanon’s National News Agency said "the enemy
army" was "blowing up homes and residential buildings during its incursion into
the town".
Hezbollah says fired missiles at base near south Israel's
Ashdod
Agence France Presse/November 21, 2024
Hezbollah claimed a series of attacks on Israeli troops in south Lebanon and on
military facilities across the border including a drone attack on the Haifa
naval base, which it has repeatedly claimed strikes against. The group also said
its fighters "targeted... for the first time, the Hatzor air base" near the
southern city of Ashdod, around 150 kilometers from Lebanon's southern border
with Israel, "with a missile salvo".Israeli first responders said a man was
killed on Thursday after rocket fire from Lebanon hit the Galilee region in
Israel's north. "Emergency medical technicians and paramedics have reported a
30-year-old male with no signs of life and have declared him deceased," the
Magen David Adom emergency medical service said. The Israeli military said
Wednesday that three soldiers, including a 70-year-old, were killed in south
Lebanon, bringing to 52 the number killed in Lebanon since the start of ground
operations.
Strikes resume on south Beirut after Hochstein visit
Agence France Presse/November 21, 2024
Successive rounds of Israeli strikes hit southern Beirut Thursday after Israeli
military evacuation warnings, while Hezbollah claimed a series of attacks
including on a base near south Israel's Ashdod, its deepest so far. Lebanon's
official National News Agency reported three raids "within the third round of
strikes on the southern suburbs today", saying they hit the Haret Hreik and
Hadath areas. It had earlier reported two other rounds of three raids each on
the southern suburbs, including a "very violent strike" on Haret Hreik and a
raid on the Kafaat neighborhood that destroyed a building and damaged others
nearby. AFPTV footage showed columns of smoke rising from the area, usually a
densely populated residential district but now largely emptied. Israeli army
spokesman Avichay Adraee on social media platform X issued several rounds of
evacuation warnings for areas in the southern suburbs, saying the military would
target Hezbollah "facilities and interests", pinpointing six buildings. The
Israeli military in a statement said its air force carried out strikes on
"Hezbollah command centers and terror infrastructure" in the southern suburbs,
which it has hit repeatedly since September 23 when it escalated air raids. The
Israeli army also issued evacuation warnings for areas in and around the
southern coastal city of Tyre, while the NNA reported Israeli strikes in south
and east Lebanon. The renewed Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs came
after two days of relative calm in Beirut and its suburbs while U.S. envoy Amos
Hochstein visited, seeking to broker an end to the almost two-month-long
Israel-Hezbollah war. In Beirut on Wednesday, the U.S. envoy met twice with
Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who has led mediation efforts on behalf
of Hezbollah. Wednesday's meeting "made additional progress, so I will travel
from here in a couple hours to Israel to try to bring this to a close if we
can", Hochstein told reporters in the Lebanese capital. Hochstein had said on
Tuesday that an end to the war was "within our grasp". Lebanon's health ministry
said on Wednesday that at least 3,558 people had been killed in the violence
since October 2023. Most of the deaths have been since September this year, when
Israel began its massive bombing campaign and later sent ground forces in to
Lebanon.
Berri says truce paper discussed in depth after 'two weeks' of deliberations
Naharnet/November 21, 2024
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the atmosphere was “more positive” after his
second meeting with U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein on Wednesday and that Lebanon
“did what it should do” to secure the success of the agreement. Asked by al-Liwaa
newspaper about what prompted Hochstein to stay for a second day in Beirut,
Berri said: “We’ve been working for two weeks on what you’re seeing now, and
over the past two days we discussed all the 13 articles of the agreement in a
delicate manner that addresses every small detail.”Berri also said that there
will not be additions to Resolution 1701 and that “even the resolution’s
implementation mechanisms will remain the same.”“We are before crucial day:
either Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepts and the war ends, or as
usual he rejects and we go to worse scenarios,” Berri added. Asked whether
Hochstein had been coordinating with Tel Aviv during his presence in Lebanon,
the Speaker said: “They do have an ambassador in Israel, but such a sensitive
issue cannot be settled over the phone. Hochstein has arrived in Tel Aviv and
soon the picture will become clearer based on the Israeli response to the
proposal.”
'Significant progress' in Lebanon-Israel talks but no deal
before 'next week'
Naharnet/November 21, 2024
Significant progress has been made towards a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon
and Israel, but there are still some gaps to be closed, Israeli and U.S.
officials told U.S. news portal Axios on Thursday. The report comes after U.S.
mediator Amos Hochstein held talks in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer
and Army chief Herzi Halevi. "Hochstein is expected to fly back to Washington
tonight and an agreement is not expected to be announced before next week,"
Israeli officials told Axios. "The (Israeli) political-security cabinet is
expected to receive an update on the status of the talks during its meeting
tonight, but it seems that there will be no vote," Axios reported. A senior U.S.
official meanwhile told Axios that "we are moving in the right direction, but
there is still work to be done.""Negotiations are continuing with both sides,"
the official added. Lebanese official sources were more optimistic, telling Sky
News Arabia that "the contacts might lead to a ceasefire ageement by the weekend
if no obstacles come up." Israeli officials meanwhile told Israeli newspaper
Maariv that "there is a clear desire by the parties to reach a settlement."
"Hochstein conveyed a clear message to the Lebanese: 'It's time to reach a
settlement, don't miss the opportunity,' and it seems that the message was
received," Maariv added. "As part of the settlement, Israel will maintain
freedom of action in Lebanon and there will be a strong and significant
enforcement mechanism. It seems that the Lebanese side has started to digest
it," the newspaper said. It added: "The settlement is indeed close, but it will
not happen tomorrow. Even after the talks that Hochstein had in Lebanon and
Israel, there are still final gaps that must be closed." "The U.S. envoy is
about to return to the United States. All parties in the negotiations will hold
consultations and continue contacts and it is estimated that a settlement can be
reached within a few weeks, perhaps even within two weeks," Maariv added.
Israeli army, security agencies voice support for Lebanon
ceasefire
Naharnet/November 21, 2024
In parallel with the meetings that U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein held in Tel Aviv
on Thursday, the Israeli army command informed the political leadership that it
supports a ceasefire in Lebanon. “The leaders of the Israeli army and security
agencies have informed the political leadership that they are in favor of
accepting a truce on the Lebanese front,” sources told Al-Arabiya television.
They also said that they are “prepared to tackle any future violations from the
Lebanese side.”
Hezbollah Attempts Addressing War’s Financial, Emotional
Impact on Supporters
Beirut: Caroline Akoum/November 21/2024
Hezbollah is struggling to cope with the unprecedented consequences of the war
with Israel, particularly within its own base, as it tries to support over one
million people displaced from Beirut’s southern suburbs, south Lebanon, and the
Bekaa Valley. These people have spread across various parts of Lebanon, while
some have fled to Syria and Iraq. In response, Hezbollah’s media and officials
are promising compensation, reconstruction, and urging people to remain
resilient. They have also begun providing limited financial assistance.
Recently, Hezbollah launched the “Samidoun” platform, designed mainly to offer
financial help to the displaced, after previously providing limited food and
supplies. Families can receive between $300 and $400,
depending on where they have relocated. Families in
coastal areas get $300, while those in colder regions who need heating are given
$400. Hezbollah members also receive this support, which is added to their
monthly salaries. The financial aid, which has helped
displaced people facing major financial struggles after using up their savings
and losing their jobs, is still unclear. It’s not
known whether this aid will be given monthly, periodically, or just as a
one-time “gift,” as some are calling it. One woman, who recently received the
aid, is considering using it to rent a home—“even just a room”—after getting
tired of staying in a school shelter. “My children,
including an 8-month-old, are getting sick from the cold because there’s no
heating,” she said. “But the problem is we don’t know if we’ll get this money
every month, so I’m not sure I can afford the rent.” Hezbollah had been giving
monthly assistance to displaced people from southern villages since the war
began on Oct. 8 last year. It had mostly managed to cover rent for those
displaced, but the situation changed after the war expanded on Sep. 23. The
number of displaced people quickly grew, overwhelming Hezbollah’s ability to
continue providing support for families from the south, Bekaa, and Beirut's
southern suburbs. Hezbollah officials continue to
reassure families about the rebuilding process, which is a major concern for the
thousands who lost their homes. A World Bank report estimates that around
100,000 homes were partially or completely destroyed in the conflict.
Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Naeem Qassem, stated that the party is
preparing for large-scale reconstruction, promising that destroyed homes and
businesses will be rebuilt even better. Hezbollah MP
Hassan Fadlallah also confirmed that the party is committed to serving the
people, with reconstruction being a key part of this promise.
Reports have also suggested that Iran pledged to help rebuild southern
Beirut, south Lebanon, and Baalbek during visits by Iranian officials to Beirut.
However, political analyst Ali Amin argues that these efforts are insufficient.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the damage to Hezbollah’s image continues to cause
confusion and protests, with some people feeling betrayed. Amin added that
Hezbollah’s messages of patience and eventual victory are not convincing,
especially for those struggling to survive. He believes that the party’s ability
to maintain support is closely tied to its military reputation, which has been
severely damaged. Amin also highlighted Hezbollah’s
focus on providing for its own members, ensuring they receive timely salaries,
housing, food, and healthcare. However, he notes that many displaced people are
still facing unmet needs, with complaints about the limited and inconsistent aid
provided through the “Samidoun” platform.
Displaced by War, Cancer Patients in Lebanon Struggle for
Survival
Asharq Al Awsat/November 21/2024
Lebanese small business owner Ahmad Fahess thought nothing could be more
devastating than his cancer diagnosis until suddenly, while he was at work one
day, Israeli airstrikes started targeting his town of Nabatieh in south Lebanon.
When he saw the tangled mess around him, he knew he had to grab his
family and flee. "We want to go back to our homes, to
our work," he said, breaking into tears as he received cancer treatment at the
American University of Beirut's Medical Center (AUBMC), his sister sitting next
to his bed. Israel launched a broad attack on southern
Lebanon in September, almost a year after Iran-backed Hezbollah militants there
stepped up their rocket fire on northern Israel as Israeli forces fought Hamas
gunmen who had attacked Israel from Gaza. Washington
is trying to broker a ceasefire but Israel says it must be able to continue
defending itself. It says Hezbollah uses civilians as human shields, something
the militants deny, Reuters reported. A father of two teenagers who owned four
welding shops in Nabatieh, Fahess is now not only unsure when he will be able to
go home, but also how long he will be able to access treatment for the rare
cancer, sarcoma, which affects the connective tissue in his left arm.
"I used to come three days to Beirut for treatment and go back home," he
said. "Now with the war, we were displaced, and the treatment struggle started."
Thousands of cancer patients are among more than a million people who
have fled their homes.
"It all happened very quickly. We were at work when the shelling started; we
were surprised by it," he said. He fled with his family to Antelias in Mount
Lebanon with only $4,500 that quickly dwindled. Fahess now depends on the
hospital's Cancer Support Fund, a charity initiative launched in 2018 to assist
cancer patients and now also giving extra support to displaced individuals. "The
treatment is costly; if the hospital didn't help me, I couldn't have afforded
it," he said. But he is worried about funding drying up. "If we have to pay and
we're back at our homes, it would be fine, but if we are still displaced, it'll
be impossible," he said. Lebanon's health ministry
said more than 2,500 displaced cancer patients have been forced to find new
treatment centers, as at least eight hospitals in southern Lebanon and Beirut's
southern suburbs were out of action due to Israeli shelling.
Cancer was already expensive to treat under Lebanon's healthcare system, which
in recent years has been battered further by economic crisis.
It is now under severe strain, said Ali Taher, the director of the Naef
K. Basile Cancer Institute at AUBMC, adding that treating displaced patients has
brought new complications, including finding their missing medical records and
doctors. "It's also difficult to get cancer screening
ahead of time because it's no longer a priority for people," Taher said.
Ghazaleh Naddaf, 67, was displaced from the southern village of Debel. Now
living with her brother in Beirut, the former pharmacist assistant lost her job
and has been unable to afford her therapy for multiple myeloma for two months.
"I am skipping treatment and medication," she said. "I used to come twice
a week for treatment, paying over $1,000. I can't afford it anymore," adding
that she also needs a bone marrow transplant costing $50,000, an expense far
beyond her reach. "It's war, and there is no safety,
and I still need to go through the treatment to get on with my life," she said.
Hala Dahdah Abou Jaber, co-founder of the Cancer Support Fund, said displaced
cancer patients have to choose between basic necessities and life-threatening
therapies and many can no longer co-pay for their treatment. "Cancer doesn't
wait. Cancer is not a disease that gives you time; it's harsh," she said.
Hezbollah causing the destruction of itself and Lebanon
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/November 21, 2024
It is undeniable that Hezbollah is being hit and destroyed like never before. It
hit Israel with extreme violence at the beginning of the Gaza war to try and
extract gains. This message of violence has been answered by Israel in multiples
and it is now inflicting a total reckoning on Hezbollah. This has also come at
the price of the destruction of Lebanon and Lebanese lives.
Hezbollah, through its actions, has brought chaos to Lebanon, just like in 2006.
Yet, this time, while Israel refuses any mediation (and why would Tel Aviv
accept it?), opposition groups in Lebanon have become much more vocal than in
the past. They are now clearly and openly accusing Hezbollah of being
responsible for this destruction. It has, through another reckless and
unilateral decision of war, brought even more despair to Lebanon.
It is clear now that Hezbollah, despite its declarations, is unable to cope with
Israel’s superior capabilities. The question of the timing of the exploding
pager operation —which, we must remember, even injured the Iranian ambassador to
Lebanon — has now been answered. Yet, the main question is what Hezbollah will
do in the face of this mounting external and internal pressure. The answer is
the same as in the past: violence against the Lebanese.
Whenever Hezbollah or the Syrian regime — its predecessor as occupier of Lebanon
— were pressured externally, they chose to assassinate Lebanese. We are now back
to the UN Security Council Resolution 1559 scenario of extreme pressure, which
led to the waves of assassinations we all remember. And so, because it is
weakened and unable to match Israel militarily, Hezbollah will go after the
Lebanese voices of freedom.
Because it is weakened and unable to match Israel militarily, Hezbollah will go
after the Lebanese voices of freedom
On top of the horrors of death of the current war due to this group’s unilateral
decision, it will also add the death of its critics and opponents. The momentum
for these actions has already been set in the same way as in the past. A clear
indicator is an increase in the number of accusations of treason against
journalists and truly free voices, mainly through social media for now. Once
again, lists are circulating. While in the past they were spread via rumors and
taxi drivers, now these lists circulate openly on social media and WhatsApp.
This season of threats has even added video clips of the filthiest kind, created
by artificial intelligence, to dehumanize its critics. It is the signature of
this group and a sign of its level of despair.
The pressure of potential defeat has not only contributed to the destruction of
Hezbollah’s infrastructure, but also its image of might and strength. Despite
the destruction the Lebanese are enduring, they are still seeing hope and a
potential end to this never-ending cycle of violence. They are now clearly
articulating the way out, which is by openly requesting for Hezbollah to
surrender its weapons to the Lebanese Armed Forces. In response, the group is
accusing the Lebanese opposition of seeking to use the Israelis to strengthen
their position against it.
This increase in blaming Hezbollah for the situation and the growing defiance,
along with the demand to an end of its special status, is something the armed
militia will look to quell with brutal force. It will look to do so before the
end of the war, despite what its internet influencers are stating. Hezbollah
knows, just like the Syrian regime did in the past, that its violence against
the Lebanese will kill two birds with one stone. The first is to reestablish
deterrence, not toward Tel Aviv but the voices of freedom in Lebanon, and the
second is to add pressure to the international mediation efforts to stop the
war.
Unsurprisingly, these are the methods of an occupying force. And we also need to
remind people that, in October 2023, the only occupying force was Hezbollah. I
am indeed rehashing myself when I state that Israel was no longer occupying
Lebanon following its unilateral withdrawal in 2000. There was hence no reason
for Lebanon’s involvement.
Hezbollah knows, just like the Syrian regime did in the past, that its violence
against the Lebanese will kill two birds with one stone
Everyone is heartbroken and despairing when seeing the destruction taking place
today. Yet, the Lebanese pundits that do not condemn, first and foremost, the
action that led to this expected Israeli reaction are and will always be
accomplices in the violence that Hezbollah inflicted yesterday and will inflict
tomorrow and every day on the free Lebanese. They are accomplices in the
violence against journalists we have already witnessed, which is nothing but a
trial balloon for what is to come. We are now in Hezbollah’s intimidation phase.
Despite the war, it must be denounced and vehemently opposed to stop the next
phase of possible assassinations. Moreover, if people do not stand up for
Lebanon now, they will live under the rubble and foreign domination in this
never-ending cycle. We are also noticing a tentative effort by Hezbollah to
break the opposition by accusing some of treason and threatening them, while
praising others for standing with the refugees from the south. These are futile
methods that everyone should be aware of and reject. Hezbollah is now demonizing
its critics in the worst possible way. The same methodology was used before
assassinating former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Gebran Tueni, Samir
Kassir, George Hawi, Pierre Gemayel, Walid Eido, Antoine Ghanem, Francois
Al-Hajj, Mohammed Chatah and Lokman Slim. The same volatile situation and
pressure on Hezbollah exist today as during the waves of assassination of the
past. Hezbollah has caused, just like in 2006 and for absolutely no reason, the
destruction of Lebanon. As it faces a close to existential threat of
annihilation and is unable to answer the Israelis, it will fight the Lebanese
who are honorable and courageous enough to demand the surrender of its military
arsenal. This time, the voices of freedom need to win.
**Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of SpaceQuest Ventures, a space-focused
investment platform. He is CEO of EurabiaMedia and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.
Lebanon-Israel ceasefire
talks: Latest developments
Naharnet/November 21, 2024
After two meetings with Speaker Nabih Berri and a night of intensive discussions
at the U.S. embassy between Speaker Nabih Berri’s aide Ali Hamdan and members of
the U.S. delegation, U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein announced that the reached
agreements should be acceptable to Israel, Al-Akhbar newspaper reported on
Thursday. “The nightly discussions were accompanied by phone consultations
between Israeli officials and others from the team of U.S. President-elect
Donald Trump,” the daily quoted informed sources as saying. Israeli state media
meanwhile quoted senior Israeli officials that an agreement with Lebanon could
be reached next week should the disputes over the clauses related to Israeli
“freedom of action” and the monitoring committee be resolved.The Israeli reports
also said that 90% of the clauses have been agreed, as Israeli newspaper Yedioth
Ahronoth quoted sources as saying that Jordan, Egypt and the UAE will take part
in strengthening the Lebanese Army’s capabilities.
Report: Hezbollah rockets remain a threat despite Israel's
crushing offensive
Naharnet/November 21, 2024
Israel’s failure to tamp down Hezbollah’s short-range rocket threat has put
pressure on its government to embrace a cease-fire, the New York Times has
reported.
Israel has severely diminished Hezbollah’s ability to strike deep into Israel
and significantly weakened its political and military leadership, but Israel has
failed to eliminate the short-range rockets that the Lebanese group fires into
the northern half of Israel, U.S. officials told the newspaper. As long as the
rocket fire continues, Israel’s campaign is unable to fulfill one of its main
goals — securing northern Israel so that tens of thousands of residents can
return home there. While the Biden administration has struggled to reach a
cease-fire deal between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, officials familiar with the
negotiations with Hezbollah told the New York Times that there is a realistic
chance for a deal covering Lebanon. Amos Hochstein, a White House envoy, arrived
in Beirut on Tuesday to try to finalize some of the details and said this was “a
moment of decision-making.”Hezbollah retains the ability to fire 100 missiles or
rockets a day into northern Israel. The short-range munitions are easy to hide
and hard to locate. Eliminating them would require Israel to greatly expand its
military operation and to more extensively mobilize its already-stretched
reserve forces. Moreover, American officials said, Hezbollah has not yet fully
deployed some 20,000 to 40,000 fighters, raising concerns that the group is
preparing to wage a longer-term guerrilla campaign against Israeli troops,
particularly in southern Lebanon. “Israeli military actions have significantly
degraded Hezbollah’s military capabilities,” Brett Holmgren, the acting director
of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, said in a speech last week. “But
the ground forces in the south remain somewhat intact.”
Given that reality, U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that a cease-fire
agreement remains the best chance of returning Israelis to their homes near
Lebanon’s border, officials said.
Israeli civilians were evacuated from a two-mile zone abutting the border with
Lebanon in October 2023, initially because of fears of cross-border
infiltrations by Hezbollah’s forces and the threat of antitank missiles. The
antitank missiles have about a six-mile range, allowing no time for incoming
fire warnings and, unlike short-range rockets, they cannot be intercepted by
Israel’s air defenses. The roughly 60,000 Israeli evacuees will not feel safe to
return, Israeli officials and residents of northern Israel say, until they are
assured that any cease-fire deal will keep Hezbollah’s fighters north of the
Litani River. That would put the Israeli communities out of range of the
antitank missiles, reduce the likelihood of an infiltration and stop the
constant rocket fire. Tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians also fled towns
and villages under Israeli fire in southern Lebanon, and American officials have
emphasized that a cease-fire deal is necessary to allow civilians to return home
on both sides of the border.
Hezbollah, with help from Iran, built up most of its military stockpile over
three decades. It was estimated to contain 120,000 to 200,000 projectiles. When
Israel first began its assault on Hezbollah in September, Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah, the group’s leader, asked Iran and Syria to replenish the arsenal,
Israeli officials and an American official said. That contributed to Israel’s
decision to kill Nasrallah in late September. American and Israeli officials
emphasize that Israel’s campaign has crippled Hezbollah’s top ranks. Pager
explosions and other attacks killed and injured top and midlevel leaders in
September. The senior leaders of Hezbollah’s special operations command, known
as the Radwan Force, were wiped out in a Sept. 20 airstrike that killed Ibrahim
Akil, effectively Hezbollah’s chief of military operations, in a southern suburb
of Beirut, U.S. officials say. The potential agreement on a cease-fire for
Lebanon is based on an upgraded version of the U.N. Security Council resolution,
1701, that ended Israel’s last war with Hezbollah in 2006, according to
officials familiar with the matter.
This version of 1701 would include a side memorandum of understanding with an
American guarantee allowing Israel to take action if Hezbollah is found to have
violated the terms, according to an Israeli official familiar with the matter,
who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy. But
there is no guarantee that the Lebanese government, or Hezbollah, would accept
such a condition. Israel’s new foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said last week
that progress had been made in the cease-fire efforts, adding, “We are working
with the Americans on the issue.” For now, the Israeli military has been ramping
up its operations in Lebanon in what Israeli officials and analysts describe as
a strategy of negotiations under fire.
Israel believes it is close to achieving the goal of taking out Hezbollah’s
military infrastructure in the two-and-a-half-mile strip along the border and
has significantly degraded Hezbollah’s arsenal, according to a senior Israeli
military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity under army rules.
U.S. officials say eliminating enough short-range rockets to stop the attacks
into northern Israel is not possible. And a large swath of northern Israel, most
of which has not been evacuated, remains under constant threat. While Israel’s
Iron Dome system intercepts most of the rockets headed for populated areas,
attack drones have proved harder to intercept and able to zone in on sensitive
targets. One hit the dining hall on an army base more than 40 miles south of the
border last month, killing four soldiers. Another damaged Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s private seaside residence a similar distance from the
border. While Hezbollah retains significant capabilities, according to Israeli
officials and experts, Israel has deprived the organization of the ability to
fire thousands of rockets or missiles a day. Israel’s airstrikes have destroyed
60 to 70 percent of Hezbollah’s drone capabilities, the senior military official
said, adding that the group has been launching small swarms of three or four
drones at a time, rather than 40 or 50 as it had planned. An Israeli military
spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, said last week that Israeli forces had
killed more than 2,250 Hezbollah operatives in the six weeks since the ground
operation began. More than 40 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon
during the same period. Israeli officers in southern Lebanon say they have
encountered much less close combat than they had expected in the open areas,
though the soldiers remain exposed to rocket and antitank missile fire.
Residents of the Lebanese border villages had fled, and most fighters had left,
long before the Israeli army arrived, the officers said. But some small
Hezbollah squads have managed to ambush Israeli troops in the built-up areas.
Six soldiers were killed in one such ambush last Wednesday.
Between bomb craters: Taxis stuck on war-hit Lebanon-Syria border
Agence France Presse/November 21, 2024
Stuck in no man's land on the war-hit Lebanon-Syria border, cab driver Fadi
Slika now scrapes a living ferrying passengers between two deep craters left by
Israeli air strikes. The journey is just two kilometers (about 1.2 miles), but
Slika has no other choice -- his taxi is his only source of income. "My car is
stuck between craters: I can't reach Lebanon and I can't go back to Syria.
Meanwhile we're under threat of (Israeli) bombardment," said the 56-year-old. "I
work and sleep here between the two holes," he told AFP. A dual Lebanese-Syrian
national, Slika has been living in his car, refusing to abandon it when it broke
down, until a mechanic brought a new engine. His taxi is one of the few that has
been operating between the two craters since Israeli strikes in October
effectively blocked traffic on the Masnaa crossing. The bombed area has become a
boon for drivers of tuktuks, which can navigate the craters easily. A makeshift
stall, the al-Joura (pit in Arabic) rest house, also set up shop nearby. Slika
went for 12 days without work while waiting for his taxi to be fixed. The car
has become his home. A warm blanket covers its rear seats against eastern
Lebanon's cold winters, and a big bag of pita bread sits on the passenger side.
Before being stranded, Slika made about $100 for trips from Beirut to Damascus.
Now, an average fare between the craters goes for just $5.50 each way, though he
said he charged more.
'From one crater to the other' -
On September 23, Israel intensified its aerial bombing of Lebanon and later sent
in ground troops, nearly a year after Hezbollah initiated limited exchanges of
fire in support of Palestinian ally Hamas amid the Gaza war. Since then, Israel
has bombed several land crossings with Syria out of service. It accuses
Hezbollah of using what are key routes for people fleeing the war in Lebanon to
transfer weapons from Syria. Amid the hardship of the conflict, more than
610,000 people have fled from Lebanon to Syria, mostly Syrians, according to
Lebanese authorities. Undeterred by attacks, travelers still trickle through
Masnaa, traversing the two craters that measure about 10 meters (32 feet) deep
and 30 meters (100 feet) wide. On the other side of the road, Khaled Khatib, 46,
was fixing his taxi, its tires splattered with mud and hood coated in dust.
"After the first strike, I drove from Syria and parked my car before the crater.
When the second strike hit, I got stuck between the two holes," he told AFP,
sweat beading on his face as he looked under the hood. "We used to drive people
from Damascus to Beirut, now we take them from one crater to the other."Khatib
doesn't charge passengers facing tough times, he said, adding he himself had
been displaced from southern Beirut, hammered by Israeli raids since September.
He moved back to his hometown near the Masnaa crossing.
- 'Like brothers' -
Despite tough times, a sense of camaraderie reigns. The drivers "became like
brothers, we eat together at the small stall everyday... and we help each other
fix our cars," he said. Mohamed Yassin moved his coffee stall from the Masnaa
crossing closer to the pit after the strike, offering breakfast, lunch and
coffee. "We try to help people as much as possible," he said. Farther from the
Lebanese border, travelers crossed the largest of the two crevasses, wearing
plastic coverings on their shoes to avoid slipping in the mud. A cab driver on a
mound called out, "Taxi to Damascus!" while tuktuks and trucks ferried
passengers, bags and mattresses across. Nearby, Aida Awda Mubarak, a Syrian
mother of six, haggled with a tuktuk driver over the $1 fare. The 52-year-old
said she was out of work and needed to see her son, after the east Lebanon town
where he lives was hit by Israeli strikes.
"Sometimes we just can't afford to pay for a tuktuk or a cab," she said.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on November
21-22/2024
Israel strikes on Syria’s
Palmyra kill 79 pro-Iran fighters: new toll from monitor
AFP/November 21, 2024
BEIRUT: Israeli strikes killed 79 pro-Iran fighters, including from Iraq and
Lebanon, in the Syrian city of Palmyra, a monitor said Thursday, updating the
toll for the raids a day earlier. The toll was “the highest due to Israeli raids
on pro-Iran groups in Syria since the start of the conflict” in the country in
2011, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Britain-based Observatory said Wednesday’s strikes targeted three sites in
Palmyra — a modern city adjacent to renowned Greco-Roman ruins — including one
that hit a meeting of pro-Iranian groups with leaders from Iraq’s Al-Nujaba
group and Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The death toll has risen to “79 pro-Iran
fighters,” 53 of them Syrians, 22 foreign nationals “mostly from the Iraqi Al-Nujaba
movement,” in addition to “four from Hezbollah,” said the Observatory, updating
an earlier toll of 71 dead. Syria’s defense ministry said Wednesday the Israeli
strikes on the city in central Syria killed 36 people and wounded more than 50
others. Also Wednesday, Syria’s foreign ministry condemned “in the strongest
terms the brutal Israeli aggression against the city of Palmyra, which reflects
the continuing crimes of Zionism against the countries of the region and their
peoples.” Since civil war erupted in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of
strikes in Syria, mainly targeting the army and Iran-backed groups. The Israeli
military has intensified its strikes on targets in Syria since almost a year of
hostilities with Iran-backed Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon escalated into
all-out war in late September. Israel rarely comments on individual strikes in
Syria but has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran to expand its presence in
the country. Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was taken over and pillaged
by Daesh militants at the height of the Syrian civil war. The director general
of antiquities and museums in Syria, Nazir Awad, told AFP the city’s
temples “did not suffer any direct damage” during the latest strikes. “We need
to conduct a survey on the ground to confirm these observations,” he added.
UN nuclear agency’s board
condemns Iran for the 2nd time this year for failing to fully cooperate
Stephanie Liechtenstein/VIENNA (AP)/November 21, 2024
The U.N. nuclear watchdog’s board on Thursday condemned Iran for failing to
cooperate fully with the agency, the second time it has done so in just five
months. The International Atomic Energy Agency also called on Tehran to provide
answers in a long-running investigation into uranium particles found at two
locations that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Nineteen members
of the IAEA board voted for the resolution, while Russia, China and Burkina Faso
opposed it, and 12 abstained and one did not vote, according to diplomats who
spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors
vote. The resolution was put forward by France, Germany and Britain, supported
by the United States. It comes at a critical time, ahead of Donald Trump’s
return to the White House. Trump’s first term in office was marked by a
particularly tense period with Iran, when the U.S. president pursued a policy of
“maximum pressure” against Tehran. In 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew America
from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, and imposed even harsher sanctions
that have since hobbled Iran's economy further. The resolution comes on the
heels of a confidential report earlier this week in which the IAEA said Iran has
defied international demands to rein in its nuclear program and has increased
its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. That report,
seen by the AP on Tuesday, said that as of Oct. 26, Iran has accumulated 182.3
kilograms (401.9 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, an increase of 17.6
kilograms (38.8 pounds) since the last IAEA report in August. Uranium enriched
at 60% purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of
90%.
The resolution approved on Thursday requires the IAEA to now produce a
“comprehensive and updated assessment” of Iran’s nuclear activities, which could
eventually trigger a referral to the U.N. Security Council to consider more
sanctions on Tehran. In a joint statement issued after the approval of the
resolution, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the Iranian foreign
ministry condemned the passing of the resolution, saying that Iran’s nuclear
chief Mohammad Eslami has issued orders to launch new and advanced centrifuges,
powerful machines that spin rapidly to enrich uranium. In the past, the IAEA has
named two locations near Tehran — Varamin and Turquzabad — where there have been
traces of processed uranium, according to IAEA inspectors. Thursday’s resolution
honed in on those locations, asking Tehran to provide “technically credible
explanations” for the presence of the uranium particles at the sites."The IAEA
has urged Iran to also provide answers about the origin and current location of
that nuclear material in order for it “to be in a position to provide assurance
that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.”
Western officials suspect that the uranium traces discovered by the IAEA could
provide evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until at least
2003. Tehran insists its program is peaceful. One of the sites became known
publicly in 2018 after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed it at
the United Nations and called it a clandestine nuclear warehouse hidden at a
rug-cleaning plant. Iran denied that, though IAEA inspectors later found the
man-made uranium particles there. While the number of sites about which the IAEA
has questions has been reduced from four to two since 2019, lingering questions
have been a persistent source of tensions. On the subject of Varamin, the IAEA
said that inspectors believe Iran used the site from 1999 until 2003 as a pilot
project to process uranium ore and convert it into a gas form, which then can be
enriched through spinning in a centrifuge. The IAEA said buildings at the site
had been demolished in 2004. Turquzabad, the second location, is where the IAEA
believes Iran brought some of the material from Varamin amid the demolition,
though it said that alone cannot “explain the presence of the multiple types of
isotopically altered particles” found there. Thursday’s resolution before the
35-member board at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, called on Tehran to explain
the presence of the uranium particles at Varamin and Turquzabad, inform the U.N.
nuclear watchdog about the current whereabouts of that nuclear material, and
grant access to IAEA inspectors to all Iranian nuclear locations.
A draft of the resolution was seen by the AP.
Tehran continues to maintain that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful
purposes and has told the IAEA that it has declared all of the nuclear material,
activities and locations required under a so-called Safeguard Agreement it has
with the IAEA. Iranian officials have vowed to retaliate immediately if a
resolution is passed. In the past, Tehran has responded to IAEA resolutions by
stepping up its nuclear activities. The resolution also requires IAEA director
general Rafael Grossi to provide an updated assessment of Iran’s nuclear program
— including the possible presence of undeclared nuclear material at the two
locations — by spring 2025 at the latest. The assessment could be a basis for
possible further steps by European nations, diplomats said, leading to potential
escalation in tensions between Iran and the West. It could also provide a basis
for European countries to trigger sanctions against Iran ahead of October 2025,
when the original 2015 Iran nuclear deal expires, the diplomats said.
International Criminal Court
issues arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
Abbas Al Lawati, Nadeen Ebrahim, Dana Karni and Tim Lister, CNN/ November 21,
2024
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and a senior
Hamas official, accusing them of war crimes during and after the October 7
attacks on Israel last year. In a statement on Thursday, the Netherlands-based
court said it found “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu bears
criminal responsibility for war crimes including “starvation as a method of
warfare” and “the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other
inhumane acts.” The warrants mark a historic first, making Netanyahu the first
Israeli leader summoned by an international court for alleged actions against
Palestinians in the 76-year conflict. While ICC warrants don’t guarantee
arrests, they could significantly restrict Netanyahu’s ability to travel to ICC
member states.The prime minister’s office dismissed the warrants as “absurd and
antisemitic.”“Israel utterly rejects the absurd and false actions and
accusations against it by the International Criminal Court, which is a
politically biased and discriminatory body,” his office said, adding that there
is “no war more just… after the Hamas terrorist organization launched a
murderous attack against it, carrying out the largest massacre against the
Jewish people since the Holocaust.” Netanyahu “will not yield to pressure, will
not back down, and will not retreat until all the goals of the war set by Israel
at the start of the campaign are achieved,” it said. Israel, like the United
States, is not a member of the ICC and has challenged the court’s jurisdiction
over its actions in the conflict – a challenge the court rejected on Thursday.
The ICC claims jurisdiction over territories Israel occupies, including Gaza,
East Jerusalem, and the West Bank, following the Palestinian leadership’s formal
agreement to be bound by the court’s founding principles in 2015. The court on
Thursday also issued a warrant for Hamas official Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri,
also known as Mohammed Deif, who Israel says was one of the masterminds of the
October 7 attack. Israel said it killed him in an airstrike in September but
Hamas hasn’t confirmed his death. The ICC said it
found “reasonable grounds” to believe that Deif was responsible for “crimes
against humanity, including murder, extermination, torture, and rape and other
form of sexual violence, as well as the war crimes of murder, cruel treatment,
torture, taking hostages, outrages upon personal dignity, and rape and other
form of sexual violence.” Deif bears “criminal responsibility” for these crimes,
the court said, having “committed the acts jointly and through others… having
ordered or induced the commission of the crimes,” and for failing to “exercise
proper control over forces under his effective command and control.” The court
added that there are “reasonable grounds to believe that the crimes against
humanity were part of a widespread and systematic attack directed by Hamas and
other armed groups against the civilian population of Israel.”The ICC prosecutor
had initially sought warrants for Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar,
both of whom have since been killed by Israel. The court said applications for
their warrants were withdrawn as a result. Hamas welcomed the warrants against
Israeli officials in a statement, but made no mention of the warrant issued for
Deif. “This… represents a significant historical precedent. It rectifies a
longstanding course of historical injustice against our people and the
suspicious negligence of the horrific violations they have endured over 76 years
of fascist occupation,” it said, calling for all nations to cooperate in
bringing the Israeli leaders to justice and “take immediate action to halt the
genocide” in Gaza. Hamas had condemned the ICC prosecutor’s decision to seek
warrants against its leaders in May, saying it was an attempt to “equate victims
with aggressors.”
US opposes ICC action against Israel
The Biden administration has in the past come out strongly against the
involvement of the ICC in investigating Israel’s war in Gaza, but said in the
past it did not support sanctions against the international court. In a
statement in May, President Joe Biden said “the ICC prosecutor’s application for
arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous.” “And let me be clear:
whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between
Israel and Hamas,” he said. “We will always stand with Israel against threats to
its security.”In early June, the House of Representatives passed a bill to
sanction anyone involved with the ICC efforts “to investigate, arrest, detain,
or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.” It has
not been brought to a vote in the Senate. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John
Thune on Sunday threatened to pursue sanctions against the ICC if the
international court and “and its prosecutor do not reverse their outrageous and
unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials.” “If
Majority Leader Schumer does not act, the Senate Republican majority will stand
with our key ally Israel and make this – and other supportive legislation – a
top priority in the next Congress,” he wrote in a post on X. President-elect
Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the former ICC chief prosecutor during his
first term in office. CNN has asked the State Department and NSC for comment on
the ICC’s issuance of the arrest warrants Thursday.
Israeli condemnation
Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the warrants as “a dark day for
justice. A dark day for humanity.”He said in a statement on X that “the
outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal
laughing stock. It makes a mockery of the sacrifice of all those who fight for
justice.”The decision, he added, “ignores the basic fact that Israel was
barbarically attacked and has the duty and right to defend its people. It
ignores the fact that Israel is a vibrant democracy, acting under international
humanitarian law, and going to great lengths to provide for the humanitarian
needs of the civilian population.” Recently appointed Israeli Foreign Minister
Gideon Sa’ar said the ICC acted as a political tool serving the most extreme
elements working to undermine peace, security, and stability in the Middle
East.” “From an ethical perspective, this is a moral aberration that turns good
into evil and serves the forces of evil,” he said. “From a diplomatic
perspective, issuing orders against a country acting according to international
law is a reward and encouragement for the axis of evil (of Iran-led groups),
which flagrantly and consistently violates it.”Far-right Minister of National
Security Itamar Ben Gvir condemned the ICC as “antisemitic from start to
finish,” adding that Israel should respond by “applying sovereignty” to the
occupied West Bank and building Jewish settlements in all the territories under
Israel’s control. Gallant served as defense minister until this month, when
Netanyahu fired him after months of clashes over domestic politics and Israel’s
war effort. The prime minister said at the time that “trust between me and the
minister of defense has cracked.” Israel Katz, who served as foreign minister
until then, became defense minister.
What happens next?
Eliav Lieblich, a professor of international law at Tel Aviv University,
described the ICC’s decision as “the most dramatic legal development in Israel’s
history.” “Its immediate meaning is that the 124 state parties to the ICC, which
include most of Israel’s closest allies, would be legally obligated to arrest
Netanyahu and Gallant should they be present in their territories,” Lieblich
told CNN. There may also be wider implications, he added, which “could limit the
ability of third parties to cooperate with” the Israeli military. After an
arrest warrant has been issued, the ICC sends requests for cooperation to member
states. The court does not have a police force of its own to make the arrests,
but relies on member states to execute them, which state parties are legally
obliged to do. Previous leaders who have been faced with ICC arrest warrants
have experienced limitations on their ability to travel, unable to pass through
countries legally obliged to arrest them. ICC judges
have issued 56 arrest warrants, resulting in 21 detentions and appearances
before the court. Another 27 people remain at large and charges have been
dropped against 7 people due to their deaths. CNN’s Jennifer Hansler, Samantha
Waldenberg and Kareem Khadder contributed to this report. An earlier version of
this story was corrected to say that the warrants were issued on Thursday, not
Wednesday.
Death toll in Gaza from Israel-Hamas
war passes 44,000, Palestinian officials say
Wafaa Shurafa And Fatma Khaled/DEIR
AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) /November 21, 2024 The death toll in the Gaza Strip
from the 13-month-old war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000, local
health officials said Thursday.
The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants
in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women
and children. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants,
without providing evidence. The Health Ministry said 44,056 people have been
killed and 104,268 wounded since the start of the war. It has said the real toll
is higher because thousands of bodies are buried under rubble or in areas that
medics cannot access. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into
southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians,
and abducting another 250. Around 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a
third of whom are believed to be dead. Most of the rest were released during a
cease-fire last year. The Israeli offensive has caused heavy destruction across
wide areas of the coastal territory, leading many to wonder when or how it will
ever be rebuilt. Around 90% of the population of 2.3 million people have been
displaced, often multiple times, and hundreds of thousands are living in squalid
tent camps with little food, water or basic services. Israel says it tries to
avoid harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas because the militants
operate in residential areas, where they have built tunnels, rocket launchers
and other military infrastructure. Palestinian officials and rights groups
accuse Israeli forces of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and the United
Nations’ top court is considering allegations of genocide brought by South
Africa. The Israeli government adamantly denies the allegations, accusing
critics of being biased against it. In recent weeks, the amount of humanitarian
aid entering Gaza has plummeted, prompting the United States to threaten to
reduce its military support for Israel before backing down, citing limited
progress. Experts have warned that isolated, war-ravaged northern Gaza could
already be experiencing famine. The United States, Egypt and Qatar spent months
trying to broker a cease-fire agreement in which Hamas would release the
remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the war. Those talks ground to a
halt over the summer, with Israel and Hamas each accusing the other of making
unacceptable demands. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the
wars in the Middle East without saying how. His previous administration gave
unprecedented support to Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
hard-line policies toward the Palestinians.
At Gaza funeral, lost dreams and condemnation of U.S. and Arab states
Hatem Khaled/GAZA (Reuters)/November
21, 2024
As Areej al-Qadi tearfully kissed the bodies of her three young children killed
by an Israeli air strike in Gaza, another mourner lashed out at the United
States and Arab leaders for not ending the war. Gazans attending one funeral
after another after more than a year of devastating conflict between Israel and
the Palestinian militant group Hamas feel abandoned and angry that their pleas
for help have gone largely unanswered.Qadi said her son Abdul Aziz, 7, killed
along with his brother Hamza, 5 and sister Laila, 3, while they played outside
in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, had wanted to be an astronaut. "He
said to me 'I hope a rocket comes and I can go to the moon'. He didn't realise
that the rocket would come and tear him up into pieces," she said. Israel says
it goes to great lengths to protect civilians and accuses Hamas of using them as
human shields. Hamas denies that and accuses Israel of indiscriminate bombing,
charges Israel, in turn, denies. The United States and other countries have sent
aid to Gaza and tried to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas militants
they regard as terrorists while maintaining military support for a far-right
Israeli government that ignores many of their calls for restraint. "What right
does America have, talking about democracy, justice and equality? said displaced
mourner Ra'fat al-Shaer. "Also a message to the Arab world, to the heads of the
Arab nations. How long will this continue?" Arab states have not backed their
own calls for an end to the suffering of fellow-Muslims with any threats to end
diplomatic agreements with Israel despite the deaths of tens of thousands of
civilians. Hamas militants triggered the latest Gaza war when they attacked
Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 from the enclave beseiged by Israeli forces since the
Islamist group took power in 2007. The gunmen killed 1,200 people and took more
than 250 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's military response has
killed more than 44,000 people and turned Gaza, one of the world's most densely
populated places, into a wasteland of crushed cement and twisted metal. People
like Mahmoud Bin Hassan al-Thalatha, the father of the three children he said
were killed along with other innocent people on a bustling street, say their
only recourse is prayer. "My children were martyred, the people walking were
martyred, and the stall vendor was martyred while he was sitting down, they were
all martyred. May God have mercy on them."
Dozens feared dead in Gaza
after Israeli strikes
AFP/November 21, 2024
Dozens of people were killed or unaccounted for after Israeli strikes on the
Gaza Strip, a hospital director and the civil defense agency said Thursday.
One strike on a residential area near the Kamal Adwan hospital in the territory
left “dozens of people” dead or missing, the facility’s director Hossam Abu
Safiya told AFP.
The process of retrieving the bodies and wounded continues, he said, adding:
“Bodies arrive at the hospital in pieces.” Another strike was reported in a
neighborhood of Gaza City. “We can confirm that 22 martyrs were transferred (to
hospital) after a strike targeted a house” in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood,
civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said. Since Hamas conducted its October 7,
2023 attack, the deadliest in Israeli history, Israel has been fighting a war in
Gaza, which the militant group rules. It vows to crush Hamas and to bring home
the hostages seized by the group during the attack.
Israel is also fighting Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both groups are backed
by Israel’s arch-foe Iran. On Thursday, US envoy Amos Hochstein will meet
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seek a truce in the war in
Lebanon.Hochstein’s meetings in Lebanon this week appeared to indicate some
progress in efforts to end that war. On the Gaza front, the United States vetoed
on Wednesday a UN Security Council push for a ceasefire that Washington said
would have emboldened Hamas. Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the
deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli
official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the death toll from
the resulting war has reached 43,985 people, the majority civilians. The United
Nations considers the figures reliable. In October last year, Hezbollah began
cross-border attacks on Israel in support of its ally Hamas. In late September,
Israel expanded the focus of its war from Gaza to Lebanon, vowing to fight
Hezbollah until tens of thousands of Israelis displaced by the cross-border fire
are able to return home. With Hochstein in Lebanon, Israel’s Foreign Minister
Gideon Saar on Wednesday said that any ceasefire deal must ensure Israel still
has the “freedom to act” against Hezbollah. In a defiant speech, Hezbollah
leader Naim Qassem threatened to strike Israeli commercial hub Tel Aviv in
retaliation for attacks on Lebanon’s capital. “Israel cannot defeat us and
cannot impose its conditions on us,” Qassem said in his televised address.
In Lebanon, Hochstein met with officials including parliament speaker Nabih
Berri, an ally of Hezbollah.
On Tuesday, Hochstein said the end of the war was “within our grasp,” and on
Wednesday, he said the talks had “made additional progress.” Since expanding its
operations from Gaza to Lebanon in September, Israel has conducted extensive
bombing primarily targeting Hezbollah strongholds.
More than 3,544 people in Lebanon have been killed since the clashes began,
authorities have said, most since late September. Among them were more than 200
children, according to the United Nations.Israel has also recently intensified
strikes on neighboring Syria, the main conduit of weapons for Hezbollah from its
backer Iran.In the latest attack, a Syria war monitor said 71 pro-Iran fighters
were killed in strikes on Palmyra in the east of the country. Those killed in
Wednesday’s strikes included 45 fighters from pro-Iran Syrian groups, 26 foreign
fighters, most of them from Iraq, and four from Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the monitor
said.Israel rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria but has repeatedly
said it will not allow Iran to expand its presence in the country. On Thursday,
Lebanon’s official National News Agency said strikes hit the southern suburbs of
Beirut, Hezbollah’s main bastion, following an evacuation call by the Israeli
military.Strikes also hit south Lebanon, including the border town of Khiam
where Israeli troops are pushing to advance, according to the agency. On
Wednesday, Israel said three soldiers had been killed in combat in southern
Lebanon — bringing the total fallen to 52 since the start of ground operations
on September 30. The Lebanese army said Israeli fire killed one of its soldiers
in the area, after it announced the deaths of three other personnel in a strike.
While not engaged in the ongoing war, the Lebanese army has reported 18 losses
since the start of the escalation on September 23. The Israeli military later
said, without mentioning the deaths, that it was looking into reports of
Lebanese soldiers wounded by a strike on Tuesday. “We emphasize that the
(Israeli military) is operating precisely against the Hezbollah terrorist
organization and is not operating against the Lebanon Armed Forces,” the
military told AFP in a statement. Hezbollah was the only armed group in Lebanon
that did not surrender its weapons following the 1975-1990 civil war. It has
maintained a formidable arsenal and holds sway not only on the battlefield but
also in Lebanese politics.
The United States, Israel’s top military and political backer, has been pushing
for the UN Security Council resolution that ended the last Hezbollah-Israel war
in 2006 to form the basis of a new truce.
Under Resolution 1701, Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only
armed forces deployed in south Lebanon.
WHO Chief Back to Work after
Being Discharged from Hospital
Asharq Al Awsat/November 21/ 2024
The head of the World Health Organization said on social media platform X on
Thursday he had been discharged from a hospital in Rio de Janeiro after being
admitted overnight. "I felt unwell yesterday afternoon
and was admitted to Samaritano Barra Hospital in Rio, but I was discharged this
morning and am back to work," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Tedros, 59, suffers from hypertension. He was in Rio de Janeiro for the
G20 summit where he met with US President Joe Biden and other leaders,
advocating for strengthened global cooperation in health emergencies. Local
newspaper O Globo had reported earlier on Thursday that Tedros sought medical
attention at the facility with "symptoms of labyrinthitis and an hypertensive
crisis," after showing signs of being unwell. According to the report, Tedros
was examined on Monday by health professionals on duty at the G20 summit and
given medicine for high blood pressure, but was released once he was stable.
Reactions to the ICC warrants
Asharq Al Awsat/November 21, 2024
These are reactions to the International Criminal Court arrest warrants for
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant
and Hamas commander Ibrahim al-Masri, who is believed to be dead. The warrants
are for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Hamas attack
on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel's military campaign in Gaza since then.
ISRAEL:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office:
"Israel rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions leveled against it by
ICC," the office said, calling the move antisemitic.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog:
"The decision chose the side of terrorism and evil over democracy and freedom
and turned the international justice system itself into a human shield for Hamas'
crimes against humanity."
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar:
"A dark moment for the International Criminal Court," Saar said, adding the
court had "lost all legitimacy" and adding that it had issued "absurd orders
without authority".
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid:
"Israel defends its life against terrorist organizations that attacked, murdered
and raped our citizens, these arrest warrants are a reward for terrorism."
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich:
"Israel will continue to defend its citizens and its security with
determination," he said, urging Netanyahu to sever contact with the court and
impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority and its leaders "to the point of
its collapse".
Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir:
"The International Criminal Court in The Hague shows once again that it is
antisemitic through and through."
PALESTINIANS:
Hamas official statement: "We call on the International Criminal Court to expand
the scope of accountability to all criminal occupation leaders."
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim:
"This is an important step on the path to justice and bringing justice to the
victims but it remains a limited and spiritual step if it is not backed
practically by all countries."
UNITED STATES:
Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President-elect Trump:
"The Court is a dangerous joke. It is now time for the US Senate to act and
sanction this irresponsible body."
EUROPE:
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the ICC warrants for Netanyahu and
Gallant are not political and the court decision should be respected and
implemented.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told parliament, "The Netherlands
obviously respects the independence of the ICC," adding: "We won't engage in
non-essential contacts and we will act on the arrest warrants. We fully comply
with the Rome Statute of the ICC," he added.
France's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said the French
reaction to the warrants would be "in line with ICC statutes" but declined to
say whether France would arrest the leader if he came to the country. "It's a
point that is legally complex," he said. Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth
Eide said, "It is important that the ICC carries out its mandate in a judicious
manner. I have confidence that the court will proceed with the case based on the
highest fair trial standards." Ireland's Prime Minister Simon Harris called the
warrants "an extremely significant step" and added that Ireland respects the
role of the ICC and anyone in a position to assist it in carrying out its vital
work must do so "with urgency".
MIDDLE EAST:
Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the ICC rulings should be respected
and implemented, adding that "Palestinians deserve justice".
America's allies in Syria
hope they can sway Trump's decisions about US troops there
Paul Iddon/Business Insider/November 21, 2024
US troops remain in Syria to counter ISIS and patrol oil fields in the region.
Trump's return raises uncertainties about the status of these troops in this
highly volatile region.
Both Turkey and the Kurdish-led officials hope to sway the incoming Trump
administration.
For almost a decade, US troops have been on the ground in Syria to assist
Kurdish-led forces in the defeat of the infamous Islamic State. These forces
tamp down on the ISIS remnants in the northern and eastern regions they
presently control, where tens of thousands of captured ISIS fighters, their
families and suspected affiliates remain in open-air camps and prisons.
But there's a new wrinkle of uncertainty in this highly volatile and contested
region: US President-elect Donald Trump.
During his first term, Trump ordered the withdrawal of US troops partnered with
the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces after ISIS' territorial defeat. Trump
did this following a phone call with the president of Turkey, a staunch rival of
the SDF, resulting in an immediate cross-border Turkish operation against those
US-allied forces. Trump then backtracked and kept 900 US troops in Syria. His
imminent return to the Oval Office once again raises the specter that the US
could pull out, leaving a power vacuum that Turkey, the Syrian regime, and
Russia may move to fill at the SDF's expense. The resulting instability could be
an opening for ISIS to regroup. Turkish officials want the US to leave, with the
incumbent defense minister stating, "Trump will strongly focus on this." But the
Kurds hope they can persuade him otherwise.
"We formed a successful alliance with the United States in combating terrorism,"
Sinam Mohamad, the representative of the Syrian Democratic Council mission to
the United States and a top diplomat of the Autonomous Administration of North
and East Syria, told Business Insider.
"We may have felt frustrated during Trump's first term due to his decision to
withdraw American forces from Syria in 2019," Mohamad said. "But today, as a
result of the political circumstances in the Middle East and the world, we see
that President Trump will have a different outlook than before." The AANES
administrates large swathes of north and east Syria under the SDF's control.
The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which is backed by Russia, does
not recognize the AANES. Turkey vehemently opposes it, claiming the SDF has
inextricable ties to its main adversary, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.
Turkish strikes against AANES infrastructure have cut off water and electricity
to over a million people, leading to charges that Turkey is violating
international law. "The incoming Trump administration has an opportunity to
reconfigure the entire US strategy in Syria, maintain its minimal but
high-rewards troops presence in Syria, and proceed with a bold vision to mend
fences between Syrian Kurds and Ankara," Mohammed A. Salih, a non-resident
senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute and an expert on Kurdish
and regional affairs, told BI.
"The focus should be on a win-win outcome for all sides, America, Kurds, and
Turkey."
Some called for a US withdrawal after the January drone attack against a US base
in Jordan that supports operations in Syria, killing three Americans and
injuring 47.
The Syrian Democratic Forces oversee the sprawling Al Hol detention camp for
ISIS fighters and their families, and worry a rapid US pullout from the region
could lead to large prison breaks. The specific timing of any American
withdrawal will also be a critical factor.
"The American withdrawal from Syria may take place in 2026 or before that, but
what will be different are the circumstances that will accompany this
withdrawal," the SDC's Mohamad said. "It may take into account the dangers
facing the areas of the autonomous administration and Washington's allies in the
fight against terrorism, and at that time, it is necessary to ensure the
withdrawal with political security for the region." The official underlined the
continued importance of the American presence for ensuring "the continuation of
the fight against terrorism" and that the SDF can continue securing the "large
number of prisoners of the terrorist organizations languishing" in AANES
detention. The Kurds have thousands of former ISIS fighters in its camps and
detention centers. The sprawling Al-Hol camp has a population of over 40,000,
including thousands of ISIS women and children, a number of whom remain
radicalized. It has warned that another Turkish invasion would divert SDF
fighters and resources away from securing these facilities."The Syrian
Democratic Forces have the qualifications to secure these facilities," said
Mohamad, the Kurdish diplomat. "But they will not be able to perform their duty
to the fullest extent if the withdrawal occurs without political security for
the region's situation."Mohamad stressed that AANES and SDF would want American
guarantees that Turkey will not invade after a US withdrawal. "A sudden troop
withdrawal could probably result in even more disastrous outcomes than in
Afghanistan, given the presence of various regional and global powers in Syria
and the resurgence of ISIS and other jihadi groups there," said Salih, the FPRI
regional expert. "In all likelihood, the situation will be highly chaotic in the
event of a withdrawal with serious consequences that could witness the mass
escaping of ISIS prisoners, likely more radicalized and resentful as a result of
their prison experience," Salih added. While weakened from years of war, ISIS
has already demonstrated its capability to regroup and threaten their
adversaries. A coordinated ISIS jailbreak attempt in 2022 led to almost two
weeks of heavy fighting with the SDF. A rapid US withdrawal tips the uneasy
balance of powers. Salih anticipates this could lead to "a hectic race" between
Iran, Russia, the Syrian regime, and Turkey for the resource-rich AANES regions.
"All the problems we suffer from in the regions of North and East Syria are
related to the necessity of placing our region within the international solution
platforms related to Syria, political support, and finding a solution to the
Syrian crisis with the participation of the Autonomous Administration and the
Syrian Democratic Council in the political process," Mohamad said. "This will
have a major impact in changing the shape of the region, reducing hotbeds of
tension, and ensuring global security and peace."
**Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle
East developments, military affairs, politics, and history. His articles have
appeared in a variety of publications focused on the region.
Iraq Implements 12 Measures in Response to Israeli Complaint to UN
Baghdad: Fadhel al-Nashmi/November 21, 2024
The Iraqi government has responded firmly to an Israeli complaint submitted to
the UN Security Council, accusing Iraqi armed factions of launching attacks on
Israel and holding Baghdad responsible. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s
government convened on Wednesday an emergency meeting of the National Security
Council, which resulted in the announcement of 12 measures aimed at countering
these accusations, strengthening internal security, and maintaining Iraq’s
sovereignty. A key directive focuses on asserting state control over military
activities. Security agencies were instructed to “prevent and pursue any
military actions outside the state’s authority” and enhance security along
Iraq’s western borders with rapid deployment and robust planning. This aims to
curb the activities of armed factions operating outside the state’s framework,
particularly near the Syrian border, which is believed to be a base for groups
attacking Israel. The Israeli complaint, filed by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar,
accused six factions within the Popular Mobilization Forces of targeting Israel
and blamed the Iraqi government for allowing such actions. The Iraqi government
strongly rejected the accusations. Major General Yahya Rasool, spokesperson for
the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, described the allegations as a
pretext for a potential Israeli attack on Iraq, aimed at escalating regional
tensions. Rasool emphasized that the decision to declare war or peace rests
solely with the Iraqi government and highlighted ongoing efforts to prevent
Iraqi territory from being used for external attacks. These include seizing
launch-ready weapons and taking legal action against those threatening Iraq’s
security. Despite these assurances, factions aligned with the Resistance Axis
continue to conduct attacks on Israel, with reports suggesting over 120 rocket
strikes in recent months. In October, Israel reported two soldiers killed in a
drone strike launched from Iraq, further escalating tensions.
Iraq’s National Security Council condemned Israel’s accusations as a
“dangerous escalation” and a manipulation of international opinion to justify
aggression. Iraq reaffirmed its commitment to international law and the UN
Charter, condemning Israeli threats and highlighting their destabilizing impact
on regional peace. The Council outlined several measures to address the issue
internationally and domestically. Key external actions include directing the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs to raise the matter in international forums, urging
the Arab League to take a united stance against Israeli threats, and calling on
the UN Security Council to review Iraq’s complaints against Israel.
Additionally, Iraq requested the United States to use its influence to deter
Israeli actions through ongoing security and military dialogues under the
Strategic Framework Agreement. Domestically, Al-Sudani
instructed the armed forces to prevent unauthorized military actions, strengthen
security along Iraq’s borders, and ensure aerial protection over critical
infrastructure. Intelligence agencies were tasked with monitoring and responding
to any hostile activities, while field commanders were warned they would be held
accountable for security breaches.
Putin says hit Ukraine with
new mid-range ballistic missile
AFP/November 21, 2024
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the country’s forces
had hit Ukraine with a new mid-range ballistic missile. Putin said in a
televised address that Russia carried out “testing in combat conditions of one
of the newest Russian mid-range missile systems... Our engineers named it
Oreshnik,” which means hazel tree in Russian. Russia struck the central
Ukrainian city of Dnipro with a barrage of missiles early Thursday. The
Ukrainian air force and President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of
apparently using an intercontinental ballistic missile, while Ukrainian experts
were still examining the evidence to ascertain the type of missile used. Putin
said in his address that Russia launched a combined strike on a defense industry
target in Ukraine. He described Oreshnik as a “ballistic missile” that was
deployed in this case “in a non-nuclear hypersonic configuration,” saying that
the “test” had been successful and had hit its target. Air defenses cannot
intercept the Oreshnik, which attacks at a speed of Mach 10, or 2.5-3 kilometers
per second, Putin said. “Modern air defense systems... cannot intercept such
missiles. That’s impossible,” he said. “As of today there are no means of
counteracting such a weapon,” the president boasted. He said Russia was testing
the Oreshnik in combat conditions “in response to the aggressive actions of NATO
countries toward Russia.”
Russia fires what appears to be intercontinental ballistic
missile at Ukraine, Kyiv says
Reuters/November 21, 2024
KYIV: Ukraine said Russia fired what appeared to be an intercontinental
ballistic missile at the city of Dnipro on Thursday, in what would be the first
use in war of a weapon designed to deliver long-distance nuclear strikes.
Western officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, later told Reuters their
initial analysis showed it was not an intercontinental ballistic missile, though
they left open the possibility that conclusion could change.Regardless of its
classification, the latest strike highlighted rapidly rising tensions in the
33-month-old war. Ukraine fired US and British missiles at targets inside Russia
this week despite warnings by Moscow that it would see such action as a major
escalation. Security experts said that if Thursday’s strike involved an
intercontinental ballistic missile, it would be the first use of such a missile
in war. ICBMs are strategic weapons designed to deliver nuclear warheads and are
an important part of Russia’s nuclear deterrent. “Today there was a new Russian
missile. All the characteristics – speed, altitude – are (of an)
intercontinental ballistic (missile). An expert (investigation) is currently
underway,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video statement.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry urged the international community to react swiftly to
the use of what it said was “the use by Russia of a new type of weaponry.” The
Ukrainian air force said the missile was fired from the Russian region of
Astrakhan, more than 700 km (435 miles) from Dnipro in central-eastern Ukraine.
It did not specify what kind of warhead the missile had or what type of missile
it was. There was no suggestion it was nuclear-armed. Asked about the air force
statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters to contact Russian
military for comment. Ukrainska Pravda, a Kyiv-based media outlet, cited
anonymous sources saying the missile was an RS-26 Rubezh, a solid-fueled
intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 5,800 km, according to the
Arms Control Association. The RS-26 was first successfully tested in 2012, and
is estimated to be 12 meters (40 ft) long and weigh 36 tons, according to the
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). It said the RS-26 can
carry an 800-kg (1,765-pound)nuclear warhead. The RS-26 is classified as an ICBM
under a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia, but
it can be seen as an intermediate-range ballistic missile when used with heavier
payloads at ranges below 5,500 km, CSIS said.
At least 38 killed as gunmen open fire on vehicles carrying
Shiites in northwest Pakistan
AP/November 21, 2024
PESHAWAR: Gunmen opened fire on vehicles carrying Shiite Muslims in Pakistan’s
restive northwest on Thursday, killing at least 38 people, including six women,
and wounding 20 others in one of the region’s deadliest such attacks in recent
years, police said. The attack happened in Kurram, a district in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province where sectarian clashes between majority Sunni Muslims and
minority Shiites have killed dozens of people in recent months. No one
immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attack. It came a week after
authorities reopened a key highway in the region that had been closed for weeks
following deadly clashes. Local police official Azmat Ali said several vehicles
were traveling in a convoy from the city of Parachinar to Peshawar, the capital
of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when gunmen opened fire. He said at least 10 passengers
were in critical condition at a hospital.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said at least 38 people were killed in the
“terrorist attack.” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari
condemned the attack, and Sharif said those behind the killing of innocent
civilians will not go unpunished. A witness, 35-year-old Mir Hussain, said he
saw four gunmen emerge from a vehicle and open fire on buses and cars. “I think
other people were also firing at the convoy of vehicles from nearby open farm
field,” he said. “The firing continued for about 40 minutes.” He said he hid
until the attackers fled. “I heard cries of women, and people were shouting for
the help,” he said. Baqir Haideri, a local Shiite leader, denounced the assault
and said the death toll was likely to rise. Shop owners in Parachinar announced
a strike on Friday to protest the attack. Shiite Muslims make up about 15
percent of the 240 million population of Sunni-majority Pakistan, which has a
history of sectarian animosity between the communities. Although they live
together largely peacefully, tensions have existed for decades in some areas,
especially in parts of Kurram, where Shiites are the majority. Nearly 50 people
from both sides were killed over a land dispute in July when clashes between
Sunni and Shiites erupted in Kurram. Pakistan is tackling violence in the
northwest and southwest, where militants and separatists often target police,
troops and civilians. Most of the violence in these areas has been blamed on the
Pakistani Taliban and the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on November
21-22/2024
China Puts Trump, Trade, and Foreign Business in the Crosshairs
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/November 21, 2024
AstraZeneca confirmed this month that Chinese investigators had detained Leon
Wang, president of the company's China business.
[I]t is highly unlikely that AstraZeneca is the only pharmaceutical company
guilty of shenanigans. Selective prosecution of foreigners is a Communist Party
specialty.
Xi Jinping... hits foreign companies whenever he can. He took down the
U.S.-based Mintz Group in March of last year and has not let up since.
[F]oreign pharmaceutical businesses are at special risk because they occupy a
sector that Xi Jinping is determined to control. He is, infamously, the driving
force behind Made in China 2025, the predatory ten-year plan to achieve
dominance in ten key technology areas. One of those ten sectors is medicine and
medical devices.
He [Xi Jinping] does not really believe in free trade, however: He really wants
China to have unfettered access to other markets while denying others access to
China's.
So Trump, despite his tariff promises, is not the one attacking the rules-based
trading order.
The real culprit is Xi Jinping.
China is both a predatory and criminal trader, and becoming even more so in
recent months. President-elect Donald Trump, despite his tariff promises, is not
the one attacking the rules-based trading order. The real culprit is Chinese
President Xi Jinping. Pictured: Trump, on a state visit to China, takes part in
a welcoming ceremony with Xi on November 9, 2017 in Beijing. (Photo by Thomas
Peter-Pool/Getty Images)
"The attempt to block economic cooperation under all sorts of pretexts and break
up the interdependence of the world is nothing but backpedaling," declared
China's President Xi Jinping at the just concluded APEC summit in Peru.
"Stand up to protectionism and unilateralism," said Ren Hongbin, a former
Commerce Ministry official and now chairman of the China Council for the
Promotion of International Trade, also at APEC. "There is the rhetoric of the
decoupling and derisking," he warned. "The artificial severance of the global
supply chain is detrimental for everyone"
Beijing's campaign against the next president of the United States has just
begun. China is trying to position itself as the defender of free trade and tar
Donald Trump as the global disruptor.
The Chinese Communist Party narrative is far from the truth, however. China is
both a predatory and criminal trader, and becoming even more so in recent
months.
How do we know this? The regime, among other things, is stepping up attacks on
foreign businesses. AstraZeneca confirmed this month that Chinese investigators
had detained Leon Wang, president of the company's China business.
Wang is the subject of a corruption probe.
Business in China is riddled with corruption, and the pharmaceutical business is
among the most corrupt. Among other reasons, Beijing has traditionally forced
hospitals to fend for themselves, so doctors and administrators have devised
devious ways to make up for the lack of support.
It is true that AstraZeneca's China's sales force has been investigated for
doctoring genetic tests to make more patients eligible to receive Tagrisso, a
lung cancer drug, and there have also been revelations about the illegal
importation of drugs from Hong Kong. Nonetheless, it is highly unlikely that
AstraZeneca is the only pharmaceutical company guilty of shenanigans. Selective
prosecution of foreigners is a Communist Party specialty.
Several factors are at play at the moment. First, Xi Jinping is absolutely
determined to reserve the Chinese market for China's state enterprises. He hits
foreign companies whenever he can. He took down the U.S.-based Mintz Group in
March of last year and has not let up since.
Second, foreign pharmaceutical businesses are at special risk because they
occupy a sector that Xi Jinping is determined to control. He is, infamously, the
driving force behind Made in China 2025, the predatory ten-year plan to achieve
dominance in ten key technology areas. One of those ten sectors is medicine and
medical devices. Moreover, his "Strategy Outline" seeks self-sufficiency in,
among other things, high-end medical devices and patented pharmaceuticals.
Xi's assault on AstraZeneca, which has done well in China because of its
portfolio of innovative pharmaceuticals, is a warning to foreign drug companies.
Third, Xi, while branding himself as the planet's leading champion of
globalization, is in reality cutting China's links with the world, reversing the
gaige kaifang — "reforming and opening up"— policies of Deng Xiaoping,
Communist's China's "second generation" leader and Mao Zedong's successor.
Xi is leaving no aspect of society untouched, relentlessly trying to eliminate
foreign influence. His continued attack on foreign business is just one part of
this all-of-regime effort.
The paradox is that Xi now needs the world more than ever. He has, apparently
for ideological reasons and his unwillingness to challenge core Communist Party
constituencies, rejected the commonsense advice to make consumption the basis of
the Chinese economy. Instead, he is trying to export his way out of a developing
crisis, making China critically dependent on access to foreign markets.
Trump, in these circumstances, poses a direct threat to the Chinese regime.
During his campaign for the presidency, he promised, in an interview with Fox
News's Maria Bartiromo, across-the-board tariffs of at least 60% on China's
products, which would shut off the American market to many Chinese goods.
To keep that market open, Beijing will have to absorb much of the cost of new
tariffs, as it did in 2018 when Trump, using Section 301 of the Trade Act of
1974, imposed tariffs of up to 25% on Chinese goods. Then, Beijing and Chinese
manufacturers, through various stratagems, picked up somewhere between 75% to
81% of the 2018 levies.
History is repeating itself. China this month, beginning immediately before the
American elections, has been driving down the value of the renminbi and making
Chinese products cheaper. This is "currency manipulation," and it is especially
predatory.
Now, Xi apparently hopes that his propaganda offensive will help convince others
to help him defend what he calls "free trade." He does not really believe in
free trade, however: He really wants China to have unfettered access to other
markets while denying others access to China's.
Xi should know that his mercantilist tactics are convincing others to protect
their industries from China's onslaught. The United States is not the only
market that will erect high tariff walls. The European Union is doing so too,
and even countries in the "Global South" — China is trying to make itself the
champion of the world's less developed regions — are putting up tariff walls
against Chinese goods.
So Trump, despite his tariff promises, is not the one attacking the rules-based
trading order.
The real culprit is Xi Jinping.
Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America
and The Coming Collapse of China, a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior
fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.
*Follow Gordon G. Chang on X (formerly Twitter)
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The US Has Two Faces, and This is The Luminous One
Suleiman JawdaAsharq Al Awsat/November 21/ 2024
You could hardly find anyone anywhere in the world who isn't either contemptuous
of the United States of America or furious at it.
This anger or hatred isn't directed at the United States itself nor at its
people. People hate the policies it has adopted for addressing countless crises
and problems around the globe, and more specifically, especially the brutal
Israeli war on Palestinians in Gaza, as well as its war on Lebanon.
Can we forget that, for example, when US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken
visited Israel at the beginning of the war and said that he had come as a Jew
first, not as Uncle Sam’s Secretary of State?
We cannot forget this no matter how many developments will unfold, because this
provocative statement was not just a phrase uttered by the man and reported by
the media. It turned into the material policy of the US administration to any
matter concerning the war or Israel.
The hope was that Blinken would put his religious affiliation aside and not
allow it to shape his perspective on this war that began over a year ago. The
hope was that the United States, as a mediator, would not abandon basic
standards of integrity and fairness in its efforts.
The American Secretary of State wasn't merely making this statement or
implementing policies regarding the conflict on his own initiative. He was
voicing and carrying out the policy of the administration as a whole. His
administration, both then and now, insists on maintaining its bias and refuses
to leave the scene before it is complicit in the suffering of innocent
casualties in Gaza and Lebanon. In fact, no one in this administration seemed
moved by the fact that almost fifty thousand were killed in Gaza alone, mostly
women and children.
It so happened that this unfortunate American position coincided with the early
period of the US presidential campaign and continued into the end of the race.
Since this was no ordinary race, the kind of contest we would typically see in
the past, it garnered an unprecedented level of attention, dividing people
worldwide between supporters of Kamala Harris and those hoping that Donald Trump
would win.
A lot of focus has been placed on the unique features of the American political
system, which have no equivalent in any other country. Thus, closely following
the elections comes to reflect a sort of secret admiration for the country.
Is there any place in the world with an electoral system that fuses a peculiar
system called the "Electoral College" into the vote count? It is peculiar
because we know it was the reason Trump had been elected to the White House, in
2016, despite having received fewer votes than the losing candidate, Hillary
Clinton! This is not merely a random oddity. Another
quirk of the US electoral system is that an American citizen living in the
capital, Washington D.C., does not have the right to vote, for no other reason
than that they reside in the capital, which the six founding fathers of the
United States decided to make a neutral zone, preventing its residents from
voting in elections. Hence, if you are in Washington, you can see the phrase
"Taxation Without Representation" on some license plates. Indeed, the residents
do not have elected representatives in Congress, neither in the Senate nor the
House of Representatives, to oversee how their tax money is spent.
The peculiarities of the US do not end there. Citizens address their
elected president with some sharpness, audacity, and authority. If the president
asks, "Who are you?" the citizen immediately responds, "I am a taxpayer!"
Paying taxes gives them the power to confront the highest official of the
executive branch and the freedom they deserve, because taxes are the treasury’s
primary source of revenue, and because the elected president receives his salary
from this treasury, and therefore, the citizens, (wherever they may be)
addressing him pay the salary he receives from the federal treasury. All this
demonstrates that the United States has two faces, one is its domestic face. It
is luminous. The other is its dark or unjust face, and we are seeing it both
inside the region and elsewhere.
Political Thought as Processes, Not Mere Binary Opposition
Hazem SaghiehAsharq Al Awsat/November 21/ 2024
Binary thinking has defined much of contemporary Arab political thought. Of
course, every notion has a binary opposite: colonialism is the opposite of
independence and liberation, occupation is the opposite of resistance, reaction
is the opposite of progressivism, fragmentation is the opposite of unity, and we
confront backwardness through progress. Our conception
of matters along these conclusive lines can be attributed to multiple sources.
One of them is a heritage brimming with absolutes that go back to time
immemorial and are often safeguarded by the sacred. Among the products of this
frame of mind are dichotomies like right and wrong, good and evil, and black and
white. The modern source is associated with Hegelian philosophy, especially its
Marxist revision, with history seen as a series of contradictions between
antitheses whose struggles lead us to higher stages over a long path toward
advancement.
Following a purist approach to interpretation that leaves no room for any
reconciliation between opposite sides of the binary, the term "eclecticism"
emerged to point the finger at anyone who does reconcile them by incorporating
elements from the opposite side, or does not totally abide by the narrative of
the correct side about itself.
It seems that the hold of absolute binary thinking on our consciousness, and the
success of the “what” in effacing the "how" and marginalizing it, can shut the
door to processes and dynamics, or that we have at least seen stark examples of
this in mainstream Arab political culture. Mind you, the foundational texts of
modern political thought, those of Niccolò Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, and John
Locke, were primarily focused on the processes, methods, and dynamics of
governance, as well as laying out the rights and duties of the relationship
between those who govern and the governed. Indeed, this is where the scope of
politics expands, and it is the reason politics has the capacity to constrain
violence and reduce the scale of death fueled by unyielding commitments to
radical causes that can only be resolved radically. There is no other way to
open the door to the rich possibilities, and unexpected developments and
novelties, that reality offers and that insular narratives of predetermined
binaries cannot foresee.
Accordingly, there is a pressing need, stemming from an array of factors, for
reaching arrangements and compromises. One is the lack of a balance of power
that allows for ending the contradiction between the two antitheses through a
shining victory on one side and a crushing defeat on the other. Moreover, the
conditions of societies, or the capabilities and capacities of their people,
might not withstand the costs required to decisively resolve such
contradictions. In our interconnected world, the boundaries between "here" and
"there" have narrowed, and many find themselves adopting lots of positions that
are difficult to neatly categorize into this or that side of the binary. This
dynamic can plant seeds of contradiction within each opposing side, leading the
conflict between the two likely to shift into an internal struggle within each
side. Moreover, technological progress introduces factors whose role in shaping
the nature and structure of conflicts cannot be ignored. For example, while it
is valid to claim that those who are occupied have a legitimate right to
occupation, technological gaps could render violence obsolete as a form of
resistance, confining resistance to political, cultural, and economic efforts.
Moreover, new ideas and technicalities that had not been known to us can now be
used to resolve contradictions, such as compensation, exchange, or third-party
arbitration. In some cases, addressing issues, if their costs become too high to
bear at a given time, could be deferred until different circumstances, or even
future generations, emerge...
We have already seen figures and parties known for their strong ideological
inclinations seek to reconcile Marxism with conceptions that allow for greater
acknowledgment of the role of politics. Others took the eclectic approach that
theories of absolute binary opposites denounce. While "Third World" radicals
were bogged down in "wars of existence, not borders" and "battles of survival
and annihilation," their Western counterparts followed a different path. In the
1970s, for instance, the Italian, Spanish, and French communist parties
developed "Eurocommunism," which sought to align with their continent’s
parliamentary democracy. Italian communists even made a "historic compromise" to
share power with Christian Democrats. Two decades earlier, some hardened
ideologues in the Soviet Union, under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev,
endorsed "peaceful coexistence" with capitalism and acknowledged that socialism
could be achieved through parliamentary means and not exclusively through
revolution.
From a different position, the late Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba may have
been among the first figures to challenge the culture of absolute binaries in
the Arab world. He argued that Tunisia’s independence from France would lose
much of its value if it resulted in a deterioration of its relationship with
French culture or a rupture. Unfortunately, this historic position has none of
the appeal associated with Algeria’s path to independence, which was paved by
the sacrifice of "a million martyrs."
We could attribute the hegemony of absolute binaries in our consciousness to the
weakness of empirical and utilitarian approaches in Arab political thought. It
may also stem from the limited organic cohesion of our social structures, as one
matter rarely impacts or reflects on another, or from the hardships of many
historical episodes and the challenges they presented. Yet, one could invert
this formula and claim that adopting a different approach could have mitigated
that hardship and challenges of these episodes. But that, of course, is another
matter altogether.
The urgent need for climate action in Africa
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/November 21, 2024
Africa stands on the front line of climate change, enduring some of its harshest
impacts despite contributing a minimal amount to global greenhouse gas
emissions. Today, African nations are losing up to 15 percent of their gross
domestic product every year due to climate disruptions, a staggering figure that
highlights the profound economic and social toll the crisis imposes on a
continent where millions already face poverty and inequality. As highlighted at
the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan, Africa’s leaders are urgently
calling for decisive action to confront the climate crisis head-on.
Recent climate events in Africa illustrate the extent of these challenges.
Rising sea levels threaten West Africa’s coastal regions, displacing populations
and damaging infrastructure. Meanwhile, prolonged droughts in East Africa have
decimated crops and livestock, triggering a regional food security crisis. This
erratic and intensifying climate not only disrupts the livelihoods of millions
of farmers, but it also destabilizes whole economies that rely heavily on
agriculture. In 2023 alone, disasters linked to climate change forced an
estimated 14 million Africans into poverty — a grim testament to the urgent need
for global action.
The evidence of climate change in Africa is mounting rapidly and the urgency of
addressing these issues is more pronounced than ever. Africa’s natural
environment, economic stability and social systems are under significant strain.
Unlike wealthier regions, African countries have limited resources to mitigate
the effects of climate change, making them uniquely vulnerable to its harshest
consequences. The continent’s reliance on climate-sensitive sectors such as
agriculture, fishing and tourism means that erratic weather patterns and
environmental shifts have far-reaching consequences. For example, farmers in the
Sahel region report shorter and more intense growing seasons, leading to reduced
crop yields and increased food insecurity. For communities already struggling to
survive on the economic margins, these climate pressures exacerbate existing
vulnerabilities, pushing many into extreme poverty.
The need for immediate, impactful action on Africa’s climate crisis is not only
an African issue but a global one. Africa is also witnessing increased migration
and displacement due to climate events, with millions of people forced to move
from their homes in search of food, water and work. If climate action is
delayed, these migrations will intensify, creating humanitarian crises and
straining the infrastructure and resources of neighboring regions. In a world
where instability in one region affects others, the need for immediate,
impactful action on Africa’s climate crisis is not only an African issue but a
global one.
Africa’s leaders and climate advocates have laid out several actionable steps to
confront the continent’s climate vulnerabilities, while promoting sustainable
growth. These steps offer a blueprint for resilience and could transform Africa
into a leader in green energy and climate action if backed by global support.
Africa is rich in minerals crucial for clean energy technologies, including
lithium, cobalt and copper, which are essential components for batteries, wind
turbines and solar panels. By harnessing these resources, African countries can
spur economic transformation, transitioning from extractive industries that harm
the environment to sustainable green economies. This strategy not only
strengthens Africa’s role in the global clean energy market but also helps
mitigate the economic risks posed by climate disruptions.
In addition, Africa’s vast forests and unique ecosystems have immense potential
for carbon sequestration. By prioritizing conservation and reforestation
projects, African countries can boost natural carbon capture while protecting
biodiversity. Forests in the Congo Basin, for example, are critical to global
climate stability. Nature-based solutions also bring benefits such as preserving
water sources, preventing soil erosion and sustaining wildlife, all of which are
essential for rural livelihoods and ecological health.
Financial resources are vital to building Africa’s climate resilience. At COP29,
African leaders advocated for an ambitious New Collective Quantified Goal that
addresses Africa’s specific adaptation needs. Current financial commitments fall
far short of what is required: Africa needs more than $100 billion annually for
climate adaptation, but global commitments were only $11.4 billion 2019-20.
Adequate funding would empower African nations to invest in resilient
infrastructure, water systems, early warning networks and food security
programs, which are all critical to withstanding climate shocks.
Investment in clean energy infrastructure not only reduces emissions but also
addresses Africa’s energy poverty. Furthermore, Africa’s renewable energy
potential is vast, from solar energy in North Africa’s deserts to hydroelectric
power in sub-Saharan rivers. Investment in clean energy infrastructure not only
reduces emissions but also addresses Africa’s energy poverty, as more than 600
million people still lack access to reliable electricity. Scaling renewable
energy solutions could propel sustainable economic development, improve living
standards and reduce Africa’s dependence on fossil fuels.
It is critical to note that climate change is a global crisis requiring
collective action. Although Africa is disproportionately affected by the climate
crisis, it has contributed only a small fraction of global emissions. Developed
nations, which are responsible for the majority of historical emissions, bear a
significant moral and practical obligation to support Africa’s adaptation
efforts.
A key area for global responsibility is financial support. Developed countries
need to fulfill their climate finance promises, ensuring that funds reach
vulnerable regions with high adaptation needs. Additionally, these countries can
aid Africa’s green transformation by transferring clean technology, knowledge
and resources. Furthermore, high-income countries possess advanced renewable
energy technologies that, if shared, could accelerate Africa’s clean energy
transition. Supporting Africa in this transition not only addresses energy
poverty but also reduces emissions, benefiting the entire planet.
Finally, the consequences of inaction on climate change in Africa will not
remain confined to the continent. In conclusion, the climate crisis in Africa is
a defining challenge of our era, demanding urgent and concerted action from
African nations and the global community alike. The devastating impacts of
climate change are already unfolding, with millions of lives, ecosystems and
economies at risk. The steps proposed by African leaders at COP29 lay the
groundwork for a resilient, sustainable future that leverages Africa’s unique
strengths. However, without decisive global action, these initiatives will
remain underfunded and insufficient. The international community must recognize
that Africa’s climate fight is also its own. Supporting Africa’s climate
adaptation and green transformation is not only an ethical obligation but a
practical necessity for global stability and environmental health.
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated Iranian American political scientist.
X: @Dr_Rafizadeh