English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 07/2024
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the
Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.
Letter of James 05/13-20/:”Are any among you suffering? They
should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among
you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over
them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will
save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed
sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for
one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful
and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it
might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.
Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its
harvest. My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and
is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner
from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude
of sins.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 06-07/2024
Le Drian meets Aloula in KSA, Beirut visit uncertain
A positive atmosphere renews French efforts in Lebanon's presidential talks: Can
concessions lead to a path forward?
Report: Europe to help Lebanon and Gaza, Borrell to visit Beirut
Quintet Ambassadors to Meet on September 14
Israeli Strike on a Residence in Aitaroun
Hezbollah-Israel border clashes: Latest developments
Report: Charges against Salameh to be likely limited to $40M commissions
Riad Salameh's office reaffirms cooperation with investigations, calls for
confidentiality
Karim Daher to LBCI: Salameh's case must be approached from legal and national
perspective
Judge Aoun wants Salameh to appear before her Wednesday
Alleged Hezbollah financier expected to plead guilty in US sanctions case
Budget 2025: An Equation with Many Unknowns
Cabinet to review 2025 budget draft in September 10 session
Traffic fatalities on the rise in Lebanon: The urgent need for road safety
measures
Ex-FPM MPs to form 'consultative gathering', al-Rahi supportive
Alain Aoun to This Is Beirut: Our Priority Is to Unblock the Stalled
Presidential Election
Geagea 'flexible' but not with Berri's dialogue or Hezbollah's war
Void at Military Council Following State Council Decision?
ISF and CMA-CGM Foundation Help Rmeish Students Return to School
War within a war: Israel takes aim at Hamas militants in Lebanon
Medical charity launches mental health helplines for Lebanese
Lebanese must pursue real change no matter the obstacles/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab
News/September 05, 2024
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on September 06-07/2024
Guterres: World Leaders Must Re-boot Global Cooperation
US efforts to finalize hostage deal falter as key obstacles remain
Life returns to raided West Bank city as Israeli army withdraws
Israeli strikes kill 12 Palestinians in Gaza as polio vaccination resumes
Israeli soldiers fatally shot an American woman at a West Bank protest,
witnesses say
Blinken 'deplores' American death in West Bank, says US to act 'as necessary'
Walz says Gaza demonstrators are protesting for 'all the right reasons' while
condemning Hamas
German minister says ‘purely military approach’ not the solution in Gaza
Austrian investigators seize devices at Munich shooter’s home
Zelenskyy presses US military leaders to let Ukraine strike deeper in Russia
US-Iraq deal would see hundreds of troops withdraw in first year, sources say
UN mission says both Sudan sides committed abuses, peacekeepers needed
Trump plan for Musk-led efficiency commission could give CEO influence over
rules for his work, wealth
Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on September 06-07/2024
10 Things Washington Should Do to
Hold Hamas Accountable/Richard Goldberg/Insight/September 05/2024
U.S. Campuses: The 'Taboo' Ignored Pandemic of Muslim Jew-Hate/Andrew Bostom/Gatestone
Institute/September 6, 2024
Analysis of the IAEA’s Iran NPT Safeguards Report – August 2024/David
Albright/Institute for Science and International Security/September 06/2024
Question: “What does the Bible say about suicide?”/What’s new on
GotQuestions.org/September 06/2024
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 06-07/2024
Le Drian meets Aloula in KSA, Beirut visit
uncertain
Naharnet/September 06/2024
French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian held a meeting overnight in Riyadh
with Saudi Royal Court adviser Nizar al-Aloula, who is in charge of the Lebanese
file, in the presence of Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari. The meeting
reflects “Saudi Arabia’s desire to act (regarding Lebanon) after its
noninterference decision that lasted a long time,” a prominent political source
told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Friday. Media reports
meanwhile said that an agreement has been reached on holding a Sep. 14 meeting
in Beirut for the ambassadors of the five-nation group for Lebanon, after which
it would be decided whether Le Drian would visit Beirut or not. Informed
diplomatic and political sources told al-Joumhouria that “the meeting between Le
Drian and Aloula focussed on the situation in Lebanon and the region and the
proposed French choices to overcome the constitutional and political dilemma in
Lebanon and facilitate the efforts exerted for the election of a new president,
whether through consensus or via a democratic process that can receive the
needed international support.”The newspaper also quoted sources close to Saudi
officials as saying that there will be an endeavor to hold a meeting between Le
Drian, Aloula and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to continue
discussing “the so-called new French ideas, which enjoy tentative U.S. support
and will not stray far from the U.S. and Qatari visions, which would give a
strong, renewed momentum for the presidential file.” Informed sources meanwhile
told the newspaper that “before understanding the results of the Riyadh meeting
and the consultations of the five ambassadors in Beirut, there will not be any
plans for a visit by Le Drian to Beirut.”
A positive atmosphere renews French efforts in Lebanon's
presidential talks: Can concessions lead to a path forward?
LBCI/September 06/2024
Those following the presidential file have noted an atmosphere of positivity and
mutual Lebanese concessions, prompting the resumption of French efforts. French
presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian renewed his mission by meeting in Saudi
Arabia with Royal Court Advisor Nizar Al-Aloula in the presence of the Saudi
ambassador to Beirut, Waleed Bukhari. Sources informed LBCI that the meeting
revealed promising prospects for Lebanon, with solutions on the table and
Lebanese parties demonstrating flexibility. Both domestic and international
signals emerged, particularly from the recent speech by Hezbollah's
Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, which some found reassuring. However,
sources familiar with the party's position noted that the presidential file
should not be tied to on-the-ground developments or events in Gaza and South
Lebanon, simply stating: 'Nothing new yet.' As for the positive signals, some
observed relative concessions from the Lebanese Forces party, as its leader
Samir Geagea, in his recent speech, paid tribute to the martyrs of the south and
urged his supporters to remain calm after they had chanted slogans labeling
Hezbollah as a terrorist group. Geagea also made remarks concerning the
Constitution and its amendments. These positions, considered by some as
concessions, have spurred external diplomatic efforts, as noted by the Quintet
Committee ambassadors, who have decided to leverage them in their new
initiative. However, the question remains: how far will these concessions go,
and could they pave the way for opening the doors of the Parliament and
initiating the voting process? Additionally, will the Lebanese Forces party and
the opposition, backed by Saudi Arabia, find a counterpart in Hezbollah, Speaker
Nabih Berri, and their allies on the other side? One key question also remains
about the position and stance of the Free Patriotic Movement if a settlement
emerges—where will they stand? In any case, Lebanon awaits the meeting of the
Quintet Committee's ambassadors on September 14 and its outcomes to see how far
these concessions translate into the presidential vote.
Report: Europe to help Lebanon and Gaza, Borrell to visit
Beirut
Naharnet/September 06/2024
The European arena will witness efforts aimed at contributing to a solution that
would secure a ceasefire in Gaza and another between Hezbollah and Israel as
soon as possible, in light of the looming U.S. presidential election, diplomatic
sources in Paris said.
“European leaders will fill this void until the beginning of next year and EU
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell will
visit Lebanon this September to discuss with Lebanese officials the latest
developments in the local and regional arenas to help Lebanon overcome its
crises,” the sources told Annahar newspaper in remarks published Thursday.
“Several European nations will hold international conferences aimed at helping
Gaza and Lebanon overcome their crises, with Spain calling for a
ministerial-level conference for Gaza and Lebanon in mid-September in which
European, Arab and foreign nations and organizations will take place,” the
sources said. “On the sidelines of the Francophonie Summit that will be held in
Paris on October 4 and 5, French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a
conference with the participating countries to discuss all aspects of the
Lebanese situation and help pull Lebanon out of its crisis,” the sources added.
Macron will call for “a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel” as well as for
facilitating the election of a new president and the formation of a government
that would carry out necessary reforms, the sources added.
Quintet Ambassadors to Meet on September 14
Bassam Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/September 06/2024
The Quintet Committee, which includes the United States, Saudi Arabia, France,
Qatar and Egypt is not expected to launch any initiative before the second half
of September. This has become clear based on information indicating that the
meeting between French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian and Nizar al-Alaoula,
an advisor to the Saudi Royal Court, resulted in an agreement to convene the
committee at the ambassadorial level in Beirut on September 14. The decision on
whether Le Drian will visit Beirut will depend on the outcome of that meeting.
Sources indicate that, so far, no progress has been made on potential solutions
to the presidential dossier, as the Amal-Hezbollah duo and their allies remain
committed to House Speaker Nabih Berri’s proposal for pre-election dialogue or
consultation. While the idea of a dialogue is firmly rejected by the Lebanese
Forces (LF), Berri insists on the need to include the LF in any dialogue.
Alongside the anticipated actions of the Quintet Committee, local efforts are
ongoing to resolve the presidential deadlock. Reports indicate that the Speaker
of the House has been presented with a proposal to engage with the LF and the
Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). The plan involves submitting two lists of
candidates—one from each side—which would then be met with a counter-list from
the Shiite duo. Indirect negotiations would follow in an attempt to reach a
consensus on a candidate. If an agreement is achieved, it would be formalized in
an electoral session; if not, an open-ended session with successive rounds would
be held until a president is elected. This proposal was not welcomed by Berri,
who suggested that the LF and the FPM propose one candidate each. The response
was that the two Christian parties will then remain steadfast in their support
of former minister Jihad Azour’s candidacy. The path to resolving the
presidential deadlock remains obstructed. It seems that agreeing to dialogue or
consultation under House Speaker Berri’s leadership could be the key to finding
a solution. Such an agreement might lead the Shiite duo to reconsider their
strong support for Marada Movement leader, Sleiman Frangieh as the sole
presidential candidate, especially if they come to concede that efforts to
advance his candidacy are proving to be fruitless.
Israeli Strike on a Residence in Aitaroun
This Is Beirut/September 06/2024
As tensions persisted along Lebanon’s southern border on Friday, Israeli planes
conducted two strikes on a house in Aitaroun, destroying it completely, as well
as a strike on a residence in Dhayra, where no injuries were reported. The
Israeli Army spokesman Avichai Adraee confirmed, in a post on X, that “the
Defense Forces attacked a military building in which Hezbollah members acted.”
For its part, Hezbollah announced in a series of statements that Islamic
resistance fighters targeted the Ma’ayan Baruch position with a swooping drone.
They also targeted buildings used by Israeli soldiers in the Metula settlement.
In addition to targeting the Zebdin barracks with rocket weapons. The area
between Tel Nahas and Al-Hammas towards the Marjayoun plain was also subjected
to artillery shelling with phosphorus shells, which caused a fire. Israeli
artillery also targeted the outskirts of Aitaroun, Mays al-Jabal, and Kfar Kila
with heavy caliber shells. It also bombarded Tal al-Nahas and Hamames with
phosphorus bombs, causing fires. Reconnaissance flights persisted overnight and
into Friday morning, surveying villages in the west and center, extending to the
periphery of Tyre. The Israeli military deployed flares over border towns near
the Blue Line, later initiating heavy machine gun fire towards Jabal al-Labbouneh
and Jal al-Alam in the western sector at dawn. Before midnight, Israeli
warplanes attacked the outskirts of the towns of Aita al-Shaab in the central
sector and Marwahin in the western sector, and UNIFIL forces sounded sirens at
their posts in Chamaa multiple times. The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation
reported that three anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon opposite the
border and hit a number of buildings without injuries. The Israeli Army
announced that it bombed Hezbollah military installations in Aita al-Shaab and
Yarine on Thursday evening and attacked Hezbollah targets in the Blida area. In
turn, Hezbollah targeted Israeli positions in the Kfarchouba Heights and Shebaa
Farms, as well as the Ma’ayan Baruch position.
Hezbollah-Israel border clashes: Latest developments
Naharnet/September 06/2024
Hezbollah targeted Friday several Israeli posts while Israeli warplanes raided
several times the southern border village of Aitaroun. Hezbollah targeted the
Ma'ayan Baruch post in northern Israel with a suicide drone, and later the
Zebdine barracks and buildings and surveillance equipment in Metula and Menara.
The group also targeted a post in the occupied Shebaa Farms. Later in the day,
Hezbollah targeted with an array of suicide drones Israeli troops in Abirim, in
response to an Israeli strike that killed a Hezbollah fighter in the southern
town of Kafra Thursday. The Israeli army shelled overnight into Friday flare
bombs at villages along the border and fired heavy machineguns at al-Labouneh
and Jabal al-Alam. Warplanes also raided overnight the southern border towns of
Aita al-Shaab, Blida and Marwahin.
Report: Charges against Salameh to be likely limited to $40M commissions
Naharnet/September 06/2024
The charges against detained former Central Bank chief Riad Salameh will be
focused on the file of the $40 million commissions, a media report said on
Friday. Opening all files “will lead to a years-long or perhaps decades-long
trial that does not end, given the complicated details, in addition to the
obstacles that will be put in the way and the pressures that will be practiced
on the judiciary due to political interference,” Annahar newspaper reported.
“The involved politicians will have fears over the possible outcome of such
investigations,” the daily said. Accordingly, informed legal sources told the
newspaper that “the probe will likely remain limited to Salameh as part of a
bigger settlement that involves other files, not excluding the presidency and
the South.”Salameh was on Wednesday charged with the embezzlement of $42
million. The former governor, 73, was charged by the Financial Public
Prosecution a day after he was detained following an interrogation by Lebanon's
top public prosecutor over several alleged financial crimes. His case has been
transferred to an investigating judge. Salameh has for years denied allegations
of corruption, embezzlement and illicit enrichment. He insists that his wealth
comes from inherited properties, investments and his previous job as an
investment banker at Merrill Lynch. During his hours-long interrogation on
Monday, Salameh was asked about a key case in which a company was allegedly
hired to manipulate statements and conceal Lebanon's hemorrhaging finances.
According to two judicial officials, Salameh appeared to have brought in the
company, called Optimum, to help facilitate embezzling money from the central
bank through other accounts, eventually reaching his own. The financial
intelligence unit of the central bank presented bank statements and financial
documents to the public prosecution, added the two officials, who spoke to The
Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The
embattled Salameh is also in the midst of several other cases against him, both
locally and internationally. France, Germany, and Luxembourg are also
investigating Salameh and close associates over alleged illicit enrichment and
the laundering of $330 million. Salameh has criticized the European
investigation and said it was part of a media and political campaign make him a
scapegoat. Meanwhile, the U.S., the UK, and Canada have sanctioned Salameh and
his close associates, and France issued an international arrest warrant for him,
though Lebanon does not hand over its own citizens for extradition.
Riad Salameh's office reaffirms cooperation with
investigations, calls for confidentiality
LBCI/September 06/2024
The media office of former central bank governor Riad Salameh stressed the
importance of maintaining confidentiality in ongoing investigations, citing
legal obligations outlined in the country's Code of Criminal Procedure. In a
statement, Salameh's office pointed to Article 53 of the Code, which mandates
confidentiality in criminal investigations and punishes any breaches with up to
one year in prison and a fine. The former governor's defense team emphasized
their commitment to this article and urged others to respect it "to ensure the
investigation's objectivity." The office noted that Salameh cooperated with more
than 20 criminal investigations in Beirut and Mount Lebanon before and after the
end of his official duties, as long as they adhered to procedural law and were
conducted impartially. According to the office, this cooperation has continued
even after his recent detention by the public prosecutor. Furthermore, the
office noted that "the Code of Criminal Procedure recognizes two rights: the
first is the right to remain silent, without silence being considered evidence
against the person under investigation (Article 77 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure)." "The second is the presumption of innocence until a final
conviction is issued (Paragraph 2 of Article 14 of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights of 1966)," it added. "We adhere to all the provisions
and principles of the Code of Criminal Procedure and call on everyone to respect
them," the office stated.
Karim Daher to LBCI: Salameh's case must be approached from legal and national
perspective
LBCI/September 06/2024
Lawyer Karim Daher said the case of former Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh
should be approached from a legal and national perspective. On LBCI's "Nharkom
Said" TV show, Daher noted that Salameh has been detained for questioning, no
formal charges have been filed, and no verdict has been issued. He considered
that Salameh was not the only one responsible for the current situation,
pointing out that he was the one who established the financial and monetary plan
and strategy. Daher criticized recent media reports about the case, saying the
information circulated over the past three days is inaccurate. He explained that
international cases related to Salameh stem from a judicial assistance request
by Switzerland to Lebanon regarding the "immediate" case. He added that these
cases, under investigation abroad, remain confidential. In addition, Daher
stated that acting Central Bank Governor Wassim Mansouri is working to prevent
Lebanon from being placed on the "grey list" and is facing other emerging
challenges. Mansouri's relationship with the judiciary remains positive, he
said. Daher also highlighted the need for an interim solution to Lebanon's
banking crisis, suggesting that raising withdrawal limits for depositors could
provide temporary relief. He noted that legislation is currently being drafted
to address this issue.
Judge Aoun wants Salameh to appear before her Wednesday
Naharnet/September 06/2024
Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun on Friday called for detained former
Central Bank chief Riad Salameh to appear before her on Wednesday, holding State
Prosecutor Judge Jammal al-Jarrah responsible should security forces fail to
bring Salameh to the hearing session. “I reiterate that the Optimum file has
been open at the Public Prosecution Office of Mount Lebanon since the issuance
of the Capital Markets Authority report around two years ago, and it is also
based on the complaint stemming from the Alvarez & Marsal report,” Aoun said in
an X post. “In September 2023, MP Elias Jradi and around 10 lawyers filed a
complaint before in which they personally sued Salameh and others. Accordingly
why now and what is the reason behind this awakening?” Aoun wondered. “Anyhow
let’s be positive. I was certainly surprised but I was also pleased by the
arrest of former Central Bank chief Riad Salameh, after I had repeatedly filed
lawsuits against him in major files and issued dozens of warrants for security
agencies to bring him to no avail. The question remains why now, after my
investigation made major progress,” she added. “I’m a judge, I work according to
the law and I warn everyone that no one has the right under the law to withdraw
any file from me under the excuse of him opening the same file and referring it
to another judge,” Aoun went on to say. She added: “I have set a date of
Wednesday, September 11 for the interrohation of Salameh in this file and in
other files. He is now present in the jail of the Justice Palace and he must be
brought to appear before me.”Salameh was on Wednesday charged with the
embezzlement of $42 million. The former governor, 73, was charged by the
Financial Public Prosecution a day after he was detained following an
interrogation by Lebanon's top public prosecutor over several alleged financial
crimes. His case has been transferred to an investigating judge. Salameh has for
years denied allegations of corruption, embezzlement and illicit enrichment. He
insists that his wealth comes from inherited properties, investments and his
previous job as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. During his hours-long
interrogation on Monday, Salameh was asked about a key case in which a company
was allegedly hired to manipulate statements and conceal Lebanon's hemorrhaging
finances. According to two judicial officials, Salameh appeared to have brought
in the company, called Optimum, to help facilitate embezzling money from the
central bank through other accounts, eventually reaching his own. The financial
intelligence unit of the central bank presented bank statements and financial
documents to the public prosecution, added the two officials, who spoke to The
Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The
embattled Salameh is also in the midst of several other cases against him, both
locally and internationally. France, Germany, and Luxembourg are also
investigating Salameh and close associates over alleged illicit enrichment and
the laundering of $330 million.
Salameh has criticized the European investigation and said it was part of a
media and political campaign make him a scapegoat. Meanwhile, the U.S., the UK,
and Canada have sanctioned Salameh and his close associates, and France issued
an international arrest warrant for him, though Lebanon does not hand over its
own citizens for extradition.
Alleged Hezbollah financier expected to plead guilty in
US sanctions case
Luc Cohen/Reuters/September 06/2024
NEW YORK, Sept 5 (Reuters) - A dual Lebanese-Belgian citizen accused by the
United States of financing Lebanese armed group Hezbollah is expected to plead
guilty in a criminal case charging him with sanctions evasion and
money-laundering conspiracies.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said in a court filing on Thursday that lawyers
for Mohammad Bazzi told them he wishes to change his plea. Bazzi, 60, pleaded
not guilty last year to three felony counts, including attempting to transact
with a sanctioned terrorist organization. Bazzi's lawyers did not immediately
respond to a request for comment. The U.S. Treasury Department placed Bazzi on
its sanctions list in 2018 over his alleged ties to Hezbollah, which Washington
considers a terrorist organization. Prosecutors said Bazzi covertly sold real
estate he owned in Michigan and transferred the funds abroad, in violation of
those sanctions. Bazzi was extradited to the United States in April 2023 from
Romania, where he had been arrested two months prior. Prosecutors and Bazzi's
lawyers jointly asked U.S. District Judge Dora Irizarry to schedule a hearing
later this month for Bazzi to change his plea. Jumpstart your morning with the
latest legal news delivered straight to your inbox from The Daily Docket
newsletter. Sign up here.
Reporting by Luc Cohen Editing by Alistair Bell
Budget 2025: An Equation with Many Unknowns
Liliane Mokbel/This Is Beirut/September 06/2024
The objective of the 2025 budget proposal is to maintain a relative balance
between revenues and expenditures, with the aim of keeping the overall deficit
under 4.1%, or approximately $190 million. The draft budget submitted in August
by caretaker Finance Minister, Youssef Khalil, forecasts a substantial increase
in revenues compared to the 2024 budget, exceeding 101 trillion Lebanese pounds
($1.1 billion). These revenues, primarily from taxes, are projected to total LBP
410 trillion ($4.6 billion).
Estimated Figures vs. Actual Results
It is entirely justified to question the figures and statistics used by the
Ministry of Finance in developing the 2025 budget, especially in view of recent
criticism from Standard & Poor’s regarding the transparency and consistency of
data publication.
In fact, we lack information on the actual performance of public
finances—neither the real figures nor the estimates—making it impossible to
compare the 2025 budget indicators with those of the 2024 financial law. It is
worth noting that while the 2024 budget projected a deficit of 14% of
expenditures, the 2025 budget aims for a deficit of 4.1%.
The Same Directions
The key directions of the 2025 budget proposal align closely with those of the
2023 and 2024 budgets in terms of revenue and expenditure distribution. In fact,
90% of expenditures are allocated to current spending, with only 10% earmarked
for investment.
On the revenue side, 80% comes from taxation and 20% from non-tax sources.
Moreover, as with the 2024 financial law, the 2025 budget proposal does not
present a clear economic vision. Khalil has, in his meetings with economic
representatives, primarily emphasized his plans to expand the tax base and
improve tax compliance. He also pointed out his intention to improve
coordination between the public finance department and the customs
administration.
Reduced Deficit
The envisioned reduction of the deficit to 4.1% of expenditures is not the
result of any exceptional measures taken by the 2025 budget’s authors. This is
attributed to the Treasury being relieved of the burden of interest payments on
domestic and external debt. These interest payments, which peaked at $5.4
billion in 2019, are projected to be capped at $350 million in 2025. That being
said, the budget proposal projects a 39% increase in expenditures compared to
the 2024 budget, reaching $4.78 billion (about 428 trillion pounds). However,
this figure represents only approximately 30% of the State’s expenditures in
2019, which totaled around $15.7 billion. As for the projected revenues in the
2025 budget, they remain substantially below pre-crisis levels, amounting to
only 43% of the actual revenues recorded in the 2019 budget.
Treasury Bonds
What is shocking about the 2025 budget proposal is that it anticipates a deficit
of approximately $196 million and seeks authorization to finance this gap
through the issuance of Treasury bonds. The main uncertainty is who will
purchase these bonds. Since the default on Eurobonds, local banks have clearly
lost interest, and the Central Bank has stopped financing the State’s deficit
since 2023. Khalil submitted the 2025 budget proposal to the government on
schedule. However, as indicated by its preliminary status, the proposal may
undergo significant revisions before it is adopted and enacted into a financial
law. The development process is still in its early stages.
Cabinet to review 2025 budget draft in September 10 session
LBCI/September 06/2024
The Cabinet will meet at 9 AM on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at the Grand
Serail to address various topics outlined in the agenda distributed to
ministers. The session will include a presentation by the Finance Minister on
the draft budget for 2025, which was circulated to officials on August 30, 2024.
The meeting will be adjourned and then reconvened at 3:30 PM to deliberate
further on the draft budget law for 2025.
Traffic fatalities on the rise in Lebanon: The urgent need
for road safety measures
LBCI/September 06/2024
Road accidents in Lebanon rarely grab the public's attention, yet they remain
one of the country's most pressing challenges. On September 3, 2024, the Traffic
Control Center reported seven fatalities and 12 injuries in the previous 24
hours alone. These alarming figures highlight a dangerous reality despite
conflicting comprehensive statistics on the matter. According to official data
from the Traffic Control Center, 253 deaths and 1,574 injuries have been
recorded so far in 2024. However, traffic safety experts estimate much higher
numbers, as many accidents go unreported, and victims who die days after
accidents are not counted among road casualties. A unified national road safety
observatory would offer more accurate and consistent statistics. One of the most
troubling aspects is that a significant portion of the victims are aged between
18 and 29, with an alarming number of underage drivers involved. A study
conducted between 2015 and 2022 found that 45% of those killed were between 15
and 17 years old and were driving at the time of the accident.
Young drivers are often seen as the most reckless on the road, but
pedestrians—particularly older adults—also engage in risky behavior, frequently
crossing streets without using pedestrian bridges. This explains why 39% of
traffic fatalities are pedestrians. Many argue that the state should first
address issues such as poor lighting on roads, potholes, faulty barriers, and
uneven surfaces that damage vehicles. While these concerns are valid and long
overdue for attention, a fundamental solution lies in reducing speed. Speed
turns an accident from moderate to fatal in a matter of moments. For instance, a
head-on collision between two vehicles becomes fatal above 70 km/h. Side-impact
crashes become deadly at speeds over 50 km/h, and a side collision with a
stationary object, like a tree, can be fatal at just 30 km/h. Hitting a
pedestrian at speeds as low as 30 km/h can still result in death. That is why
speed limits are strictly enforced in populated areas, although these numbers
also depend on individual safety measures taken by drivers. Ultimately, the
responsibility lies with each one of us, as we are all at risk.
Ex-FPM MPs to form 'consultative gathering', al-Rahi
supportive
Naharnet/September 06/2024
The four MPs who have recently become outside the Free Patriotic Movement intend
to form “a consultative parliamentary gathering, that would become a pressure
group, not a bloc nor a party, and its current main mission would be to produce
a solution for the presidential crises,” the four MPs’ sources told al-Jadeed
TV. Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, who met with the fours MPs on Thursday,
“looks positively at what the centrist group of MPs can offer in light of
political forces’ inability to present any breakthrough,” al-Jadeed added. “Our
aim is to communicate with Christians to devise a plan, but what’s more
important is to communicate with the Muslim partners because without everyone’s
participation no president can be elected,” Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab said
in a TV interview. He is one of the four lawmakers alongside Alain Aoun, Simon
Abi Ramia and Ibrahim Kanaan.
“The patriarch encouraged our ideas and support us to be in a position of
dialogue with everyone and Bkikri has never been against dialogue or
consultations prior to the election of a president,” Bou Saab added. “Without
this dialogue we cannot elect a president who would have the ability to govern,”
Bou Saab went on to say. As for the four MPs’ presidential candidate, the Deputy
Speaker said: “We will not be alone. We will rather consult with a large number
of MPs, a lot of whom are candidates whose names were mentioned in Bkirki’s
presidential list.” “Any candidate who meets Bkirki’s principles and represents
a guarantee to the other camp, especially the Muslim partner, will have a chance
to be elected,” Bou Saab added. Separatey, Bou Saab said the four MPs “do not
fear the upcoming parliamentary elections.”“We will engage in the electoral
battle according to a vision and a plan,” he added.
Alain Aoun to This Is Beirut: Our Priority Is to Unblock
the Stalled Presidential Election
Marilyne Jallad/This Is Beirut/September 06/2024
MPs and former members of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) – Alain Aoun, Simon
Abi Ramia, Elias Bou Saab and Ibrahim Kanaan – were at the Patriarchate’s summer
residence in Dimane on Thursday for a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara
Rai. Following the meeting, MP Alain Aoun delved into its intricacies in a
conversation with This is Beirut. What message did you convey to the patriarch,
beyond your mutual aim to “create a national Christian momentum?” “Discussions
with the patriarch centered on future prospects and the necessity to navigate
through the current political gridlock,” according to Aoun. The reference
pointedly alludes to the enduring presidential vacuum since October 31, 2022,
despite sustained international endeavors led by the Quintet (comprising the
United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt) to break this deadlock.
For his part, the Maronite patriarch welcomed “the intentions and ideas we are
presenting and encouraged us in our initiative to engage with other parties,”
adds Aoun. How does the “unifying” role you mentioned play out in practice, as
Kanaan pointed out after your visit? What is the significance of your desire to
“reach out to everyone” in this context? “Reaching out to everyone is central to
our political strategy, which aims to be a moderate center capable of engaging
with all parties, beyond the current radical polarization,” explains the MP.
However, he points out that this does not imply an absence of clear positions on
political issues. “On the contrary, we will have firm stances on all matters,”
he assures. Despite his great popularity, former FPM MP Chamel Roukoz was unable
to make a breakthrough. How do you plan to distinguish yourself? Aoun answers
this question by distancing himself from electoral politics. “We’re not in an
electoral frame of mind at the moment. If our aim was simply to hold on to
seats, we would have given in to the temptation of incitement and intimidation
to stay in the party’s comfort zone,” he explains. He adds that the primary
objective “at this stage” for MPs and former members of the FPM is to carry out
“a purely political effort aimed at resolving the political impasse.”
“Reflection on the next elections will come later,” he adds. For Aoun, it’s a
“call for unity rather than division,” putting the country’s interests first,
and the election of a president as a top priority.
Geagea 'flexible' but not with Berri's dialogue or
Hezbollah's war
Naharnet/September 06/2024
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea insists on boycotting a presidential
dialogue initiated by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, as Lebanon remains without
a president since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022, almost two years
ago. "I am flexible," Geagea said in a radio interview on Thursday night. "But I
cannot be flexible about Hezbollah's decision to start a war in south Lebanon,"
he added, as he dubbed Berri's dialogue anew "unconstitutional". Geagea said the
so-called Axis of Defiance plans to control Lebanon. "As long as it is unable to
do it militarily, it will try at all costs to control it politically by electing
a president of its choice." Geagea said he will not describe Hezbollah as a
terrorist organization as he hopes to "attract" the group to the Lebanese
framework. "The only way to meet with Hezbollah, is when it becomes a Lebanese
party with a Lebanese agenda only," Geagea said, adding that ties with Hezbollah
cannot be completely cut. He also said he has a good relation with Hezbollah's
ally, Berri, but that he finds the way Berri is dealing with the presidential
vote "unacceptable". On another note, Geagea said that he thinks the Free
Patriotic Movement's disintegration is "in Lebanon's interest", after two MPs
were expelled from the FPM and two others deliberately resigned.
Void at Military Council Following State Council Decision?
Natasha Metni Torbey/This Is Beirut/September 06/2024
The Lebanese military is once again facing a potential void. This time, it is
the Military Council that is at risk. After a decision to suspend the
implementation of a measure taken on December 6 by the Caretaker Defense
Minister, Maurice Slim, Major General Pierre Saab is set to retire on September
27… unless the State Council reverses its decision, which legal experts deem
highly unlikely. The context is as follows: on December 15, 2023, Parliament
approved a law extending the terms of security service heads and the Army’s
Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Aoun. Based on this law, the Caretaker Defense
Minister, Maurice Slim, believed the law could apply to the members of the
Military Council and sought to extend its benefits to its members, including
Major Generals Pierre Saab (Greek Catholic and close to the Free Patriotic
Movement – FPM) and Mohammad Moustapha.
Feeling aggrieved by this administrative act, General Edgard Lawandos filed an
appeal with the State Council to annul this decision. “From a procedural
standpoint, General Lawandos likely believed he had the right to act to benefit
from a position that is expected to become vacant on September 27,” a judicial
source noted. “On the substance, Lawandos probably argued that the minister’s
decision constitutes a legal error since the members of the Military Council
cannot benefit from this particular law, which is strictly applied,” the same
source continued. The source added, “This is an exceptional law that exclusively
concerns the heads of state military and security bodies. It cannot be extended
to other command positions through interpretation, as it only pertains to the
so-called supreme commands.”On Wednesday, the State Council finally issued a
ruling on the appeal without definitively resolving the matter: the extension of
the scope of the December law is illegal, even nonexistent. “Slim’s decision is
therefore null and void, meaning that on September 27, General Saab will have to
retire,” explained former President of the State Council, Chucri Sader.
According to him, the State Council’s “final” verdict should be consistent with
the decision to suspend execution, for which the grounds have been laid out, and
it would likely lead to the annulment of the caretaker defense minister’s
decision. This assertion is shared by the aforementioned source: “Today, Slim’s
decision has not yet been annulled. The State Council issued a preliminary
ruling, which it could theoretically reverse, even if all indications point to
an annulment. Since no deadline is set for the State Council to issue its final
judgment, General Saab will no longer be able to benefit from an extension of
his term beyond September 27.”
This means that the Military Council will be “emptied” of some of its positions.
As the government is in a caretaker capacity, it cannot appoint new members, and
in the event of a lack of quorum, the powers of this body would normally be
transferred to the Army’s Commander-in-Chief. Will the Military Council face the
same fate as the Court of Cassation?
ISF and CMA-CGM Foundation Help Rmeish Students Return to School
This Is Beirut/September 06/2024
The French Embassy in Lebanon’s initiative to support the Antonine Sisters’
Notre-Dame du Liban School in Rmeish, South Lebanon, with a remedial summer
program is commendable. This initiative is especially notable given that
students have missed nearly a year of education due to the closure of schools in
the border region and the shift to distance learning, stemming from the ongoing
conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The French Institute (ISF-Liban-Sud) in
Saïda, in collaboration with the CMA-CGM Foundation and the municipality of
Rmeish, is working to bring hope and education to children affected by this
conflict. This unique partnership, co-financed by the Institut français du Liban
and the CMA CGM Foundation, underscores their shared commitment to delivering
quality education and fostering academic success despite the challenges.
Helping Children Return to School
The Institut français du Liban announced that the Notre-Dame du Liban School in
Rmeish will launch a remedial program from August 19 to September 12, 2024. This
program will serve 350 students from kindergarten through secondary school. The
initiative aims to help these children reconnect with their education in
preparation for the upcoming academic year, following an extended closure of
schools in South Lebanon during the 2023-2024 school year. The program will
offer nearly a month of intensive instruction in essential subjects, including
Arabic, French, mathematics, and science, with classes conducted by qualified
teachers. “This project aligns perfectly with the mission of the Institut
français du Liban, which is dedicated to supporting high-quality, accessible
French-language education throughout Lebanon, grounded in its rich
multilingualism. We are proud to collaborate with the CMA CGM Foundation to help
the students of Rmeish return to their studies,” said Sabine Sciortino, Director
of the Institut français du Liban. The CMA-CGM Foundation echoed this sentiment
in a Facebook post on August 29, 2024, highlighting that the partnership between
the Institut français du Liban and the CMA-CGM Foundation “demonstrates our
joint commitment to ensuring quality education is accessible to all.”
Restoring Hope for the Future
In a heartfelt “letter of thanks” posted on Facebook, the president and members
of the parents’ committee of the Notre-Dame du Liban School in Rmeish expressed
their profound gratitude to the French Embassy and the CMA CGM Foundation for
funding the summer school project. They also extended their thanks to Sister
Rita Eid, the Mother Superior of the convent, for her warm welcome and
significant contribution to the project’s success, as well as to Rmeish Mayor
Milad el-Alam for his role as coordinator among the involved parties. “This
project has arrived at a crucial moment, offering both academic and
psychological support to help compensate for the educational losses our students
have experienced. We believe this generous initiative will be a lasting memory
for the students and their families and will mark a positive step in their
educational journey and future,” the letter stated.
In response, the school’s management expressed their appreciation on social
media, noting that “the school warmly welcomed the students and enhanced their
joy by distributing school supplies donated by the French Embassy, thanks to the
mayor’s initiative. This gesture brought smiles to their faces…”
The Rmeish village Facebook account also reflected on the touching scene of
children returning full of hope, reconnecting with friends and teachers. “Their
return to school symbolizes stability and hope for a better future,” the post
concluded.
War within a war: Israel takes aim at Hamas militants in
Lebanon
By Susannah George and Suzan Haidamous/The washington Post/September 05, 2024
SIDON, Lebanon — Hamas operative Nidal Hleihel was sitting in his car last month
outside an apartment block in this Lebanese port city when he heard a loud crack
above him. Spooked, he said, he scrambled out of the vehicle. He had just
reached a nearby stairwell when the Israeli missile struck.
His sport utility vehicle went up in flames as a crowd began to gather. Hleihel,
cut deeply by shrapnel but still alive, was rushed from the scene. The attack
was part of an intensifying Israeli assassination campaign against Palestinian
militants in Lebanon — a war within a war that has been largely obscured by
escalating exchanges of fire between the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah.
Most of the Palestinians targeted are mid-level members of Hamas, involved in
finance or logistics, but a January strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs killed
Saleh Arouri, a senior political figure who helped found the group’s military
wing.
“All Palestinian factions in Lebanon should be aware that at any moment, anyone
could be assassinated,” Ayman Shanaa, Hamas’s deputy political chief in Lebanon,
told The Washington Post.
The IDF says it is targeting people involved in advancing attacks on Israel,
either in collaboration with Hezbollah or independently, a testament to the long
reach of Israeli intelligence. Officials and experts in Lebanon say the strikes
have pushed Hamas closer to Hezbollah, the much larger group that is this
country’s dominant military and political force. “This is going to define the
future of Hamas in Lebanon in a way which it is going to be even more dependent
on Iranian and Hezbollah assistance and oversight,” said Emile Hokayem, a Middle
East analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
Hamas and Hezbollah share a common enemy in Israel and a common patron in Iran.
But their ideological roots are divergent — Hamas is a Sunni militant group and
Hezbollah is Shiite — and at times their alliance has been uneasy.
Hamas has maintained a presence in Lebanon since the 1990s, mostly confined to
the country’s Palestinian refugee camps — dense, sprawling urban neighborhoods
where Lebanese security forces are rarely seen. Operatives provide logistical
support to fellow militants in the West Bank and Gaza and launch occasional
cross-border attacks against Israel, though not on the same scale as Hezbollah,
which has traded near-daily fire with the IDF for almost 11 months.
Since Oct. 7, when Hamas fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel
and dragged about 250 hostages back to Gaza, analysts say the group’s popularity
has surged among the Palestinian community here. Lebanon is home to an estimated
250,000 Palestinian refugees, according to the United Nations. They are banned
from applying for citizenship, owning land or voting, and they face barriers to
employment. Many still live in camps, which provide militant groups with a
steady stream of recruits.
The largest is Ein El Hilweh, on the outskirts of Sidon, where Hamas is
strongest and where a number of assassinations have occurred. Thousands of
mourners filled the camp’s narrow streets on Aug. 10 for the funeral of Hamas
official Samer al-Hajj, killed the day before in an Israeli drone strike.
“With our blood and souls, we will sacrifice ourselves for you,” the crowds
chanted. “We lost the most precious beloved.”
Just two weeks later, a missile strike in Sidon killed Khalil al-Maqdah, who
Israel said worked with Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to plan attacks
in the West Bank. Maqdah belonged to the armed wing of Fatah, Hamas’s chief
political rival in the Palestinian territories, but he supported the “unity of
fronts,” or cooperation between armed groups.
“This martyrdom is a badge of honor for all the resistance axis,” his brother
Munir, also a Lebanon-based militant, said in a television interview hours after
the strike.
Most of the Palestinians killed by Israeli drone strikes in Lebanon are “not
high-ranking guys, they’re middle management,” said a former Lebanese security
official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security
matters. “Israel is sending a message that its war against Hamas has no
borders.”Sidon’s mayor, Hazem Khodr Bdeir, said that he is concerned about the
growing violence but that the country’s collapsing economy is a more pressing
issue. “We don’t like it, but we are used to it,” he said.
Mohamad Karfakan, head of the city’s civil defense, said his team has responded
to numerous drone attacks. Hezbollah members regularly show up, along with
Lebanese military and other state security forces, he said.
The group often sets up the security perimeter, shooing away curious onlookers
and sometimes first responders. After the drone strike that injured Hleihel,
Karfakan said, he was whisked away by Hezbollah representatives, who appeared
eager to control the narrative. “They did not want anyone to take photos of the
injured person or the area,” he said. Israeli strikes since October have killed
21 Palestinian militants in Lebanon, according to a Post tally, a small fraction
of the more than 400 Hezbollah fighters killed over the same period. But the
IDF’s constant back-and-forth with Hezbollah has provided cover to go after
Palestinian operatives on Lebanese territory, which would once have been seen as
a major provocation.
“Before, we would have feared such a strike would cause a war, but we are
already in a war,” said Yoram Schweitzer, head of the program on terrorism and
low-intensity conflict at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies. “The
location doesn’t give them immunity anymore.”Israel invested heavily in
intelligence operations in Lebanon in the aftermath of its 2006 war with
Hezbollah, including the development of robust files on Palestinian militants in
the country, according to a Lebanese official, who also spoke on the condition
of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Hamas officials in Lebanon say they are urging members to limit their movements,
as well as the use of cellphones, which they suspect are being used to track
them.
Palestinian fighters hold a picture of Khalil al-Maqdah, a senior militant from
Fatah's armed wing who was killed in an Israeli strike, near Sidon before his
funeral last month.
As Israeli strikes drive Hamas leaders further underground, analysts predict the
group will become more dependent on Hezbollah for security — but also more
powerful as a fighting force within Lebanon. “The assassinations will give Hamas
more legitimacy,” said Mohanad Hage Ali, a research director at the Carnegie
Middle East Center in Beirut. “More sympathy means they’ll be able to recruit
more.”Eventually, he said, “this campaign will backfire.”
Medical charity launches mental health helplines for
Lebanese
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/September 06, 2024
BEIRUT: Medecins Sans Frontieres in Lebanon has warned of a growing mental
health crisis as a result of mass displacement in the south. The organization
highlighted “worsening psychological and financial burdens caused by
displacement, loss of property and continued insecurity.” It has launched two
mental health helplines in response. “Two mental health helplines were launched
on Friday, aiming to provide necessary and free psychological support to
communities suffering from psychological stress as a result of the conflict,
including psychological first aid, consultations, and support with referrals to
nearby facilities for the displaced and conflict-affected communities,” MSF
said. More than 113,000 people have been displaced from Lebanon’s southern
border since violence broke out on Oct. 8 last year. Most remain in the south,
living with relatives, in rented houses or in the homes of expatriates who have
opened their doors, with fewer than 5,000 living in shelters. Dr. Luna Hammad,
MSF medical coordinator in Lebanon, said: “Mental health is often overlooked in
times of crisis, but it is as important as physical health.
BACKGROUND
More than 113,000 people have been displaced from Lebanon’s southern border
since violence broke out on Oct. 8 last year. “The stress, fear and uncertainty
experienced by the population in Lebanon can have a major impact on their mental
health. Neglecting these needs can lead to long-term consequences that affect
individuals, families and communities.”Amid the escalation between Hezbollah and
Israel in southern Lebanon, MSF said it has launched a mobile medical team to
support healthcare centers and shelters in the south. “The team has provided
continuous healthcare to 1,357 patients, including follow-up treatment for
chronic diseases and consultations for displaced people, as well as health
awareness sessions and psychological first aid,” the organization added. “MSF
carried out training sessions for health workers and deposited up to 10 tonnes
of medical supplies and equipment in hospitals across the country.”
Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed 39 health workers and closed six primary
healthcare centers. Friday saw new destruction across southern Lebanon, with
Israel carrying out a series of strikes. Footage showed two Israeli airstrikes
carried out in the morning on a residential building in Mays Al-Jabal, which was
destroyed near other razed structures.
The number of airstrikes on the largest town in the border region totals 126
since October last year, its mayor, Abdel Moneim Shuqair, said. He added: “More
than 1,850 shells of various sizes, including 750 internationally banned white
phosphorus bombs, have fallen on the town and its surroundings since the
beginning of hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army 11 months ago,
up until today.” The situation is similar in the border town of Aitaroun, where
Israel is employing a scorched earth policy. Aitaroun Mayor Salim Mrad told Arab
News: “Aitaroun, like the towns of Aita Al-Shaab and Kfarkela, is subject to
daily Israeli assaults. “The damage here has exceeded that of the 2006 war.
“These are border towns with high population densities, and the residents are
known for distinctive vitality and live off agriculture. “The town has 2,000
residential units, and it can be said that more than 100 houses in Aitaroun have
been destroyed, and about 800 houses have been partially destroyed. “The town’s
economy has come to a halt, and the death toll has reached 16, including
civilians.”Israeli jets on Friday carried out an airstrike on a home in the town
of Dhayra in the western sector, while Israeli artillery targeted the town of
Kfarkela. An Israeli airstrike also targeted a house on the outskirts of the
town of Beit Lif. Artillery shelling with phosphorus bombs in the area between
Tal Nahas and Hamames toward the Marjayoun plain caused fires to break out. Also
on Friday, Hezbollah announced a series of operations against Israeli military
sites, targeting surveillance equipment and buildings in Metula, a statement
said. Israeli media reported “extensive damage to a building in the Metula
settlement after a large fire broke out following the launch of an anti-tank
missile from Lebanon.”The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said: “Three
anti-tank missiles were launched from Lebanon toward Metula opposite the border,
hitting several buildings without causing any injuries.”Hezbollah also targeted
the Ruwaiset Al-Qarn site and the Zebdine barracks with rockets. Both sites are
in the disputed Shebaa Farms area. The group also used an assault drone to
strike the Ma’ayan Baruch kibbutz near the Lebanese border. The Israeli army
announced that on Thursday evening it struck Hezbollah military facilities “in
Aita Al-Shaab and Yarine, and attacked Hezbollah targets in the Blida area.”
Lebanese must pursue real change no matter the obstacles
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/September 05, 2024
The debates on Lebanon’s neutrality and on federalism have been reignited
following Hezbollah’s unilateral decision to join Hamas — albeit modestly — in
the current war with Israel. The demand for neutrality has reemerged on Lebanese
social media. Many rightly claim Lebanon has suffered enough from war and
economic decay and that it needs to insulate itself from all sides of the
conflict. This is also a debate about the identity or identities of the country.
And, as it is built today on sectarianism, it is important to note that a
majority of Christians are favorable to neutrality, while a vast majority of
Shiites oppose it and a soft majority of Sunnis and Druze are against it too.
It was in this context that the former leader of the Progressive Socialist
Party, Walid Jumblatt, rejected the idea of Lebanon adopting neutrality. He
argued that neutrality is impossible for Lebanon due to its ongoing state of
hostility with Israel, which has persisted since the 1949 truce. He also noted
that neutrality would require international consensus, similar to Switzerland’s
experience in 1815, but emphasized that Lebanon, as an Arab country and a member
of the Arab League, cannot discuss neutrality while it remains in conflict with
Israel.
Some analysts attributed this stance to the July rocket attack on Majdal Shams,
which killed 12 children from the Druze community and for which Jumblatt
rejected the Israeli statements. However, the Druze leader asserted that his
position on this matter has been consistent and unchanged since the beginning of
his political career. Jumblatt reads geopolitical shifts extremely well. After
all, he famously foresaw the degradation of the anti-Syrian and anti-Hezbollah
movements coming with the loss of Western support. He was not wrong.
Many rightly claim Lebanon has suffered enough from war and economic decay and
that it needs to insulate itself. The timing of his declaration came with a
tentative aim to ease tensions internally, but I am convinced that he sees that
the current US administration and a potential Harris presidency would be tougher
on Israel. Despite a few contradictions, most US declarations and actions reveal
this shift. The decision by the UK to stop allowing the export of key military
components to Israel is a clear signal. Yet, the reality is that this will never
benefit Lebanon, only Hezbollah. Moreover, Lebanon has gained nothing but
destruction from this engagement. Jumblatt, in that scenario, seeks survival in
case of this turnaround. But the Druze and Lebanese deserve more than to just
get by and survive simply because the struggle is from within.
Can neutrality bring stability and is it possible to achieve? If we were to
consider Lebanon’s status, we realize that Israel withdrew unilaterally from
South Lebanon. And, when it comes to the Shebaa Farms, the Syrian regime has
kept it in limbo, refusing to acknowledge whether it is Syrian or Lebanese. And
so, there is in theory no reason for Lebanon to continue its resistance. But the
Syrian hook reveals how external geopolitical struggles translate into battles
from within.
It is also evident that neutrality alone is not a solution. There needs to be a
new political system that dissipates the risk of implosions or that pushes the
country to follow any new confrontational political ideology. Lebanon can and
should become immune to this historical cycle, which has kept destroying the
country, but only if change comes from within. And this in no way extracts it
from the region, but rather soothes all sides.
Everyone agrees on the need for change. Those hoping for it to come through
foreign interference and the application of UN Security Council Resolution 1701
live in a delusional world — especially on the article aimed at ending the
presence of all armed militias. No one is coming to save Lebanon. Not a single
soldier will come to force the application of any UN resolution. Hence, as long
as Hezbollah carries weapons and is legitimized by the international community,
there is little hope of change unless the Lebanese take the matter into their
own hands.
No one is coming to save Lebanon. Not a single soldier will come to force the
application of any UN resolution
Waiting for regional powers to grant Lebanon neutrality or even federalism is a
useless exercise. It is the presence of a strong movement on the ground that
will make it a reality. And this movement needs to bond across each religious
community in Lebanon. It is high time to reestablish sovereignty in Lebanon and
unite for its flag. It is interesting to notice that, while Jumblatt mentions
Switzerland as a difficult example to follow, that country is now dipping its
toes outside of neutrality. A Swiss security commission last week recommended
revising Switzerland’s traditional military neutrality to allow for closer
defense cooperation with NATO and the EU. The report, prompted by heightened
security concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, suggests a more
flexible application of neutrality, aligning it with the UN Charter and
emphasizing the distinction between aggressor and victim.
The commission urged deeper cooperation with NATO and the EU to enhance defense
capabilities, increase the defense budget and strengthen the arms industry to
address emerging threats, such as hybrid warfare. This report sent shock waves
through the population, especially as the Swiss parliament voted against closer
ties with NATO only in June. It is indeed a difficult geopolitical and military
environment that once again puts Lebanon on a dangerous path. Just as
Switzerland is analyzing a historical change, there is a global sentiment of an
impending clash that will shake the current world order. This increases the
urgency for Lebanon to transform, starting from its political system and its
approach to foreign policy. Unfortunately, the Lebanese cannot even start a
debate because they state that Hezbollah controls everything and abiding by its
rule is an even worse solution. I urge them to debate and mobilize regardless of
this status and discuss the possibilities of neutrality and federalism across
religious groups. The past and present are so bleak that there is nothing wrong
with trying to aim for a better future through real change.
*Khaled Abou Zahr is the founder of SpaceQuest Ventures, CEO of EurabiaMedia,
and editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on September 06-07/2024
Guterres: World Leaders Must Re-boot Global Cooperation
This Is Beirut/September 06, 2024
On the occasion of the Summit of the Future, to be held on September 20 and 21
at UN headquarters in New York, the Secretary-General of the United Nations,
António Guterres, has sent us the following OP-ED: Final negotiations are
underway in New York for this month’s Summit of the Future, where Heads of State
will agree on reforms to the building blocks of global cooperation. The United
Nations has convened this unique Summit because of a stark fact: global problems
are moving faster than the institutions designed to solve them. We see this all
around us. Ferocious conflicts and violence are inflicting terrible suffering;
geopolitical divisions are rife; inequality and injustice are everywhere,
corroding trust, compounding grievances, and feeding populism and extremism. The
age-old challenges of poverty, hunger, discrimination, misogyny and racism are
taking on new forms. Meanwhile, we face new and existential threats, from
runaway climate chaos and environmental degradation to technologies like
Artificial Intelligence developing in an ethical and legal vacuum. The Summit of
the Future recognizes that the solutions to all these challenges are in our
hands. But we need a systems update that only global leaders can deliver.
International Decision-Making Is Stuck in a Time Warp
International decision-making is stuck in a time warp. Many global institutions
and tools are a product of the 1940s – an era before globalization, before
decolonization, before widespread recognition of universal human rights and
gender equality, before humanity travelled into space – never mind cyberspace.
The victors of World War II still have pre-eminence in the UN Security Council
while the entire continent of Africa lacks a permanent seat. The global
financial architecture is heavily weighted against developing countries and
fails to provide a safety net when they face difficulties, leaving them drowning
in debt, which drains money away from investments in their people. And global
institutions offer limited space for many of the major players in today’s world
– from civil society to the private sector. Young people who will inherit the
future are almost invisible, while the interests of future generations go
unrepresented. The message is clear: we cannot create a future fit for our
grandchildren with a system built for our grandparents. The Summit of the Future
will be an opportunity to re-boot multilateral collaboration for the 21st
century.
A New Agenda for Peace
The solutions we have proposed include a New Agenda for Peace focused on
updating international institutions and tools to prevent and end conflicts,
including the UN Security Council. The New Agenda for Peace calls for a renewed
push to rid our world of nuclear arms and other Weapons of Mass Destruction; and
for broadening the definition of security to encompass gender-based violence and
gang violence. It takes future security threats into account, recognizing the
changing nature of warfare and the risks of weaponizing new technologies. For
example, we need a global agreement to outlaw so-called Lethal Autonomous
Weapons that can take life-or-death decisions without human input. Global
financial institutions must reflect today’s world and be equipped to lead a more
powerful response to today’s challenges – debt, sustainable development, climate
action. That means concrete steps to tackle debt distress, increase the lending
capacity of multilateral development banks, and change their business model so
that developing countries have far more access to private finance at affordable
rates. Without that finance, developing countries will not be able to tackle our
greatest future threat: the climate crisis. They urgently need resources to
transition from planet-wrecking fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. And as
leaders highlighted last year, reforming the global financial architecture is
also key to jump-starting desperately needed progress on the Sustainable
Development Goals.
New Technologies
The Summit will also focus on new technologies with a global impact, seeking
ways to close the digital divide and establish shared principles for an open,
free and secure digital future for all.Anchor. Artificial Intelligence is a
revolutionary technology with applications and risks we are only beginning to
understand. We have put forward specific proposals for governments, together
with tech companies, academia and civil society, to work on risk management
frameworks for AI and on monitoring and mitigating its harms, as well as sharing
its benefits. The governance of AI cannot be left to the rich; it requires that
all countries participate, and the UN is ready to provide a platform to bring
people together. Human rights and gender equality are a common thread linking
all these proposals. Global decision-making cannot be reformed without respect
for all human rights and for cultural diversity, ensuring the full participation
and leadership of women and girls. We are demanding renewed efforts to remove
the historic barriers – legal, social and economic – that exclude women from
power. The peace builders of the 1940s created institutions that helped prevent
World War III and ushered many countries from colonization to independence. But
they would not recognize today’s global landscape. The Summit of the Future is a
chance to build more effective and inclusive institutions and tools for global
cooperation, tuned to the 21st century and our multipolar world. I urge leaders
to seize it.
US efforts to finalize hostage deal falter as key obstacles remain
LBCI/September 06, 2024
The US efforts to finalize a revised proposal for a hostage exchange deal,
promised by President Joe Biden, have failed. The details of the deal were
expected to be announced by the end of the week. However, optimism has waned,
even among Americans, about the likelihood of reaching a deal soon due to the
lack of progress on key contentious points, most notably the Philadelphi
Corridor and the captives included in the deal from both the Israelis and
Palestinians, alongside the ceasefire duration. Washington has attempted to
draft a map outlining the Israeli army's deployment in the Philadelphi Corridor
with the smallest possible number of soldiers. But an agreement on this issue
has been elusive. US efforts, led in coordination with Israeli Minister of
Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, have not succeeded, especially in the absence of
the negotiating delegation. This will prompt US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken to visit Israel within days. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu held an emergency meeting with security leaders to discuss ways to
handle the failure to reach a deal. The Philadelphi Corridor remains the biggest
obstacle in the negotiations, prompting the Americans to attempt to resolve the
issue by dividing it into three parts: The first is the area between the sea and
the Rafah Crossing, where Washington proposes the establishment of a
technological system overseen by Egypt and the United States to prevent
smuggling above and below ground. Meanwhile, the second is the reopening of the
Rafah Crossing, located about 10 kilometers east of the coastline. An agreement
on this point is expected to be finalized before Blinken's arrival. The third is
the section between the Rafah Crossing and Kerem Shalom Border Crossing, a
sparsely populated area; from the American perspective, Israel can remain there
during the initial phase of the deal. However, the Americans find it difficult
to reach a consensus on Netanyahu's demand to have Israeli army presence at
monitoring points between the sea and the Rafah Crossing. In addition to the
Philadelphi Corridor issue, Washington has been unable to finalize an agreement
on a ceasefire between the first and second phases of the deal, though they
consider it a less complicated point. While security agencies announced they are
preparing for escalating tensions on the northern front, the West Bank, and Gaza
due to the deal's failure, Netanyahu draws strength from opinion polls showing
an increase in his party's seats from 21 to 23 if elections were held soon.
Life returns to raided West Bank city as Israeli army
withdraws
AFP/September 06, 2024
JENIN, Palestinian Territories: The Israeli army withdrew from the city of Jenin
and its refugee camp on Friday after a 10-day operation that left 36 dead across
the occupied West Bank, witnesses said. After days of destructive incursions by
soldiers backed by armored vehicles and bulldozers, residents who had fled began
returning to their homes in the camp, a bastion of Palestinian armed groups
fighting against Israel, AFP journalists said. On August 28, the army launched a
military operation in several cities and towns of the northern West Bank
including Jenin. It said in a statement on Friday that Israeli forces “have been
conducting counterterrorism activity in the area of Jenin,” without confirming a
withdrawal. “Israeli security forces are continuing to act in order to achieve
the objectives of the counterterrorism operation,” the statement said. Over the
course of the operation in Jenin, Israeli forces killed 14 militants, arrested
30 suspects, dismantled “approximately 30 explosives planted under roads” and
conducted four aerial strikes, the statement said. One Israeli soldier was
killed in Jenin, where most of the Palestinian fatalities have occurred. Hamas,
whose October 7 attack on southern Israel triggered the ongoing war in Gaza, and
Palestinian Islamic Jihad have said at least 14 of the dead were militants. Aziz
Taleb, a 48-year-old father of seven, returned to his family home of 20 years to
find soldiers had raided it. “Thank God (the children) left the day before. They
went to stay with our neighbors here,” he said. “If they had stayed, they would
have been killed without warning or anything,” he said as he surveyed the
damage, glass crunching under his feet. Many homes in Jenin camp were damaged or
destroyed by army bulldozers and pavement was stripped from the roads. Residents
used bulldozers of their own to begin clearing the rubble on Friday after
Israeli armored vehicles left, AFP journalists reported. The early trickle of
returning residents turned into a flood, and soon children were playing in the
streets. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and its forces regularly
make incursions into Palestinian communities, but the latest raids as well as
hawkish comments by Israeli officials signaled an escalation, residents said.
Since the Gaza war began on October 7, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at
least 661 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health
ministry. At least 23 Israelis, including security forces, have been killed in
Palestinian attacks in the territory during the same period, according to
Israeli officials.
Israeli strikes kill 12 Palestinians in Gaza as polio vaccination resumes
Reuters/September 06, 2024
CAIRO: Israeli military strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians across the Gaza
Strip on Friday, medics said, as health officials resumed vaccination of tens of
thousands more children in the enclave against polio. In Nuseirat, one of the
territory’s eight historic refugee camps, an Israeli strike killed two women and
two children, while eight other people were killed in two other strikes in Gaza
City, the medics said. Meanwhile, Israeli forces battled Hamas-led fighters in
the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City, where residents said tanks have been operating
for over a week, in eastern Khan Younis, and in Rafah, near the border with
Egypt, where residents said Israeli forces blew up several houses. Eleven months
into the war, diplomacy has so far failed to conclude a ceasefire deal to end
the conflict and bring the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held in Gaza
as well as many Palestinians jailed in Israel. The two warring sides continued
to blame one another for failing efforts by mediators, including Qatar, Egypt
and the United States. The US is preparing to present a new ceasefire proposal
to hammer out differences, but prospects of a breakthrough remain dim as gaps
between the sides remain large. On Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken said that it was incumbent on both Israel and the Palestinian Islamist
group Hamas to say yes on remaining issues to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal.
Nearly 90 percent of the Gaza ceasefire deal is agreed, but critical issues
remain where there are gaps, including the issue of the so-called Philadelphi
corridor on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt, Blinken said at
a press briefing. Israel said it wouldn’t leave the corridor and Hamas says an
agreement isn’t possible unless they did. Meanwhile, residents of Khan Younis
and displaced families from Rafah, continued to crowd medical facilities,
bringing their children to get the polio vaccines. The campaign was launched
after the discovery of a case of a one-year-old baby who was partially
paralyzed.
POLIO CAMPAIGN TO MOVE TO NORTHERN GAZA
This was the first known case of the disease in Gaza — one of the world’s most
densely populated places — in 25 years. It re-emerged as Gaza’s health system
has virtually collapsed and many hospitals have been knocked out of action due
to the war. The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, said at least
160,000 children received the drops in southern Gaza areas on Thursday where
medical staffers began the second stage of the campaign, benefiting from an
Israeli and Hamas agreement on limited pauses in the fighting. “Since 1
September @UNRWA & partners have vaccinated nearly 355,000 children against
#polio in #Gaza middle & southern areas,” UNRWA said in a post on X. “In the
next few days, we’ll continue rolling out the polio vaccination campaign aiming
to reach around 640,000 children under 10 with this critical vaccine,” it added.
The campaign will move on Sunday to the northern Gaza Strip, which has been the
focus of the major Israeli military offensive in the past 11 months. According
to the World Health Organization, a second round of vaccination would be
required four weeks after the first round. The latest bloodshed in the
decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7 when
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about
250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subsequent assault on the
Hamas-governed enclave has since killed over 40,800 Palestinians, according to
the local health ministry, while also displacing nearly the entire population of
2.3 million, causing a hunger crisis and leading to genocide allegations at the
World Court that Israel denies.
Israeli soldiers fatally shot an American woman at a
West Bank protest, witnesses say
Julia Frankel And Aref Tufana/NABLUS, West Bank (AP)/ September
06, 2024
Israeli soldiers killed an American woman demonstrating against settlements in
the West Bank on Friday, two protesters who witnessed the shooting told The
Associated Press. Two doctors said she was shot in the head.
The U.S. government confirmed the death of 26-year-old Aysenur Ezgi Eygi but did
not say whether she had been shot by Israeli troops. The White House said in a
statement that it was “deeply disturbed” by the killing of a U.S. citizen and
called on Israel to investigate what happened.
Eygi was also a Turkish citizen, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli
said, adding that the country would exert “all effort to ensure that those who
killed our citizen is brought to justice.”The Israeli military said it was
looking into reports that troops had killed a foreign national while firing at
an “instigator of violent activity” in the area of the protest. The woman who
was fatally shot was attending a weekly demonstration against settlement
expansion, protests that have grown violent in the past: A month ago, American
citizen Amado Sison was shot in the leg by Israeli forces, he said, as he tried
to flee tear gas and live fire. Jonathan Pollak, an Israeli who was
participating in Friday's protest, said the shooting occurred shortly after
dozens of Palestinians and international activists held a communal prayer on a
hillside outside the northern West Bank town of Beita overlooking the Israeli
settlement of Evyatar.
Soldiers surrounded the prayer, and clashes soon broke out, with Palestinians
throwing stones and troops firing tear gas and live ammunition, Pollak said. The
protesters and activists, including Pollak and the Eygi, retreated from the hill
and the clashes subdued, he said. He then watched as two soldiers standing on
the roof of a nearby home trained a gun in the group’s direction and shot at
them. He saw the flares leave the nozzle of the gun when the shots rang out. He
said Eygi was about 10 or 15 meters (yards) behind him when the shots were
fired. He then saw her “lying on the ground, next to an olive tree, bleeding to
death,” he said. Mariam Dag, another ISM activist at the protest, also said she
saw an Israeli soldier on a rooftop. Dag said she then heard the firing of two
live bullets. One ricocheted off something metal and hit a Palestinian protester
in the leg; the other hit Eygi, who had moved back into an olive grove, she
said. Dag said she ran toward the fallen woman and saw blood coming from her
head. “The shots were coming from the direction of the army. They were not
coming from anywhere else,” she said. Eygi had just arrived in the West Bank on
Tuesday, Dag said. “This was our first day on the ground together. She was very
happy and very excited this morning to start. She was really keen on coming to
the demonstration.”
“This has been happening to Palestinians for decades. This happened because of
the impunity which the Israelis act with,” including help from Western
governments, she said. Before Friday's shooting, ISM said 17 Palestinians had
been killed by Israeli forces at the weekly Beita protests since March 2020.
Two doctors confirmed Eygi was shot in the head — Dr. Ward Basalat, who
administered first aid at the scene, and Dr. Fouad Naffa, director of Rafidia
Hospital in the nearby city of Nablus where she was taken. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken said the U.S. was “intensely focused” on determining what
happened and that “we will draw the necessary conclusions and consequences from
that.”In a written statement shared on X, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it
condemned “this murder carried out by" the government of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu. At least three activists from the International Solidarity Movement
have been killed since 2000. ISM activists often place themselves between
Israeli forces and Palestinians to try to stop the Israeli military from
carrying out operations. Two ISM activists — American Rachel Corrie and British
photography student Tom Hurndall — were killed in Gaza in 2003.
Corrie was crushed to death in March 2003 as she tried to block an Israeli
military bulldozer from demolishing a Palestinian home in the southern Gaza town
of Rafah near the Egyptian border. Hurndall was shot in the head by an Israeli
soldier about a month later. It’s also one of a handful of cases in which
apparent Israeli fire killed Americans inside the West Bank since the start of
the Israel-Hamas war. Neither American nor Israeli authorities have released
findings into investigations into the twin killings of two Palestinian-American
teens, Mohammad Khdour and Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, shot in the span of a month
while driving down dirt roads close to their villages in the northern West Bank.
Palestinian officials said the killing reflected Israel's intensified repression
of Palestinian protests in the West Bank since the start of the Israel-Hamas
war. Israeli forces rarely use live ammunition to put down protests inside
Israel. But in the West Bank, Palestinian demonstrations are frequently met with
live fire. Hussein Al-Sheikh, the secretary general of the Palestinian
Liberation Organization, wrote on X that the killing marked “another crime added
to the series of crimes committed daily by the occupation forces."Settlements
are overwhelmingly viewed by the international community as illegal under
international law. The settlement of Evyatar was initially an outpost
unrecognized under Israeli law but was legalized by the Israeli cabinet in July,
in a move the far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said was in response
to recognition of Palestinian statehood by a number of countries. Israeli fire
has killed over 690 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Israel-Hamas
war on Oct. 7, Palestinian health officials say. In that time, attacks by
Palestinian militants on Israelis in the territory have also increased.
Blinken 'deplores' American death in West Bank, says US
to act 'as necessary'
AFP/September 6, 2024
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday deplored the death of an American
citizen in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and promised action "as necessary.""We
deplore this tragic loss," Blinken told reporters in the Dominican Republic.
"When we have more info, we will share it, make it available and, as necessary,
we'll act on it."
Walz says Gaza demonstrators are protesting for 'all the right reasons' while
condemning Hamas
Colleen Long/WASHINGTON (AP)/September 6, 2024
Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz said Thursday that those protesting
American support for Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza are doing so for “all
the right reasons," as the Democratic ticket looks to balance its support for
Israel with the humanitarian plight of civilians in the war-torn enclave.
Walz' comments came in an interview with a local Michigan public radio station —
a state with a large Muslim American population that is also a potentially
pivotal swing state in this November's election. His comments appeared to mark
tonal shift, though not a policy one, from the steadfast support for Israel that
Vice President Kamala Harris espoused at the Democratic National Convention last
month. Walz said the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that touched off the war, was “a
horrific act of violence against the people of Israel. They certainly have the
right to defend themselves.” But, he also said that, “we can’t allow what’s
happened in Gaza to happen. The Palestinian people have every right to life and
liberty themselves.”During the interview, Walz was also asked how a Harris
administration might handle the nearly 11-month Israel-Hamas conflict and
whether she would break with President Joe Biden, who has supported Israel while
working to broker a ceasefire and a deal to release hostages held by Hamas. Walz
made no mention of the six hostages, including American Hersh Goldberg-Polin,
who were executed last week in Gaza by Hamas as Israeli forces drew near. Nor
did he mention the protests that involve violence and vandalism and are
frequently directed at Jewish Americans. Harris, who has spoken more
passionately of the plight of Palestinians civilians in Gaza than Biden, has
pledged to continue longstanding support for Israel. In a statement after the
hostages' bodies were identified, Harris said that the “threat Hamas poses to
the people of Israel—and American citizens in Israel—must be eliminated" and
that "Hamas cannot control Gaza.”Speaking at a vigil for the hostages at his
synagogue in Washington on Tuesday, Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff said, “I haven’t
been able to stop thinking about Hersh and his parents, or about the five others
and their families.” He added: “This is hard. I feel raw. I’m gutted.”Although
the vice president has appeared more forceful in speaking about the plight of
civilians in Gaza, she and Biden are in step on his efforts to arm Israel and
bring about a hostage deal and ceasefire. Harris and Biden met earlier this week
in the White House Situation Room with the U.S. hostage deal negotiating team.
Harris' campaign, meanwhile, has stepped up its outreach to Arab and Muslim
American leaders in Michigan, aiming to make up ground with a community that had
grown exasperated with Biden after they felt months of outreach had not yielded
many results. Some have expressed a willingness to listen while others have had
initial conversations with Harris’ team. Harris previously said that it was
important to remember “the war in Gaza is not a binary issue. However, too often
the conversation is binary, when the reality is anything but.” Hostage families
have accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of blocking a deal and
potentially sacrificing their loved ones to hold a strip along Gaza’s border
with Egypt, called the Philadelphi corridor. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis
this week took to the streets and called for a deal, saying time is running out
to bring hostages home alive. Biden said this week they are still negotiating.
German minister says ‘purely military approach’ not the
solution in Gaza
AFP/September 06, 2024
Baerbock on Friday called for “a ceasefire now” and also spoke out against
hawkish statements by Israeli officials about the West Bank, where the army on
Aug. 28 launched a raid in multiple cities that has left at least 36 dead. TEL
AVIV: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Friday that a military
approach alone was not the solution to Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza
Strip. “The past weekend has dramatically demonstrated that a purely military
approach is no solution to the situation in Gaza,” she said after meeting with
her Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, in the coastal Israeli city of Tel Aviv.
Baerbock was referring to the recovery of six more dead hostages announced on
Sunday. Their deaths have ramped up domestic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu to seal a deal with Hamas for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage
exchange deal, though the two sides have traded blame over stalled talks this
week.
FASTFACT
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for ‘a ceasefire now’ and also
spoke out against hawkish statements by Israeli officials about the West Bank.
Baerbock on Friday called for “a ceasefire now” and also spoke out against
hawkish statements by Israeli officials about the West Bank, where the army on
Aug. 28 launched a raid in multiple cities that has left at least 36 dead.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, said in a post
on X on Friday that he had asked Netanyahu to make the defeat of Hamas “and
other terrorist organizations” in the West Bank one of the aims of the war in
Gaza. “When members of the Israeli government themselves call for the same
approach in the West Bank as in Gaza, that is precisely what acutely endangers
Israel’s security,” Baerbock said. Her comments came one day after German police
shot dead a man who opened fire on them in what they treated as a foiled
“terrorist attack” on Munich’s Israeli Consulate on the anniversary of the 1972
Olympic Games killings. Baerbock said she had “expressed my deepest and full
solidarity” with Katz. “This is a terrible situation. This is a terrible moment
for us, especially on the very anniversary of Munich 1972,” she said.
Authorities in Vienna said investigators seized electronic devices at the home
of the young Austrian who fired shots near the Munich consulate, but found no
weapons or Daesh propaganda material.
Austrian investigators seize devices at Munich shooter’s
home
AFP/September 06, 2024
VIENNA: Investigators seized electronic devices at the home of a young Austrian
who fired shots near Israel’s Munich consulate, but found no weapons or Daesh
group propaganda material, authorities said Friday. German police shot dead the
18-year-old man on Thursday when he fired a vintage rifle at them near the
diplomatic building. They said they were treating it as a “terrorist attack,”
apparently timed to coincide with the anniversary of the killings of Israeli
athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games. Authorities raided the gunman’s home in the
Salzburg region, seizing electronic data carriers, Austria’s top security chief
Franz Ruf told a press conference in Vienna on Friday. During the raid, “no
weapons or Daesh propaganda” material were found, Ruf added. Despite being
subject to a ban on owning and carrying weapons, the man managed to purchase a
vintage carbine rifle fitted with a bayonet with around “fifty rounds of
ammunition” for 400 euros ($445) the day before the attack, Ruf said. He opened
fire at around 9:00 am (0700 GMT) near the Israeli consulate, sparking a
mobilization of about 500 police in downtown Munich. At a separate press
conference in Munich, prosecutor Gabriele Tilmann said investigators were
combing through the gunman’s electronic data but had yet to find conclusive
evidence of his motive. But the “working hypothesis” was that “the perpetrator
acted out of Islamist or anti-Semitic motivation,” she told reporters. Austrian
police said on Thursday that the gunman, who had Bosnian roots, had previously
been investigated on suspicion of links to terrorism. Investigators last year
found three videos he had recorded in 2021, showing scenes from a computer game
“with Islamist content,” prosecutors said in a statement. In one of them the
suspect had used an avatar with a flag of the “al-Nusra Front,” a militant group
active in Syria, said Ruf. But the investigation was dropped in 2023 as there
were no indications that he was active in “radical” circles, prosecutors
said.“The mere playing of a computer game or the re-enactment of violent
Islamist scenes was not sufficient to prove intent to commit the offense,” they
added.
Zelenskyy presses US military leaders to let Ukraine
strike deeper in Russia
Tara Copp/RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP)/September 6, 2024
Ukraine needs the ability to strike deep within Russia now, President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy told U.S. and allied military leaders Friday as Kyiv more fervently
pressed the West to loosen weapons use restrictions and allow it to target
Russian air bases and launch sites far from the border. Zelenskyy made the case
during an in-person meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air
Base in Germany. He appeared to make inroads with some of the defense leaders
from the 50-plus partner nations who regularly gather to coordinate weapons aid
for the war. But he did not appear to sway the ally he needs most. After the
talks, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pushed back on the idea that
long-range strikes would be a game-changer. “I don’t believe one capability is
going to be decisive and I stand by that comment,” Austin said. The Ukrainians
have other means to strike long-range targets, he said.
Zelenskyy's request comes after a series of recent deadly Russian airstrikes,
including against a Ukrainian military training center that killed more than 50
and wounded hundreds this week. On Friday, the Kremlin fired five ballistic
missiles at the city of Pavlohrad in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, injuring
at least 50 people, regional Gov. Serhii Lysak said. “We need to have this
long-range capability, not only on the divided territory of Ukraine, but also on
the Russian territory, so that Russia is motivated to seek peace,” Zelenskyy
said. “We need to make Russian cities and even Russian soldiers think about what
they need: peace or Putin.”The question remained whether Zelenskyy could
convince President Joe Biden that the U.S. should ease its restrictions as well.
While Biden has allowed Ukraine to fire U.S.-provided missiles into Russia in
self-defense, the distance has been largely limited to cross-border targets
deemed a direct threat, out of concerns about further escalating the conflict.
At the meeting Friday, multiple countries seemed to be persuaded that Ukraine
should get the green light, which could add pressure on the Biden
administration.
“Many countries (are) in favor,” said Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Lithuania's defense
minister. “Many, many. But the question is not the number of countries, but
countries who give (those) missiles.”By announcing Lithuania's support,
Kasčiūnas said, “I hope it will help to convince other countries.”Canada's
defense minister, Bill Blair, said he hopes other Western allies also get behind
the push. Canada does not have long-range munitions it could provide on its own,
Blair said. “One of the things President Zelenskyy and his ministers have made
very clear to us is that they are suffering significant attacks from air bases
and military installations located within Russia,” Blair said. “We support their
request for permission, but it's still a decision of our allies.”Ukraine is now
in the midst of its first offensive operations of the war while facing a
significant threat from Russian forces near a key hub in the Donbas, and Kyiv is
seeing that its time is running short to shore up ongoing military support
before the U.S. presidential election in November. Zelenskyy said Ukraine's
surprise assault inside Russia’s Kursk region has led to the capture of about
1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory and killed or
injured about 6,000 Russian soldiers. But it has not drawn away President
Vladimir Putin’s focus from taking the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, which
provides critical rail and supply links for the Ukrainian army. Losing Pokrovsk
could put additional Ukrainian cities at risk. While Kursk has put Russia on the
defensive, “we know Putin’s malice runs deep,” and Moscow is pressing on,
especially around Pokrovsk, Austin said.
The Pentagon chief said the U.S. will provide $250 million more in weapons to
Ukraine, including air defense munitions and artillery. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken in a statement said that the new package would comprise “urgently
needed weapons and equipment” and include "air defense missiles and support,
munitions for rocket systems and artillery, anti-tank weapons, and Bradley
Infantry Fighting Vehicles and other armored vehicles." “This assistance will be
deployed as quickly as possible to bolster Ukraine’s defense of its territory
and its people,” Blinken said. Zelenskyy, however, said promised weapons systems
have been too slow to arrive. “The number of air defense systems that have not
yet been delivered is significant,” he said. German Defense Minister Boris
Pistorius said those systems, particularly Patriot air defense systems, need to
be in Ukraine's hands so it can defend its electrical grid and infrastructure
during winter fighting. As well as resources for air defense and artillery, the
meeting aimed to focus on shoring up gains in expanding Ukraine’s own defense
industrial base so it could be on more solid footing as Biden's term winds down.
Western partner nations are working with Ukraine to source a substitute missile
for its Soviet-era S-300 air defense systems, Austin said.
The U.S. is also focused on resourcing a variety of air-to-ground missiles that
the newly delivered F-16 fighter jets can carry, including the Joint
Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, which could give Ukraine a longer-range cruise
missile option, said Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, who spoke
to reporters traveling with Austin. No decisions on the munition have been made,
LaPlante said, noting that policymakers would still have to decide whether to
give Ukraine the longer-range capability. “I would just put JASSM in that
category, it’s something that is always being looked at,” LaPlante said.
“Anything that’s an air-to-ground weapon is always being looked at.” For the
past two years, members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group have met to
resource Ukraine’s artillery and air defense needs, ranging from hundreds of
millions of rounds of small arms ammunition to some of the West’s most
sophisticated air defense systems, and now fighter jets. The request this month
was more of the same, but it came in person from Zelenskyy. Since 2022, the
member nations together have provided about $106 billion in security assistance
to Ukraine. The U.S. has provided more than $56 billion of that total. The
German government said Chancellor Olaf Scholz planned to meet Zelenskyy in
Frankfurt later Friday.
US-Iraq deal would see hundreds of troops withdraw in first year, sources say
Reuters/September 06, 2024
BAGHDAD: The United States and Iraq have reached an understanding on plans for
the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, according to multiple
sources familiar with the matter. The plan, which has been broadly agreed but
requires a final go-ahead from both capitals and an announcement date, would see
hundreds of troops leave by September 2025, with the remainder departing by the
end of 2026, the sources said.
“We have an agreement, its now just a question of when to announce it,” a senior
US official said. The US and Iraq are also seeking to establish a new advisory
relationship that could see some US troops remain in Iraq after the drawdown. An
official announcement was initially scheduled for weeks ago but was postponed
due to regional escalation related to Israel’s war in Gaza and to iron out some
remaining details, the sources said. The sources include five US officials, two
officials from other coalition nations, and three Iraqi officials, all speaking
on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter
publicly. Several sources said the deal could be announced this month. Farhad
Alaaldin, foreign affairs adviser to the Iraqi prime minister, said technical
talks with Washington on the coalition drawdown had concluded. “We are now on
the brink of transitioning the relationship between Iraq and members of the
international coalition to a new level, focusing on bilateral relations in
military, security, economic, and cultural areas,” he said. He did not comment
on details of the plan and the US-led coalition did not respond to emailed
questions.
The agreement follows more than six months of talks between Baghdad and
Washington, initiated by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani in January amid
attacks by Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups on US forces stationed at Iraqi bases.
The rocket and drone attacks have killed three American troops and wounded
dozens more, resulting in several rounds of deadly US retaliation that
threatened government efforts to stabilize Iraq after decades of conflict. The
US has approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria as part
of the coalition formed in 2014 to combat Daesh as it rampaged through the two
countries. The group once held roughly a third of Iraq and Syria but was
territorially defeated in Iraq at the end of 2017 and in Syria in 2019. Iraq had
demonstrated its ability to handle any remaining threat, Alaaldin said. The US
initially invaded Iraq in 2003, toppling dictator Saddam Hussein before
withdrawing in 2011, but returned in 2014 at the head of the coalition to fight
Daesh. Other nations, including Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, also
contribute hundreds of troops to the coalition. Under the plan, all coalition
forces would leave the Ain Al-Asad air base in western Anbar province and
significantly reduce their presence in Baghdad by September 2025. US and other
coalition troops are expected to remain in Irbil, in the semi-autonomous
northern Kurdistan region, for approximately one additional year, until around
the end of 2026, to facilitate ongoing operations against Daesh in Syria.
Exact details of troop movements are being kept secret due to their military
sensitivity. The drawdown would mark a notable shift in Washington’s military
posture in the region. While primarily focused on countering Daesh, US officials
acknowledge their presence also serves as a strategic position against Iranian
influence. This position has grown more important as Israel and Iran escalate
their regional confrontation, with US forces in Iraq shooting down rockets and
drones fired toward Israel in recent months, according to US officials. Prime
Minister Al-Sudani has stated that, while he appreciates their help, US troops
have become a magnet for instability, frequently targeted and responding with
strikes often not coordinated with the Iraqi government. The agreement, when
announced, would likely present a political win for Al-Sudani as he balances
Iraq’s position as an ally of both Washington and Tehran. The first phase of the
drawdown would end one month before Iraqi parliamentary polls set for October
2025. For the US, the two-year time frame provides “breathing room,” allowing
for potential adjustments if the regional situation changes, a US official said.
The State Department and US Embassy in Baghdad did not respond to requests for
comment.
UN mission says both Sudan sides committed abuses,
peacekeepers needed
Reuters/September 06, 2024
GENEVA: Both sides in Sudan’s civil war have committed abuses that may amount to
war crimes, and world powers need to send in peacekeepers and widen an arms
embargo to protect civilians, a UN-mandated mission said on Friday. Sudan’s army
and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have both raped and attacked
civilians, used torture and made arbitrary arrests, according to the report that
said it was based on 182 interviews with survivors, relatives and witnesses.
“The gravity of our findings and failure of the warring parties to protect
civilians underscores the need for urgent and immediate intervention,” the UN
fact-finding mission’s chair, Mohamed Chande Othman, told reporters. Both sides
have dismissed past accusations from the US and rights groups, and have accused
each other of carrying out abuses. Neither immediately responded to requests for
comment on Friday, or released a statement in response to the report. Othman and
the two other mission members called for an independent force to be deployed
without delay. “We cannot continue to have people dying before our eyes and do
nothing about it,” mission member Mona Rishmawi said. A UN-mandated peacekeeping
force was a possibility, she added. The mission called for the expansion of an
existing UN arms embargo which currently just applies to the western region of
Darfur where thousands of ethnic killings have been reported. The war that
started in Khartoum in April last year has spread to 14 out of 18 of the
country’s states.
Hundreds of rapes reported
The mission said it had also found reasonable grounds to believe the RSF and its
allied militias had committed additional war crimes including the abduction of
women who were forced into sexual slavery and the recruitment of child soldiers.
Mission member Joy Ngozi Ezeilo said unnamed support groups had received reports
of more than 400 rapes in the first year of the war, but the real number was
probably much higher. “The rare brutality of this war will have a devastating
and long-lasting psychological impact on children,” she said. The fact-finding
team said it had tried to contact Sudanese authorities on multiple occasions but
had got no answer. It said the RSF had asked to cooperate with the mission,
without elaborating. The conflict began when competition between the army and
the RSF, who had previously shared power after staging a coup, flared into open
warfare. Civilians in Sudan are facing worsening famine, mass displacement and
disease after 17 months of war, aid agencies say. US-led mediators said last
month that they had secured guarantees from both parties at talks in Switzerland
to improve access for humanitarian aid, but that the Sudanese army’s absence
from the discussions had hindered progress. The report is the three-member
mission’s first since its creation in October 2023 by the United Nations Human
Rights Council in Geneva. A group of Western countries including Britain will
call for its renewal at a meeting this month, with diplomats expecting
opposition from Sudan which says the war is an internal affair.
Trump plan for Musk-led efficiency commission could give CEO influence over
rules for his work, wealth
LBCI/September 05/2024
Billionaire Elon Musk will head a government efficiency commission with a vast
remit if Donald Trump is elected US president, potentially putting him in
position to change the rules for corporate America, including the wide swath of
industries in which his companies compete. Trump on Thursday announced the plan,
including Musk's role, and said he wanted to see recommendations for "drastic
reforms," starting with hunting down fraud and improper payments, that would
target "the entire federal government." The commission would put Musk, who leads
rocket company SpaceX, electric carmaker Tesla, technology companies X and xAI
and several others, a chance to plan the slimmer government Republicans often
advocate, but could see him making rules that directly affect his own work and
wealth. Musk repeatedly suggested creating a government efficiency commission in
a public conversation with Trump on social media platform X in August, saying
that government spending should be trimmed to a sensible level and that Musk
himself was willing to help. Trump in the conversation responded that Musk was
"the greatest cutter" of jobs. Presidential commissions have been created on a
number of topics, such as when President Joe Biden created one to examine the
idea of reforming the Supreme Court, said Nikolas Guggenberger, an assistant
professor of law at University of Houston Law Center, whose work focuses on
antitrust, law and technology. But Musk's significant relationships with the US
government, worth billions of dollars, make it a different matter. "He has a
large company that sells electric vehicles, he has a large company that sells
satellites, he has a social media platform. In all those areas, you can imagine
advice being tainted by the fact that he has strong economic interests,"
Guggenberger said.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on September 06-07/2024
10 Things Washington Should Do to Hold Hamas Accountable
Richard Goldberg/Insight/September 05/2024
U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, was executed by Hamas in late August
after being taken hostage from an Israeli music festival and held in Gaza for
more than 300 days. In response, a bipartisan roster of U.S. officials
immediately pledged to hold Hamas accountable. On August 31, 2024, President Joe
Biden issued a statement saying, “Make no mistake, Hamas leaders will pay for
these crimes,” while Vice President Kamala Harris issued a statement saying,
“The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel—and American citizens in
Israel—must be eliminated and Hamas cannot control Gaza.” On September 1, 2024,
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin vowed that “Hamas will be held accountable.”
Washington policymakers should make good on these promises in the following
ways:
1. Hamas leadership: Support Israel’s campaign to kill or capture Hamas leader
Yahya Sinwar and other Hamas leaders at large, both inside and outside Gaza.
This support starts with recently unsealed Justice Department indictments for
the murder and hostage-taking of Americans but continues with demands made of
countries like Qatar, Turkey, and Lebanon for extraditions, and an advertising
campaign in Gaza offering a very large reward for information leading to the
capture or death of Yahya Sinwar. The United States should also make clear to
all countries that it supports Israeli efforts to kill or capture Hamas
officials wherever they reside.
2. Hamas and partner networks: Within the United States and overseas, lead a
crackdown on Hamas networks.
The Department of Justice should move forward with indictments of known
individuals and groups in the United States providing material support to Hamas
and those associated with Hamas, domestically and abroad. The Departments of the
Treasury and State should also target Hamas’s support network of terrorist
entities in and out of the Gaza Strip. Sanctions have not yet been imposed on
organizations such as the Popular Resistance Committees, Abdul al-Qadir al-Husseini
Brigades, and the Palestinian Freedom Movement. These armed organizations
coordinate attacks on Israeli troops and territory with known designated
Palestinian terrorist factions. Palestinian organizations that provide material
support to Hamas and coordinate attacks with them should be held accountable for
their actions. Hamas networks in foreign countries, including South Africa,
should be targeted with sanctions as well.
3. Munitions to Israel: With U.S partners, publicly send Israel a series of
additional munitions to help it wage an offensive against Iran’s terrorist
proxies.
Alongside a public show of materiel support for Israel, provided without
conditions or caveats, the administration should use its leverage and influence
to compel the United Kingdom and Canada to lift any holds or restrictions on
defense exports to Israel. Sinwar must see momentum shifting toward
international support for Israel and be disabused of any dreams of the United
States again withholding weapons from Israel.
4. Qatar: Bring immediate and intense pressure to bear on Qatar to cut off all
political and financial lifelines it provides to Hamas.
Pressure on Qatar should include threats to remove Qatar’s status as a major
non-NATO ally; move Al Udeid Air Base assets; impose sanctions on Qatari
officials, instrumentalities, and assets; and impose sanctions on Qatar’s Al-Jazeera
Media Network. Qatar should be compelled to close all Hamas offices and
operations, freeze and turn over to the United States all Hamas-connected
assets, and turn over to the United States or Israel all Hamas officials who
remain in the country.
5. Egypt: Bring immediate and intense pressure to bear on Egypt to permanently
cut off Hamas supply routes above and below the Egypt-Gaza border.
Pressure on Egypt should include threats to withhold a significant amount of
U.S. foreign assistance and impose sanctions on Egyptian officials and
instrumentalities responsible for the Hamas smuggling operation. The United
States must articulate that an underground wall built on the Egypt side of the
border with Gaza — like the one that exists on the Israeli-Gaza border — is a
priority for the United States and is in our national long-term interests. Egypt
should also be compelled to fully cooperate with Israel in a joint monitoring
operation to prevent above-ground smuggling.
6. Turkey: Bring immediate and intense pressure to bear on Turkey to cut off all
political and financial lifelines provided to Hamas.
Pressure should include threats to impose sanctions on Turkish officials or
entities that provide material support to Hamas. Turkey should be compelled to
close all Hamas offices and operations, freeze and turn over to the United
States all Hamas-connected assets, including Ismail Haniyeh’s assets reportedly
in Turkish banks, and turn over to the United States or Israel all Hamas
officials who remain in the country.
7. Lebanon: Bring immediate and intense pressure to bear on Lebanon to cut off
all political and financial lifelines provided to Hamas.
Pressure should include threats to withhold a significant level of foreign
assistance and impose sanctions on Lebanese officials or entities that provide
material support to Hamas. Lebanon should be placed on the Financial Action Task
Force’s grey list — and if no action is taken, on its black list — for
facilitating support to a terrorist organization. Further, the United States
should provide intelligence support for Israeli strikes anywhere in Lebanon,
including Beirut, to kill Hamas operatives and destroy their infrastructure –
including any co-located with Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and/or the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Lebanon should be compelled to close all Hamas
offices and operations, freeze and turn over to the United States all Hamas-connected
assets, and turn over to the United States or Israel all Hamas officials who
remain in the country.
8. China: Target China with economic and political pressure for subsidizing
Hamas through oil imports and from Iran.
U.S. oil sanctions on Iran are already on the books, they just aren’t being
enforced. President Biden should inform President Xi Jinping that the United
States will be pursuing maximalist sanctions enforcement targeting all Chinese
entities involved in illicit trade with Iran, Hamas’s chief terror sponsor,
including state-owned enterprises. The administration should move forward with
identifying Chinese ports that accept Iranian oil, as mandated by the newly
enacted SHIP Act, and impose secondary sanctions on those ports.
9. Iran: Increase other forms of pressure on Iran.
Pressure should include ending Iranian access to previously inaccessible Iraqi
electricity payments and any other funds made available for Iran’s use,
triggering the snapback of UN sanctions on Iran at the Security Council, and an
all-out diplomatic push to get the United Kingdom and the European Union to
designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
10. International Organizations: Fight back against Hamas allies within
international organizations.
Hamas counts the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC) as
key allies. The current U.S. unwillingness to confront these institutions gives
Sinwar hope. The White House should end its opposition to sanctions threats
against the ICC and its chief prosecutor and instead lead an aggressive
diplomatic campaign to get the ICC’s top donors — Japan and Germany among them —
to end the illegitimate and baseless investigation of Israeli leaders (which
also puts Americans at risk). The administration should put forward a UN
Security Council resolution condemning Hamas and all its state sponsors —
forcing Russia and China to defend Hamas and potentially veto it. The
administration should also leverage U.S. funding of the UN regular budget and
other agencies to fight back against pro-Hamas, anti-Israel activity.
U.S. Campuses: The 'Taboo' Ignored Pandemic of Muslim Jew-Hate
Andrew Bostom/Gatestone Institute/September 6, 2024
ADL further recorded a total of 400 antisemitic incidents on college and
university campuses, compared to only 33 incidents during the same period in
2022. Ugly incidents of U.S. campus antisemitism persisted throughout the spring
2024 semester year.
Routine empirical, if taboo, observation clearly indicates that often, the most
vociferous and violent U.S. student campus antisemites share a common
Islamic/Muslim religio-ethnic identity. A courageous, expansive Brandeis
University study was just published addressing the potential validity of this
anecdotal observation by analyzing U.S. undergraduate college student religious
affiliation as a critical, independent factor animating their Jew-hatred.
Sadly, but with depressing predictability, the study's seminal, if corroborative
findings are being ignored by media, and the most voluble talking heads and
"public intellectuals," across the ideological spectrum.
The study authors concluded that although "a climate of universal anti-Jewish
hatred" did not exist, Jewish student concerns about antisemitism were
justified, and "driven by about a third of students who held distinct patterns
of beliefs about Jews and Israel." Specifically, "Identifying as Muslim was
significantly associated with being either hostile to Israel or hostile to Jews,
even after controlling for other factors." Furthermore, compared to Christians,
for example, Muslims were 2.6-fold more likely to harbor the most virulent
antisemitism, namely, shared hostility to both Israel and Jews.
Since 2004, ADL surveys of Muslims have been conducted in Western (European and
U.S.) societies, and Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries, where
Islam is the state religion. MENA Muslim nations are by wide margins the 16 most
antisemitic countries worldwide, where the prevalence of extreme antisemitism
ranges from a "low" of 74% (in Egypt and Saudi Arabia), to 93% (among the
Palestinian Muslims of Gaza, and the West Bank).
Largely consistent with these ADL MENA Muslim data, and strikingly concordant
with the 2.6-fold excess of extreme Muslim antisemitism, relative to extreme
Christian antisemitism, just revealed by the Brandeis study of U.S. college
students, 2015, 2019, and 2023 ADL Western European reports, and a 2017 ADL U.S.
report, found a 2- to 4-fold excess prevalence of extreme antisemitism, among
Muslims versus Christians, or non-Muslims.
Discussion of the most plausible and discernible explanation for this global
surfeit of Muslim Jew-hatred is also shunned: relentless inculcation of
antisemitic motifs from the Qur'an itself, and other core Islamic texts, by the
pre-eminent authoritative religious teaching institutions in Islam, such as Al-Azhar
University, Sunni Islam's putative "Vatican."
Identical, canonically sourced Jew-hating Islamic religious indoctrination is
ubiquitous, and even embellished, in mainstream U.S. mosques, a baleful practice
that has intensified following October 7, 2023.
Unfortunately, monomaniacal focus on DEI racist bias has become just the latest
device to avoid any serious discussion of Islam, and the global pandemic of
excess Muslim Jew-hatred. Hope springs eternal publication of the landmark
Brandeis study confirming this disproportionate pandemic has reached U.S.
campuses, will finally initiate honest reckoning with such uniquely Muslim
bigotry.
Routine empirical, if taboo, observation clearly indicates that often, the most
vociferous and violent U.S. student campus antisemites share a common
Islamic/Muslim religio-ethnic identity.
The carnage of October 7, 2023 in southern Israel was wrought by an unprovoked
attack by the Jew-hating, jihad terror organization Hamas, in conjunction with
local Gazan Muslims. Some 1,200 Israelis were murdered, the victims being
overwhelmingly non-combatant children, women, men, and the elderly. Atrocities
committed against these primarily non-combatant Israelis included, mutilation,
torture, beheadings, and mass rape, followed by burning, helpfully documented by
the jihadists' own videos and oral testimony (of captured jihadists),
surveillance camera videos, surviving eyewitness testimony of the victims, and
forensic pathology evidence.
Perversely, during the two-months immediately after the October 7 massacres, and
accompanying atrocities, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) authenticated an
"unprecedented" increase in Jew-hating incidents within the United States,
marking the "highest number of incidents during any two-month period since ADL
began tracking in 1979." ADL recorded a total of 2,031 antisemitic incidents
between October 7, 2023 and December 7, 2023, "up from 465 incidents during the
same period in 2022, representing a 337% increase year-over-year." Approximately
250 antisemitic incidents "specifically targeted Jewish institutions such as
synagogues and campus Hillels."
ADL further recorded a total of 400 antisemitic incidents on college and
university campuses, compared to only 33 incidents during the same period in
2022. Ugly incidents of U.S. campus antisemitism persisted (here; here)
throughout the spring 2024 semester year. Columbia University—a hub of campus
Jew-hatred—was even forced to cancel its main commencement ceremonies, outright.
As Jewish students return to their unchanged (see here; here; here) campus
environments for the fall 2024 semester, formal polling data make plain that
alarming numbers concealed their identity as Jews (44%), and avoided certain
events, locations, or circumstances (78%), because they experienced physical
threats, or knew of someone who had (55%). Moreover, anecdotal reporting
suggests returning Jewish students worry that Jew-hating, pro-Hamas
demonstrations may worsen during the fall semester. Given routine dismissal of
charges, or minimal, wrist-slapping "actions" against the most viciously
Jew-hating student and faculty offenders, by Columbia and other institutions,
this latter fear is understandable.
Routine empirical, if taboo, observation clearly indicates that often, the most
vociferous and violent U.S. student campus antisemites share a common
Islamic/Muslim religio-ethnic identity. A courageous, expansive Brandeis
University study was just published addressing the potential validity of this
anecdotal observation by analyzing U.S. undergraduate college student religious
affiliation as a critical, independent factor animating their Jew-hatred.
Sadly, but with depressing predictability, the study's seminal, if corroborative
findings are being ignored by media, and the most voluble talking heads and
"public intellectuals," across the ideological spectrum.
During the spring 2024 semester, survey data were collected from 4,123
undergraduate students (including 313 Jewish students) at 60 U.S. colleges and
universities (public and private; geographically varied) with sizable Jewish
student populations. The non-Jewish respondents (3810) were asked whether they
agreed or disagreed with nine unquestionably negative statements about Jews and
Israel, and the pattern of their responses was then evaluated. Here are the nine
statements, which overlap considerably with those previously validated and
included in major ADL (and other academic) assessment surveys of antisemitism in
the past two decades:
"Jews in America have too much power."
"Jews don't care what happens to anyone but their own kind."
"Jewish people talk about the Holocaust just to further their political agenda."
"Jews should be held accountable for Israel's actions."
"Israel does not have the right to exist."
"All Israeli civilians should be considered legitimate targets for Hamas."
"To what extent is your overall opinion of Hamas favorable or unfavorable?"
"Supporters of Israel control the media."
"I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who supports the existence of Israel
as a Jewish state."
The study authors concluded that although "a climate of universal anti-Jewish
hatred" did not exist, Jewish student concerns about antisemitism were
justified, and "driven by about a third of students who held distinct patterns
of beliefs about Jews and Israel." Specifically, "Identifying as Muslim was
significantly associated with being either hostile to Israel or hostile to Jews,
even after controlling for other factors." Furthermore, compared to Christians,
for example, Muslims were 2.6-fold more likely to harbor the most virulent
antisemitism, namely, shared hostility to both Israel and Jews.
How do these results comport — if at all — with other contemporary assessments
of Muslim antisemitism?
The ADL has developed, validated, and applied a simple, elegant survey
instrument to determine the prevalence of "extreme antisemitism" — defined as
agreement with at least 6/11 antisemitic stereotypes—across, and within
populations around the world. Since 2004, ADL surveys of Muslims have been
conducted in Western (European and U.S.) societies, and Middle Eastern and North
African (MENA) countries, where Islam is the state religion. MENA Muslim nations
are by wide margins the 16 most antisemitic countries worldwide, where the
prevalence of extreme antisemitism ranges from a "low" of 74% (in Egypt and
Saudi Arabia), to 93% (among the Palestinian Muslims of Gaza, and the West
Bank).
Largely consistent with these ADL MENA Muslim data, and strikingly concordant
with the 2.6-fold excess of extreme Muslim antisemitism, relative to extreme
Christian antisemitism, just revealed by the Brandeis study of U.S. college
students, 2015, 2019, and 2023 (here; here) ADL Western European reports, and a
2017 ADL U.S. report, found a 2- to 4-fold excess prevalence of extreme
antisemitism, among Muslims versus Christians, or non-Muslims. The only ADL
survey statistically adjusted for "confounders" (biases) associated with
Antisemitism, was a 2004 Western European report. An academic analysis of these
data (reported by Yale investigators, in 2006) described an adjusted nearly
8-fold excess prevalence (Table 3) of extreme antisemitism among Muslims,
compared to Christians!
More ominously, non-ADL surveys published after Hamas's October 7 jihad
massacres capture distressingly broad pro-Hamas, Jew-annihilationist sentiments
among both MENA, and U.S. Muslims. A large (n=8000), population-based survey
from 16 MENA countries, representing 95% of the total 320 million MENA Muslims,
conducted by Muslim academics, and reported in January, 2024, revealed that 89%
supported Hamas' October 7 carnage, and 89% simultaneously rejected Israel's
right to exist as an autonomous state. Earlier, in late October 2023, a U.S.
poll which oversampled American Muslims, found 58% believed Hamas' October 7
massacres were "justified."
Discussion of the most plausible and discernible explanation for this global
surfeit of Muslim Jew-hatred is also shunned: relentless inculcation of
antisemitic motifs from the Qur'an itself, and other core Islamic texts, by the
pre-eminent authoritative religious teaching institutions in Islam, such as Al-Azhar
University, Sunni Islam's putative "Vatican."
Only hours after the October 7, 2023 attacks, Al-Azhar University's current
Papal equivalent Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayyeb, and other Al-Azhar luminaries,
celebrated (here; here; here; here) Hamas' jihad carnage, on the University's
social media platforms. Less than 2-weeks later, Al-Azhar issued a fatwa
declaring that all Israelis were legitimate targets of jihad terror: "the term
'civilians' does not apply to the Zionist settlers of the occupied land,"
mirroring the Islamic jurisprudence of Al Azhar fatwas, or the resolutions of
Al-Azhar Conference Proceedings, regarding Jews and Israel, put forth regularly,
since the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine.
In 2007, Al-Tayyeb, then Al-Azhar University President, sanctioned suicide
bombing murder of Israeli Jews, non-combatants included, and twice since
becoming Grand Imam (here; here), he has condemned Jews, eternally, during
national Egyptian television broadcasts, while invoking Qur'an 5:82 — "You will
surely find the most intense of the people in animosity toward the believers [to
be] the Jews" — a central Antisemitic Qur'anic verse—for causing "Muslim
distress... since the inception of Islam 1400 years ago."
Late Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi (d. 2010), Al-Tayyeb's
immediate predecessor, was one of the most revered modern authorities on
Qur'anic exegesis. Tantawi provided a summary gloss on the "degenerate" Qur'anic
characteristics of the Jews (3:112; 4:46; 4:161; 3:120, 5:79; 2:109; 3:113), in
his Ph.D. thesis, "The Children of Israel (Jews) in the Qur'an and Traditions,"
emphasizing their timeless relevance, and denouncing Jews who rejected Islam as
"maleficent deniers," further granting Muslims license to commit violence
against them, to extirpate Jewish "evil."
Identical, canonically sourced Jew-hating Islamic religious indoctrination is
ubiquitous, and even embellished, in mainstream U.S. mosques (such as here,
here, and here), a baleful practice that has intensified following October 7,
2023.
Until now, analyses of post-October 7 antisemitism on U.S. campuses by both
conservative (here; here), and non-progressive, liberal (here; here; here)
"thought leaders," or politicians, have riveted, exclusively, upon the
deleterious impact of the Marxist "Diversity-Equity-Inclusion" (DEI) pedagogy
which lards university curricula, and administrative procedures. Worse still,
this DEI monomania fails to consider—out of ignorance, or fear—the dogmatic
Islamophilia, and accompanying whitewash of Islam's "sacralized" Jew-hatred, DEI
has begotten in the academy for at least a half century. Already in 1974, the
late renowned Islamologist, Maxime Rodinson (d. 2004), noted ruefully, with
regard to higher education on Islam,
"The anti-colonial left...often goes so far as to sanctify Islam and the
contemporary ideologies of the Muslim world... Understanding has given away to
apologetics pure and simple."
Unfortunately, monomaniacal focus on DEI racist bias has become just the latest
device to avoid any serious discussion of Islam, and the global pandemic of
excess Muslim Jew-hatred. Hope springs eternal publication of the landmark
Brandeis study confirming this disproportionate pandemic has reached U.S.
campuses, will finally initiate honest reckoning with such uniquely Muslim
bigotry.
*Andrew G. Bostom, MD, MS, is the author of The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy
War and the Fate of Non-Muslims, The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism: From Sacred
Texts to Solemn History, Sharia versus Freedom: The Legacy of Islamic
Totalitarianism and other books and essays on Islam. His research focus has been
on the impact of Islamic conquest, colonization, and governance on non-Muslims.
© 2024 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20920/campus-muslim-jew-hate
Analysis of the IAEA’s Iran NPT Safeguards Report – August
2024
David Albright/Institute for Science and International Security/September
06/2024
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on August 29, 2024, released its
latest assessment on Iran’s compliance with Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
safeguards. Below is key new information from the report, as well as findings
and recommendations.
New Information
The IAEA in its latest assessment on Iran’s compliance with NPT safeguards,
notes that “outstanding safeguards issues” pertaining to the agency’s multi-year
investigation of Iran’s possible nuclear weapons work “remain unresolved 21
months after the Board of Governors decided that it was ‘essential and urgent in
order to ensure verification of the non-diversion of nuclear material.’” The
director general also underscores that Iran has failed to comply with the
demands of the most recent June 2024 board resolution. The director general
expresses “hope” that an initial exchange with Iran’s new president will result
in an “early” IAEA visit to Iran “and the establishment of a fluid, constructive
dialogue that swiftly leads to concrete results.”
As in several past reports, the IAEA has not changed its assessment regarding
the presence of undeclared nuclear material and/or activities at four sites –
Lavisan-Shian, Varamin, Marivan, and Turquz-Abad. The IAEA concluding that a
nuclear declaration is incomplete means Iran has violated its safeguards
agreement. The IAEA is still seeking clarifications from Iran in relation to two
undeclared locations – Varamin and Turquz-Abad. The IAEA again repeats its
statement, “the outstanding safeguards issues stem from Iran’s obligations under
its NPT Safeguards Agreement and need to be resolved for the Agency to be in a
position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear [program] is entirely
peaceful.”
During the previous reporting period, Iran admitted that it had misstated
quantities of uranium at the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) at Esfahan and
filed a new uranium material declaration, but that resolution led to another
discrepancy. The IAEA found additional nuclear material unaccounted for, which
could not be explained by accountancy measurement errors, at Jaber Ibn Hayan
Multipurpose Laboratory (JHL). On August 13, 2024, the IAEA shared with Iran
“the final results of its evaluation of the verification results” at the UCF,
informing Iran, “the amount of nuclear material unaccounted for…was greater than
had been previously communicated to Iran.” Therefore, more uranium was missing
from the UCF related to past experiments than the IAEA previously estimated. The
IAEA is seeking a new technical meeting with Iran to discuss the findings.
The report once again expresses the IAEA’s condemnation of Iran’s de-designation
of several of its key enrichment inspectors and failure to reinstate them. Iran
informed the IAEA that “after careful and in-depth consideration,” Iran’s
position “is unchanged and this position will remain as it is.”
The IAEA reports again on Iran’s refusal to declare new nuclear facility
construction and provide key information as required under Modified Code 3.1 of
the subsidiary arrangements to its comprehensive safeguards agreement (CSA). The
IAEA notes, “Iran remains the only State with significant nuclear activities in
which the Agency is implementing a [CSA] but which is not implementing” this
code.
The IAEA reports no new technical meetings or engagements with Iran regarding
implementation of the March 2023 IAEA/Iran Joint Statement, reflecting the
fundamental stalemate between the IAEA and Iran regarding improving Iran’s
transparency and resolving the NPT compliance investigation. The IAEA notes
“there has been no progress in the past 15 months towards implementing the Joint
Statement.” The director general “calls upon Iran to implement the Joint
Statement through serious engagement with the Agency’s concrete proposals.”
Findings and Recommendations
Although the Board of Governors took steps in June 2024 to provide more support
to the IAEA in the form of a new censure resolution, it has still refrained from
providing a deadline for Iranian compliance, after which it would immediately
refer Iran’s case to the UN Security Council. The board should vote for this
referral at its meeting from September 9-13. Such a referral should also be
accompanied by the re-imposition of UN Iran sanctions via the snapback procedure
included in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
However, The Wall Street Journal reported on August 29 that the United States
and its European partners will decline to pursue a follow-on censure or
authorize the IAEA to issue a comprehensive report on Iran’s safeguards
non-compliance at the IAEA meeting. The board’s planned failure to follow-up on
the June resolution’s demands, with which Iran has completely failed to comply,
will allow Iran to continue progressing its nuclear program, particularly its
ability to rapidly make large quantities of weapon-grade uranium. Iran will also
continue reducing international monitoring and avoid disclosing information
about past and possibly ongoing nuclear weapons activities. Doing nothing is
equivalent to granting Iran more time to continue its non-compliance and
undermine the IAEA.
If the board fails to act, the best-case scenario is that Iran will succeed in
maintaining secrecy over past and potentially ongoing nuclear weapons activities
indefinitely, weakening the IAEA in the process. At worst, Iran will succeed in
building a nuclear weapon more quickly than Western powers could detect and
stop. This will cause regional nuclear proliferation and irreparable damage to
the IAEA and the NPT.
*Andrea Stricker is deputy director of the Nonproliferation and Biodefense
Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and an FDD research
fellow
https://isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/analysis-of-the-iaeas-iran-npt-safeguards-report-august-2024/
Question: “What does the Bible say about suicide?”
What’s new on GotQuestions.org/September 06/2024
Answer: Suicide is a tragic reality in our fallen world. That people experience
desperation to the point that they believe the best option is to end their own
lives is heartbreaking. To lose a loved one to suicide prompts a range of
questions and a special kind of grief. But the Bible offers hope—both to those
who are considering suicide and to those who have been affected by the suicide
of another.
To those who are desperate, please recognize that suicide is not the best
option. In Christ, there is hope. Also recognize that you are not alone. In
fact, the Bible speaks of many who felt deep despair in life. Solomon, in his
pursuit of pleasure, reached the point where he “hated life” (Ecclesiastes
2:17). Elijah was fearful and depressed and yearned for death (1 Kings 19:4).
Jonah was so angry at God that he wished to die (Jonah 4:8). Even the apostle
Paul and his missionary companions at one point “were under great pressure, far
beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself” (2
Corinthians 1:8).
But Solomon learned to “fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty
of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Elijah was comforted by an angel, allowed
to rest, and given a new commission. Jonah received admonition and rebuke from
God. Paul learned that, although the pressure he faced was beyond his ability to
endure, the Lord can bear all things: “This happened that we might not rely on
ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).
You, too, can turn to God. Paul wrote, “Praise be to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who
comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly
in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ” (2
Corinthians 1:3–5). You can experience that same comfort in Jesus. If you have
trusted in Jesus as your Savior, you are a child of God, you have the indwelling
Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:3–14), and you have continual access to God in prayer.
Referring to Jesus, Hebrews 4:15–16 encourages, “For we do not have a high
priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has
been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then
approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help us in our time of need.” Romans 8:15–17 says, “The Spirit you
received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the
Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry,
‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s
children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs
with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also
share in his glory.” Cling to the promises of God. Go to Him in prayer (the book
of Psalms might be particularly helpful). Reach out to brothers and sisters in
Christ for encouragement. Believers are called to encourage one another and bear
one another’s burdens (Ephesians 4:32; Galatians 6:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:14;
Hebrews 10:24–25). Allow them to do so.
On a more theological note, recognize that God, as our Creator, is the only one
who is to decide when and how a person should die. We should say with the
psalmist, “My times are in your hands” (Psalm 31:15).
God is the giver of life. He gives, and He takes away (Job 1:21). Trust Him with
your days. Remind yourself of His character and His authority. Other believers
are helpful in reminding us of truth; ask them to remind you of truth. Much of
the above advice also applies to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one
to suicide. Those who are grieving can remember that God is sovereign and each
person’s days are in God’s hands. The bereaved can come to God with their grief
and their questions (1 Peter 5:6–7). They can invite other believers to mourn
with them (Romans 12:15). For the sake of clarity, we should state that suicide
is a sin against God and others. However, suicide does not determine a person’s
eternal destiny. Our eternal destiny rests solely on God’s grace. Those who
trust in Jesus Christ are fully forgiven of every sin, and they receive eternal
life; those who reject Him remain condemned (John 3:16–18, 36; Ephesians
2:1–10).
If you are considering suicide, please seek help now. In the US, please call 988
or 1-800-273-8255, the national hotline. Or get yourself to a hospital or call
911. Or go alert someone in your home, apartment, or workplace, or wherever you
are. Do whatever it takes to get help.
National Hopeline Network: 1-800-422-HOPE (4673)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
To Write Love on Her Arms: http://twloha.com/find-help
Befrienders.org: http://www.befrienders.org/directory
Suicide hotlines available in most countries:
http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html