English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 22/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus Chooses 4 of his Disciples, Peter & Andrew his brother, & James Son Of
Zebedee & His Bother, John
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 04/18-25:
“As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called
Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake for they were
fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for
people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from
there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in
the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them.
Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. Jesus went
throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news
of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. So
his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick,
those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics,
and paralytics, and he cured them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee,
the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.”
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on January 21-22/2025
Video & Text: Commemorating the Annual Brutal Damour Massacre/Elias
Bejjani/January 21, 2024
Text & Video/The Danger, Sin, and Foolishness of Worshiping and Idolizing
Politicians and Leaders/Elias Bejjani/January 20/2025
Saudi Arabia’s FM announces landmark visit to Lebanon
Hezbollah Official Fatally Shot in West Beqaa
Salam: ‘The Finance Ministry Is Not a Monopoly’
Israel won't fully withdraw by Jan. 27 deadline
Aoun tells Spanish minister that Lebanon insists on Israel withdrawal by Jan. 27
Requirements to join Nawaf Salam's government
EU pledges 60 million euros in aid for Lebanese Army
Israeli Bombings Continue in Wadi Slouki
Maronite Patriarch Honors Sehnaoui with Order of St. Maron
Hezbollah and Amal agree with Salam on 'Shiite share'
LF denies seeking to 'defeat FPM' by asking for energy portfolio
Are Some Doctors and Pharmacists Facilitating Drug Abuse?/Nadia Hallak/This is
Beirut/January 21/2025
It Is Time for Israeli-Lebanese Peace
A New Triptych of Reforms in Sight/Tilda Abou Rizk/This is Beirut/January
21/2025
Is the Ministry of Finance the Best Option for the Shiite Duo?/Johnny Kortbawi/This
is Beirut/January 21/2025
Lebanese social entrepreneur among Schwab Foundation awardees at WEF
Lebanon’s government between threats and opportunities/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq
AlAwsat/January 21, 2025
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on January 21-22/2025
Israel launches ‘significant’ military operation in West Bank, at least
eight Palestinians killed
Israel army chief resigns over October 7 ‘failure’
Who in Israel has resigned over the Oct. 7 security breakdown, and who hasn't?
Key priority is to deliver huge surge of aid into Gaza: UN’s relief chief
Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says death toll at 47,107
Six killed as Syria security forces launch sweep in Homs province
Syrian Kurdish forces oppose handing jihadist jails to Islamist rulers
Yemen’s vice president: Trump ‘key to defeating Houthis’
Trump's Blizzard of Orders Faces Stormy Ride
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on January 21-22/2025
Germany's Cultural Elite's Perverted "Debate" on Israel/Gerald M.
Steinberg/Gatestone Institute/January 21/2025
Putting (Supposedly ‘Non-Muslim’) Migrant Terrorists to the Duck Test/Raymond
Ibrahim/The Stream//January 21/2025
Israelis must recognize the atrocities committed in their name/Dr. Dania
Koleilat Khatib/January 21, 2025
How Gaza became Israel’s Achilles’ heel/Osama Al-Sharif/Arab News/January 21,
2025
Will West Bank be next in Israel’s firing line?/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab
News/January 21, 2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on January 21-22/2025
Video & Text: Commemorating the Annual Brutal Damour Massacre
Elias Bejjani/January 21, 2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2024/01/126200/
The memory of the Damour Massacre, perpetrated by the Syrian Assad regime,
Palestinian terrorism, leftist and Arab nationalist groups, and jihadists on
January 20, 1976, remains etched in the Lebanese, Christian, moral, national,
and faith-based consciousness. It serves as a painful reminder of a brutal
chapter in Lebanon’s history and the resilient struggle of its free Christian
community.
This anniversary reflects a dark period where internal traitors and mercenaries
aligned with Palestinian, Arab, leftist, and jihadist terrorism executed brutal
and barbaric massacres against the peaceful inhabitants of the Damour Town, and
the Christian residents along the Shouf region coast. This period culminated in
the siege of President Camille Chamoun in the town of Saadiyat.
The Damour Massacre anniversary symbolizes a bloody chapter in the ongoing evil
attempts to uproot Christians from Lebanon, dismantle Lebanon’s entity, disrupt
coexistence, undermine its role, erode identity, and attack its civilization.
Enemies of Lebanon, civilization, and humanity destroyed homes and churches in
Damour and its neighboring coastal towns, burning fields and displacing the
Christian population.
The innocent victims of the Damour Massacre, estimated at 684 individuals,
including children, women, elders, and fighters, will not be forgotten.
planners and executors of this atrocity, along with their demonic objectives to
uproot and displace Christians from Lebanon, remain ingrained in our collective
memory.
These sinister schemes persist today, targeting not only Christians, but various
Lebanese sovereign and independent groups through local, regional, and
international entities, each with its distinct identity, yet united under
hostile, sectarian, and terrorist concepts.
In the present time, the Iranian Mullahs’ regime, through its terrorist proxy
Hezbollah, the criminal Assad regime, and numerous local mercenaries from
leftists, jihadists, and resistance traders, continue the chapters of the Damour
Massacre.
The occupation faced by Lebanon goes beyond Damour to encompass the entire
country and its social community fabrics. The Mullahs’ regime seeks, through
force and terrorism, not only to uproot Christians from Lebanon, but also to
destroy its entity, overthrow its coexistence and civilized system, aiming to
replace it with an Islamic Republic annexed to Tehran’s rulers. This serves as a
base to overthrow all Arab regimes and establish the Persian Empire.
On this painful anniversary, all Lebanese sovereign, independent, and peaceful
social and denominational groups, led by the Christians, will not forget the
heroism of our noble, honorable, and brave people who stood against invaders and
mercenaries, sacrificing themselves for their sacred homeland.
No, we will not forget our Lebanese righteous Damour martyrs, and we will not
forget their sacrifices. On this somber day, we raise prayers, humbly asking for
their souls to rest in peace in God’s eternal heavenly mansions.
Text & Video/The
Danger, Sin, and Foolishness of Worshiping and Idolizing Politicians and Leaders
Elias Bejjani/January 20/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/01/133977/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlo5Wh_hwfg&t=148s
Worshiping and idolizing
politicians and leaders is not merely dangerous; it is a grave sin and an act of
profound foolishness that imperils and puts at risk the very essence of human
freedom. When we elevate politicians or leaders to the status of idols, we don’t
just admire them—we surrender our critical faculties and relinquish the
sovereignty of our own minds and souls. This misplaced worship extinguishes and
kills the spirit of critique and accountability within us, which are the
bedrocks and pillars of any true democracy and free society.
True freedom is not merely the ability to make choices; it is the courage to see
and acknowledge the flaws and errors of those in power, no matter how
influential or revered, valued, well regarded they may be. When we idolize
leaders, we willingly strip ourselves of this courage, becoming submissive
followers who march in lockstep without question or reflection. This kind of
voluntary blindness doesn’t just empower leaders; it emboldens them, placing
them on a perilous pedestal where they begin to see themselves as above the law,
unaccountable, and immune to criticism.
It is vital to understand that the instinct to worship is deeply embedded in
human nature. We are instinctively driven to seek something greater than
ourselves—be it in the form of religious faith, ideals, or leaders—toward which
we can direct our love and devotion. However, the true measure of wisdom lies in
how we channel this instinct. The wise individuals direct their worship toward
enduring values and principles, not fallible-mortal human beings. To do
otherwise is to surrender our intellect and emotions to mere mortals who are as
susceptible to error and corruption as any of us.
Idolizing human beings, particularly those in positions of political power, is
not just a mistake—it is a dangerous abdication of our responsibility to hold
them accountable. Politicians and leaders are inherently fallible, and when we
place them on a pedestal of worship, we create a toxic environment of unchecked
power. This paves the way for tyranny, where the leader becomes seen as
infallible in the eyes of their followers, enabling them to commit grave
injustices without opposition or restraint.
Saudi Arabia’s FM announces landmark visit to Lebanon
DANIEL FOUNTAIN/Arab News/January 21, 2025
DAVOS: Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Tuesday in Davos he would visit Lebanon
later this week, the first such trip by a Saudi foreign minister in more than a
decade. He made the announcement during a panel on diplomacy at the World
Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss resort town. The one-day trip on
Thursday will mark the first visit by a high-ranking Saudi official to Lebanon
since 2015, after years of strained relations due to Lebanon’s perceived
alignment with Iran, its role in drug smuggling to Gulf countries, and ongoing
instability. Prince Faisal described the recent election of a president in
Lebanon, following a prolonged political vacuum, as a highly positive
development. He said the Kingdom welcomed the potential formation of a
government but emphasized the need for real reforms and a forward-looking
approach to ensure sustainable progress. He reiterated that the future of
Lebanon rested in the hands of its people, urging them to make decisions that
steer the country in a new direction. “We will need to see real action, real
reform and we will need to see a commitment to a Lebanon that is looking to the
future, not to the past,” said Prince Faisal. “And based on what I hear there
and what we see, I think that will inform the Kingdom’s approach, but I have to
say what I’ve seen so far and the conversations that we’ve been hearing in
Lebanon, all allow me to be very much optimistic.
“We’ve always said, it’s really up to the Lebanese to decide and to make the
choices to take Lebanon in a different direction.”Prince Faisal also said he is
“cautiously optimistic” about Syria’s future, citing encouraging signs from the
new administration in Damascus and the resilience of the Syrian people.
He emphasized the need for patience and engagement from both the regional and
international communities to help rebuild the country’s broken institutions and
create a better future for Syrians. “I would certainly say I’m cautiously
optimistic. I may even lean further because you have, first of all, an
administration that is saying the right things in private and in public, doing a
lot of the right things, but also you have a Syrian people that are incredibly
capable and incredibly resourceful,” he said. He urged collaboration to build on
recent positive developments, underlining the collective responsibility to aid
Syria’s recovery, especially considering the willingness of the new
administration in Damascus to engage constructively with regional and global
partners. “The reality is that they have inherited a broken country with no real
institutions and they are having to build all of that from scratch, and that’s
not an easy thing,” he said. “So it’s up to us, I feel in the region first but
certainly the international community, to engage, to come and build on this
positive development and help Syria and the Syrian people see a much better
future.”Prince Faisal highlighted the importance of lifting the heavy burden of
sanctions imposed due to actions of the previous regime, noting some progress
with waivers from the US and Europe.
Prince Faisal was also positive about the region as a whole, including the
Kingdom. “We are certainly in a region that is abundant with risk factors, but
we are also in a region that has huge potential,” he told the panel. “I would
say that even with the very difficult year behind us, we have shown that we can
be resilient as a region and we can actually look to the future, whether it’s
the Kingdom, or the GCC countries, and their ability to stay on track with their
economic agendas,” he added. He stressed the importance of avoiding conflict,
particularly in light of tensions between Iran and Israel, and expressed
optimism regarding the new US administration under President Donald Trump. “I
don’t see the incoming US administration as contributory to the risk of war. On
the contrary, I think President Trump has been quite clear that he does not
favor conflict,” he said. “I hope that the approach will also be met on the
Iranian side by the addressing of the nuclear program, by being willing to
engage with the incoming administration in a way that can help us stay on track
with this positive momentum.”Also on the panel was Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin
Jassim Al-Thani, prime minister and foreign minister of Qatar, who expressed
hope that the ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and Hamas would bring much needed
relief to the Palestinian people. “Let’s be hopeful (about the ceasefire). It’s
still a long way to go with what happened throughout the last 15 months
negotiating this very difficult conflict,” he said. “It showed us that
everything can be resolved through talks and through engagement, through
negotiations, and we started this week with good news. “We have seen the
humanitarian aid coming in, we have seen hostages going back and we hope that
this will be a fair system toward stability now.”
Hezbollah Official Fatally Shot in West Beqaa
This is Beirut/January 21/2025
Donald Trump has claimed a mandate from God to reshape America, but the Sheikh
Mohammad Hamadeh, a Hezbollah official in Western Beqaa, was fatally ambushed
outside his residence in the town of Mashghara.Sheikh Mohammad Hamadeh, a
Hezbollah official in Western Beqaa, was ambushed and fatally shot outside his
residence in the town of Mashghara on Tuesday. According to preliminary
information, unidentified individuals riding a motorcycle opened fire on Hamadeh
outside his home, striking him with six bullets. Initial investigations indicate
that the killing was linked to a family feud and was not politically motivated.
Hamadeh was rushed to Sohmor Hospital after the shooting but succumbed to his
injuries shortly thereafter.».
Salam: ‘The Finance Ministry Is Not a Monopoly’
This is Beirut/January 21/2025
Donald Trump has claimed a mandate from God to reshape America, but the Prime
Minister-designate Nawaf Salam emphasized on Tuesday that the Finance Ministry
is “neither a monopoly for one sect nor forbidden to another,” asserting the
need to uphold constitutional principles in the government formation process.
Speaking to reporters after briefing President Joseph Aoun on his
discussions with parliamentarians, he said, “I deliberate and consult with
blocs, but I am the one who forms the government,” stressing that the
responsibility for assembling the cabinet rests solely with him.“I am not
LibanPost,” he quipped, signaling his active engagement in the process. Salam
stressed that the government formation is “proceeding according to
constitutional mechanisms,” underlining his continuous collaboration with the
president to finalize the governmental lineup.
“The method of work is new, but we must learn to respect the Constitution,” he
said, reaffirming his commitment to the principles he outlined in his inaugural
speech as prime minister-designate. Moreover, he described the government he is
tasked with forming as a cabinet of “advancement and reform,” given the
unprecedented challenges Lebanon faces. The prime minister-designate pledged to
“spare no effort” in forming the government swiftly while ensuring it aligns
with the aspirations of the Lebanese people. “Most importantly, it must be
faithful to the ambitions of the Lebanese,” he concluded before leaving the
Presidential Palace.
Israel won't fully withdraw by Jan. 27 deadline
Naharnet/January 21/2025
A meeting Monday of the ceasefire monitoring committee witnessed a negative
atmosphere that does not indicate that Israel intends to withdraw from south
Lebanon by the weekend, when the 60-day timeframe expires, al-Akhbar newspaper
reported on Tuesday. “No statement was issued after the meeting,” the daily
noted. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati had announced overnight, during a
TV interview, that the head of the ceasefire committee, U.S. major general
Jasper Jeffers, had told him that “the Israeli withdrawal might be delayed for
several days.”Asked about the concerns that Israel might impose a buffer zone
inside Lebanon, Mikati stressed that there will be no such zone. “After the
completion of the withdrawal, a tripartite committee will be formed by the
five-member (ceasefire monitoring) committee to delineate the Blue Line in a
manner that conforms to the 1949 Truce line,” Mikati added. An informed source
meanwhile told al-Akhbar that the Israeli army “has complained that the Lebanese
Army has refused to seize resistance assets from depots and homes, or to
confiscate arms at a time Lebanese authorities are in a transitional phase,
which prompted it to act on the ground by itself, as it did in al-Salhani, Wadi
al-Slouki, Tallousa and Bani Hayyan.”“The Israeli enemy has threatened through
UNIFIL to bomb new sites suspected of containing resistance weapons should the
(Lebanese) Army fail to raid them, while (Lebanese) military officials have
refused to turn into a security force that works at the enemy’s instructions and
clashes with residents,” the source said. The source
also revealed that “a force from the army and the monitoring committee raided
suspect sites in the southern town of Houmine and the Beirut southern suburb of
al-Amrousiyeh without finding anything there.”As for the Lebanese Army’s request
that a specific timeframe be announced for the Israeli withdrawal, the Israeli
army has refused to give a specific date, promising to “study the situation on
the ground.”
Aoun tells Spanish minister that Lebanon insists on Israel
withdrawal by Jan. 27
Naharnet/January 21/2025
President Joseph Aoun stressed Tuesday that “Lebanon insists on the completion
of the Israeli withdrawal from the territory that remains occupied in the south
within the deadline specified in the agreement that was reached on November 27.”
Aoun voiced his remarks in a meeting in Baabda with Spanish Defense Minister
Margarita Robles. “Israel’s failure to abide by the withdrawal contradicts with
the pledges that were given to Lebanon during the negotiations that preceded the
agreement,” Aoun warned. “That would keep the situation tense in the border
villages and prevent the consolidation of stability and the return of residents
to their towns, in addition to obstructing the reconstruction process,” the
president cautioned. He added that he has held contacts with the international
community to “compel Israel to withdraw,” noting that he sensed international
cooperation in this regard and that world powers are supposed to press in this
direction.
Requirements to join Nawaf Salam's government
Naharnet/January 21/2025
Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam has asked the parliamentary blocs to
provide him with the CVs of their miniter picks for the new government, media
reports said. Informed sources told al-Liwaa newspaper that any nominated
candidate should not be a member of a political party. The candidates also
should not have been ministers in the past three governments and they should not
have the intention to run in the 2026 parliamentary elections, the sources
added.
EU pledges 60 million euros in aid for Lebanese Army
Agence France Presse/January 21/2025
The European Union on Tuesday announced a 60 million euro ($62 million) support
package for Lebanon's armed forces, as the crisis-hit country seeks to implement
a fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah. EU
foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the aid came "at a critical juncture for
the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel."The
Lebanese armed forces "are essential to regional and domestic stability, and
deserve all our support in performing their critical mission," she said.
Under the ceasefire deal Beirut said Israel must withdraw from the south
of the country by January 26, with the Lebanese military then set to deploy
alongside U.N. peacekeepers. At the same time, Hezbollah is required to
dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south and pull its forces
back north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border.
The EU aid is the latest from the West aimed at bolstering Lebanon's military,
with the U.S. last week saying it would donate more than $117 million in
security assistance. During a visit to Beirut on Friday, French President
Emmanuel Macron said that Paris would soon host an aid conference to help
rebuild Lebanon after the Israel-Hezbollah war. Lebanon has struggled for years
to finance its public institutions including the army following a 2019 economic
crisis.It now also faces the challenge of reconstruction after more than two
months of war between Hezbollah and Israel ended in November.
Israeli Bombings Continue in Wadi Slouki
This is Beirut/January 21/2025
Donald Trump has claimed a mandate from God to reshape America, but the
Tuesday morning saw Israeli forces infiltrating the Wadi Slouki area from the
village of Bani Hayyan. Upon their retreat, they took off with a road sign
bearing the names of various villages in the vicinity, such as Tallousseh, Bani
Hayyan, and Qabrikha. Furthermore, Israeli soldiers advanced from Taybeh in
Marjayoun towards Adchit al-Qusay, where a sweeping operation was carried out
using medium machine guns. Additionally, several houses were destroyed in Bint
Jbeil following the incursion of five Israeli tanks into the locality. These
operations occur just days before the end of the ceasefire agreement, declared
on November 27, 2024, to end hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. However,
as some observers have pointed out, the agreement may be extended due to its
incomplete implementation. According to the news agency Israel Today,
preparations are continuing along the border with Lebanon to allow for the
positioning of Israeli patrols in several new posts. According to the Northern
Command’s plan, most of these posts will be located between the Israeli
settlements and the border fence. Tensions had escalated further on Monday when
the Israeli army bombarded Dabach, west of Mays al-Jabal, before evacuating the
area. It also shelled several homes in Hula. In Beirut and its southern suburbs,
Israeli drones were seen on Tuesday morning.
Three Shepherds Briefly Abducted
Three shepherds who were kidnapped on Monday morning near the Ain Arab-Wazzani
area were released by the Israeli army by the end of the day. They were handed
over to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Moreover, as part of their mission to locate missing persons under the
rubble caused by Israeli attacks, the rescue teams from the General Directorate
of Civil Defense managed to recover five bodies in the Khiam area on Monday. The
bodies were transferred to the Marjayoun government hospital for legal analysis,
including DNA tests. Search operations are set to continue on Tuesday morning in
other neighborhoods of Khiam, according to a coordination plan established with
the Lebanese army.
Maronite Patriarch Honors Sehnaoui with Order of St. Maron
This is Beirut/January 21/2025
Donald Trump has claimed a mandate from God to reshape America, but the In a
ceremony held on Tuesday at the Patriarchal edifice in Bkerke, Maronite
Patriarch Bechara Rai conferred the Order of St. Maron, the highest honor in the
Maronite Church, upon Marwan Sehnaoui, the President of the Lebanese Order of
Malta. The recognition was granted in acknowledgment of Sehnaoui’s contributions
and sacrifices. During the ceremony, Sehnaoui expressed his gratitude,
reaffirming the organization’s mission of selfless service. “This is a goal we
have pursued in the Lebanese Order of Malta since its inception, by working and
serving with genuine love and without discrimination,” he stated, pledging
continued dedication to aiding the sick, disabled, children, elderly, and all
those in need.
Hezbollah and Amal agree with Salam on 'Shiite share'
Naharnet/January 21/2025
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement have handed Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam
the names of their minister picks in the new government and consultations will
be held over the nominations, the pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper reported on
Tuesday. “It has become settled that the finance portfolio will go to the
(Shiite) Duo and it was agreed with Salam to name ex-MP Yassine Jaber for it,”
al-Akhbar said. Informed sources meanwhile told the daily that “the labor and
health portfolios will go to Hezbollah, while the Amal Movement will get
environment and industry alongside finance.”
LF denies seeking to 'defeat FPM' by asking for energy
portfolio
Naharnet/January 21/2025
The Lebanese Forces on Tuesday denied a media report claiming that it is seeking
to be allotted the energy portfolio in the new government in order to “defeat
the Free Patriotic Movement.”“This report is totally baseless, because the LF
has never demanded the energy portfolio and is not negotiating on the basis of
defeating or supporting anyone, but rather on the basis of the higher national
interest, which requires moving forward with the (president’s) inaugural address
and the (prime minister-designate’s) appointment speech,” the LF said. “A coup
was staged against the real state 34 years ago and this state can only rise upon
the foundations of the constitution, the law and equality,” the LF added.
Al-Akhbar newspaper reported Tuesday that the Lebanese Forces has
demanded to be allotted the energy and foreign affairs portfolios in the new
cabinet and that Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has asked to retain
the energy portfolio for his movement. Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam, who
met with Bassil over the past two days, rejected the FPM chief’s request and did
not deny that he intends to allocate it to the LF, al-Akhbar said.
Informed sources meanwhile told the daily that Salam is “thinking of giving the
energy portfolio to the Sunni community to avoid a problem between the Christian
forces over it.”“He would name a figure with expertise to it while granting the
FPM the telecommunications portfolio to avoid any threat to boycott the
cabinet,” the sources added. Salam has not also taken a final decision regarding
the foreign affairs portfolio, with reports saying that he wants to give it to
someone who has diplomatic expertise.
Are Some Doctors and Pharmacists Facilitating Drug Abuse?
Nadia Hallak/This is Beirut/January 21/2025
Donald Trump has claimed a mandate from God to reshape America, but the
The indiscriminate prescription of medications has become a rampant problem
eroding Lebanon's healthcare sector, with no oversight or regulation to curb the
actions of doctors who sell their prescriptions for personal financial gain.
In a country where materialism has overtaken values of human dignity,
some doctors and pharmacists are violating professional ethics, turning the
prescribing of medication from a therapeutic act into a profitable business
driven by quick financial gain, particularly as Lebanon grapples with its severe
economic crisis.Some doctors have taken it upon themselves to prescribe
psychiatric medications, while pharmacists facilitate their dispensing. To what
extent do these doctors honor the ethical codes of their profession, and the
Hippocratic Oath, which calls for practicing medicine with dedication,
integrity, and care for the well-being of patients? And to what extent are
pharmacists in Lebanon following the ethical guidelines of their profession?
Unfortunately, Lebanon is witnessing a troubling trend where some doctors
are tarnishing this noble profession by selling prescriptions for psychiatric
drugs and sedatives. According to Huna Lebanon, these doctors are selling
prescriptions for medications such as Rivotril, Tramal, and Benzexol to patients
who are already drug addicts, charging up to 400,000 Lebanese pounds per
prescription. In some cases, prescriptions are sold in bulk, with three
prescriptions going for one million Lebanese pounds. What exacerbates the
problem is that these prescriptions are often issued by non-specialist doctors,
lacking any details on their intended use. Most recipients don’t use them for
medical treatment, but rather for recreational drug use. It is not uncommon for
patients to visit multiple doctors to obtain several prescriptions, enabling
them to buy larger quantities of drugs.
The reckless practice of random prescribing has become a widespread issue that
is undermining the healthcare sector. No authority or regulatory body is taking
meaningful action to stop these doctors who readily issue prescriptions in
exchange for financial reward, with little regard to the potential harm this
causes to the patients or to society at large.Some pharmacists, complicit in
these actions, disregard professional ethics as they fill these prescriptions
without hesitation. Is it ethical for pharmacists to dispense psychiatric
medications in such an unchecked and careless manner?
Sohail Gharib, a member of the Pharmacists Syndicate, told Huna Lebanon that
“most pharmacists do not dispense medication to patients if they suspect they
will be misused. Pharmacists must adhere to ethical standards when practicing
their profession, not just legal ones. However, some pharmacists, lacking
integrity, do dispense psychiatric prescriptions even when they have concerns
about misuse, provided the prescription is valid.” Gharib also highlighted that
“there are drugs commonly used for recreational purposes that do not require a
prescription and are sold in pharmacies. This represents a failure on the part
of the Ministry of Health, which has not implemented clear guidelines for their
regulation.”He concluded by stating, “This is a serious problem that needs to be
addressed at its core. The individuals responsible for facilitating access to
these prescriptions—doctors and pharmacists alike—must be held accountable. We
also urge pharmacists to investigate each prescription thoroughly to determine
its true purpose and to whom it is being dispensed.”
The question remains: Will the Ministry of Health and the Pharmacists take
decisive action to address this growing problem, or will it continue unchecked,
leaving this crisis to worsen?
It Is Time for Israeli-Lebanese Peace
This is Beirut/January 21/2025
Donald Trump has claimed a mandate from God to reshape America, but the
A window for peace between Israel and Lebanon just unexpectedly opened.
There was an old adage that "Lebanon will never be the first Arab state to make
peace with Israel, but it won't be the last." Sadly, with Lebanese decisions
dictated by the Assad family backed by Iran, that concept became obsolete. Since
1983, the Assads ensured that South Lebanon remained an active front against
Israel not because it served Lebanese interests, but because it served the
Assads' interests. With Israel occupying Syrian territory in the Golan Heights,
Assad kept his own frontline with Israel safely cold, while keeping the one in
southern Lebanon dangerously hot. For over two decades after the IDF left
Lebanese territory, Hezbollah maintained military pressure on Israel not on
behalf of the Lebanese, but on behalf of their masters in Damascus and Tehran.
The people of Lebanon paid a heavy price.
Now, that equation has changed, with Hezbollah on its knees, Assad gone for
good, and Tehran's fortunes in reverse. There is no objective reason why Israel
and Lebanon cannot proceed to the next logical phase, formal peace. Lebanon is
no longer held hostage to the geo-strategic needs of the Assad family.
Unlike the situation between Israel and the Syrians and Palestinians, there is
no territorial issue. Shebaa Farms is a border anomaly. Lebanon's claim to it
surfaced only when Hezbollah needed a pretext for continued resistance to an
occupation that had ended. Privately, Bashar al-Assad maintained it was Syrian.
In any case, leaders and negotiators of goodwill can devise any number of
face-saving formulas for preventing this issue from stymying peace, such as
leaving it in abeyance or the hands of UN peacekeepers until international
arbitration clarifies its status.
The contours of an Israeli-Lebanese peace are not hard to imagine: security
commitments, border delineation with procedures to reconcile any anomalies over
time, mutual recognition and an end to treating each others' citizens as
enemies, a ban on unauthorized military overflights, and the opening of airspace
to commercial flights. UNIFIL could remain in place until the LAF gains the
manpower needed to secure the south. The fate of Palestinian refugees in their
country is obviously a great concern for the Lebanese, but since the Madrid
Conference in 1990, it has been recognized as a matter for Israelis and
Palestinians to resolve in negotiations.
A peace between Lebanon and Israel may be no warmer than the ones Egypt and
Jordan have with Israel, given all the losses both sides have suffered over the
decades. It doesn't matter. Even a cold peace could relieve future generations
on both sides of the border of the shadow of violence.
The benefits for Lebanon seem obvious. The boost in confidence and security for
Lebanon would open the way for the return of investments, expatriate deposits,
tourism, and economic growth. Assistance flows, including to the south, would be
considerable. Beirut would finally have a shot at once again becoming an
attractive and functioning city for the interchange of commerce and ideas across
the Middle East and beyond. There are still armchair Arab nationalists who
capitalize on condemning Israel and might oppose this effort, and the remnants
of Hezbollah will resist. But as their power drains away, they should be
challenged to offer a better alternative course for Lebanon. Their models have
collapsed. After the maritime deal and the December ceasefire, it is clear that
Lebanon has more to gain from diplomatic engagement with its neighbors than from
hostility that only served foreign interests, not Lebanon's. The realignment of
power in the region and Lebanon has made peace a real possibility. But just as
windows unexpectedly open, they also narrow and close over time. The profound
changes of recent months have given Lebanon a rare opportunity to act on its own
interests. Those who say Lebanon should wait should be asked: Wait for what?
An opportunity to help Israel and Lebanon reach peace would no doubt be
welcomed, assisted, and supported by Washington and Arab Gulf states. Tehran and
Damascus are no longer in a position to object or sabotage. As the people of
Lebanon finally look to the Lebanese state for a realistic return to
sovereignty, the Lebanese state now has a chance to take that ultimate sovereign
choice: To make peace with its neighbors.
A New Triptych of Reforms in Sight
Tilda Abou Rizk/This is Beirut/January 21/2025
The Lebanese people are eagerly awaiting the formation of the first ministerial
team of President Joseph Aoun’s mandate. As French President Emmanuel Macron
emphasized during his recent visit to Beirut, the government’s composition must
reflect “the momentum set by President Aoun in his inaugural address on January
9.” In other words, Nawaf Salam’s cabinet must deliver on the president’s
promises, which, for the first time in years, have given the Lebanese people a
renewed sense of hope that meaningful change – long dismissed as impossible –
may finally be within reach. The composition of the government will set the tone
for the years ahead. It will either nurture and strengthen this hope or shatter
it, given the president's monumental task of rebuilding the state. This entails
everything – absolutely everything – and, above all, ending poor governance,
Lebanon's endemic scourge, which the president has identified as his top
priority, declaring, “The hour of truth has arrived.” In keeping with the
priorities outlined in President Aoun’s inaugural speech, the government is
expected to focus on judicial, administrative and diplomatic appointments once
it secures a vote of confidence in Parliament. The urgency is clear: Salam’s
ministerial cabinet will be transitional, stepping down once a new Parliament is
elected in the first half of 2026. Its primary mission will be to lay a solid
foundation for the term’s various key projects.
Keyword: Trust
This endeavor can only succeed if it is supported from the outset by teams that
inspire trust among both the Lebanese people and the international community,
which, under France's leadership, is poised to help a distressed Lebanon “return
to life.”The new leadership is expected to prioritize filling vacancies at
various levels of the judiciary, in line with the president's commitment to
ensure its independence. This will send a strong signal to the international
community of Lebanon's determination to break with past practices, where
judicial appointments were largely driven by clientelism. This entrenched issue
has long hindered the fight against corruption, contributing to selective
justice and the obstruction of key investigations, such as the probe into the
August 4, 2020 double explosion at Beirut Port. It is also worth noting that the
last judicial appointments were made in 2019. A year later, former President
Michel Aoun blocked a series of judicial transfers proposed by the Supreme
Judicial Council, chaired by Judge Souheil Abboud, because the Free Patriotic
Movement (FPM), founded by Aoun, claimed the changes negatively affected judges
loyal to the party. Aoun refused to sign the decree and asked the council to
revise the document. The issue has remained unresolved ever since.
Equally crucial are administrative appointments that prioritize assigning the
right person to the right position, breaking away from the entrenched
clientelist practice of treating positions as part of a political spoils system.
This would send a powerful message to the international community, especially if
the government swiftly moves to “free” the electricity regulatory authority. The
formation of this independent body, planned since 2002, is one of Lebanon’s most
urgent reform demands. This independent body is expected to oversee the energy
sector, a massive source of corruption responsible for more than 40% of
Lebanon’s public debt. Over time, and under successive ministers, it has come to
epitomize the corruption and poor governance that have devastated Lebanon and
led to its 2020 economic and financial collapse. At
the same time, Lebanon’s supervising bodies, which are responsible for ensuring
the proper functioning of the administration, must be empowered to fulfill their
roles without political interference, as promised by President J. Aoun.
Arms: No Room for Half-Baked Solutions
Addressing the ongoing socio-economic crisis is undeniably one of the major
challenges the government will face once the foundation for reforms is laid.
Without these reforms, it would be unrealistic to expect Lebanon to receive
meaningful assistance to escape the “hell” it has been plunged into due to past
practices.However, reforming the judiciary and administration will remain
insufficient unless paired with the third essential pillar: “the state’s right
to a monopoly on arms” as underlined by the president in his inaugural speech.
Is it necessary to remind that Lebanon continues to pay the steep price of
Hezbollah’s show of force on May 7, 2008, which led to the Doha Agreement (May
21, 2008), granting veto power that further entrenched the Iranian-backed
group’s control over the state? Should we also recall the events of October 15,
2021, in Tayyouneh-Ain al-Remmaneh, another display of power orchestrated under
the pretext of a mobilization by the Amal-Hezbollah duo against Judge Tarek
Bitar, who was leading the investigation into the Beirut port double-explosion?
The reason for citing these two examples is to underscore that it is not enough
for Hezbollah’s arsenal to be relocated north of the Litani River, as stipulated
in the ceasefire agreement with Israel. Disarmament is just as crucial in the
northern Litani. If half-solutions are allowed, there
will always be the risk that weapons will continue to serve as a tool of
intimidation, enabling the Amal-Hezbollah duo to achieve through force what they
cannot secure through political maneuvering. Lebanon will also be unable to
pursue genuine recovery.The new mandate, determined to hit the ground running,
cannot afford delays in tackling this issue. Failure to act will undermine its
efforts, leaving the Lebanese state and people vulnerable to illegal arms,
despite the fact that Hezbollah no longer has the freedom it once had to
replenish its arsenal. Another urgent matter that
requires immediate action is the Syrian dossier. This long-standing burden that
Lebanon has borne for years is both intricate and multifaceted. The mandate will
have a daunting task, addressing harmful agreements made with the former Assad
regime, border control issues and the management of hundreds of thousands of
Syrian migrants. This is further complicated by the reluctance of donors to
assist Lebanon in resolving the migrant crisis, which has now been aggravated by
an unknown number of “new refugees” – members of Bashar al-Assad’s regime
fleeing the new Syrian administration.
Is the Ministry of Finance the Best Option for the Shiite
Duo?
Johnny Kortbawi/This is Beirut/January 21/2025
Forming the government will mark the third victory for the sovereign camp in
Lebanon. The first was General Joseph Aoun’s election, which defied the wishes
of the Amal-Hezbollah duo, who had steadfastly backed its own candidate for two
years. In an attempt to create a false narrative of success, it even resorted to
the “two-hour break” maneuver to justify a session with the anticipated
president. The second was the appointment of Nawaf
Salam as Prime Minister, also against the Amal-Hezbollah duo’s preferences.
Initially, the duo had entered consultations backing Najib Mikati and was
relying on its allies to form a government that would safeguard its interests.
However, Nawaf Salam garnered broad support from MPs and succeeded in securing
the nomination. Today, with the formation of the
government, many fear that there will be certain concessions made to the Amal-Hezbollah
duo in order not to break it completely and to secure gains for the Shia
community, which it fully represents.For those anticipating a third victory with
the government’s formation, the issue of the Ministry of Finance stands as a
significant hurdle. Its allocation would set a dangerous precedent, granting the
Amal-Hezbollah duo or the Shia community a permanent third signature,
potentially giving them indefinite veto power over decisions. However, from the
perspective of the sovereign camp, the Ministry of Finance is, in fact, the most
advantageous ministry the Amal-Hezbollah duo can secure at this time—something
that many overlook. Their interest in this ministry stems from a desire to
reverse the privileges established by the Doha Agreement after May 7, aiming to
regain greater control over financial and fiscal affairs.If we adopt a
state-centered approach and seek to minimize the influence of armed power on the
ministries, the Ministry of Finance emerges as one of the least consequential in
terms of direct influence. The government formation process in Lebanon is driven
by specific political considerations, the most crucial of which is the equal
distribution of the four sovereign portfolios, with one being allocated to the
Shia community.
Given that the primary criticisms of Hezbollah and its allies revolve around
security concerns, it is unfeasible to entrust them with any of the security
portfolios, particularly the Ministries of Interior and Defense. This is
necessary to limit their practical influence and control over sensitive
institutions such as the army and the internal security forces. Furthermore, the
Ministry of Interior in this government will be responsible for overseeing the
upcoming parliamentary elections. The person appointed to this position is
expected to uphold neutrality and be fully capable of managing this critical
responsibility with the necessary objectivity and professionalism.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is likewise expected to remain outside
the control of the Amal-Hezbollah duo, primarily because the Shiite party in
power is subject to international sanctions, which significantly hinder its
ability to engage diplomatically with foreign nations. It would be particularly
challenging for Lebanon's foreign minister to visit European and American
countries that classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, or to engage with
Gulf states that have been subjected to Hezbollah’s hostile rhetoric and violent
actions. These tensions have severely strained Lebanon's relations with these
countries in recent years. In this context, the
Ministry of Finance emerges as the most viable option. The primary concern
remains the third signature, which would grant the Shiite party veto power over
key decisions, making it challenging to allocate state funds without its
approval. However, given the prevailing consensus-driven spirit and the
anticipated approach to governance, this scenario is unlikely to materialize.
Moreover, the individuals proposed for the ministry are not provocative figures;
rather, they are capable of addressing sensitive issues with flexibility and
evaluating the potential consequences of not adhering to the broader strategic
direction. The Ministry of Finance is neither a
victory for the Shia community nor a defeat for others. Rather, it represents
the best possible compromise for the Amal-Hezbollah duo which remains, in
effect, the principal representative of its community in Parliament, awaiting
potential shifts in the forthcoming elections.
Lebanese social entrepreneur among Schwab Foundation
awardees at WEF
Arab News/January 21, 2025
DUBAI: The co-founder of an online platform that hires refugees and displaced
persons as online tutors, teachers and translators was among 18 recipients of
the 2025 Schwab Foundation Award announced on the first day of the World
Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. Aline Sara, co-founder of NaTakallam
(Arabic for “we speak”), has been enabling refugees and other conflict-affected
people to earn an income online and connect them with people around the world
through language. In this context, the social enterprise “disrupts the
conventional approach to humanitarian aid” and uses the gig economy to promote
sustainable solutions to major crises, according to the Schwab Foundation’s
official statement. Although the idea was inspired by the Syrian refugee crisis,
Sara, a Lebanese citizen, has expanded the platform to serve displaced people
around the world, reaching as far as Venezuela, Burundi and Yemen. Launched with
an initial offer of online Arabic conversation classes, NaTakallam proposes
services ranging from translation, interpretation and transcription to an Arabic
curriculum in partnership with Cornell University in the US. Other languages
include Persian and Spanish to address the pressing needs of Venezuelan
refugees. The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, in partnership with
the Motsepe Foundation, awarded 18 social entrepreuners from 15 organizations
whose groundbreaking solutions address urgent issues and drive positive change
around the world. “This year’s awardees are addressing health disparities from
the United States to Zambia, creating income opportunities for displaced
individuals, combatting deforestation in Central and West Africa, and improving
the lives of vulnerable communities in India and beyond,” the foundation said in
a statement.
The entrepreneurs were rewarded based on their business, social development and
environmental models that are helping to build a more equitable and sustainable
world. According to the WEF, social entrepreneurship and innovation are gaining
momentum worldwide, with more than 10 million social enterprises creating 200
million jobs and generating $2 trillion annually. Despite their significant
economic contribution and commitment to sustainable and inclusive development,
social enterprises face a $1.1 trillion funding need.
At the Annual Meeting 2025, the Schwab Foundation aims to spotlight social
entrepreneurs and innovators who are already leading the way with successful and
innovative business models and, ultimately, help advance these solutions at
scale to reach more of the world’s people. Francois Bonnici, director of the
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, said: “Our world is grappling
with instability, polarization and disenfranchisement while facing extreme,
unpredictable weather events and disasters. It is also undergoing a radical
transformation with both the green and digital transitions. “Although this comes
with economic opportunity, it also risks exacerbating existing inequalities or
creating new ones,” he said. “In the face of these significant challenges, the
need for bold and innovative solutions has never been more pressing. The work of
social entrepreneurs and innovators is not just important, it is essential.”
Lebanon’s government between threats and opportunities
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq AlAwsat/January 21, 2025
Following the bitter objections of the “Shiite duo” to Nawaf Salam’s designation
as Lebanese prime minister, he is seeking to reassure them by stressing that he
has two choices: accommodation or … accommodation.
Thus, surrendering to failure is not an option. There is no desire for the
vindictiveness or exclusion that Mohammad Raad, the head of Hezbollah’s
parliamentary bloc, complained of. This position fits with what we know about
the prime minister-designate: a calm, cultured figure who is very familiar with
the conditions of southern Lebanon. His familiarity stems from his family’s
extensive properties in the Tyre district, close to the southern border, and his
marriage to a woman from the city of Sidon, the largest city and capital of the
South Governorate. More importantly, Salam did not take on the role of prime
minister to settle scores with the “resistance” and there is no reason to think
that he did. As a diplomat and judge at the UN, he courageously confronted
Israel’s Likudists from within the organization’s two most powerful bodies: the
UN Security Council and the International Court of Justice. Furthermore, his
leadership will strengthen the south’s position in the new political equation,
particularly since the president, Gen. Joseph Aoun, is the first southerner to
occupy the position since Lebanon gained its independence.
The Lebanese face a new political reality. A key feature of this reality is that
Lebanese citizens have reclaimed their agency
The picture should be clear with this introduction. But where might the problems
lie? The early Shiite objections are ominous, especially since they are
underpinned by three significant and interrelated accusations rooted in the
post-Israel war climate: betrayal of the “resistance” (Hezbollah and its base),
seeking to leverage external influence to their disadvantage, and seeking to
“marginalize” Shiite influence, beginning with their exclusion from the
formation of Salam’s Cabinet.
It is understandable that a deep and inflamed wound has been left by the Israeli
assault, cutting into Hezbollah’s body amid unprecedented US support for Israel.
Moreover, it was easy for Washington to justify that war to the West, as it
could claim that Hezbollah was not defending itself or resisting the occupation
of its land this time. Rather, Hezbollah had launched a war of choice — without
coordinating with the Lebanese state — in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. Of
course, despite the horrific massacres and displacement in Gaza, the
American-Israeli narrative is that Israel’s belligerence was a “defensive
response” to Hamas’ attack on the Gaza envelope during the Al-Aqsa Flood
operation on Oct. 7, 2023. Thus, the political miscalculations — firstly those
of Hamas and then those of Hezbollah — did not merely justify Washington’s
support for Israel’s war machine, they also left the Republicans and Democrats
“outbidding” one another to curry favor with the Israeli lobby in the year
before November’s US presidential election. In the end, this auction was won by
the Republican right, which is fully aligned behind the Likud, a significant
victory.
There is no need to unpack the reasons for Iran’s role in encouraging both the
Al-Aqsa Flood and Hezbollah’s subsequent supporting war. The Lebanese people are
now clearly confronted with a new political reality. A key feature of this
reality is that Lebanese citizens have reclaimed their agency, despite the
multitude of interpretations and conflicting interests of small partisan and
sectarian groups.
For decades, Hezbollah (with backing from Iran and, to a large extent, the Assad
regime) used the pretext of resistance to solidify its grip over the country.
Unlike other Lebanese partisan and sectarian militias, Hezbollah retained its
arsenal, becoming the only armed nonstate actor in the country, even after
Israel’s withdrawal in 2000. Until 2005, however, patriotic Lebanese citizens
had seen no compelling reason to provoke a domestic crisis and tensions with a
Lebanese faction that, geographically at least, had fought only on the front
lines with Israel.
The party’s leaders seem to have forgotten the role of external actors in
granting them the upper hand in the past
Although the Lebanese were aware of Hezbollah’s ideological and strategic ties
to foreign actors, particularly Iran, they did not seriously question its role
and ambitions until the wave of assassinations and assassination attempts that
began in 2004. Then came the 2006 war, which was followed by the incursions into
Beirut and Mount Lebanon and the occupation of downtown Beirut to impose Michel
Aoun as president, making the picture crystal clear. The party’s leaders, who
are accusing the forces responsible for bringing Joseph Aoun and then Salam to
the executive of yielding to foreign dictates, seem to have forgotten the role
of external actors in granting them the upper hand in the past. Their dominance
was reflected in every aspect of Lebanon’s political, security, economic and
judicial life. They also ignored the fact that, for the first time, deputies and
other political figures acted in line with popular sentiment.
“The street,” sensing the implications of Hezbollah’s recent setback, embraced
the party’s community without hesitation or begrudging generosity. After decades
of living under the nightmare of Damascus’ rule, which began in the mid-1970s,
the people of Lebanon reached out to Hezbollah despite its negative role in
Syria. The truth, quite simply, is that the Lebanese street opposes exclusion,
isolation and marginalization. However, it hopes that Hezbollah will turn the
page and introduce a chapter defined by citizenship rather than arrogance,
partnership rather than contempt and consensus rather than domination.
*Eyad Abu Shakra is managing editor of Asharq Al-Awsat, where this article was
originally published. X: @eyad1949
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on January 21-22/2025
Israel launches ‘significant’
military operation in West Bank, at least eight Palestinians killed
Reuters/January 21, 2025
JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH: Israeli security forces backed by helicopters raided the
volatile West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday, killing at least eight Palestinians
in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “large-scale and significant
military operation.”The action, launched a day after US President Donald Trump
declared he was lifting sanctions on ultranationalist Israeli settlers who
attacked Palestinian villages, was announced by Netanyahu as a new offensive
against Iranian-backed militants. “We are acting systematically and resolutely
against the Iranian axis wherever it extends its arms – in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria,
Yemen and Judea and Samaria,” Netanyahu said. Judea and Samaria are terms Israel
uses for the occupied West Bank. The move into Jenin, where the Israeli army has
carried out multiple raids and large-scale incursions over recent years, comes
only two days after the start of a ceasefire in Gaza and underscores the threat
of more violence in the West Bank.The military said soldiers, police and
intelligence services had begun a counter-terrorism operation in Jenin. It
follows a weeks-long operation by Palestinian security forces in self-rule areas
of the West Bank to reassert control in the adjacent refugee camp, a major
center of armed militant groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both of which
get support from Iran. Gaza-based Hamas, which has expanded its reach in the
West Bank over recent years, called on Palestinians in the territory to escalate
fighting against Israel. As the operation began, Palestinian security forces
withdrew from the refugee camp and the sound of heavy gunfire could be heard in
mobile phone footage shared on social media. Palestinian health services said at
least eight Palestinians were killed and 35 wounded as the Israeli raid began, a
week after an Israeli air strike in the Jenin refugee camp killed at least three
Palestinians and wounded scores more. Since the October 2023 start of the war in
Gaza, hundreds of Palestinians and dozens of Israelis have been killed in the
West Bank and Israel and thousands of Palestinians have been detained in regular
Israeli raids.
“Protecting settlers”
Hard-line pro-settler Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who has responsibility
for large parts of Israeli policy in the West Bank, said the operation was the
start of a “strong and ongoing campaign” against militant groups “for the
protection of settlements and settlers.”Smotrich earlier welcomed Trump’s
decision to lift sanctions on settlers accused of violence against Palestinians
and said he looked forward to cooperating with the new administration in
expanding settlements. Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million
Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, land Israel captured in 1967.
Most countries consider Israel’s settlements on territory seized in war to be
illegal. Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the land.
The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority has limited self-rule over
some territory in the West Bank under Israeli military occupation. In the days
leading up to the Israeli military operation, Palestinians throughout the West
Bank said multiple roadblocks had been set up throughout the territory, where
violence has resurged since the start of the war in Gaza. Late on Monday, bands
of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians, smashing cars and burning property,
near the village of Al-Funduq, an area where three Israelis were killed in a
shooting earlier this month. The military said it had opened an investigation
into the incident, which it said involved dozens of Israeli civilians, some in
masks. The Palestinian Authority condemned the settler attack in Al-Funduq as
well as the sudden appearance of multiple new barriers and roadblocks, which it
said were aimed at “dismembering the West Bank.”“We call on the new American
administration to intervene to stop these crimes and Israeli policies that will
not bring peace and security to anyone,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’
office said in a statement.
Israel army chief resigns over October 7 ‘failure’
AFP/January 21, 2025
JERUSALEM: The head of Israel’s military resigned on Tuesday, taking
responsibility for its “failure” to stop Hamas’s October 7 attack, days after a
fragile truce took effect following 15 months of war in the Gaza Strip. In his
resignation letter, released by the army, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said he was
stepping down “due to my acknowledgement of responsibility for the (military’s)
failure on October 7,” but added that he was leaving at a time of “significant
successes.”He acknowledged, however, that the goals of the Gaza war “have not
all been achieved,” adding the army would “continue to fight to further
dismantle Hamas,” bring back the hostages and enable Israelis displaced by
militant attacks to return home. Shortly after his announcement, Major General
Yaron Finkelman also resigned. Finkelman headed Israel’s southern military
command, which is responsible for Gaza. Hamas’s attack, the deadliest in Israeli
history, resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to
an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. It sparked a war that has levelled
much of Gaza and, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory,
killed 46,913, a majority of them civilians, figures the United Nations has said
are reliable. The attack, which also saw 251 people taken hostage, traumatized
Israelis and created an unprecedented crisis for the country’s top leadership.
Ninety-one hostages remain in captivity, 34 of whom the military says are dead.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed early in the war to crush Hamas and
to bring home all the hostages. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Tuesday
called on Netanyahu to follow Halevi’s example. Saying he saluted the military
chief for stepping down, Lapid added: “Now, it is time for them to take
responsibility and resign — the prime minister and his entire catastrophic
government.”After months of fruitless negotiations, mediators Qatar and the
United States announced a ceasefire that took effect Sunday, on the eve of
Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president.
Who in Israel has resigned over the Oct. 7 security breakdown, and who hasn't?
Joseph Krauss And Natalie Melzer/The Associated Press/January 21, 2025
Israel's top general on Tuesday became the highest-ranking official to resign
over Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack, the worst security failure in the country's
history. Like much of Israel's top brass, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi remained in his
post through the 15-month war in the Gaza Strip, the related conflict with
Hezbollah in Lebanon and tensions with Iran that led the two countries to
exchange fire twice last year.But days into a ceasefire with Hamas, and with the
other conflicts having wound down, he and the head of Israel's Southern Command,
which oversees operations in Gaza, announced they would step down. Their
resignations are likely to fuel longstanding calls in Israel for a public
inquiry into the security and intelligence failures of Oct. 7. That could
implicate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has insisted that such an
investigation can only be held after the war.
Here's a look at who has taken the fall for Oct. 7 and who hasn't.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Netanyahu, who was prime minister for all but one of the 14 years leading up to
the attack, has not taken responsibility. He says he is among several officials
who should face tough questions but that any public inquiry must wait until the
end of the war. His critics say he bears responsibility, not only for the
failure to prevent the attack, but for his longstanding policy of trying to
contain Hamas in Gaza. That included allowing Qatar to deliver large amounts of
financial aid — some of it in suitcases of cash — to the territory in exchange
for calm. Netanyahu has sought to reframe his legacy during the war, boasting of
unprecedented achievements against Iran and its militant allies across the
region. He has vowed to keep fighting until all the hostages abducted in the
Oct. 7 attack are returned and Hamas has been dismantled.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
Netanyahu fired his popular defense minister in November, citing differences
over the conduct of the war and replacing him with a loyalist. Gallant — who has
long called for a public inquiry into the Oct. 7 failures — emerged as one of
Israel's more popular leaders during the war, in part by prioritizing a hostage
deal over the annihilation of Hamas in the last months of his tenure.
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, military chief of staff
In announcing his resignation, Halevi acknowledged his responsibility for the
military’s failure on Oct. 7 and said he would ensure its internal
investigations into the attack would be completed before leaving his role on
March 6.
Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet internal security agency
Bar has led the agency, which is tasked with collecting intelligence on
Palestinians, since 2021. He took responsibility for the failure to thwart the
attack just days after it occurred but has not resigned, saying investigations
into what happened would need to come after the war.
David Barnea, head of the Mossad
Barnea would likely bear less responsibility for the Oct. 7 failures, as the
Mossad is tasked with spying on enemies outside the territories Israel controls.
He was a leading negotiator in more than a year of indirect talks with Hamas
that led to this month's ceasefire.
Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, head of the military's Southern Command
In his letter of resignation, Finkelman said his failure to defend southern
Israel on Oct. 7 “will be etched into me for the rest of my life.”
Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, head of military intelligence
Haliva resigned in April, saying his directorate had not lived up to its mission
on Oct. 7. “I carry that black day with me ever since, day after day, night
after night. I will carry the horrible pain of the war with me forever,” he
wrote in his resignation letter.
Key priority is to deliver huge surge of aid into Gaza:
UN’s relief chief
Zaynab Khojji/Arab News/January 21, 2025
Delivering aid had become ‘almost impossible in the last few weeks,’ Fletcher
said
OCHA needs funding and protection to deliver aid, he added
DAVOS: Delivering a huge surge of aid into Gaza is a key priority for the UN’s
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the agency’s head said on
Tuesday. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Tom Fletcher said that
“millions are in need” in the war-torn territory and that the aid would partly
support the ceasefire process. Fletcher said: “The key priority for us on the
humanitarian side now is to get a huge surge of aid into Gaza, partly to support
the ceasefire process because it is dependent on this step by step, very complex
approach, but more importantly because millions are in need.
“(Some) 600 trucks (entered) on Sunday, including 300 up to the north which
needs it so badly, 900 on Monday and more today.”He described how delivering aid
had become “almost impossible in the last few weeks,” with convoys being looted
and community organizers assisting the OCHA “taken out by Israeli
drones.”Fletcher said: “We lost 79 out of 80 trucks in one convoy. And then the
community organizers who went in with us were then taken out by Israeli drones.
So it was becoming almost impossible to deliver a fraction of what we needed to
do. Now the ceasefire opens up this window and we’ve got to really show that we
can deliver at that massive scale.”However, he warned that the money would soon
run out and that the UN agency needs funding and protection to deliver aid.
Fletcher said: “We’ll need the funding and the protection, which means member
states have to start saying ‘Stop shooting at UN convoys.’“Last year was the
deadliest year to be a humanitarian on record and that was mainly because of
Gaza. “We can’t deliver all these convoys alone. So we need commercial traffic
getting into Gaza. And we need innovation as well. You know, in the last 14
months Gaza has been a laboratory of war and testing new weapons. We now need it
to be a laboratory of humanitarian support. You know, can we use as much
ingenuity and innovation in saving lives as in killing people? And that’s a real
test.”The head of the OCHA said that the UN agency was launching a big cash aid
initiative on Tuesday, adding: “We’re trying to get direct cash support to a
million Palestinian families, mostly headed by women, so that they get to make
the choices about where they spend the money.”The Chairman of the Bank of
Palestine Hashim Shawa said that the institution had been working with all
development partners in mobilizing cash assistance programs for decades. He
said: “We’ve been the first to innovate in the digital space. We’ve bought in
international investors to help the bank not only remain resilient, but grow.
“We’ve grown 100 branches all over the West Bank and Gaza. We’re now in the UAE,
in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We got a license in Cairo. We’re expanding in Cairo,
obviously. The day after this war Egypt is going to play a strategic role in the
development of Gaza. “So we’ve left no stone unturned in terms of providing the
international aid organizations (with) a trusted, well-vetted, high tech,
bullet-proof platform, Bank of Palestine, to facilitate all this aid. Half a
million beneficiaries a year receive much-needed cash assistance and other forms
of aid through their phones, digitally.”Sara Pantuliano, the chief executive of
ODI Global, a global affairs think tank, said that recovery and reconstruction
in Gaza was not just a matter of money and infrastructure, but death and
destruction. She said that colleagues and friends working in Gaza describe it as
having a “sort of moon landscape.”She said: “The UNDP (UN Development Programme)
estimates that there are 50 million tonnes of rubble to be removed. And this
rubble is mixed with human remains and unexploded ordnance, which means it’s
incredibly difficult to deal with it. “There is an estimate if you had 100
trucks working day in, day out, to try and remove this rubble, making sure that
you dispose and bury the bodies that are mixed with the rubble, and carefully so
that you don’t detonate more of this unexploded ordnance, it would take 15 years
to dispose of the rubble that’s been created to date.”
Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says death toll at 47,107
AFP/January 21, 2025
GAZA STRIP: The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Tuesday that 47,107
people had been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, with the toll continuing to rise
in spite of a ceasefire as new bodies were found under the rubble. The ceasefire
has held since going into effect on Sunday, bringing a halt to more than 15
months of fighting in the Palestinian territory. But the health ministry is
finding more dead, as the truce has allowed people to comb the ruins. Other
people have died from wounds received before the fighting stopped, with the
territory’s health system devastated by the war.The bodies of 72 people “arrived
at hospitals... over the past 24 hours,” the ministry said in a statement. “A
number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulances
and civil protection teams are unable to reach them,” it added. The ministry
said the number of wounded had reached 111,147 since the start of the war on
October 7, 2023. The ministry called on the families of people killed or missing
in the war to register online to aid in the identification of bodies and to
compile a more accurate death toll. Israel has regularly questioned the
credibility of the ministry’s figures, although the United Nations deems them
reliable. A study in the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet
published in early January estimated that the number of deaths during the first
month of the war was around 40 percent higher than the official ministry figure.
France issues new arrest warrant for Syria’s Assad: source
AFP/January 21, 2025
PARIS: Two French investigating magistrates have issued an arrest warrant
against ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad for suspected complicity in war
crimes, the second such move by France’s judicial authorities, a source said on
Tuesday. Assad, who was ousted late last year in a lightning offensive by
Islamist forces, is held responsible in the warrant issued on Monday as
“commander-in-chief of the armed forces” for a bombing in the Syrian city of
Daraa in 2017 that killed a civilian, a source close to the case, asking not to
be named, told AFP. This mandate was issued as part of an investigation into the
case of Salah Abou Nabout, a 59-year-old Franco-Syrian national and former
French teacher, who was killed on June 7, 2017 following the bombing of his home
by Syrian army helicopters. The French judiciary considers that Assad ordered
and provided the means for this attack, according to the source. Six senior
Syrian army officials are already the target of French arrest warrants over the
case in an investigation that began in 2018. “This case represents the
culmination of a long fight for justice, in which I and my family believed from
the start,” said Omar Abou Nabout, the victim’s son, in a statement. He
expressed hope that “a trial will take place and that the perpetrators will be
arrested and judged, wherever they are.” French authorities in November 2023
issued a first arrest warrant against Assad over chemical attacks in 2013 where
more than a thousand people, according to American intelligence, were killed by
sarin gas.
While considering Assad’s participation in these attacks “likely,” public
prosecutors last year issued an appeal against the warrant on the grounds that
Assad should have immunity as a head of state. However, his ouster has now
changed his status and potential immunity. Assad and his family fled to Russia
after his fall, according to Russian authorities.
Six killed as Syria security forces launch sweep in Homs
province
AFP/January 21, 2025
BEIRTU, Lebanon: Six people were killed on Tuesday in Syria’s central Homs
province, a war monitor said, as security forces launched a sweep of the area.
The security forces were operating in the area around the village of Ghour Al-Gharbiya
in western Homs “against the remaining militias supporting” ousted president
Bashar Assad, the official news agency SANA reported. The operation also
targeted drug traffickers and smugglers, SANA said, citing a security source. An
“arms depot and munitions belonging to the ousted regime” were found, it added,
reporting that violent clashes had broken out.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said six people had been killed in the
Shiite-majority village, which lies close to the border with Lebanon. The
Observatory later specified that among those killed, two were “armed
individuals” who died during clashes with security forces, while the other four
were “civilians executed by local gunmen who entered the town” alongside the
security forces. Tanks were also deployed to the area, said the Britain-based
Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria. Observatory
director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that the village “hosted local groups close
to Lebanon’s Hezbollah,” adding that those groups had left the area after the
fall of Assad on December 8. Hezbollah was one of Assad’s key backers in the
nearly 14-year conflict that broke out with the former president’s violent
repression of pro-democracy protests in 2011. The Observatory said dozens were
arrested during the latest security sweep. Recent weeks have seen widespread
arrests of those accused of loyalty to Assad. Islamist-led rebels forced Assad
from power last month after a lightning offensive that saw them capture swathes
of the country in 11 days. Rights groups have reported violations by the new
security authorities, including summary executions and the seizure of people’s
homes. The new authorities, however, have sought to reassure minorities in
particular that their rights will be safeguarded.
Syrian Kurdish forces oppose handing jihadist jails to
Islamist rulers
Orhan Qereman/Reuters/January 21, 2025
HASAKAH, Syria (Reuters) - The Kurdish forces guarding Islamic State fighters at
a jail in northern Syria say they are opposed to handing the facility to the new
Islamist rulers in Damascus as they brace for attacks by the ultra hardline
group and monitor its attempts to re-emerge. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led force which holds a quarter of Syria, has said
Islamic State (IS) has already attempted two attacks on prisons in a bid to
break out their comrades since Bashar al-Assad was toppled from power on Dec. 8,
as the group seeks to exploit the upheaval. At a prison in the city of Hasakah,
where some 4,500 IS fighters, including many foreigners, are incarcerated, a
Kurdish officer predicted that the group known as ISIS would try again. "When
the Syrian regime fell ... ISIS seized a lot of weapons, and they will organize
themselves again to attack prisons," the officer, his identity concealed by a
ski mask, told Reuters. Reuters was granted rare access to the heavily fortified
prison on Saturday, speaking to three detainees - a Briton, a Russian, and a
German citizen originally from Tunisia. The SDF has served as the spearhead of
U.S.-led efforts to counter IS in Syria for a decade, driving the jihadists from
their Raqqa headquarters in 2017 before capturing their last foothold - Baghouz
- in 2019. The jails have come into focus since Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a
former al Qaeda affiliate, seized power from Assad and established a new
government, aiming to restore central authority.
Foreign powers are at odds over who should run the jails. Turkey, which sees
Syria's dominant Kurdish factions as a national security threat, says the jails
should be handed over to the new rulers, and has offered to help them.
The outgoing U.S. administration indicated its support for the SDF continuing to
guard them. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Jan. 8 that a
critical part of avoiding an IS resurgence was to enable the SDF to do the job
"they’ve been doing ... of securing the foreign terrorist fighters".The Kurdish
officer said he did not believe the Kurdish-led authorities would hand the jails
to the new administration. "Sharing it with the new government will not be
acceptable. Protecting this prison is the responsibility of the coalition and
the SDF only," he said. The SDF has said jihadist fighters have been seeking to
exploit lax security across much of Syria: the Kurdish officer noted images of
fighters with the flag used by IS on their uniforms among fighters who seized
Damascus. HTS, formerly known as the Nusra Front, has a history of conflict with
IS and rejects the transnational jihad promoted by IS supporters. The new
government said it thwarted an IS attack on a Shi'ite shrine in a Damascus
suburb on Jan. 11. The SDF and the new administration are at odds over how the
Kurdish-led force might be integrated into Syria's new security apparatus: the
SDF says it does not intend to dissolve itself, as the new defence ministry
wishes. The interior ministry in Damascus did not immediately respond to a
request for comment for this story.
REGRET
The SDF says that it is guarding some 10,000 IS fighters. In addition, the SDF
oversees a detention camp, al-Hol, where tens of thousands of people are held.
Many are family members of suspected IS fighters. At the prison, which was
attacked by IS in 2022, one detainee said he travelled to Syria from Britain in
2014 to join the group, believing "the law of God Almighty will be implemented
in this land". "We're six years in prison now and we don’t know anything about
our situation, about our wives and about our children and about our mothers,"
said the man, speaking through a small, barred window. Detainees could be seen
sitting on mattresses in shared cells accommodating a dozen or more men. Another
detainee identified as a German citizen originally from Tunisia said he had
spent eight years in jail with no information about his wife and children.
"Everyone regrets it, everyone knows they committed a big mistake and people
honestly want to go back to their homes and families," he said. The Russian
detainee also expressed regret and said he hoped President Vladimir Putin would
forgive him. The prison authorities withheld their names. The Kurdish officer
said detainees typically express regret to visiting journalists, but that such
comments were deceptive. He said the prison holds detainees who "fought the
battles of Baghouz, (and) didn't surrender until the last breath". The
Kurdish-led administration has long called on foreign states to repatriate their
nationals, and in 2023 announced plans to start trying them itself. Rights
groups say some countries have balked at reclaiming their citizens, citing
security concerns. The officer said the detainees still act as militants,
appointing "emirs", or commanders, planning escape attempts, and receiving
religious lessons: "We've never noticed that they've abandoned their ideas."
COPENHAGEN: Denmark’s foreign minister said Tuesday that no country should be
able to simply help themselves to another country, following US President Donald
Trump’s renewed remarks about taking control of Greenland. Trump, who took
office on Monday, set off alarm bells in early January by refusing to rule out
military intervention to bring the Panama Canal and Greenland — which is an
autonomous Danish territory — under US control. “Of course we can’t have a world
order where countries, if they’re big enough, no matter what they’re called, can
just help themselves to what they want,” Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen
told reporters Tuesday. While he didn’t mention Greenland in his inauguration
speech on Monday, Trump was asked about it by reporters in the Oval Office
afterwards. “Greenland is a wonderful place, we need it for international
security,” Trump responded. “I’m sure that Denmark will come along — it’s
costing them a lot of money to maintain it, to keep it,” he added. Lokke said he
was “satisfied” that Trump had not cited Greenland as a priority in his speech,
but added that the “rhetoric” was the same. “It doesn’t make me call off any
crisis, because he said other things about expanding the American territory,”
Lokke told Danish media. Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede has insisted
“that Greenland is not for sale” but that the territory was open to doing
business with the US. Among Danes, the omission of Greenland in the inauguration
speech led to some relief. “He didn’t mention Greenland or Denmark in his speech
last night, so I think there’s room for diplomacy,” 68-year-old actor Donald
Andersen told AFP. On Monday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a
post to Instagram that Europe would need to “navigate a new reality.”While
noting the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination, the head of
government also stressed the need for Denmark to maintain its alliance with the
US — which she described as Denmark’s most important since World War II. A
number of Danish party leaders were called to the prime minister’s office on
Tuesday to be briefed on the situation. “We have to recognize that the next four
years will be difficult years,” Pia Olsen Dyhr, leader of the Green Left, told
reporters after meeting with Frederiksen.
Yemen’s vice president: Trump ‘key to defeating Houthis’
Arab News/January 21, 2025
ADEN: The return of Donald Trump to the US presidency was key to curbing the
Houthi militia’s threat to regional stability and maritime security, Yemen’s
vice president said on Tuesday. Aidarous Al-Zubaidi compared Trump’s leadership
and willingness to employ military strength with the Biden administration, which
he said had allowed the Houthis to consolidate power, bolster their military
capabilities and extend their reach beyond Yemen. “Trump knows what he wants. He
is a strong decision maker,” Zubaidi said. “We are fans, admirers and supporters
of Trump’s policy .... because he has a personality that has enough
decision-making power to rule America and the world.” A coordinated US-led
international, regional and local strategy was needed to strike and weaken the
Houthis and stop their attacks against commercial Western vessels navigating
through the Red Sea, Zubaidi said. The Houthis targeted more than 100 vessels
with drones and missile strikes last year. “We hope that America will be
motivated to deter the Houthis because they will continue to threaten maritime
navigation. They are the biggest threat,” Zubaidi said. He said he expected
talks with the new US administration to begin soon.
Zubaidi heads the Southern Transitional Council, which favors an independent
southern Yemen. The group holds three seats on the eight-strong Presidential
Leadership Council, the Aden-based coalition government opposed to the Houthis.
Trump's Blizzard of Orders Faces Stormy Ride
This is Beirut/*Danny Kemp and Frankie Taggart, with AFP/January 21/2025
Donald Trump has claimed a mandate from God to reshape America, but the earthly
powers of the US courts, a super-thin majority in Congress and foreign capitals
may have other ideas. The Republican president unleashed a "shock and awe" blitz
of executive orders in his first 24 hours back in power that overturned many of
his predecessor Joe Biden's policies. The question now is how many of the
78-year-old's sweeping directives, on everything from immigration to gender,
climate and the TikTok video app, will actually succeed. "The storm of executive
orders from Trump, particularly those aimed at immigration and birthright
citizenship, are probably going to end up as big constitutional losers," veteran
political strategist Mike Fahey told AFP. Many of Trump's orders focused on
immigration, including the declaration of a national emergency on the US
southern border with Mexico. But the one ending the automatic right to
citizenship for anyone born in the United States could cause him the most
problems. The right is enshrined in the US Constitution, and has also been
upheld by the US Supreme Court. Rights groups have already filed lawsuits
against the move. "You could be right. You'll find out," Trump said Monday
during an Oval Office signing ceremony when asked whether his birthright
citizenship plans could be derailed. Another early target for lawsuits is the
newly created Department of Government Efficiency, a cost-cutting agency headed
by billionaire Elon Musk.
'Edges of executive power'
Trump is far from the first US president to issue a flurry of orders to show
policy wins from day one. And for America's greatest political showman, the
visuals may be as important as the substance. His pardons for more than 1,500 of
the pro-Trump rioters who attacked the US Capitol in 2021 will also appeal to
his supporters. "These types of changes are red meat for his base," said
Nicholas Jacobs, associate professor of government at Maine's liberal arts Colby
College. "While much of it is symbolic and will face legal challenges, it is
exactly the type of dramatic action his supporters want to see."But Trump's
blizzard of orders was exceptional and genuinely tests the limits of
presidential power. Trump is feeling so emboldened by his election win that he
even declared in his inaugural address that he was "saved by God to make America
great again" after surviving an assassin's bullet at a July campaign rally. "The
basic nature and the sheer number of Trump's Day One actions suggest a
presidency that will press hard on the edges of executive power," said Fahey.
Trump will also try to get some of his executive orders enshrined by Congress to
prevent a future president doing exactly what he has done to many of Biden's
prized achievements.But Trump's tiny majority in the House of Representatives
means passing any legislation will be a struggle.
'Biggest obstacle'
The courts could be a still bigger problem, even if the US Supreme Court is now
conservative-dominated thanks to Trump's three appointments to the nine-member
bench in his first term. "The biggest obstacle Trump faces in implementing his
wide-ranging agenda is the legal system," said political analyst Gerard Filitti,
senior counsel at legal think tank The Lawfare Project. On the world stage,
Trump is counting that a return of his disruptive style will force other
countries to make deals, but that depends on whether they are ready to play the
game. Trump said he would impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada, "take
back" the Panama Canal and get Denmark to sell Greenland to the United States.
On TikTok, he has ordered a 75-day pause on enforcing a law effectively banning
TikTok in the US, as he floated an idea of partnering with the app's Chinese
owner. "I may do the deal or I may not do the deal," Trump said. On his order to
declare drug cartels as terrorist organizations, he said that "Mexico probably
doesn't want that but we have to do it."Trump has even made out-of-this world
promises, claiming it was America's "manifest destiny" to "plant the Stars and
Stripes" on the planet Mars.
*Danny Kemp and Frankie Taggart, with AFP
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on January 21-22/2025
Germany's Cultural Elite's Perverted "Debate" on Israel
Gerald M. Steinberg/Gatestone Institute/January 21/2025
Fringe activists and their "positions of moral outrage" continue to be funded by
the German government, with high visibility platforms to promote their blatant
anti-Israel and antisemitic campaigns.
In the face of poisonous propaganda, the Bundestag resolutions calling for an
end to German government funding to "organizations or projects that spread
antisemitism [or] question Israel's right to exist" are important. Implementing
them and stopping the support via cultural and academic institutions will not
"silence" the voices of hate, but at least the German state will no longer be
providing them with resources or legitimacy.
Klaus Biesenbach, director of Berlin's National Gallery, was recently shouted
down when he attempted to distance himself from anti-Israel statements made at
his institution in a speech by American photographer and political activist Nan
Goldin. Pictured: Biesenbach speaks in Berlin on February 9, 2024.
On November 22, 2024, at the National Gallery of Berlin, the American
photographer and political activist Nan Goldin asked, "Why can't I speak,
Germany?" With apparently no sense of irony, she spoke at a lectern in front of
a large audience, with numerous phones pointing at her, at the opening of her
retrospective, titled "This will not end well." The subject of her talk was not
her artistic portfolio but rather her political agenda on Israel.
An enthusiastic audience applauded her outrage and indignation over the
"genocide" in Gaza and Lebanon, and her immoral equivalence between the
Palestinian population after the October 7 atrocities with pogroms against Jews
under the Russian Empire. Goldin's false claim that "antizionism has nothing to
do with antisemitism" was followed by loud chants of appreciation and applause.
The one person who could not speak was the National Gallery's Director, Klaus
Biesenbach, who was shouted down when he attempted to distance himself from her
statement, while adding the obligatory and obvious defense of Goldin's right to
express herself.
The "Nan Goldin incident" was widely covered in prominent media platforms,
including the New York Times and German press, as well as in social media,
almost everywhere repeating her false accusations regarding the ostensible
silencing of Israel's critics. Goldin is one of a number of examples (another is
Judith Butler) in which Jewish anti-Israel activists are used by Germans as
fig-leaves to claim that their agendas should not be labeled as antisemitic.
These events took place against the backdrop of and in response to a resolution
the German parliament (Bundestag) adopted on November 7, and supported by all of
the major parties, which sought "to ensure that no organizations or projects
that spread antisemitism, question Israel's right to exist, call for a boycott
of Israel or actively support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement
receive financial support." Diverting attention from the issue of taxpayer
funding, the attacks from the far left repeated the "assault on free speech"
meme. The alleged "cultural crackdown" and "silencing of critical voices" are
fictions, manipulated to create the false image of victimhood.
This battle over state support for anti-Israel propaganda and Holocaust
inversion under the facade of supporting culture and free speech is not new. The
November text reiterates and strengthens a May 2019 Bundestag resolution that
labeled BDS as antisemitism and explicitly referenced the working definition of
the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). At that time, a vocal
group of German artists and activists aligned with the far left launched a
highly publicized and well financed campaign, under the grandiose heading of
"Initiative GG 5.3 Weltoffenheit" (open-worldness). They declared:
"The application of the parliamentary BDS resolution by the Bundestag is cause
for great concern... By invoking this resolution, accusations of antisemitism
are being misused to push aside important voices and to distort critical
positions."
Behind the thin facades of false antisemitism and "silencing," the goal of this
campaign is to end German military and diplomatic support for Israel. While much
of the German elite continues to acknowledge the nation's post-Holocaust
responsibility towards Israel and the Jewish people, this consensus is opposed
by the ex-Communist far left, including many involved in arts and culture, and
who are primarily supported by institutions funded by the German Federal
government.
These frameworks are frequently exploited for promoting virulently anti-Israel
and antisemitic events and exhibits, such as the infamous 2023 Documenta
festival of contemporary art, which was widely condemned both inside and outside
of Germany. Indeed, the Bundestag resolutions calling for an end to public
funding for such events are direct responses to this abuse.
In the 15 months since the October 7, 2023 atrocities and the Israeli military
response, German cities, as elsewhere, have been the sites of violent
"pro-Palestinian" mob actions, including attacks on pro-Israel and visibly
Jewish targets and against the police. Jews are routinely intimidated, Jewish
life in Germany is under threat, and Israeli academics are often excluded from
scholarly exchanges. The leaders of these discriminatory and blatantly
antisemitic actions attempt to justify their behavior by repeating the false
allegations of "genocide" and similar labels.
Fringe activists and their "positions of moral outrage" continue to be funded by
the German government, with high visibility platforms to promote their blatant
anti-Israel and antisemitic campaigns.
In the face of poisonous propaganda, the Bundestag resolutions calling for an
end to German government funding to "organizations or projects that spread
antisemitism [or] question Israel's right to exist" are important. Implementing
them and stopping the support via cultural and academic institutions will not
"silence" the voices of hate, but at least the German state will no longer be
providing them with resources or legitimacy.
*Dr. Gerald M. Steinberg is the President of NGO Monitor. Follow him on
Twitter/X: @GeraldNGOM
© 2025 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.
Putting (Supposedly ‘Non-Muslim’) Migrant Terrorists to
the Duck Test
Raymond Ibrahim/The Stream//January 21/2025
“If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it’s
probably a duck.”
This is wise counsel whenever the media and “experts” insist that you not
believe your lying eyes.
Take this ongoing issue where men who perfectly fit the profile of “radical
Muslims,” engage in the usual acts of Islamic terrorism, only for the
“authorities” to tell us not to be “hasty” and jump to conclusions.
Remember, for example, Muganwa Rudakubana, the African son of migrants who
stabbed to death three little girls (aged six, seven, and nine) in Southport,
England last summer? Although the stabbing of random people, especially
children, has long been a chief hallmark of Islamic terrorism—openly sponsored
by ISIS no less—British media and politicians were quick to shame anyone who
dared suggest that the murderer was a Muslim. Instead, they insisted that he was
a Christian, whose family was “heavily involved with the local church.”
A few months later, it turned out that this supposed “Christian” was reading
jihadist literature—including a document called “Military studies in the Jihad
against Tyrants”—and had even produced the biological toxin ricin in an effort
to kill even more infidels.
Then there was the Syrian asylum seeker in France who, a year earlier, in the
summer of 2023, also went on a wild stabbing spree in a playground — repeatedly
stabbing one toddler and knifing a total of four children, aged three. Again,
although this was very typical jihadist behavior, the media told us not so
fast—he was obviously a Christian since his name was very Christian sounding (Abdulmasih,
“servant of Christ”) and, rather than issue the usual Muslim war-cry that
accompanies such attacks—“Allahu akbar”—he had reportedly cried out, “in the
name of Jesus Christ!” before initiating his rampage.
A day or two later, however, Christian migrants from Syria stepped forward
saying they recognized the stabber as one of the Islamic terrorists that had
operated in Syria, “whom we know all too well, and who have completely ruined
our lives.” One of these Christian migrants said,
Today I ask of every person who has any connection to Europe’s intelligence and
security agencies, if you hear this video, to translate and deliver its
information to these agencies. This man’s name is Silwan Majid, from among the
takfiri groups that were operating in Syria in the city of al-Hasakah….. This
criminal, and thousands like him, are now in Europe, right in the midst of your
societies, families, and children.
More recently, Henri d’Anselme, a young Frenchman who had intervened and helped
stop the stabbing spree in the French playground, also revealed in an interview
that a magistrate had confirmed to him that the stabber was not Christian but a
member of ISIS who was pretending to be Christian.
Of course, for those in the know, “revelations” such as these—that the two
migrant stabbers of children in England and France were Muslim, after all—are
rather superfluous. We have and rely on something called common sense: “If it
looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably
a duck.”
Indeed, before both revelations, when the media was insisting that these two
terrorists were Christian, I offered numerous reasons as to why both were almost
certainly Muslims acting out their jihad (English case here, French case here).
The bottom line is this: Islam allows, and in some cases advocates for, Muslims
to deceive non-Muslims, including by pretending to be Christian. This is why I
am convinced that all those other terrorists, who the media continue to present
as “Christian”—such as Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a Saudi who killed six people and
injured 300 others at a Christmas market in Germany, 2024, and Emad al-Swealmeen,
who bombed a Liverpool hospital in 2021—are Muslim terrorists in sheeps’
clothing.
Not only is the deception of non-Muslims an ironclad aspect of sharia—with
taqiyya being just one of the most notorious such doctrines—but both the past
and present furnish countless examples.
For instance, in 1492, the Christians of Spain finally re-conquered Granada, the
final Muslim bastion in Spain which had long terrorized Christians. Soon
thereafter, and because the denizens of Granada continued to promote jihadist
uprisings and subversions, all Muslims were offered two choices: convert to
Christianity—and therefore slough off their jihadist animus to Christians—and
remain in Spain; or stay Muslim but quit the peninsula and return to North
Africa.
The entire population of Granada—hundreds of thousands of Muslims—responded by
openly embracing Christianity but remaining crypto-Muslims. Publicly they went
to church and baptized their children; at home they recited the Koran, preached
undying hate for the infidel and their obligation to re-subjugate Spain to
Islam. And all this deception was legitimized by the fatwas of leading Islamic
clerics.
One historian explains the great lengths these “Moriscos”—that is, Muslim
converts to Christianity who remained clandestine Muslims—went to deceive the
Christians:
For a Morisco to pass as a good Christian took more than a simple statement to
that effect. It required a sustained performance involving hundreds of
individual statements and actions of different types, many of which might have
little to do with expressions of belief or ritual per se. Dissimulation [taqiyya]
was an institutionalized practice in Morisco communities that involved regular
patterns of behaviour passed on from one generation to the next.
Despite this elaborate masquerade, Christians increasingly caught on: “With the
permission and license that their accursed sect [Islam] accorded them,” a
frustrated Spaniard remarked in the seventeenth century, “they could feign any
religion outwardly and without sinning, as long as they kept their hearts
nevertheless devoted to their false impostor of a prophet. We saw so many of
them who died while worshipping the Cross and speaking well of our Catholic
Religion yet who were inwardly excellent Muslims.”
Thus generation after generation of Muslims pretended to be and lived as model
Christians—even as they had nothing but hatred for Christianity and
Christians—and all to remain and eventually reconquer Spain for Islam.
The same thing continues into the modern era. For example, in 2013 an
assassination plot against a Christian pastor in Turkey was exposed; 14 Muslim
suspects, including at least three women, were arrested. According to the pastor
in question, Emre Karaali: “Two of them attended our church for over a year and
they were like family.” One was even baptized. In reality, “These people had
infiltrated our church and collected information about me, my family and the
church and were preparing an attack against us.”
In other words, Muslims converted to Christianity, devoutly attended church, and
behaved like “family” to the pastor and other Christians—all so they could get
close enough to kill them.
The grand lesson? Learn to trust your instincts. Once again—“If it looks like a
duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably a duck.”
The duck test is especially important now, when the supposed “guardians” of
knowledge and disseminators of “news” (or rather fake news) have been so utterly
discredited as liars with very obvious pro-Muslim, that is to say,
anti-Christian agendas.
Israelis must recognize the atrocities committed in their
name
Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib/January 21, 2025
A French-Israeli lawyer last month submitted a report to the International
Criminal Court accusing Benjamin Netanyahu and seven other Israeli political and
military figures of incitement to genocide. Omer Shatz, who is a professor at
Sciences Po, filed the case on behalf of an unnamed French-Palestinian victim of
the Gaza genocide. The lawyer had previously raised a lawsuit with Israel’s
Supreme Court in 2014 after the “Operation Protective Edge” massacre. When he
lost that case, he left Israel with the warning, “You will see, in 10 years,
there will be a genocide.” His prophecy has now been fulfilled.
As predicted, the genocide has been possible because of the constant
dehumanization of Palestinians. In last month’s 170-page filing, Shatz mentioned
the genocidal statements made by Israeli officials. In January last year, the
International Court of Justice found there was a “plausible” risk of genocide
and ordered Israel to punish those who made declarations inciting genocide.
However, the government of Israel did not conduct any investigation in this
respect, totally ignoring the orders of the court. According to Ilan Pappe, the
Israeli historian, the average Israeli citizen is subject to propaganda from the
cradle to the grave. Hence, giving Israelis more information will not change
their mind; they need a reset. They need a big shock to realize what their
government and military has done.
Israelis need a reset. They need a big shock to realize what their government
and military has done. Pape explained the behavior of Israel by referring to
previous colonial powers and empires. He said they ultimately become too brutal
and reach a point where it is “too much.” Have the Israelis yet reached the
point where they and the international community realize it is too much? Shatz
said that he is “obligated, as a Jew, to do this” and is “consumed, as an
Israeli,” by Israel’s crimes and impunity. Has Israeli society reached the stage
of recognition?
South Africa raised the lawsuit against Israel in the International Court of
Justice, while the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against
Netanyahu and his former defense minister. However, for an Israeli citizen to
file a case against its own government is a signal. It is a signal that the
Israelis are starting to realize that their country’s brutality and injustice is
too much. With a ceasefire now in effect, the atrocities are being uncovered.
Palestinians are going back to their homes to find the bodies of their loved
ones after they were shot in the head. Prisoners are coming back in terrible
condition after being subject to torture and sexual abuse. Even after all this
cruelty, Israel has still not been able to realize its declared objective:
eradicating Hamas. In fact, once the ceasefire was declared, Hamas members
roamed the streets of Gaza, showing Israel that they are alive and kicking. This
extreme brutality has not brought any security to Israel. It has only shown the
world how ugly it is. Are Israelis starting to see the ugliness of the state
that operates in their name?
Now, Israel is left to grapple with the aftermath of the Gaza war. It destroyed
the homes of the Gazans, the schools, the hospitals and every other facility
that made the Strip livable. While Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National
Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and their ilk rejoice that Gaza is
uninhabitable, Israel now has to handle 2 million Gazans. Will that drive the
Israelis to ask “what have we done?” Will it prompt them to look in the mirror
and ask themselves “who are we?” “How human are we when we deprive 2 million
human beings of the basic necessities of life, when we deprive them of their
dignity, when we kill one in every 50 Gazans (though experts estimate the actual
number is much higher)?” “Where are we heading as a country?”
This extreme brutality has not brought any security to Israel. It has only shown
the world how ugly it is. Also, now that the war has ended, at least
temporarily, there will have to be accountability and a serious investigation
into the negligence of the Netanyahu administration, which allowed Oct. 7 to
happen. Will that push them to dig beyond Oct. 7, go back in time and examine
why these attacks took place. Will it push them to realize that putting 2
million people under siege for 17 years in an open-air prison will lead to a
reaction, and a violent one.
The ceasefire has already caused divisions. The right wing in Israel does not
want to stop the war, it wants to continue until Hamas is eradicated. However,
the past 15 months have shown that even flattening Gaza will not eliminate
Hamas. Those who are more mainstream want to end the war. Both groups have
protested. The divisions that existed before the war are likely to be aggravated
after it.
This is not a division over a marginal bill or a budget allocation, it is over
the character of the state. What is the main basis of Israel: Jewishness or
democracy and human rights? These are existential questions the average Israeli
must face. Hence, the recognition of what has been done in Gaza is not only
about Gaza, but also about who Israelis are as people. This is why Shatz’s
filing is so important. He saw 10 years ago that his country was on a dangerous
path. He had no choice but to raise a lawsuit against Israel at the
International Criminal Court. Could this action by a French-Israeli lawyer save
Israel from itself?
It is important to see the dynamics inside Israeli society once the ceasefire is
fully established. Beyond the divisions that will arise, it is important to see
if Shatz’s lawsuit is merely an individual initiative or if it reflects a new
consciousness among Israeli society. Unless Israeli society recognizes that what
the country has done is inhumane and unacceptable, there will be no
reconciliation with the Palestinians. If there is no reconciliation, Israelis
will have no peace, neither with the Palestinians nor with themselves.
**Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib is a specialist in US-Arab relations with a focus on
lobbying. She is co-founder of the Research Center for Cooperation and Peace
Building, a Lebanese nongovernmental organization focused on Track II.
How Gaza became Israel’s Achilles’ heel
Osama Al-Sharif/Arab News/January 21, 2025
Gaza has been a thorn in Israel’s side for decades. That narrow strip of land,
home to more than 2.4 million people — 70 percent of whom are refugees — would
not exist if it were not for the creation of Israel in 1948. Its very existence
is, in fact, a daily reminder of the tragedy that has befallen the Palestinians,
who, until today, are denied justice and the right to self-determination. Gaza
is home to eight refugee camps, although Israel has largely obliterated them in
the past 15 months. Today, more than 90 percent of Gazans are displaced as a
result of Israel’s barbaric war. The humanitarian crisis in the Strip will last
for years. Israel’s horrific violations of human rights and international law in
Gaza will haunt that nation forever. Even before Hamas took over in 2007, Gaza
represented a security nightmare for Israeli leaders and its military,
especially in its crowded and poverty-stricken refugee camps. In 1992, Israeli
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was quoted as saying: “I wish I could wake up one
day and find that Gaza has sunk into the sea.”It was in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee
camp that the First Intifada detonated in 1987, before quickly spreading to the
rest of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. It marked the first popular uprising
against the Israeli occupation since 1967. Between 1987 and 1991, Israel killed
at least 1,087 Palestinians, of whom 240 were children. The Intifada created
political undercurrents that led to the convening of the Madrid Peace Conference
in 1991 and the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993. Under the latter, Israel
agreed to withdraw from Gaza as an initial step toward ending its occupation of
the Palestinian territories. Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser
Arafat arrived in Gaza in July 1994, marking a historic return of a Palestinian
leader, himself a Gaza refugee, to a self-ruled area. Israel dismantled its Gaza
settlements and withdrew in 2005.But Gaza and its refugee camps were also the
birthplace of Hamas, a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which became the
primary opponent of Fatah, the largest of the Palestinian groups, whose head was
Arafat. Hamas appeared during the First Intifada and vowed to use armed
resistance to liberate all of Palestine. After Hamas carried out a bloody coup
against the Palestinian Authority in 2007, it assumed complete control of Gaza.
The year before, it had won a majority of seats in the Palestinian legislature.
President Mahmoud Abbas was forced to ask Ismail Haniyeh, a leading Hamas
figure, to form a short-lived government.
Hamas’ takeover of Gaza led to Israel imposing a blockade on the Strip and that
triggered multiple bloody confrontations between the two sides. These involved
the firing of rockets from Gaza and Israeli airstrikes, as well as limited
ground invasions. Thousands of Gazans were killed in these fights. But nothing
compares to Israel’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on southern
Israel. Between Oct. 8, 2023, and Sunday’s pause, Israel carried out a war on
Gaza that killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children.
That figure is likely to rise sharply, since thousands remain buried under the
rubble and are unaccounted for. While Israel, led by Benjamin Netanyahu and his
extremist government, waged a genocide, Gaza became every Israeli’s nightmare: a
threat that simply will not go away. After 470 days of the most brutal and
indiscriminate bombing of one of the most crowded places on Earth — destroying
more than 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure — Netanyahu was forced into
accepting a ceasefire deal by incoming US President Donald Trump. The agreement
differs little from former President Joe Biden’s suggestion of last May, which
was accepted by Hamas at that time.
When Netanyahu declared war on Gaza, he set three main goals for a war that he
said must end in “total victory.” They were the destruction of Hamas, the return
of all Israeli captives and full Israeli military control of Gaza. While the
second and third phases of the deal need more negotiations, few in Israel
believe Netanyahu has fulfilled any of these objectives. While a now humbled
Netanyahu has said that Israel will resume its attacks on Gaza at any given
moment, the reality is that neither Trump nor the rest of the world would allow
a resumption of the bloodbath. In a few days, the foreign press will enter Gaza
— Israel has banned them since Day 1 of the war — and they will report to the
rest of the world the horrors and the tragedy that Gaza has suffered.
While the future of Gaza — including who will end up running it and how
normality can ever be achieved — remains ambiguous, the reality is that Israel
has failed to erase the people of the Strip or drive them into the desert.
Injured, shell-shocked, hungry and cold, the people of Gaza have derailed
Israel’s plans. People are returning to the battered north, Israel’s army is
withdrawing, aid is flowing in and Jewish settlers are not colonizing the Strip.
And to rub it all in, Hamas, while weakened, has not been destroyed.
Sunday’s prisoner exchange, with elite Hamas fighters emerging in military gear,
sent a chilling message to Netanyahu and the extremists. All the killings and
all the destruction only brought shame and debacle for Israel: it has a prime
minister who is now wanted for war crimes and the country itself is facing
charges of genocide at the world’s highest court.While the future of Gaza
remains ambiguous, the reality is that Israel has failed to erase its people or
drive them into the desert. But soul-searching and cool heads are now needed on
both sides. The Palestinians have paid a high price — the highest since the
Nakba — for a war they did not choose to start. Hamas bears responsibility for a
decision it made that has left the Strip in ruins. Israel, too, must try to
learn from its Gaza blunder. It has blemished itself and the stains are
indelible. Israel cannot claim victory or a moral high ground when the horrors
of what happened to Gaza will continue to unfold for generations to come. Gaza
has become Israel’s Achilles’ heel, a traumatic event that is now stuck to it
and taints its existence. The country’s far right has erased the romantic, often
false, narrative espoused by Israel. Its legacy today is one of genocide, the
killing of babies, war crimes, rape, torture and the usurping of land.If
anything good has come out of this war, it is this: The Palestinians have
survived, will continue to survive and will seek justice and accountability. But
only Israel, the one that seeks penance, can deliver both.
**Osama Al-Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman. X:
@plato010
Will West Bank be next in Israel’s firing line?
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/January 21, 2025
A huge sigh of relief was breathed on Sunday, when a truce in Gaza between
Israel and Hamas came into effect — as uncertain and fragile as this hiatus in
the hostilities still feels. There was relief for all who hoped that the death
and devastation that had ruled supreme for months would come to an end. Yet, in
our focus on Gaza — and rightly so for obvious reasons — we were neglecting the
deteriorating conditions in the West Bank, where there has been an increasing
number of violent incidents and it has become even more apparent that the
settler movement has lost any measure of either morality or pragmatism that it
might have possessed before Oct. 7, 2023. For any reasonable person of
conscience, the last 15 months have been a time of excruciating pain and sorrow.
Yet, for a substantial number of the settlers and, even worse, their leadership,
it has been perceived as an opportune moment to accelerate their clear ambition
to annex the West Bank to Israel and, by that, confining the notion of the
two-state solution to the history books. It is not unreasonable to argue that
there is nothing new in pointing out that the settler movement would like to
annex the West Bank. Or that, from the very first time those with
religious-messianic-nationalist zeal set foot in this land, this was their
objective. Furthermore, one of their main tools for achieving this was to
marginalize, if not expel, the Palestinians who have lived there for many
generations.
But the war has released even worse demons among certain elements of the
settlers, who feel exonerated in their claim that there is no prospect of peace
with the Palestinians, not just with Hamas, and that any difference between
those who engage in militancy, even terrorism, and the rest of the Palestinian
people is artificial, misguided and a threat to the survival of Israel. For
them, the brutality of Oct. 7 justifies any level of brutality against all
Palestinians, militants or not. Perceptually and practically for these settlers,
it has created a once-in-a-generation opportunity to resolve this conflict by
taking total control of the “promised land.”
The war in Gaza has given a tailwind to these extremist settlers, who follow a
distorted version of both Judaism and Zionism. In addition to feeling
vindicated, they have also witnessed a world that for so long has done so very
little to stop the carnage in Gaza, despite the horrific daily images beamed
from there to our TV screens. In their minds, resettling at least parts of Gaza
and ethnically cleansing it is completely legitimate.
And if this could be done in Gaza, why not in the West Bank? After all, for so
long those extremists among the settlers — and it is worth emphasizing that they
are a minority, although a vocal and dominant one, who resort to terrorism
against their Palestinian neighbors — have acted with complete impunity, in many
cases with at least the tacit support of the Israeli government and army. Then
came what they now see as the “miracle” of Oct. 7, which has provided them with
a divine license to accelerate attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, but
this time with the idea of emulating what is taking place in Gaza.
For certain settlers, the brutality of Oct. 7 justifies any level of brutality
against all Palestinians, militants or not. They do not even bother to hide
their intentions. In the government, it is the odd couple of Itamar Ben-Gvir and
Bezalel Smotrich who are leading this line. The main reason that Finance
Minister Smotrich is not as much in the limelight for expressing some outrageous
views is that his colleague, Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, is
outperforming him in the revulsion stakes.
This was the case before they entered politics, when they became elected
politicians and, equally so if not worse, since they, by a fluke of history — in
other words, through Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s desperation — were
appointed as Cabinet ministers in key positions. Yet, Smotrich’s comments in a
meeting with heads of the settler movement earlier this month — the day after a
terror attack near the settlement of Kedumim that killed three settlers — should
send shivers down the spines of those who have any regard for the rights and
well-being of the Palestinians in the West Bank.
His request for an urgent meeting with the security Cabinet and call to take the
offensive against cells of Palestinian militants “until they are completely
destroyed” may have been from the same rhetorical playbook of “total victory” in
Gaza. But his claim to have drafted a plan that would make the Palestinian towns
of “Al-Funduq, Nablus and Jenin look like Jabalia,” in northern Gaza, should
receive the full attention of the international community before more war crimes
are committed.
“Looking like Jabalia” means total destruction. Even in the general horrendous
devastation that has befallen most of Gaza over the last 15 months, Jabalia
stands out as suffering more than most. Until recently, it was one of the
Occupied Territories’ largest camps, with half of its 200,000 residents
officially registered as refugees. By the time the ceasefire was called last
week, it was almost deserted. Even former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon
last month referred to what was happening there as ethnic cleansing.
Aerial photography shows acre after acre of rubble, with almost no people. And
this is what one of the prominent settler leaders envisages for Palestinian
towns and cities in the West Bank. And it is not only Smotrich. The mayor of the
illegal settlement of Ariel, Yair Shtebon, has demanded a large-scale military
operation in the West Bank “that destroys the refugee camps in Judea and
Samaria, in Tulkarem, in Jenin, in Nablus and wherever there is a threat to
residents of Israel.”
Before we witnessed what was happening to large parts of Gaza at the hands of
the Israeli army, we could have shrugged our shoulders and regarded Smotrich and
Shtebon’s statements as pieces of vile rhetoric to rally the political base, but
one that would never be translated into an actionable plan. But now, we — or,
more accurately, the Palestinians — ignore this threatening language at our
peril. Fifty years ago, not many envisaged 700,000 settlers in the West Bank and
East Jerusalem, or that certain elements within them would resort to terrorism
and their representatives would hold key positions in the Israeli government.
Currently, this is a daily reality. Unless those who are using this kind of
language are sanctioned and removed from power, under international pressure if
necessary, these extremist settlers will continue to believe that their “grand
design” for the Holy Land is within touching distance.
• Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate
fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg