English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For January 23/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have come to call not the righteous but
sinners
Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew
09/09-13/:"As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at
the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.
And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and
were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said
to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and
sinners?’But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a
physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, "I desire
mercy, not sacrifice." For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’"
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on January 22-23/2025
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
Israeli army builds wall on Blue Line, reinstalls border cameras
Palestinians Receptive to Lebanon’s Call to Limit Possession of Weapons in
Refugee Camps
Lebanese Army Deploys Partially in Selected Areas of South Lebanon
Salam may 'impose' line-up, govt. may be formed 'Thursday'
Report: Salam wants to name independent finance minister
Report: Parties' demands, foreign pressure force govt. line-up change
Salam says he's not a 'mailbox' and govt. is not a 'cake'
Aoun urges parties to 'rise above petty issues' so govt. can be formed
Israel says Lebanon pullout will be phased and according to 'security needs'
Saudi FM Optimistic About Lebanon’s Political Progress
Saudi Arabia’s FM plans to visit Lebanon after years of strained relations
EU Allocates €60 Million to Enhance LAF’s Capabilities in South Lebanon
UNESCO Holds Special Session in Paris to Support Lebanon
LF accuses Hezbollah of obstructing govt formation
Is a Fait Accompli Government on the Horizon?/Bassam Abou Zeid/This Is
Beirut/January 22/2025
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on January 22-23/2025
Why is Israel Launching Crackdown in the West Bank after the Gaza Ceasefire?
Shooting, explosions in Jenin as Israel presses raid
Israel Says it Will Maintain Control of Gaza-Egypt Crossing
Israeli Minister Says Army Applying Lessons from Gaza in West Bank Operation
Israel military says killed Islamic Jihad militant during Gaza truce
Yemen’s Houthis release crew of commercial vessel seized in Red Sea
Swiss prosecutors examine complaints against Israel president
Jordanian FM says Saudi Arabia plays key role in bringing comprehensive peace to
Middle East
‘We need Syria to be a place of peace and development,’ FM Al-Shaibani tells WEF
Qatar’s duty to help Syria, global debt poses economic crisis: Finance minister
UN Chief Urges Iran to Give up Nuclear Arms, Warns against Israeli Annexation of
West Bank
Simmering anger as Turkiye buries ski hotel fire victims
Trump administration freezes many health agency reports and online posts
US border patrol agent was fatally shot in Vermont near Canada
Trump Revokes Workplace Discrimination Rules Enacted By LBJ In 1965
Trump targets Canada's digital services tax with America First trade policy
Trump Tells Putin to Make Ukraine Deal 'Now' or Face Tariffs, Sanctions
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on January 22-23/2025
Brussels: Is the Capital of Europe Crumbling Before Our Eyes?/Drieu Godefridi/
Gatestone Institute/January 22, 2025
How NATO could help restore peace in Gaza and the West Bank/DR. ABDEL AZIZ
ALUWAISHEG/Arab News/January 22, 2025
Technocratic hubris and the need for politics/NADIM KOTEICH/Arab News/January
22, 2025
Starmer should dare to dream of a ‘Breturn’/MOHAMED CHEBARO/Arab News/January
22, 2025
Syrians and Lebanese Slaying Their Three Golden Calves/Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al
Awsat/January 22/2025.
Realism and the Surreal in Gaza’s Tragedy/Bakir Oweida/Asharq Al Awsat/January
22/2025.
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on January 21-23/2025
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.
Israeli army builds wall on Blue Line, reinstalls border
cameras
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/January 22, 2025
BEIRUT: An Israeli force on Wednesday advanced into the Lebanese town of Taybeh,
conducted extensive searches in the area up to Adchit Al-Qusayr and set fire to
several homes. Separately, an Israeli drone struck an area between Wadi Khansa
and Al-Majidiya in the Hasbaya district. The Israeli army is using the remaining
time in the ceasefire deal with Hezbollah to establish control over the Lebanese
border area. A security source reported that the Israeli army reinstalled
surveillance cameras and listening devices along the border. The official
National News Agency reported that the Israeli army “completed the construction
of the concrete separation wall along the Blue Line from Yarin to Dahira.”As the
Lebanese army continues to establish positions in areas vacated by the Israeli
army and prepares to enter the town of Hanine in the Bint Jbeil district, a
number of residents from the towns of Al-Bayyadah, Shamaa, Alma Al-Shaab and
Naqoura in the western sector were permitted to visit their hometowns. Activists
on social media circulated statements urging local populations to “prepare for
Sunday, the date by which, according to the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli
withdrawal from the border area should have occurred, allowing people to return
to their towns.”However, the Israeli army has continued to prohibit locals from
entering the towns, using gunfire as a warning.
A statement issued to residents of Khiam urged caution and advised against hasty
returns, “pending an official announcement from the relevant authorities to
assess the security situation, as well as from the Lebanese Army, which is
expected to clarify the situation on Saturday evening and determine whether a
safe return is feasible.”The statement said: “We are dealing with a treacherous
enemy. Do not grant them the opportunity for betrayal, aggression, murder,
bombardment and destruction once again.”In support of the Lebanese Army, the
European Council approved on Wednesday a third aid measure under the European
Peace Facility, amounting to €60 million ($62 million) for the army. The
measure, according to a statement, “contributes to enhancing the capabilities of
the Lebanese army to enable it — in line with Resolution 1701 — to redeploy and
secure and maintain stability in the South Litani sector.
“This contributes to protecting the civilian population in the area, and works
to enhance the operational capabilities and effectiveness of the Lebanese army,
to contribute to national and regional security, thus allowing displaced
civilians on both sides to return to their homes.”
Kaja Kallas, EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy,
said: “This new assistance represents a significant increase in the EU’s support
to the Lebanese Armed Forces within the framework of the European Peace
Facility, at a crucial stage in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement
between Lebanon and Israel. “The Lebanese Armed Forces are essential for
regional and local stability, and deserve our full support in carrying out their
sensitive mission. The EU and its member states remain strongly committed to
supporting Lebanese state institutions and renewing the EU-Lebanon partnership.”
The resolution affirmed “the EU’s commitment to supporting the Lebanese Armed
Forces’ capacity to redeploy in the South Litani sector, particularly following
the 60-day ceasefire agreement. “The Lebanese Armed Forces’ plan to redeploy in
the South Litani sector is essential to accompany international efforts to
achieve a permanent ceasefire and implement resolution 1701,” it said. “The
Lebanese Armed Forces is the main guarantor, alongside UNIFIL, to create the
necessary security conditions to restore stability and security for the
population on both sides of the border.” Meanwhile, Sheikh Mohammed Khalil
Hamadeh, a Hezbollah official in Western Bekaa, was shot in front of his home by
unknown assailants on Tuesday evening. He was hit by six bullets and died in
hospital. It was the first assassination in Lebanese territory since a ceasefire
agreement between Hezbollah and Israel went into effect 57 days ago.
An investigation has been launched to identify the perpetrators and the motives
of the assassination, especially as Sheikh Hamadeh was a well-known figure in
the region. In a statement, Hezbollah mourned Hamadeh, describing him as “a
leader and a warrior, who was martyred.”Security information said that the
gunmen who assassinated him were “driving a civilian car with tinted windows.”
Bekaa MP Ghassan Skaf did not rule out the potential involvement of Israeli spy
agency Mossad, “which operates without being bound by any truce.”
He said: “The last war proved that the number of agents inside Lebanon,
especially within the supportive environment of Hezbollah, was greater than even
the party itself expected. Therefore, even if Israel were to withdraw completely
from Lebanon, it would not halt its policy of assassinations.”
In another development, Layal Alekhtiar, Al Arabiya channel’s anchor, landed in
Beirut on Wednesday and was accompanied by security forces from the airport to
the Justice Palace in Beirut. A search and arrest warrant was issued against her
in November 2023 by the Lebanese Military Public Prosecution. The warrant
followed an inquiry initiated at the behest of individuals close to Hezbollah,
following Alekhtiar’s live interview with Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee
on Al Arabiya. Lebanese law forbids interactions with Israelis. A Lebanese
security source said: “Alekhtiar was immediately referred to the first
investigative judge in Beirut Fadi Sawan at the Justice Palace. Following the
interrogation, Alekhtiar was released on bail for 50 million Lebanese pounds
($558).”Two months after Hezbollah opened a front to support Hamas, Alekhtiar
sparked outrage among Hezbollah supporters when she interviewed Adraee on Al
Arabiya and addressed him as “ustaz” (mister) and thanked him as “the Israeli
army spokesman.”Alekhtiar had described the complaint against her on social
media as “a blatant political persecution in the form of judicial repression,”
adding that “this has nothing to do with truth and justice.”She addressed those
who filed the complaint, saying: “They are the ones who plundered the state,
bankrupted the people, and gave up the nation’s sovereignty and wealth. They are
now covering up their crimes with fabrications to suppress freedoms.”She added:
“You will never affect my freedom, my dignity and my convictions no matter what
you do.”
Palestinians Receptive to Lebanon’s Call to Limit Possession of Weapons in
Refugee Camps
Asharq Al Awsat/January 22/2025.
Lebanon has started to exert serious efforts to restrict the possession of
weapons inside Palestinian refugee camps in the country in line with President
Joseph Aoun’s inaugural speech. The president had demanded that the possession
of weapons in the country and the camps be limited to the state. The
Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee met at the government headquarters in
Beirut three days ago to discuss the issue. All Palestinian factions attended
the meeting, and the gatherers agreed to “completely” resolve the Palestinian
possession of arms outside the camps. They also agreed to outline how to
restrict weapons inside the camps in line with the president’s speech. The
Lebanese state has yet to come up with the mechanism to confiscate the weapons
inside the camps. A Lebanese security source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the arms
will be tackled through a political approach drawn up by the government. “It
will be carried out by the army with the security agencies and in coordination
with the Palestinian factions in the camp, led by the Fatah movement, which is
the official representative of the Palestinian people,” it added. The
Palestinians have expressed their “complete understanding” of the issue, it
remarked. The laying down of weapons by Palestinian factions is a step towards
all illegal weapons throughout the country being turned over to the Lebanese
state, it went on to say. “There are no longer any excuses for weapons to remain
in possession of any organization,” stressed the source.
Lebanese groups will be demanded to lay down their arms after the Palestinian
ones do, it added. In a first, the Palestinian factions have been very receptive
to a Lebanese head of state’s demand to cooperate in limiting the possession of
weapons in the refugee camps. Member of the Palestinian National and Central
Councils Haitham Zaiter said that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)
recognizes that the camps are part of Lebanese territories, so they come under
the authority of the state and its laws. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that “complete
coordination” is ongoing between the Lebanese security agencies and PLO inside
the camps where several wanted Lebanese and Palestinian suspects and others from
other nationalities have been turned over to the authorities. The suspects had
sought refuge in the camps to avoid justice in the crimes they have committed,
he acknowledged. “The PLO is the sole representative of the Palestinian people
inside Palestine and in the diaspora,” he stated. Moreover, Zaiter explained
that Palestinian weapons in Lebanon are either carried by the Palestinian Front
for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) outside the camps or
by non-partisan individuals inside the camps.
The PFLP-GC laid down its weapons as soon as the Syrian regime of Bashar
al-Assad collapsed in December. Heavy weapons inside the camps had been
previously brought in with the aim to undermine the PLO, he added. Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas “has constantly called for coordination with Lebanese
authorities to limit the possession of these weapons,” Zaiter said.
Lebanese Army Deploys Partially in Selected Areas of South Lebanon
This is Beirut/January 22/2025.
With just four days remaining until the end of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli
violations persist as the Lebanese army deployment in the south continues. A
Lebanese army patrol and a Civil Defense team repositioned on Wednesday in the
towns of Hanine (Bint Jbeil) and Kfarchouba (Hasbaya). Meanwhile, Israeli forces
infiltrated the village of Taybeh in Marjayoun, where they set fire to eight
houses and launched bombs. A drone also targeted an area between Majidiye and
Wadi Khansa in Nabatiye. Explosions were also reported in Wadi Slouki, near
Hula, Taybeh, Markaba (Nabatiye), and Rab al-Thalathin (Marjayoun). Around
midday, the Israeli army demolished houses in Aita al-Shaab and the surrounding
area of Hanine in Bint Jbeil. The Israeli army also announced the completion of
the construction of a concrete wall along the Blue Line, stretching from Yarine
to Dhaira (Tyre). In Khiam (Nabatiye), the local municipality urged residents to
“remain patient and refrain from returning home,” advising them to await an
official security assessment from relevant authorities, especially the Lebanese
Armed Forces (LAF). The LAF also permitted residents of Bayada, Chamaa, Alma al-Shaab,
and Naqoura to visit their villages on Wednesday.It also issued a notice
announcing that unexploded ordnances would be detonated in Qlayaa (Marjayoun) on
Wednesday between 1 PM and 5 PM.
Salam may 'impose' line-up, govt. may be formed 'Thursday'
Naharnet/January 22/2025.
Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam intends to “impose a de facto cabinet
line-up” that he sees as appropriate following his consultations with the
political forces, sources informed on the negotiations said, in remarks to al-Akhbar
newspaper.
“He carried to Baabda (on Tuesday) a line-up devised by him which reportedly
does not meet the demands of all the forces that he spoke with,” the daily
quoted “prominent sources” as saying. “Salam is saying that street activists are
asking him not to bow to the demands of the political class, amid calls around
him to resist the demands of the Hebzollah and Amal Movement duo and not to fall
captive to the Christian forces, especially the Lebanese Forces and the Free
Patriotic Movement,” al-Akhbar said. President Joseph Aoun is meanwhile pressing
for the formation of the new government as soon as possible, the daily added.
“While there are reports that a commitment has been given to foreign powers
finalize the matter before January 27, the date of the expiry of the 60-day
deadline for the implementation of the ceasefire in the south, sources have said
that it is possible to issue the formation tomorrow, prior to the arrival in
Lebanon of the Saudi and Kuwaiti foreign ministers on two separate visits,” al-Akhbar
said. “President Aoun will receive an invitation to visit Saudi Arabia and other
Gulf countries, and he intends to meet the invitation after the formation of the
government,” the newspaper added.
Report: Salam wants to name independent finance minister
Naharnet/January 22/2025.
Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam on Tuesday briefed President Joseph Aoun on
the developments of the cabinet formation process without submitting a draft
line-up, the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Wednesday. Aoun and Salam
discussed the “obstacles that are impeding formation, which are related to
distributing three key portfolios -- finance, health and public works -- and to
a hurdle invented by the (Shiite) Duo, which is its attempt to place conditions
on the management of cabinet sessions and the decision-taking mechanism, in a
bid to establish new norms,” the daily said. “There is insistence from Salam
that should the finance portfolio go to Shiites, it should be allotted to an
independent figure not related to Amal or Hezbollah, who would be named by Salam
in consensus with Aoun, something that is being rejected by the Hezbollah-Amal
duo,” Nidaa al-Watan added.
Report: Parties' demands, foreign pressure force govt.
line-up change
Naharnet/January 22/2025.
Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam has run into “the demands of all political
forces” and his problem is not only about reaching an agreement with the Shiite
Duo, al-Jadeed TV has reported. “The draft cabinet line-up that surfaced over
the past two days has been dropped and the inclination is to form a government
of competencies that would be distant from political parties,” al-Jadeed said.
“The domestic scene that accompanied the government formation consultations
sparked the concern of the five-nation group for Lebanon,” the TV network added.
“Lebanon has received messages from a regional-international alliance that the
most important guarantees for regaining the international community’s confidence
would be forming a government not containing a one-third veto power, a third
signature or the army-people-resistance equation,” al-Jadeed said. It added that
the new government might comprise figures such as Tarek Mitri, Paul Salem,
Ghassan Salameh, Amer al-Bsat, Samir Assaf and others.
Salam says he's not a 'mailbox' and govt. is not a 'cake'
Naharnet/January 22/2025.
Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam has announced that the government formation
process is moving forward with “firm steps” and that he is “tirelessly” working
with President Joseph Aoun to form a new cabinet without delay. “I will not
comment on everything that is being said about the new government, seeing as a
lot of it, not to say most of it, especially as to portfolios and names, is a
sort of speculation or rumors,” said Salam after meeting Aoun in Baabda. “Like
you all, I want the government as soon as possible, and I would like to stress
that I’m committed to forming a government according to the constitutional
mechanism. You may have noticed that the style of work is new, but we must all
learn to fully respect the constitution,” Salam stated. He added that it is his
“duty” to “communicate and listen to all MPs and political forces,” but stressed
that he is against “the distribution of quotas.”“I have become more convinced of
this and this makes me more keen on national partnership in the formation of the
government, which should be based on competency, integrity and meeting citizens’
aspirations,” Salam said, reassruing that the government “won’t be delayed for
months like the previous governments.”Noting that he is communicating with
parliamentary blocs because “the government has to win MPs’ (vote of)
confidence,” Salam emphasized that he is “not a mailbox for the blocs to inform
me of the numbers and names they want.”“I talk to, consult with and listen to
these blocs, but I’m the one forming the government and this is my
responsibility, that’s why I have called for resorting to the constitution, and
if this is a new approach, so be it, because I’m not ‘LibanPost.’”Asked whether
he has promised to give the finance portfolio to the Shiite Duo, Salam said: “I
reiterate that I have not promised to give any portfolio to anyone. As for the
finance portfolio, it is like the other portfolios: not an exclusive right to a
certain sect but it also cannot be withheld from any sect.”“As for the so-called
sovereign portfolios (finance, foreign affairs, defense and interior), to me all
portfolios are sovereign, and there are terms and expressions that we must
gradually leave behind,” Salam added. “This government is not a puzzle for each
person to request three or four ministers and put them together so that it
becomes ‘a cake that we eat later.’ Things are not like this,” the PM-designate
underlined.
Aoun urges parties to 'rise above petty issues' so govt. can be formed
Naharnet/January 22/2025.
President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that “the first positive sign that should
be shown to the world is the formation of a government as soon as possible,
instead of obstructing formation over narrow sectarian and political
interests.”“We should not waste the chances that are before us but must rather
rise above all petty issues so that the government can be formed and work can
begin,” Aoun said during a meeting with a delegation from the Constitutional
Council. “The most important goal from speeding up the government’s formation
would be expediting the reconstruction of the regions that were affected by the
last war,” Aoun added.
Israel says Lebanon pullout will be phased and according to 'security needs'
Naharnet/January 22/2025.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Wednesday told visiting U.N. Special
Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert that Israel is “committed” to
the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon. "We are committed to moving forward with
the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon. We will do so in a phased manner and in
accordance with security needs," Saar added. Hennis-Plasschaert began Monday a
visit to Israel, where she is set to meet with senior Israeli officials, her
office said. “Her discussions will focus on steps being taken towards the
implementation of the cessation of hostilities understanding, which came into
force on 27 November 2024, as well as on remaining challenges. The need to
catalyze the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701
(2006) will also be a central theme of her engagement,” the office added. “The
Special Coordinator, in advance of her trip, welcomed progress seen through the
withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (Israeli army) from and the redeployment
of the Lebanese Armed Forces to positions in southern Lebanon, while calling for
continued commitment from all parties,” the office said. Hezbollah has warned
Israel against staying in Lebanon past the January 27 deadline. 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.
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.”
Saudi FM Optimistic About Lebanon’s Political Progress
This is Beirut/January 22/2025.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed optimism on Tuesday
regarding Lebanon’s political developments. He described the recent election of
a president after an extended political vacuum as “a highly positive
development.”Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he
emphasized the importance of “real reforms and a forward-looking approach to
ensure sustainable progress” in Lebanon. Prince Faisal announced his upcoming
visit to Beirut, marking the first trip by a Saudi foreign minister to Lebanon
in over a decade. He highlighted that “the future of Lebanon rests in the hands
of its people” and urged them to “make decisions that steer the country in a new
direction.”He noted that the Kingdom would align its policies based on Lebanon’s
commitment to reforms and its focus on progress. Prince Faisal conveyed cautious
optimism regarding Syria, citing “encouraging signs” from Damascus and the
resilience of the Syrian people. He called for greater regional and
international collaboration to support Syria’s recovery and rebuild its
institutions. Prince Faisal stressed the need to ease sanctions to facilitate
reconstruction efforts and praised recent progress, including some sanction
waivers from Western nations. The minister also touched on broader regional
dynamics, advocating for stability and highlighting the Gulf Cooperation Council
countries’ resilience and commitment to economic progress despite challenges. He
stated, “We are certainly in a region that is abundant with risk factors, but we
are also in a region that has huge potential.”
Saudi Arabia’s FM plans to visit Lebanon after years of strained relations
Associated Press/January 22/2025.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister announced plans to visit Lebanon this week,
which would mark the first such trip in years amid strained relations between
the two countries. Speaking at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan hailed Lebanon’s recent
political breakthroughs as “extremely positive.”Lebanon's new president and
prime minister are seen as independent of Lebanon’s entrenched political class.
“We will need to see real action, real reform and a commitment to a Lebanon that
is looking to the future, not to the past, in order for us to re-raise our
engagement,” Frahan said. Saudi-Lebanese relations have been strained for years,
driven by issues such as the growing influence of Hezbollah and the smuggling of
the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon in produce shipments, which prompted a
trade ban on Lebanon. “It is really up to the Lebanese to decide and make the
choices and to take Lebanon in a different direction,” he added. He did not
specify which day he would arrive in Lebanon this week.
EU Allocates €60 Million to Enhance LAF’s Capabilities in South Lebanon
This is Beirut/January 22/2025.
The European Union announced on Wednesday the adoption of a €60 million
assistance package for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) to enhance the LAF’s
capabilities and bolster stability in southern Lebanon. This assistance measure,
funded through the European Peace Facility (EPF), will contribute to the
implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The EU’s support is
intended to help the LAF redeploy and maintain security in the South of the
Litani Sector, a region crucial for restoring peace and stability following the
60-day ceasefire agreement signed on November 27, 2024. It is also set to help
the LAF create the necessary conditions for both Lebanese and Israeli civilians
to safely return to their homes. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, highlighted the strategic importance of this
support at a time when the LAF is central to both domestic and regional
stability. “The LAF is essential to regional and domestic stability and deserves
all our support in performing its critical mission,” she said, reaffirming the
EU’s strong commitment to Lebanon’s state institutions and the renewal of the
EU-Lebanon partnership. The assistance package reflects the EU’s broader goal to
ensure a lasting ceasefire and effective implementation of UNSCR 1701, with the
LAF and UNIFIL acting as key guarantors of security in the region.
UNESCO Holds Special Session in Paris to Support Lebanon
This is Beirut/January 22/2025.
A special information session on Lebanon was held on Tuesday at UNESCO’s
headquarters in Paris, aiming to present the organization’s support plan for
Lebanon. This plan, based on a resolution adopted by UNESCO’s Executive Board
last October, will provide support for the education, media and journalist
protection sectors, and safeguard archaeological sites and Lebanese heritage.
UNESCO directors presented the support plan and the financial resources needed
from donor countries, amounting to $18.9 million. Lebanon’s ambassador to
UNESCO, Mustafa Adib, thanked the organization and its member states for their
continuous support. He emphasized the importance of implementing the proposed
support plan to strengthen the resilience of Lebanon’s vital sectors. In
November, UNESCO warned Israel against targeting Lebanese heritage sites,
stressing that such actions constitute a serious violation of the 1954 Hague
Convention and could lead to potential legal action. The organization had
previously approved measures in November to protect 34 Lebanese archaeological
sites, following extensive efforts by Lebanon and the international community to
safeguard its cultural heritage.
LF accuses Hezbollah of obstructing govt formation
Naharnet/January 22/2025.
The Lebanese Forces accused Wednesday Hezbollah and its allies of delaying the
new government's formation through attempting to "impose certain candidates for
certain portfolios."The statement said Hezbollah's obstruction policy will no
longer work, adding that their attempts are rejected by all blocs that believe
in a future state. "The Axis of Resistance's attempt to impose certain
candidates for certain portfolios and to oblige the Prime Minister to include
certain items in the ministerial statement, is rejected by all political forces
who believe in forming a government that will pave the way for a state project
and put an end to the statelet's project once and for all," the statement said.
Is a Fait Accompli Government on the Horizon?
Bassam Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/January 22/2025
Will Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam and President Joseph Aoun succeed in
forming a government that aligns with their expectations and meets the needs of
the Lebanese people, all while resisting political pressures, particularly from
Amal and Hezbollah? Although this outcome cannot entirely be ruled out, there
are warnings against its potential consequences, both politically and
domestically. Indeed, Amal and Hezbollah might perceive this move as an
intensification of their political and administrative marginalization, which
could prompt them to mobilize the streets, or even to take more drastic actions.
However, they are aware that this would not fundamentally alter the changes
underway in the country, but rather delay their progress. Others are also
concerned that the government might fail to gain Parliament’s vote of
confidence. However, public pressure could put MPs in a difficult position,
particularly for certain blocs that may be tempted to either obstruct the quorum
or block the vote of confidence. Nevertheless, even in the worst-case scenario,
this government might still secure minimal support, potentially triggering the
positive momentum Lebanon has long awaited—namely, the establishment of a
clearly defined majority and opposition. This approach could also benefit from
regional and international support, especially since the Quintet, comprising
Saudi Arabia, the United States, France, Egypt, and Qatar, continues to closely
monitor developments in Lebanon. The meeting held on Wednesday fits within this
context. According to sources within the Quintet, the priority is to accelerate
the government’s formation while ensuring it is not rushed. The government must
remain in place until the legislative elections scheduled for May 2026. These
sources also stress the importance of forming an inclusive government, one that
represents all sectarian components based on uniform criteria. Amidst this
backdrop, Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam continues his efforts with
President Joseph Aoun to form the government. However, they have yet to present
a finalized list of ministers and portfolios. Salam remains concerned about the
political affiliations of the proposed ministers, fearing that such ties could
undermine the government’s ability to function effectively. Therefore, he
continues to search for individuals who are genuinely independent of political
factions but possess the necessary expertise. In a meeting with a joint
delegation from Hezbollah and the Amal movement, Salam mentioned the late
Ibrahim Abdel Aal, the initiator of the Litani project in 1943, suggesting that
figures with similar competence and vision be considered for the government.
According to his interlocutors, the Prime Minister-designate is surprised by the
media frenzy surrounding the ministerial portfolios and potential ministers. He
insists that much of the information being circulated is baseless, fueled
largely by speculation or the personal agendas of certain individuals.
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on January 22-23/2025
Why is Israel Launching Crackdown in the
West Bank after the Gaza Ceasefire?
Asharq Al Awsat/January 22/2025.
In the days since a fragile ceasefire took hold in the Gaza Strip, Israel has
launched a major military operation in the occupied West Bank and suspected
Jewish settlers have rampaged through two Palestinian towns. The violence comes
as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces domestic pressure from his
far-right allies after agreeing to the truce and hostage-prisoner exchange with
the Hamas militant group. US President Donald Trump has, meanwhile, rescinded
the Biden administration's sanctions against Israelis accused of violence in the
territory. It's a volatile mix that could undermine the ceasefire, which is set
to last for at least six weeks and bring about the release of dozens of hostages
in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, most of whom will be released
into the West Bank. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in
the 1967 Mideast war, and Palestinians want all three territories for their
future state. Escalations in one area frequently spill over, raising further
concerns that the second and far more difficult phase of the Gaza ceasefire -
which has yet to be negotiated - may never come.
Dozens of masked men rampaged through two Palestinian villages in the northern
West Bank late Monday, hurling stones and setting cars and property ablaze,
according to local Palestinian officials. The Red Crescent emergency service
said 12 people were beaten and wounded. Israeli forces, meanwhile, carried out a
raid elsewhere in the West Bank that the military said was in response to the
hurling of firebombs at Israeli vehicles. It said several suspects were detained
for questioning, and a video circulating online appeared to show dozens being
marched through the streets. On Tuesday, the Israeli military launched another
major operation, this time in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, where its
forces have regularly clashed with Palestinian militants in recent years, even
before Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of the Gaza Strip triggered the war
there. At least nine Palestinians were killed on Tuesday, including a
16-year-old, and 40 were wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The
military said its forces carried out airstrikes and dismantled roadside bombs
and "hit" 10 militants - though it was not clear what that meant.
Palestinian residents have reported a major increase in Israeli checkpoints and
delays across the territory. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz cast the Jenin
operation as part of Israel's larger struggle against Iran and its militant
allies across the region, saying "we will strike the octopus' arms until they
snap."
The Palestinians view such operations and the expansion of settlements as ways
of cementing Israeli control over the territory, where 3 million Palestinians
live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, with the Western-backed
Palestinian Authority administering cities and towns. Prominent human rights
groups call it a form of apartheid since the over 500,000 Jewish settlers in the
territory have all the rights conferred by Israeli citizenship. Israel rejects
those allegations.
Netanyahu has been struggling to quell a rebellion by his ultranationalist
coalition partners since agreeing to the ceasefire. The agreement requires
Israeli forces to withdraw from most of Gaza and release hundreds of Palestinian
prisoners - including militants convicted of murder - in exchange for hostages
abducted in the Oct. 7 attack. One coalition partner, Itamar Ben-Gvir, resigned
in protest the day the ceasefire went into effect. Another, Finance Minister
Bezalel Smotrich, has threatened to bolt if Israel does not resume the war after
the first phase of the ceasefire is slated to end in early March. They want
Israel to annex the West Bank and to rebuild settlements in Gaza while
encouraging what they refer to as the voluntary migration of large numbers of
Palestinians. Netanyahu still has a parliamentary majority after Ben-Gvir's
departure, but the loss of Smotrich - who is also the de facto governor of the
West Bank - would severely weaken his coalition and likely lead to early
elections. That could spell the end of Netanyahu's nearly unbroken 16 years in
power, leaving him even more exposed to longstanding corruption charges and an
expected public inquiry into Israel's failure to prevent the Oct. 7 attack.
Trump's return to the White House offers Netanyahu a potential lifeline. The
newly sworn-in president, who lent unprecedented support to Israel during his
previous term, has surrounded himself with aides who support Israeli settlement.
Some support the settlers' claim to a biblical right to the West Bank because of
the Jewish kingdoms that existed there in antiquity.The international community
overwhelmingly considers settlements illegal. Among the flurry of executive
orders Trump signed on his first day back in office was one rescinding the Biden
administration's sanctions on settlers and Jewish extremists accused of violence
against Palestinians. The sanctions - which had little effect - were one of the
few concrete steps the Biden administration took in opposition to the close US
ally, even as it provided billions of dollars in military support for Israel's
campaign in Gaza, among the deadliest and most destructive in decades. Trump
claimed credit for helping to get the Gaza ceasefire agreement across the finish
line in the final days of the Biden presidency. But this week, Trump said he was
"not confident" it would hold and signaled he would give Israel a free hand in
Gaza, saying: "It's not our war, it's their war."
Shooting, explosions in Jenin as Israel presses raid
Agence France Presse/January 22/2025.
A Palestinian official reported shooting and explosions in the flashpoint West
Bank town of Jenin on Wednesday as Israeli forces pressed a raid that the
military described as a "counterterrorism" operation. "The situation is very
difficult," Kamal Abu al-Rub, the governor of Jenin, told AFP. "The occupation
army has bulldozed all the roads leading to the Jenin camp, and leading to the
Jenin Governmental Hospital... There is shooting and explosions," he added. On
Tuesday, Israeli forces launched an operation in Jenin which Palestinian
officials said killed 10 people, just days after a ceasefire between Israel and
Hamas took effect in the Gaza Strip. According to Abu al-Rub, Israeli forces
detained around 20 people from villages near Jenin, a bastion of Palestinian
militancy. The Israeli military said it had launched a "counterterrorism
operation" in the area, and had "hit over 10 terrorists".
"Additionally, aerial strikes on terror infrastructure sites were conducted and
numerous explosives planted on the routes by the terrorists were dismantled," it
said in a statement on Wednesday. "The Israeli forces are continuing the
operation."
'Decisive operation'
Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to continue the assault. "It is a decisive
operation aimed at eliminating terrorists in the camp," Katz said in a statement
on Wednesday, adding that the military would not allow a "terror front" to be
established there. On Tuesday, the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security
agency announced that, in coordination with the Border Police, they had launched
an operation named "Iron Wall" in the area. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
said the raid aimed to "eradicate terrorism" in Jenin. He linked the operation
to a broader strategy of countering Iran "wherever it sends its arms — in Gaza,
Lebanon, Syria, Yemen," and the West Bank. The Israeli government has accused
Iran, which supports armed groups across the Middle East, including Hamas in
Gaza, of attempting to funnel weapons and funds to militants in the West Bank.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for "maximum restraint"
from Israeli security forces and expressed deep concern, according to his deputy
spokesman, Farhan Haq. Jenin and its refugee camp are known strongholds of
Palestinian militant groups, and Israeli forces frequently carry out raids
targeting armed factions in the area. Violence has surged throughout the
occupied West Bank since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023. According to
the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least
848 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza conflict began. Meanwhile, at
least 29 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli
military operations in the territory during the same period, according to
official Israeli figures.
Israel Says it Will Maintain Control of Gaza-Egypt Crossing
Asharq Al Awsat/January 22/2025.
Israel says it will maintain control of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the
Gaza Strip during the first phase of the ceasefire with Hamas. A statement
issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu´s office on Wednesday denied reports
that the Palestinian Authority would control the crossing. It said local
Palestinians not affiliated with Hamas who had been vetted by Israeli security
would merely stamp passports at the crossing. It noted that, under international
agreements, this stamp "is the only way Gazans may leave the Strip in order to
enter, or be received in, other countries." According to The AP, the statement
said Israeli forces would surround the crossing and that Israel must approve the
movement of all people and goods through it. It said European Union monitors
would supervise the crossing. Israel captured the Gaza side of the Rafah
crossing last May, forcing it to shut down. Egypt, a key mediator in more than a
year of negotiations that led to the ceasefire, has demanded that Palestinians
control the Gaza side. Meanwhile, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Gaza says
trucks from the UN, aid groups, governments and the private sector are arriving
and no major looting has been reported -- just a few minor incidents. Nearly 900
trucks of aid entered Gaza on the third day of the ceasefire Tuesday, the United
Nations said. That's significantly higher than the 600 trucks called for in the
deal. Muhannad Hadi, who returned to Jerusalem from Gaza on Tuesday afternoon,
told UN reporters by video that it was one of the happiest days of his 35-year
humanitarian career to see Palestinians in the streets looking ahead with hope,
some heading home and some starting to clean up the roads. In his talks with
families at a communal kitchen run by the UN World Food Program and elsewhere,
he said, they all told him they need humanitarian assistance but want to go
home, to work and earn money. "They don´t like the fact that they have been
depending on humanitarian aid," Hadi said. Palestinians talked about resuming
education for their children and about the need for shelter, blankets and new
clothes for women who have been wearing the same clothes for more than a year.
He said a shipment of tents is expected in the coming days.
Israeli Minister Says Army Applying Lessons from Gaza in
West Bank Operation
Arab News/January 22/2025.
Israel's defense minister said on Tuesday forces were applying lessons learned
in Gaza as a major operation continued in Jenin which the military said was
aimed at countering Iranian-backed armed groups in the volatile West Bank city.
A military spokesperson declined to give details but said the operation was
"relatively similar" to but in a smaller area than one last August, in which
hundreds of Israeli troops backed by drones and helicopters raided Jenin and
other flashpoint cities in the occupied West Bank. It was the third major
incursion by the Israeli army in less than two years into Jenin, a longtime
major stronghold of armed groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which said
its forces were fighting Israeli troops. At least four Palestinians were wounded
on Tuesday, after 10 were killed a day earlier, Palestinian health services
said, and residents reported constant gunfire and explosions. Israeli military
spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said the fighters' increasing use of roadside bombs
and other improvised explosive devices were a particular focus of the operation,
which included armored bulldozers to tear up roads in the refugee camp adjacent
to the city. As the operation continued, many Palestinians left their homes in
the camp, a crowded township for descendants of Palestinians who fled or were
driven from their homes in the 1948 war of Israel's creation. "Thank God, we
were at home, we went out and asked an ambulance to take us out," said a woman
who gave her name as Um Mohammad. Before the raid, which came two weeks after a
shooting attack blamed by Israel on gunmen from Jenin, roadblocks and
checkpoints had been thrown up across the West Bank in an effort to slow down
movement across the territory. As the raid began, Palestinian Authority (PA)
security forces pulled out after having conducted a weeks-long operation to try
to reassert control over the refugee camp, dominated by Palestinian factions
that are hostile to the PA, which exercises limited governance in parts of the
West Bank. The operation came just two days after the launch of a ceasefire deal
in Gaza and exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli
jails, with Israeli troops pulling back from their positions in many areas of
the enclave.
LEARNING FROM GAZA
Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Jenin raid marked a shift in the
military's security plan in the West Bank and was "the first lesson from the
method of repeated raids in Gaza"."We will not allow the arms of the Iranian
regime and radical Sunni Islam to endanger the lives of (Israeli) settlers (in
the West Bank) and establish a terrorist front east of the state of Israel," he
said in a statement. Israel's campaign in Gaza, following the Oct. 7, 2023
attack on Israel by bands of Hamas-led gunmen, has left much of the coastal
enclave in ruins after 15 months of bombardment. The military has said it has
refined its urban warfare tactics in the light of its experience in Gaza, but
Shoshani declined to provide details of how such lessons were being applied in
Jenin. Israel considers Palestinian armed groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad
that are backed by Iran as part of a multifront war waged by an axis that
includes Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Newly installed
US President Donald Trump has appointed a string of senior officials with close
ties to the settler movement, and his return to the White House has been
welcomed by hardline pro-settler ministers who have pledged to expand settlement
building in the West Bank. Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7
million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, land Israel seized in
the 1967 Middle East war. Most countries deem Israel's settlements on territory
taken in war to be illegal. Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical
ties to the land.
Israel military says killed Islamic Jihad militant during
Gaza truce
AFP/January 22, 2025
JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said Wednesday that it killed an Islamic Jihad
militant in southern Gaza, the first such reported death since the start of a
ceasefire with Hamas in the Palestinian territory. In a statement, the military
said Israeli troops in southern Gaza “identified several armed suspects who
posed a threat” and “operated to thwart the threat and eliminate” a militant
from Hamas ally Islamic Jihad. It also said that in several areas of the Gaza
Strip, its soldiers “fired warning shots” toward “masked suspects” approaching
Israeli troops. The military added it was abiding by the terms of the ceasefire
that began on Sunday. “The (Israeli military) is determined to fully maintain
the terms of the agreement in order to return the hostages,” it said. As part of
the first phase of the ceasefire, which is intended to last 42 days, Israeli
forces are withdrawing from densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip. The
military warned Palestinians to “avoid approaching the troops.”
Yemen’s Houthis release crew of commercial vessel seized in Red Sea
AP/January 22, 2025
DUBAI: Yemen’s Houthis said Wednesday they released the crew of the Galaxy
Leader, a vehicle carrier seized in November 2023 at the start of their campaign
in the Red Sea corridor. The militia said they released the sailors after
mediation by Oman. The crew of 25 included mariners from the Philippines,
Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Mexico. The Iran-backed Houthis said they
hijacked the ship over its connection to Israel. They then had a campaign
targeting ships in international waters, which only stopped with the recent
ceasefire in Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. A representative for the
Galaxy Leader’s owners had no immediate comment. The Bahamas-flagged vessel is
affiliated with an Israeli billionaire Abraham “Rami” Ungar, who is known as one
of the richest men in Israel. The Houthi attack on the Galaxy Leader saw the
rebels launched a helicopter-borne raid. Propaganda footage of the raid has been
played constantly by the Houthis, who even shot a music video aboard the ship at
one point. On Monday, the Houthis signaled they now will limit their attacks in
the Red Sea corridor to only Israeli-affiliated ships after a ceasefire began in
the Gaza Strip, but warned wider assaults could resume if needed. However, it
likely won’t be enough to encourage global firms to reenter the route that’s
crucial for cargo and energy shipments moving between Asia and Europe. Their
attacks have halved traffic through the region, cutting deeply into revenues for
Egypt, which runs the Suez Canal linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. The
Houthis have targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since
the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023, after Hamas’
surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken
hostage. Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 46,000
Palestinians, according to local health officials who say women and children
make up more than half the fatalities.
Swiss prosecutors examine complaints against Israel
president
AFP/January 23, 2025
GENEVA: Swiss prosecutors said Wednesday they were examining several complaints
against visiting Israeli President Isaac Herzog, as reports suggested NGOs were
accusing him of “incitement to genocide” in Gaza. The Office of the Attorney
General of Switzerland (OAG) confirmed it had received “several criminal
complaints” against Herzog, who was at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss
resort of Davos this week. “The criminal complaints are now being examined in
accordance with the usual procedure,” the OAG said in an email sent to AFP,
adding that the office was in contact with Switzerland’s foreign ministry “to
examine the question of the immunity of the person concerned.”It provided no
details on the specific complaints filed. The Swiss Keystone-ATS news agency
reported that one of the complaints came from an NGO called Legal Action Against
Genocide. The NGO was calling for Herzog to be prosecuted “for incitement to
genocide and crimes against humanity,” the news agency said. The complaint, it
said, deemed he had played “an active role in the ideological justification of
genocide and war crimes in Gaza, by erasing all distinction between the civilian
population and combatants.”Israeli officials have repeatedly denied allegations
of war crimes and genocide, accusing Hamas of using civilians as human shields.
Herzog spoke at Davos on Tuesday and held meetings on Wednesday morning but it
was unclear if he was still in Switzerland. Complaints were also filed against
him when he attended the Davos meeting a year ago but the OAG refrained from
opening an investigation that time, Keystone-ATS reported. The war in Gaza was
sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 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
more than 47,100, a majority of them civilians, figures the United Nations has
said are reliable.
Jordanian FM says Saudi Arabia plays key role in bringing
comprehensive peace to Middle East
DALAL AWIENAT/Arab News/January 22, 2025
DAVOS: Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi said Saudi Arabia is playing a
key role in bringing peace to the Middle East region and called for a two-state
solution at the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. Al-Safadi said
the only way to maintain security in the region is to have strong leadership.
“There is a moment of opportunity in the region with everything happening in
Lebanon and Syria; we should not leave leadership up to radicals,” he said. A
lasting ceasefire is Jordan’s main priority at the moment, explained Al-Safadi.
“Getting the ceasefire to hold is our priority, then flooding Gaza with
immediate aid is necessary, then we can focus on other things like education and
rebuilding the city,” he added. Al-Safadi credited US President Donald Trump and
his administration with ensuring the ceasefire in Gaza would happen. A ceasefire
deal between Israel and Hamas that included an exchange of hostages from both
sides took effect on Sunday. The plan was originally outlined by former
President Joe Biden in May and was pushed through after unusual joint diplomacy
by Biden and Trump envoys. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel must
withdraw its troops from central Gaza and permit the return of Palestinians to
the north during an initial six-week phase, in which some hostages will be
released. Starting from the 16th day of the ceasefire, the two sides are set to
negotiate a second phase, which is expected to include a permanent ceasefire and
the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops. Reconstruction, expected to cost
billions of dollars and last for years, would only begin in a third and final
phase. Fifteen months of war have left Gaza a wasteland of rubble, bombed-out
buildings and makeshift encampments, with hundreds of thousands of desperate
people sheltering from the winter cold and living on whatever aid can reach
them. More than 46,000 people have been killed, according to Palestinian health
authorities.
‘We need Syria to be a place of peace and development,’ FM
Al-Shaibani tells WEF
DANIEL FOUNTAIN & ZAYNAB KHOJJI/Arab News/January 22, 2025
DAVOS: Saudi Vision 2030 is an inspiration for Syria, which needs to become a
place of peace and development, Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani
told the World Economic Forum on Wednesday. “Where do we see inspiration for the
new Syria? We have the Vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia,” Al-Shaibani said during a
conversation with former UK prime minister Tony Blair at the annual meeting of
the World Economic Forum in Davos. “We need Syria to be a place of peace, to be
a place of development, a place free of war.”Having become foreign minister
following the overthrow of the Bashar Assad regime on Dec. 8 last year, Al-Shaibani
said the lifting of economic sanctions imposed on the former regime would be
“key” to establishing stability in his country. “Removing economic sanctions is
the key for the stability of Syria,” he said, adding that they were imposed for
the benefit of Syrians, but are now “against the Syrian people.”“The reason for
these sanctions is now in Moscow,” he said, referring to Assad, who fled to the
Russian capital. A new government led by the victorious Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham has
since taken Assad’s place, but still does not have full control over the
nation’s territory.
“The Syrian people shouldn’t be punished” now that the deposed ruler was no
longer in power, said Al-Shaibani. “We inherited a collapsed state from the
Assad regime, there is no economic system,” he added, saying he hoped “the
economy in the future will be open.”
Al-Shaibani said a committee had been formed to study economic conditions and
infrastructure in Syria and would focus on privatization efforts, including of
oil, cotton, and factories, while exploring “public-private partnerships to
encourage investment into airports, railways and roads.”
Al-Shaibani also confirmed that the country will open its economy to foreign
investments, adding that Damascus was working on partnerships with Gulf states
in the energy sector. The new Syrian government has been especially keen to
reach out to the Gulf states to reestablish ties, which have long suffered as a
result of the Assad regime’s support for the narcotics trade.
“We chose to visit the Gulf countries, because we wanted to fix the relations
with these countries, where Assad had made a lot of problems for them,” Al-Shaibani
said. “(The Assad regime) used harsh language against them, exported Captagon
there, these are important countries to the region. But Syria should also take
its role in the region, and they can help us with that.”Al-Shaibaani was not the
only Middle Eastern voice at Davos on Wednesday. Iran’s vice-president for
strategic affairs, Javad Zarif, also shared his reflections on the regional
situation in the wake of Israel’s ceasefires with Hamas and Hezbollah.
Speaking to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Zarif said: “The resistance will stay as long
as the occupation stays, as long as repression stays. Resistance to Israel, to
Israeli occupation, to apartheid, to genocide, existed before the Iranian
revolution.”
Zarif said Hamas still exists in Gaza and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu did not achieve his goal of destroying the Palestinian militant group
during the 15-month war in the enclave. “Hamas is still there. Israel had to
come to a temporary ceasefire. I hope it will be permanent, for the sake of
50,000 people who were massacred by Israel, so that there won’t be another
50,000, but resistance is not dead,” said Zarif. “I can tell you that the wish
for the resistance to go away has been based on a misrepresentation, a framing
by Israel, that this is not an Israeli-Palestinian issue, but an Israeli-Iranian
issue.”Zarif said the decades-old conflict can only be ended by resolving the
Palestinian question. “If you want to resolve the problem of Palestine, you
should not look at Iran,” he said. “You should look at the Palestinian issue.
“As long as the Palestinian issue is there, the struggle will be there, the
resistance will be there, and there will be support from the international
community, including from Arab allies of the US.”Speaking about US President
Donald Trump, Zarif said he hoped “a ‘Trump 2’ will be more serious, more
focused, more realistic” when dealing with Iran. In 2018, during his first term,
Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by his predecessor Barack
Obama, and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran as part of his “maximum pressure”
policy against the regime. Tehran responded by breaching the deal in several
ways, including by accelerating its uranium enrichment program.
Trump has vowed to return to the policy he pursued in his previous term that
sought to use economic pressure to force Iran to negotiate a deal on its nuclear
program, ballistic missiles, and regional activities, including its support for
proxy militias. Zarif added that Iran has good relations with Saudi Arabia and
the UAE and that he has proposed a new arrangement in the region that is based
on amity.
“I have proposed in an article I recently wrote in The Economist, after my
Foreign Affairs article, that we should have a new arrangement in this region,”
he said. “I call it MWADA: Muslim, West Asia Dialog Association. In Arabic,
‘mwada’ means ‘amity,’ and the title in The Economist was ‘Amity instead of
enmity.’ Let’s do that.”In his own address earlier in the day, UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres lamented the recent rash of conflicts in the
Middle East. “We see a multiplication of conflicts, some of which are leading to
a reshaping of different regions of the world — not least the Middle East,” he
told the annual meeting. He did, however, highlight recent progress, including
the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which has already resulted in the
exchange of several prisoners and hostages. “There is, finally, a measure of
hope when the ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza takes place — and we
are working to surge up desperately needed humanitarian aid,” Guterres said. UN
Secretary-He also lauded the recent ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed
Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and the election of a new Lebanese president and
prime minister, potentially ending years of political deadlock. “I was also just
in Lebanon where a cessation of hostilities is holding, and a new government is
taking shape after two years of stalemate,” he said. In relation to Syria,
Guterres said there was still a danger of further disorder unless the victorious
HTS formed an inclusive administration that could work with the international
community. “We still have a strong risk of fragmentation and of extremism in at
least parts of the Syrian territory,” he said. “It is in the interest of us all
to engage to make things move in the direction of an inclusive form of
governance and I think some gesture must be made in relation to the sanctions.”
Qatar’s duty to help Syria, global debt poses economic crisis: Finance minister
MUSTAFA ABU SNEINEH/Arab News/January 22, 2025
DAVOS: Qatar considers it a duty to support Syria and its new administration
after 14 years of devastating civil war, Qatari Finance Minister Ali Ahmed Al-Kuwari
said on Wednesday. The cost of reconstructing Syria is estimated at $400
billion, as the country needs to rebuild the housing, industrial and energy
infrastructure damaged during the conflict. Since 2011, Qatar supported Syrian
opposition factions that captured the seat of power in Damascus in early
December 2024. Doha also avoided reestablishing diplomatic relations during the
twilight months of the Assad regime, which rejoined the Arab League in 2023.
Al-Kuwari, who visited Syria last week, said: “The whole world is supposed to
help Syria (right now). The words and promises from the leadership there are
promising and very positive.”He added that the new leadership, led by
rebel-turned-statesman Ahmed Al-Sharaa, recognizes that the task ahead is
transitioning from insurgency to building Syrian institutions. “This task will
need the help of the world. We can’t afford Syria going back to the (years) of
bloodshed again,” Al-Kuwari said. “We’ll invest in education (to help the
Syrians) because educated people will work hard, they’ll make money, they’ll
prosper and grow.” The Qatari minister made these comments during the
“Navigating the Fiscal Squeeze” panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos,
which discussed challenges for financial growth, global debt and rising
inflation. The panel included speakers from the International Monetary Fund, the
UCLA School of Law, the London Stock Exchange Group, and Zimbabwe’s Finance
Minister Mthuli Ncube. Qatar has one of the highest per capita incomes in the
world, making it one of the wealthiest nations due to its abundant natural gas
and oil reserves. However, the country dealt with several challenges following
the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to an inflation rate of 5 percent in 2022. Doha
was not alone in facing these difficulties; the pandemic contributed to a nearly
4.4 percent contraction of the global economy in 2020. Al-Kuwari said Qatar is
pursuing a policy of fiscal discipline, which has allowed the country to
maintain a budget surplus and low debt levels, as well as effectively manage any
economic challenges it encounters. “We’ve developed a medium-term fiscal policy
framework for the upcoming 20 years, with different scenarios of revenues based
on oil prices, taxation and spending scenarios ... (Based on that) we decide to
invest or save,” he said, adding that the fiscal deficit and rising borrowing
affecting many countries are “problems that few want to discuss,” which poses
the threat of a financial crisis. An IMF report projected that global debt —
including government, business and personal borrowing — will exceed $100
trillion, about 93 percent of global gross domestic product, by the end of 2024.
It is expected to reach 100 percent of GDP by 2030. “There will be a huge impact
if we don’t do anything about it today,” Al-Kuwari warned. “So many people focus
on economic growth and creating quick wins for their economy while the fiscal
issues get forgotten. “The fiscal balance should complement the economic growth,
and we shouldn’t have growth at the expense of the fiscal.”
UN Chief Urges Iran to Give up Nuclear Arms, Warns against
Israeli Annexation of West Bank
Asharq Al Awsat/January 22/2025.
Iran must make a first step towards improving relations with countries in the
region and the United States by making it clear it does not aim to develop
nuclear weapons, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday. He
also said he hoped all parties in Gaza would realize they would benefit from a
permanent truce that could open the path to negotiations over a two-state
solution and urged countries to ease sanctions on Syria. "The most relevant
question is Iran and relations between Iran, Israel and the United States,"
Guterres said as he discussed the situation in the Middle East at the World
Economic Forum in Davos. "Here my hope is that the Iranians understand that it
is important to once and for all make it clear that they will renounce to have
nuclear weapons, at the same time that they engage constructively with the other
countries of the region." The UN nuclear watchdog chief, Rafael Grossi, touched
on the same theme in Davos, saying Iran is "pressing the gas pedal" on its
enrichment of uranium to near weapons grade. Iran has always said its program is
entirely peaceful and it has the right to enrich uranium to any level it wants.
Reflecting on the situation in Gaza, Guterres said the ceasefire there had so
far been successful in allowing in aid to the enclave, but had a warning over
any further future action. "There is a possibility of Israel feeling emboldened
by the military successes to think that this is the moment to do the annexation
of the West Bank and to keep Gaza in a kind of a limbo situation," he said.
"That would be a total violation of international law ... and would mean there
will never be peace in the Middle East."
SYRIA SANCTIONS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not articulated a vision for
Gaza's postwar future beyond insisting the Islamist group Hamas can play no role
and stating that the Palestinian Authority – which partially administers the
occupied West Bank - also cannot be trusted under its current leadership.
Israeli security forces raided the volatile West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday
in what Netanyahu called a "large-scale and significant military operation".
Hamas called on Palestinians in the territory to escalate fighting against
Israel. The UN chief said he was more optimistic about Lebanon, where he
believed the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel was holding. Guterres called
on countries to ease their sanctions on Syria, to help the country transform
after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, while saying the new government still has
to prove it will represent all minorities. "We still have a strong risk of
fragmentation and of extremism in at least parts of the Syrian territory," he
said. "It is in the interest of us all to engage to make things move in the
direction of an inclusive form of governance and I think some gesture must be
made in relation to the sanctions."
Simmering anger as Turkiye buries ski hotel fire victims
AFP/January 22, 2025
KARTALKAYA, Turkiye: Anger was growing in Turkiye on Wednesday as allegations
piled up that negligence played a role in the deaths of 79 people who perished
when a huge fire swept through a luxury ski resort hotel in northern Turkiye.
With the nation observing a day of mourning, grieving families began burying
their dead as questions multiplied about fire safety measures at the 12-story
Grand Kartal Hotel perched on a mountaintop in the Kartalkaya resort. Front
pages, including those of the pro-government dailies, were plastered with
allegations of negligence which they blamed for the shocking death toll.
On a freezing foggy morning, with flags flying at half-mast, 12 of the 51
injured were still in hospital, including one in intensive care. “There is no
excuse for such a high number of deaths in 2025,” Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main
opposition CHP party, said outside the blackened facade of the hotel where
rescuers were combing through the ruins on Wednesday. The fire, which began in
the middle of the night, struck at peak season for the hotel, with 238 guests
staying for the winter school holidays which began on Friday. At a funeral in
the nearby town of Bolu for eight members of the same family who died in the
blaze, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could be seen wiping away tears, his head
bowed. “When I got to the hotel, there were flames everywhere and we could hear
screams,” said Cevdet Can, who runs a nearby ski school. “I saw one person jump
out of the window” to her death, Can told AFP, adding that it was seeing
children trapped “that upset me most.” Another ski instructor who escaped the
hotel unharmed said he was unable to rescue his pupils, the youngest of whom was
six. “I lost five of my students who were staying on the sixth and seventh
floors,” 58-year-old Necmi Kepcetutan told AFP, adding that another colleague
had jumped to her death. The blaze broke out around 3:30 am (0030 GMT), sparking
panic among the guests, many of whom tried to climb out of the windows, using
bedsheets as ropes. Some fell to their deaths, media reports said. Speaking to
Turkish media outlets, many survivors told the same story: that there were no
alarms warning them about the fire, no fire doors, and no safe ways for people
to exit the hotel. Tourism Minister Nuri Ersoy on Tuesday said that the hotel
had passed an inspection last year and had two fire escapes, saying “no issues
related to fire safety had been flagged by the fire department.” A rescuer with
the national catastrophe management agency Afad told AFP on condition of
anonymity that “I saw fire escapes, but I suggest comparing this hotel’s fire
escapes to those at nearby hotels. In the end, experts will decide.” So far, 11
people have been arrested, among them the hotel’s owner, general manager,
director and chief electrician, as well as the chief of Bolu’s fire department,
the justice ministry told AFP. The hotel’s management has presented its
condolences and said it would cooperate with authorities to “shed full light on
this accident.” Situated at one of the most expensive ski resorts in Turkiye,
the hotel boasted a prestigious client list that included executives,
entrepreneurs and well-known doctors, many of whom were there with their
children and family members.
By Wednesday afternoon, more than 20 victims had yet to be identified.
Trump administration freezes many health agency reports and
online posts
AP/January 23, 2025
Shutting down public health communication stops a basic function of public
health
The Trump administration has put a freeze on many federal health agency
communications with the public through at least the end of the month. In a memo
obtained by The Associated Press, acting Secretary of the US Department of
Health and Human Services Dorothy Fink told agency staff leaders Tuesday that an
“immediate pause” had been ordered on — among other things — regulations,
guidance, announcements, press releases, social media posts and website posts
until such communications had been approved by a political appointee. The pause
also applies to anything intended to be published in the Federal Register, where
the executive branch communicates rules and regulations, and the Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientific
publication. The pause is in effect through Feb. 1, the memo said. Agencies
subject to the HHS directive include the CDC, the National Institutes of Health
and the Food and Drug Administration — entities that fight epidemics, protect
the nation’s food supply and search for cures to diseases. HHS officials did not
respond to requests for comment on the pause, which was first reported by The
Washington Post. Four federal health officials speaking on condition of
anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the issue confirmed the
communication pause to the AP. A former HHS official said Wednesday that it’s
not unusual for incoming administrations to pause agency communications for
review. But typically, officials working on the president’s transition team have
the process for issuing documents running smoothly by inauguration day. “The
executive branch is a hierarchy,” said Steven Grossman, who now consults for
food and drug companies, in an email. “Whether stated publicly or not, every new
administration wants important commitments and positions to wait until new teams
are in place and some semblance of hierarchy restored.”A pause is reasonable as
a changing executive branch takes steps to become coordinated, said Dr. Ali
Khan, a former CDC outbreak investigator who is now dean of the University of
Nebraska’s public health college. “The only concern would be is if this is a
prelude to going back to a prior approach of silencing the agencies around a
political narrative,” he added. During his first term, President Donald Trump’s
political appointees tried to gain control over the CDC’s MMWR journal, which
had published information about the COVID-19 pandemic that conflicted with
messaging from the White House. Fink wrote in her memo that some exceptions
would be made for communications affecting “critical health, safety,
environmental, financial or nation security functions,” but that those would be
subject to review. The FDA on Tuesday and Wednesday posted notices about warning
letters sent to companies and a drug safety notice. A consumer advocacy group
said the communications pause could still threaten public safety. Americans
depend on timely information from the CDC, the FDA and other agencies to avoid
foodborne illnesses and stay aware of other health issues, said Dr. Peter Lurie,
president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “When it comes to
stopping outbreaks, every second counts,” Lurie said in a statement. “Confusion
around the vaguely worded gag order is likely to lead to unnecessary delay in
publishing urgent public alerts during active outbreaks.” He was echoed by Dr.
Jeffrey Klausner, a University of Southern California public health expert.
“Local health officials and doctors depend on the CDC to get disease updates,
timely prevention, testing and treatment guidelines and information about
outbreaks,” Klausner wrote in an email. “Shutting down public health
communication stops a basic function of public health. Imagine if the government
turned off fire sirens or other warning systems.”
US border patrol agent was fatally shot in Vermont near
Canada
Kathy Mccormack And Patrick Whittle/The Associated Press/January 22/2025
Authorities on Tuesday were investigating a fatal shooting of a U.S. Border
Patrol agent that also left a suspect dead and another injured on a Vermont
highway near Canada, authorities said. Agent David Maland was killed Monday
afternoon following a traffic stop, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection
spokesperson said in a statement. A German national in the country on what the
FBI called a current visa was killed and an injured suspect was taken into
custody and is being treated at a local hospital. The violence temporarily
closed part of Interstate 91 about 20 miles (32 km) from Canada in Coventry,
part of the small, 27,000-resident community of Orleans County in the Northeast
Kingdom section of Vermont that straddles the international border. Maland, whom
the FBI confirmed was a U.S. Air Force veteran, was killed close to the U.S.
Customs and Border Protection’s Newport Station, part of the Swanton Sector that
he was assigned to. The sector encompasses Vermont, parts of New York and New
Hampshire, and includes 295 miles (475 kilometers) of international boundary
with Canada. The Derby Line–Rock Island Border Crossing is located about 12
miles (19.3 kilometers) by highway north of Coventry. It’s a major link to the
Canadian province of Quebec, giving northern Vermont more French speakers than
most of New England. "U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s thoughts and prayers
are with Agent Maland’s family during this difficult time," the agency said in a
statement. The death is a tragedy, said Gov. Phil Scott and state Sen. Russ
Ingalls, a Republican who represents the area. Vincent Illuzzi, the state's
attorney in neighboring Essex County, drove past what appeared to be a U.S.
Border Patrol agent traffic stop on I-91 past the Newport exit Monday afternoon,
he said, shortly before authorities reported the shots were fired. “I'm heading
down the road, not much traffic, and I saw them on the right,” he told The
Associated Press by phone Tuesday. The agent was driving an unmarked white
pickup trick with a cab on it and red and blue flashing lights, he said. The
stopped vehicle appeared be a small, blue car, he said. The agent was speaking
with someone standing in front of his truck, behind the car, he said. “Nothing
unusual at that point,” Illuzzi said, but when he got back on the highway later
that night, it looked like the same two vehicles were still parked and other law
enforcement vehicles had arrived.
Illuzzi said the U.S. Border Patrol works closely with state and local police in
his county. “We have limited law enforcement and they're often primary
responders in emergency cases."Maland was the first Border Patrol agent to be
killed in the line of duty since Javier Vega Jr. was shot and killed near Santa
Monica, Texas, in 2014, according to records provided by U.S. Customs and Border
Protection. Vega was initially considered to be off duty at the time of his
death, but in 2016 it was re-determined to have been in the line of duty, the
agency said.
In 2010, Brian Terry 's killing exposed the botched federal gun operation known
as “Fast and Furious." Border Patrol Agent Nicholas J. Ivie, of the Brian A.
Terry Border Patrol Station, was mortally wounded in the line of duty in a
remote area near Bisbee, Arizona, in 2012. Border Patrol Agent Isaac Morales was
fatally stabbed while off duty in 2017 in Texas. U.S. Customs and Border
Protection said it would provide an update later this week. The Vermont State
Police and Orleans County state's attorney's office declined to comment Tuesday.
Vermont's Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Peter Welch and Rep. Becca Balint sent
condolences to the agent's family in a joint statement and said Border Patrol
agents “deserve our full support in terms of staffing, pay and working
conditions.”
Trump Revokes Workplace Discrimination Rules Enacted By LBJ
In 1965
Dave Jamieson/HuffPost/January 22, 2025
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump revoked a six-decade-old executive order
designed to combat workplace discrimination by federal contractors, undoing a
landmark labor standard that stretches back to the presidency of Lyndon Baines
Johnson. The rule Trump nuked, Executive Order 11246, forbade federal
contractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, national
origin, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. It granted the Labor
Department the power to enforce its provisions through a contracting standards
office.
The order was part of a long history of the federal government using contracting
rules to improve workplace standards across the country. Signed a year after the
Civil Rights Act was passed, it explicitly required that employers who accept
federal contract money take “affirmative action” not to discriminate against job
applicants or workers. But in a statement Wednesday, Trump attacked it as
“radical DEI,” short for diversity, equity and inclusion. DEI programs, which
aim to improve workplace conditions and reduce hiring disparities for
underrepresented minorities, have grown into a conservative obsession and major
policy target for Trump and his allies, who often say DEI enables “reverse”
discrimination instead. Trump said the Labor Department would be forbidden from
“pushing contractors to balance their workforce based on race, sex, gender
identity, sexual preference, or religion.” He called his order rolling back the
60-year-old protections “the most important federal civil rights measure in
decades.”As of Wednesday afternoon, the Labor Department’s webpage still
described Johnson’s executive order as a “historic step towards equal employment
opportunity” and said it “remains a major safeguard” for millions of workers.
“Signed by President Johnson that early autumn Friday in 1965, Executive Order
11246 became a key landmark in a series of federal actions aimed at ending
racial, religious and ethnic discrimination, an effort that dated back to the
anxious days before the U.S. was thrust into World War II,” the site reads.
Judy Conti, government affairs director at the National Employment Law Project,
a worker advocacy group, said Trump had stripped away a “key tool” in combating
workplace discrimination. “This is not a return to so-called ‘meritocracy,’”
Conti said in a statement. “Rather, it’s an attempted return to the days when
people of color, women, and other marginalized people lacked the tools to ensure
that they were evaluated on their merits.”
Trump targets Canada's digital services tax with America First trade policy
CBC/January 22, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump signed multiple executive orders on Monday,
including one that asked the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments as well as
the United States Trade Representative to investigate whether foreign countries
are subjecting American 'citizens or corporations to discriminatory or
extraterritorial taxes.' The move directly challenges Canada's digital services
tax, experts say. U.S. President Donald Trump signed multiple executive orders
on Monday, including one that asked the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments
as well as the United States Trade Representative to investigate whether foreign
countries are subjecting American 'citizens or corporations to discriminatory or
extraterritorial taxes.' The move directly challenges Canada's digital services
tax, experts say. One of U.S. President Donald Trump's freshly signed executive
orders puts the Liberal government's digital services tax into the sights of
America's Commerce, Treasury and Trade departments, threatening to further
irritate the trade relationship between the two countries. The America First
Trade Policy, signed into force by Trump Monday evening, seeks to ensure
America's trading relationships bring maximum benefit to "American workers,
manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs and businesses."It directs his
secretaries of the Treasury and Commerce departments as well as the United
States Trade Representative (USTR) to investigate whether foreign countries are
subjecting U.S. "citizens or corporations to discriminatory or extraterritorial
taxes." Last June, the Liberal government enacted the digital services tax (DST)
promising that it would bring in billions in revenues by hitting foreign-based
digital giants, with income of at least $1.1 billion, with a three per cent tax
on revenues in Canada that are over $20 million.
The tax is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2022. Business groups on both sides of the
border oppose the DST, as did the Biden administration, which requested dispute
settlement consultations with Canada under the Canada-United
States-Mexico-Agreement (CUSMA) back in August.
When that consultation period ended in November, the Biden administration did
not take the dispute to the next step by requesting the establishment of a
dispute resolution panel under CUSMA. There is no time limit on when the U.S.
could pursue that step. Trump could call for a panel to be struck, but trade
experts say the process is lengthy and the new U.S. administration is unlikely
to be willing to wait up to a year for a ruling.
Trump's power to impose 50% tariffs
Jesse Goldman, a partner at the Canadian law firm Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, who
specializes in competition, trade and foreign investment, told CBC News the DST
is one of the "principal frictions" in the trading relationship between the U.S.
and Canada. "I think it's a virtual certainty that something will be done by way
of unilateral U.S. action against Canada's digital services tax until such time
as it's either withdrawn or Canada and the U.S. reach some other type of
agreement," he said. Under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, Trump has the
power to unilaterally impose tariffs of up to 50 per cent on imports if they are
deemed to discriminate against the U.S. He could also ban a country's imports
altogether. Goldman says while an outright ban is highly unlikely, if Canada
doesn't drop the DST, Trump's reaction is likely to come in the form of tariffs
that are enacted through the presidential proclamation that Section 338 allows.
Canada, U.S. business groups urge action
The Canadian Chamber Of Commerce, which has long opposed the DST, told CBC News
that Canada should use Trump's executive order as motivation to act "very
strongly and conclusively" to scrap the tax. "With this memorandum there's no
room for wondering any more, I think his position is very clear," the chamber's
Jessica Brandon-Jepp said. "Canada's [digital services tax] is a severe trade
risk that will both hurt our relationship with our largest trading partner,
while at the same time increasing costs for Canadians and making it harder to
start or grow a business in Canada," she added. When legislation enabling the
tax passed Parliament in June, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it would
undermine digital exports, harm innovation and contravene Canada's international
trade obligations. "At this very sensitive time in the Canada-U.S. trade
relationship, we urge the Government of Canada to reconsider this unilateral and
discriminatory new levy," the U.S. chamber said in a statement at the time.
Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada, told CBC News
this week that Trump's executive order demonstrates that the DST is putting
CUSMA at risk. "There is a strong bipartisan consensus among Republicans and
Democrats that Canada's DST discriminates against U.S. companies and violates
our commitments under CUSMA," Hyder said in an email. "The value of any revenue
collected by the tax is not worth the cost of imperilling our economic
partnership with the United States," he added. The Computer and Communications
Industry Association, which represents Apple, Meta, Amazon, Uber, eBay and
Google among other digital giants, said the tax violates the fundamental nature
of free trade. "There's an expectation that your home government is the one who
taxes you, not the entity where the service is necessarily delivered, so it
really undermines this fundamental aspect of how trade works," the association's
vice-president for digital trade Jonathan McHale told CBC News. "We don't ask
for a share of the profits on softwood lumber, maple syrup, hockey sticks," he
said. "It's very unusual to extend the reach of taxing authorities to this
cross-border space."
Trudeau won't rule out negotiating DST
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) supports the DST and has
argued that tech giants facing the tax are largely unregulated and experience an
already low tax burden. "Its completely fair that we should be requiring these
companies to pay some some tax on the goods and services that they supply in
Canada," said Stuart Trew, the CCPA's director of its trade and investment
research project. He said that a fear over the prospect of U.S. tariffs on
Canadian imports is motivating business on both sides of the border to increase
their opposition to the tax. "It's one of many areas where we are facing a
barrage of economic coercion from Trump to score quick wins or to force Canada
into some kind of stepping back and it's a bit of a wake-up call that we are not
dealing with a friendly state anymore," Trew said. Katrina Miller, executive
director of Canadians for Tax Fairness, says her group also supports the DST and
wants Canada to reach out to countries that have implemented a similar tax to
build a co-ordinated response to Trump. "We aren't surprised that Trump has
targeted the tax," she told CBC News. "It fits with his protectionist agenda and
serves the interests of the owners of digital companies that are closely allied
to Trump."
Watch | 'We will stay steady' in face of unpredictability from Trump, PM says:
Asked on Tuesday if he was willing to negotiate the DST with the Trump
administration, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not rule it out. "Obviously I
do not intend to negotiate in public," he said speaking at the Liberal cabinet
retreat in Montebello, Que. "We will always be there to work in a constructive
manner with our U.S. partners while at the same time defending Canadian
interests, Canadian values, Canadian sovereignty, Canadian culture," Trudeau
said. "We know that it's important to defend our own interests while at the same
time seeking to work well with our U.S. partners," he added. The Liberal
government first proposed the tax in its 2019 election platform. It later agreed
to delay implementing the measure until the end of 2023 in the hopes it could
reach a deal with other OECD countries on how multinational digital companies
should be taxed. The federal government sees the DST as a way to bring the tax
code up to date and capture revenues earned in Canada by firms located abroad.
It argues multinational digital companies such as Meta, Alphabet, Facebook and
Amazon are not based in many of the countries where they conduct business,
allowing them to avoid paying certain taxes. The Parliamentary Budget Office
estimated last year that the tax would bring in more than $7 billion over five
years. The 2024 budget forecast revenues at $5.9 billion over five years,
starting in 2024-25. The Computer and Communications Industry Association
estimates that U.S. companies could pay as much as $1 billion a year in tax if
the measure remains on the books.
Trump Tells Putin to Make Ukraine Deal 'Now' or Face Tariffs, Sanctions
Asharq Al Awsat/January 22/2025.
US President Donald Trump told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on
Wednesday to make a deal to end the grinding Ukraine war "now" or face tariff
hikes and more sanctions. "If we don't make a 'deal,' and soon, I have no other
choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being
sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries,"
Trump said on his Truth Social network. Trump said he was "not looking to hurt
Russia" and had "always had a very good relationship with President Putin," a
leader for whom he has expressed admiration in the past. "All of that being
said, I'm going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a
very big FAVOR. Settle now, and STOP this ridiculous War! IT'S ONLY GOING TO GET
WORSE." Trump was taking a harder line than he had during a White House press
conference on Tuesday, when he said it "sounds likely" that he would apply
additional sanctions if Putin did not come to the table. The US president also
declined to say whether he would continue his predecessor Joe Biden's policy of
sending weapons to Ukraine to fight off Russia's invasion, launched in February
2022. "We're looking at that," he said at the press conference. "We're talking
to (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky, we're going to be talking to
President Putin very soon." Prior to his inauguration on Monday, Trump had vowed
to end the Ukraine war before even taking office, raising expectations he would
leverage aid to force Kyiv to make concessions to Moscow. In unusually critical
remarks of Putin on Monday, Trump said the Russian president was "destroying
Russia by not making a deal." Trump added that Zelensky had told him he wanted a
peace agreement to end the war.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on January 22-23/2025
Brussels: Is the Capital of
Europe Crumbling Before Our Eyes?
Drieu Godefridi/ Gatestone Institute/January 22, 2025
Brussels has entered a wild-west era of "every man for himself," in which people
try to protect themselves as best they can without relying on the failing
"authorities."
Brussels' financial situation is also alarming. [Secretary of State for Asylum
and Migration] Nicole de Moor... did acknowledge the problem of the high number
of Palestinian asylum-seekers in Belgium, and that they had already been
recognized elsewhere in Europe. Nevertheless, they demand to come to Belgium: it
guarantees them more than any other country in Europe. Since the Hamas attack on
Israel on October 7, 2023, the streets and media of Brussels have witnessed the
normalization of unabashed Islamist discourse and Jew-hatred -- less and less
hidden behind the pretext of "the fight against Zionism."
Brussels has entered a wild-west era of "every man for himself," in which people
try to protect themselves as best they can without relying on the failing
"authorities."
When President Donald Trump compared Brussels, Belgium to a "hellhole" in 2016,
the statement caused quite a stir, especially in Europe, and was treated with
that mixture of contempt, ignorance and denial of reality typical of a certain
"elite" in the European Union. Trump had made these remarks in the context of
discussions on immigration and security, and suggested that Brussels had changed
for the worse over the years, mainly as a result of uncontrolled lawless
migratory submersion.
While the facts proved him right at the time, it might be said in 2025 that the
Lebanonization of Brussels shows that his judgment was visionary.
Crime explosion
Crime rates are rising everywhere in Brussels, particularly in an area in the
spotlight for its frequent shootings: the Bruxelles-Midi Zone (Saint-Gilles,
Forest, Anderlecht). Between 2022 and 2023, notes the newspaper L'Echo,
robberies and extortion rose by 23%, robberies without weapons by 34%,
pickpocketing by 27%, and armed robberies by a staggering 53%. This area is home
to five of Brussels' 15 drug-trafficking "hot spots." These hot spots are so
"hot" in fact, that even the police hesitate to go there.
The Bruxelles-Midi zone therefore unsurprisingly suffers from a severe shortage
of police officers -- 20% of positions remain unfilled -- mainly due to major
recruitment difficulties, such as its low level of attractiveness due to crime,
which again unsurprisingly scares off applicants. Are we talking about Mexico
City? No, just Brussels. In 2023, gang-related shootings left 7 dead and 131
wounded. "Maybe something's going on in Brussels. It's a hypothesis that we can
put forward," the Public Prosecutor's Office gingerly suggested. "Brussels is a
large urban center, which therefore attracts people and does not have the most
efficient police structure. It's the only city in the world with six police
forces and the federal police, which is no guarantee of good management. The
dispersal of resources makes security costly" – and non-existent.
Criminologists have emphasized that these statistics are not sufficient to
describe the crime situation in Brussels. It is essential, warns Vincent Seron,
a criminologist at the University of Liège, and Dieter Burssens, a criminologist
at Belgium's National Institute of Criminalistics and Criminology, to take into
account the "black number" of crime:
"The concept of 'black number' covers the fact that the criminal acts recorded
by the police do not faithfully represent crime on the ground. Police
statistics, by definition, only count offenses brought to the attention of the
police. But the police force cannot be everywhere, witness everything and
therefore record every criminal act."However, not all victims file a complaint,
particularly when they feel that "it's no use" given the general level of
impunity in Brussels.
Brussels has entered a wild-west era of "every man for himself," in which people
try to protect themselves as best they can without relying on the failing
"authorities."
Bankruptcy
Brussels' financial situation is also alarming. The Brussels-Capital Region
government debt has risen in just six years from €3.4 billion euros ($3.5
billion) in 2018 to €14.5 billion ($15.1 billion) in 2024. In 2024, the regional
government's revenues amounted to €5.69 billion, while expenditures reached
€6.99 billion euros -- a deficit of more than 20%. In addition, between 2017 and
2022, the regional government's expenditures grew by 17.4%, far outstripping the
increase in revenues. Currently, its consolidated gross debt is expected to grow
from €14.5 billion in 2024 to roughly €22 billion in 2029, with an average
annual growth rate of 8.83%. This increase poses a major challenge, potentially
leading to a "snowball effect," exacerbated by a possible rise in interest
rates. The Brussels-Capital Region, in short, is bankrupt.
During the last legislature, the Brussels-Capital Region's personnel costs rose
by almost 50%, from €1.2 billion to €1.8 billion. These statistics are not
available from the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis. It was
Flemish liberal politician Frédéric De Gucht, president of Open VLD Brussels,
who discreetly revealed them. "Over the last five years," he stated in an
interview with the daily De Standaard, "the number of civil servants in Brussels
has increased by almost 34%."
One of the most revealing problems, explains Lode Goukens, a PhD student at the
Free University of Brussels, is that of STIB, the local public transport
operator in Brussels. Under the impetus of Groen and Ecolo — two far-left
environmentalist parties in the Brussels regional government — the number of
STIB's employees has risen from 8,798 in 2018 to 10,407 by the end of 2023. At
the same time, the number of passengers has fallen.
For Frédéric De Gucht, a candidate for the presidency of the liberal Flemish
Open VLD party, such a situation means that it is no longer possible to speak of
a "sovereign entity". The Brussels-Capital Region will have to rely on the
intervention of Belgium's federal government to ensure its financing. "We'll
need someone else to co-sign our loans with us," he admitted. It is now
inevitable that the regional government will be placed under the supervision of
the federal government, itself under heavy pressure from its own debt.
Permanent migration tsunami
Belgium, in 2024, received over 3,200 asylum applications just from Palestinians
— representing around half of all Palestinian asylum applications in the
European Union — and 40,000 asylum applications in total. Secretary of State for
Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor describes that situation as "neither normal
nor tenable". Many of these asylum-seekers have already been granted asylum
elsewhere, often in Greece, which poses a problem. According to figures quoted
by Darya Safai, the General Commission for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRA)
grants asylum to 9 out of 10 applicants. There are consequently accusations that
the CGRA practices "collective recognition" without assessing individually
whether each applicant is really in danger in his or her own country.
Nicole de Moor denied those allegations, but did acknowledge the problem of the
high number of Palestinian asylum-seekers in Belgium, and that they had already
been recognized elsewhere in Europe. Nevertheless, they demand to come to
Belgium: it guarantees them more than any other country in Europe. The Secretary
of State "hopes" that the EU's Pact on Migration and Asylum can better help to
distribute these applications across EU member countries.
Political blockage
Finally, since the June 9, 2024 elections, the Brussels-Capital Region has been
singled out for its inability to form a functioning government. Without going
into the details of the Belgian institutional web, establishing a government in
Brussels presupposes a majority in the two language groups -- French-speaking
and Dutch-speaking -- in the Brussels-Capital Regional Parliament. These two
groups, however, are not only unable to reach agreement between them, but even
within their own ranks they are now unable to achieve a majority.
It is also worth noting the role now played in Brussels by Islamists, either in
a political party of their own, or through "entryism" within other left-wing and
far-left parties. Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the
streets and media of Brussels have witnessed the normalization of unabashed
Islamist discourse and Jew-hatred -- less and less hidden behind the pretext of
"the fight against Zionism." When commentator Vinz Kanté, on Brussels TV LN24,
calls "the chosen people" (Jews) racist and xenophobic, the only pushback can be
seen on social networks; this hateful commentator is kept on the air.
The capital of the European Union is crumbling before our eyes.
*Drieu Godefridi is a jurist (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain),
philosopher (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain) and PhD in legal
theory (Paris IV-Sorbonne). He is an entrepreneur, CEO of a European private
education group and director of PAN Medias Group. He is the author of The Green
Reich (2020).
© 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.
How NATO could help restore peace in Gaza and the West Bank
DR. ABDEL AZIZ ALUWAISHEG/Arab News/January 22, 2025
While taking due credit for helping to broker the agreement between Israel and
Hamas, President Donald Trump nevertheless said on Monday he was “not confident”
the Gaza ceasefire would last. At the same time, he offered hope that, despite
the destruction, the Strip can be rebuilt: “I looked at a picture of Gaza — Gaza
is like a massive demolition site. That place is, it’s really, it’s got to be
rebuilt in a different way.”
Speaking from his experience as a real estate developer, Trump said that Gaza is
in a “phenomenal location” along the Mediterranean Sea, with the “best weather,”
adding that “beautiful things could be done over there, fantastic things.” He
added that he “might” help in rebuilding the Gaza Strip.
Trump is not alone on either point. There is much concern that the truce will
not hold for long or, if it holds during the first phase, that it might not be
renewed. But there is also hope that peace will eventually stick and the
rebuilding can begin.
Israeli extremists, including some in the Netanyahu government, are opposed to
the deal and are determined to undermine it. Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Jewish Power
party this week resigned as national security minister, while Finance Minister
Bezalel Smotrich has threatened to do the same if Benjamin Netanyahu does not
break the ceasefire once the initial 42-day phase is complete. The latter
claimed on Monday that he had “received a commitment from Prime Minister
Netanyahu that Israel will return to the battlefield to eliminate Hamas and
eradicate this threat once and for all.”
Netanyahu is also a reluctant participant and he may try to find pretexts to
stop implementing the deal and return to fighting. He said on Sunday that “both
President Trump and President (Joe) Biden gave full backing to Israel’s right to
return to fighting, if Israel comes to the conclusion that negotiations on Phase
B are futile.”Probably the most consequential phase will be the next. If it
comes into effect, it will see the complete withdrawal of the Israeli military
from Gaza. Talks for that phase are set to start on Feb. 4, but given the
extremists’ push against the deal, the talks’ outcome may be in doubt.
Technocratic hubris and the need for politics
NADIM KOTEICH/Arab News/January 22, 2025
Technocratic hubris presents politics as primitive, sentimental and irrational —
a spiral of conflicts and personal interests. Technocrats — the clergy of
governance models founded on technical expertise, data-driven solutions and
computational models — argue that purely rational solutions can transcend the
“chaos” of politics and tame its conflicts, quietly and effectively driving
social progress.
The roots of technocrats’ contempt for politics have been deepening since the
Industrial Revolution and the scientific boom following the Second World War.
With their rational solutions coming to play a prominent role in shaping modern
governance, they have portrayed the political sphere as an obstacle that hinders
progress. The intellectual foundations of this hubristic elitism can be traced
back to the rationality and positivism of the Enlightenment, which valued
empiricism above all else. Empirical science replaced theology as the ultimate
source of truth, while politics was marginalized and relegated to a domain of
emotions and subjective conflicts. The roots of technocrats’ contempt for
politics have been deepening since the Industrial Revolution
With the rise of systems theories, economics’ transformation into a mathematical
science and the advent of modern management, the notion that societies could be
managed like mechanical systems that can be analyzed through quantifiable
indicators began to emerge. On the level of institutions, we saw globalization,
the expansion of bureaucracies and transnational organizations empower
technocratic elites at the expense of political voices and local contexts.
From the failure of the Soviet Union’s rigid five-year plans to economic
experts’ predictions and data not preventing Britain’s exit from the EU, known
as Brexit, history is replete with examples that attest to the limitations of
cold, hard technocratic logic, whether in planning for the future or analyzing
the present.
Many of those in Britain who advocated for remaining in the EU relied on
experts’ economic forecasts to make their case, convinced that rational
arguments about the virtues of the labor market and the free movement of people
and goods would persuade the public. However, a wave of nationalist sentiment,
as well as the cocktail of cultural and human factors that amounts to the
beating heart of political and social decisions and broad skepticism of
“elites,” proved stronger than all of their quantified projections.
Brexit makes clear that emotional, ideological and conflictual tensions are
aggravated, not quelled, when societal challenges are framed as purely technical
issues, the political side of governance is marginalized and the significance of
reconciling conflicting interests, values and identities are downplayed. Among
other things, the global rise of the right is fundamentally a reaction to the
historical trajectory through which technocracy dominated politics, with its
elites marginalizing cultural and local identities in favor of what they dubbed
“rational” solutions built on data and technical expertise.
This trajectory, which is linked to globalization and the rise of global
institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, alienated
broad segments of society, which felt that policies ignored their needs and
identities, making them receptive to the populist and nationalist rhetoric of
the right. This backlash, which revived cultural and religious identities under
the guise of defending national sovereignty, emerged in light of policymakers’
perilous failure to balance administrative efficiency and popular legitimacy.
The fundamental epistemic shortcoming of technocratic reasoning is neither a
potential bug in the data nor a limitation of expertise. Rather, it is an
inherent feature of this reasoning, which fails to incorporate the complexity of
human behavior and the composition of societies. Our behavior is shaped by an
intricate system of interconnected beliefs, values and cultural factors, meaning
that no indicators or projections can reliably ensure the avoidance of a
particular outcome. Indeed, technocrats often encounter phenomena that resist
quantification and do not conform to cold logic. This reasoning fails to
incorporate the complexity of human behavior and the composition of societies
Accordingly, revaluing politics is not a luxury but a need imposed by the Middle
East’s complex political, security and economic questions, as well as its
intertwined mesh of power centers. The fact is that politics constitutes the
broadest horizon for reconciling divergent interests, conflicting concerns,
historical tensions, cultural differences and strategic considerations, none of
which can be reduced to mathematical equations or performance indicators. The
urgent need for national dialogue frameworks, as well as engaging with sectors
of the economy, civil society and cultural elites in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq,
Sudan, Yemen and other countries, highlights the importance of developing shared
visions that transcend narrow sectoral approaches. This underscores the need to
reinforce the role of politics, opening the door to continuous negotiation among
the various stakeholders in these nations, and to fostering more flexible and
legitimate consensus.There can be no stability without embracing politics and
establishing a political culture that adapts to regional and international
shifts. This is the only foundation that can pave the way to transitioning from
merely “managing or exploiting crises” to “leading change” and shaping a
sustainable future.
- Nadim Koteich is the General Manager of Sky News Arabia. X: @NadimKoteich
Starmer should dare to dream of a ‘Breturn’
MOHAMED CHEBARO/Arab News/January 22, 2025
It was peculiar to hear Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk saying that he wants a
“Breturn,” or a British return to the EU, after talks with UK Prime Minister
Keir Starmer in Warsaw last week.
The end of this month marks five years since the UK officially left the EU, a
move whose advocates had promised would liberate London from Brussels’ shackling
administrative dictates and boost its economy through becoming a
“Singapore-on-Thames.” However, these ill-thought-out and uncosted dreams have
broken on the rocks of reality.
Since Brexit, the UK’s economy has clearly slowed down, its future growth
outlook has taken a hit and billions of pounds have been lost in trade with its
closest political, economic and social partner. Brexit has also failed to stem
the flow of migrants across the English Channel and the UK has had to replace
its European labor force with skilled laborers from farther afield, whose
cultures are even more foreign to the UK than European ones.
Above all, and even by the admission of arch-Brexiteer Nigel Farage, Britain has
not benefited from Brexit and Brexit has “failed.” However, it seems that the
leadership of the Labour Party, which scored a landslide victory at last
summer’s general election, continues to be an ardent cheerleader for Brexit,
regardless of the economic damage it is continuing to cause.
Labour continues to be an ardent cheerleader for Brexit, regardless of the
economic damage it is continuing to cause
If Farage’s words were not enough, Starmer ought to be encouraged to change
course by the fact new Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch last week
expressed what has long been common knowledge up and down the country: that her
party took the UK out of the EU before it had a plan for growth outside of the
bloc. She added that previous Conservative governments also set a target of
achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and only then started to think about
how they could do it. Similarly, they did not have a clear plan on how to lower
immigration before making it a centerpiece of their agenda.
Tusk, who was president of the European Council when the UK voted to leave the
bloc, said that he would continue to harbor the dream of a “Breturn” in his
heart, as sometimes dreams do come true, even in politics.
Like Tusk, Starmer should permit himself to dream, instead of holding firm with
his stance that rejoining the customs union or single market is out of the
question. In Warsaw, he ratified a bilateral defense treaty with Tusk to deepen
ties between the UK and Polish defense industries. This added to the defense
deals worth billions of pounds signed in the last few years. There are likely to
be more to come, spurred by the Russian threat in Ukraine and beyond.
It would be better for Starmer to dream and fail rather than not dream at all.
Any large-scale results for the UK’s struggling economy can come only from
deeper post-Brexit ties with the EU through a real and courageous trade and
partnership agreement. He needs to bring the UK back to the bloc’s market,
instead of its current perpetual search for growth and investment in many
unlikely corners of the planet. The numbers are on Starmer and his chancellor’s
side, allowing them to defend any bold move they might make that could upset
those on the political right, as well as the criticism that would surely follow
that this Labour government was reopening old wounds. This would certainly give
a new platform for populists like Boris Johnson.
The Starmer government has so far failed to give voters a tangible, positive
dream and a roadmap to get there
Bloomberg Economics estimates that the UK is losing £100 billion ($122 billion)
a year in output due to Brexit. The UK Office for Budget Responsibility
calculates that UK trade has sustained a 15 percent hit in the long run due to
exiting the EU market. It is thought that businesses in the UK are suffering
across the board and in various ways. The Centre for Economic Performance at the
London School of Economics found that more than 16,000 British firms that had
previously exported to the EU (14 percent of the total) have stopped doing so
since the withdrawal agreement came into effect five years ago.
Starmer’s popularity and that of his government is fizzling out. Scraping around
looking for economic growth and speaking at all the forums in the world will not
improve his ratings, which are very important for any leader. Repeating old
stories, such as that he inherited a broken economy and a large deficit from his
predecessor, and promising to clean up the UK political arena and return
integrity to politicians and policymaking is all well and good. This is why
people gave their votes to Labour after years of Conservative blunders. But
these are not the only reasons.
Those who voted Labour into power also expected to have a less gloomy outlook on
life and fewer struggles with the cost of living, if not now then at least on
the horizon. But the Starmer government has so far failed to give them a
tangible, positive dream and a roadmap to get there.
Vague economic figures and charts alone will not cut it, as most of us could
better associate with stories. And there is one story that could best change
that. It is associated with a historic event that has become one of the root
causes of the cost-of-living crisis and the shrinking UK economy. That story
contains what could change the image of Starmer from cautious lawyer to
political leader. It is for Starmer to make tackling Brexit a gateway to
repairing the damage done by his predecessors, instead of continuing to deliver
vague fiscal measures that can only rebalance an out-of-balance budget that is
lacking a path to clear growth.Starmer’s government has so far been seen as
lacking oomph and that is a situation of his own making. He has tried to ride
the American horse, which Trump is poised to direct farther away from the UK and
other allies in Europe, and the Chinese dragon, which will listen, but only as
long as Britain affords it sweeteners and until the next security crisis blows
all that out of the water.
The UK PM must instead move mountains to reconnect with the EU, if not to regain
entry then to at least obtain meaningful agreements that will allow the smoother
movement of people and goods. The UK could then tap into the tangible growth
available on its doorstep, rather than relying on plans and promises of growth
that depend on far-away potential trading partners, the goodwill of the new US
president and/or smaller players in Asia or the Middle East.
**Mohamed Chebaro is a British- Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years’
experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy.
Two key issues are the need to fill the vacuum when Israel withdraws from Gaza,
as foreseen in the deal, and the lack of trust between Israel and Hamas. The
Gulf Cooperation Council has supported the call for an international force to be
deployed in Gaza. It has also called for the reunification of Gaza and the West
Bank under the Palestinian Authority, so that it can be responsible for security
in the Strip.
But the PA cannot do it alone. It needs a partner that has the muscle and
credibility to do the job. NATO could fit that description.
NATO has been working to expand its engagement in the Middle East. In 2004, it
launched the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative to partner with GCC countries on
political coordination, security training and capacity building. In 2017, a
regional center for that purpose was set up in Kuwait. Last July, NATO’s
secretary-general designated Spanish diplomat Javier Colomina as special
representative to lead the alliance’s engagement and cooperation with the
region. The organization also announced that it would establish its first ever
liaison office in the Middle East in Amman, Jordan, to focus on “reinforcing
cooperation between NATO and Middle East and North Africa countries.”
NATO could achieve these goals by joining the global consensus on bringing peace
to the Middle East. On Gaza, the deal struck last week was the embodiment of
several months of diplomacy, given a final and effective push by the new
administration in Washington, even before its official start. The deal is based
on UN Security Council Resolution 2735, which was passed last June but took
seven months to implement. That achievement could be cut short if the
international community does not stand by it and provide the support it needs.
NATO could be part of that support mechanism by providing a force to replace
Israeli forces and prepare the Gaza Strip for restabilization, recovery,
rebuilding and reunification with the West Bank.
The West Bank has witnessed, over the past days and months, an intensification
of attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians and an increase in settlement
activity, home demolitions and evictions of Palestinian families.
At the same time as these threats against Palestinians are taking place in the
West Bank, the global consensus on resolving the conflict is solidifying,
including total rejection of settler violence and unilateral actions taken by
Israel in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. That consensus also includes
support for the implementation of UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative,
meaning the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state on the
1967 borders.
Last September, Saudi Arabia, together with Norway and the EU, launched the
Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. In November,
Riyadh hosted the first meeting of the new alliance, attended by more than 90
countries and organizations, including close allies of Israel. The second and
third meetings of the alliance were held in Brussels in November and in Oslo
last week, respectively. The meetings discussed the political and economic
building blocks of the process. Strengthening the PA is part of this consensus,
because this is essential to enable it to carry out the duties of the state and
provide basic services. Introducing economic and political reforms will help in
the smooth functioning of the state and will encourage donors and investors to
commit funds.
However, as in Gaza, any political agreement will need security arrangements,
including the presence of an international force to separate the two parties and
help the PA govern. It has to address the concerns of both sides, including
Israel’s security and the full enfranchisement of the Palestinians.
International support for this plan is crucial to provide the incentives and the
discipline, or carrots and sticks, which are needed to make it work.
The PA needs a partner that has the muscle and credibility to do the job. NATO
could fit that description.
In both Gaza and the West Bank, NATO’s support would be extremely useful. It can
provide an independent force to separate the parties, provide training for the
Palestinian security forces and help the PA exercise full control over its
territory and decommission armed groups or bring them under government
authority. NATO can provide the security assurances that are needed to encourage
investors and donors to help both Gaza and the West Bank. Trump’s dream of
rebuilding Gaza will need security assurances. The promise of shared prosperity
between the countries of the region if peace is restored will also need security
arrangements if it is to be realized. NATO could help provide those security
assurances. It will be on the right side of history if it does. NATO has done it
before, when it helped Kosovo achieve its independence and prepare it for
statehood. NATO’s success would end speculation about the organization’s
relevance, which the new administration in Washington appears to question.
**Dr. Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the Gulf Cooperation Council assistant
secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation. The views expressed
here are personal and do not necessarily represent the GCC. X: @abuhamad1
Syrians and Lebanese Slaying Their Three Golden Calves
Hazem Saghieh/Asharq Al Awsat/January 22/2025.
If the peoples of Syria and Lebanon are to press forward and build on their
recent achievements- a big "if"- they must slay the three golden calves that are
largely responsible for their suffering. While it is true that they cannot rid
themselves of these golden calves overnight, it is equally true that waging this
cultural confrontation is a necessary condition for stable and enduring success.
By slaying these calves, both societies would be endeavouring to break with the
era that Nasserism and Baathism introduced and brought to the Levant- an era
that grabbed these two societies by the throat and stifled prospects that had,
following their independence, seemed real and attainable. The first golden calf
is the military coup that took hold of Syria and whose repercussions hurt
Lebanon. Before being the replacement of one social class with another, and
without entailing a transition from politics that fails to liberate Palestine to
politics that does, the coup is the execution of a way of life that had a place
for freedom- a life in which shortcomings and mistakes could be publicly
debated, and by extension corrected, and, perhaps, resolved.
The turn toward the Soviet camp further tightened putschists' grip on Syrian
society. By supporting the Baathist regime with arms, military training,
military doctrine, and intelligence expertise, as well as shielding it through
Security Council vetoes, Moscow equipped this regime it called "patriotic" and
"progressive" with sharper fangs to tear into the flesh of Syrian people.
Applying the lessons of that experience urges extreme caution toward rhetoric
that condemns the politicians and parties of the old regime as corrupt, accuses
the media of distracting the public, blames colonialism for our flaws and
shortcomings, and seeks to monopolize the economy and free enterprise. This
caution does not stem from a belief that the previous regime’s politicians were
not corrupt, nor that the media does not sow confusion, that colonialism was a
virtue, or that everything the wealthy do is productive and beneficial. Rather,
it stems from the fact that the actual objectives (whose success the putschists
diligently sought to achieve) of these denouncements is to eliminate the media,
and spread corruption far worse than that of the previous regime’s politicians
without allowing for any scrutiny or accountably, to empower the state in its
subjugation of the people by seizing wealth and resources, and to impose
internal colonialism that is a thousand times worse than foreign colonialism.
Learning from that experience also calls for firmly applying the principle of
separating the military from politics and reinforcing the public's awareness to
military interference in the political sphere, which entails not falling for
slogans like the liberation of Palestine, the establishment of a just and pure
society, or any of the other pretexts that have long been used to justify
military coups. The second golden calf is the civil war that tore Lebanon to
shreds and became a pivotal weapon the Assads used to strengthen their grip over
Syrians. While no one openly and explicitly praises the civil war, it seeps into
the national body politic whenever an absolute right that disregards the views
of fellow citizens is insisted upon, a culture (be it that of a minority or
majority) is abased, or slanderous accusations of treason are levelled at those
who hold disagree with the self-appointed stalwarts of absolute truth. Civil war
does not produce the "beautiful collapse" or "glorious ruin" that some poets saw
in it; rather, it leaves profound destruction in souls that is difficult to
heal, brings death, shatters the economy, and degrades health and education.
The third golden calf is “the resistance” whose implicit regime governed the
Lebanese and then occupied parts of Syria and took part in the slaughter of its
people. The power and magic of the resistance stem from the fact that it stands
at the intersection of modern consciousness, which legitimizes it as an exercise
of the right to fight occupation, and the pre-modern consciousness, which
couples it with bravery, manhood, dignity, and similar values, albeit through a
primitive interpretation of these notions. Because of its association with these
concepts, wars of resistance are justified regardless of whether they are
supported by a favourable balance of power or popular consensus. Everyone is
expected to welcome its wars with an optimistic smile, even if they result in
the collapse of society, the economy, and the foundations of life itself.
This resistance, as we and as other peoples have experienced it, in truth, is
nothing more than a blend of sectarian militias, masked civil wars, and a
smuggling and drug trafficking economy. Like military coups and civil wars, it
is founded on a claim to an absolute right that warrants establishing, either
overtly or implicitly, a virtuous dictatorship; or else, let there be limitless
chaos. It also similarly operates under the assumption that rights can only be
attained through violence, as violence is the sole means for resolving
conflicts.
In a bit of twisting of the biblical narrative, we might say that Moses’s return
from Mount Sinai may be unlikely, or it may not happen very soon, but the
Syrians and Lebanese confronting their three golden calves would certainly
hasten that return, or something equivalent to it.
Realism and the Surreal in Gaza’s Tragedy
Bakir Oweida/Asharq Al Awsat/January 22/2025.
Everything our eyes have seen and continue to see, and everything our ears have
heard and still hear, since the day after what was dubbed the “Al-Aqsa Flood,”
attests to the suffering of the Gaza Strip’s cities and villages. This tragedy
has only exacerbated as time went by, growing like a snowball of flames, and
raining fire over unarmed civilians - children, women, and men.
The people of Gaza wandered aimlessly, with their eyes wide open in terror,
moving their feet without knowing where they were going, their faces burned by
flames of confusion and fears of getting lost. They could not tell where they
were, or where fate would lead them after they followed the orders of their
despotic, belligerent occupier, who commanded them to evacuate from the north to
the south...Despite all of that, despite all the pain and suffering, the Gazan
tragedy was not without “surreal” moments. These surreal scenes have likely
caught the attention of sharp observers and keen listeners, especially those who
followed it as their own lived experience despite their exile far from their
suffering families caught in its fires.
Yet, these bizarre moments are unlikely to have drawn the interest of
Palestinians and Arabs accustomed to theorizing and analyzing, nor that of the
leaders of Palestinian and Arab political parties and movements scattered in
different capitals across the East and West who were following the events from
the comfort of their couches. Will examples of such surreal scenes be provided?
Yes, here is one. I am well aware that many will find my bewilderment at a real
event to be strange, but I did find it extraordinarily bizarre.
The location: the heart of Gaza City. The date: last Sunday. The event: the
implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and
Israel. Hamas releases three Israeli women who had been taken hostage during the
Al-Aqsa Flood operation - a flood that has left Gaza crippled for the
foreseeable future - in exchange for the release of 90 Palestinians from Israeli
prisons. Several dozen members of the Al-Qassam Brigades surround the vehicle in
which the three hostages are being transported. The soldiers are wearing
military uniforms, and a forest of green Hamas flags flutters all around them.
Those following the scene closely would notice that the uniforms appear
impeccably clean, perfectly pressed. Not a speck of dust could be found, giving
us the impression that they had never been worn before. It also seems that the
flags are being waved for the very first time.
A question occurs to me. Some might say that it stems from malicious curiosity -
so be it; journalists have a duty to raise questions and bear the accusations
that follow. The question is this: Was this scene a deliberate attempt by Hamas
to send a message, addressed to all the concerned parties around the world? Was
Hamas trying to signal that it has a vast reserve of vigorous and capable
fighters... with clean uniforms? Did Hamas try to convey that removing it from
the equation will not be easy? There are reasons to think that “yes” is the
answer to this justified question, even those who are more enthusiastic about
Hamas than its own leaders find this claim inexcusable. The Gazan tragedy has
many strange scenes, but the sight of people returning from the camps in the
south to the ruins of their northern homes is more than “surreal,” even if it
does speak to the grim reality of Gaza’s inferno. Has the war on Gaza truly
ended? No, absolutely not. There are many solid reasons for this unequivocal
negative response, and they could perhaps be laid out in a subsequent Wednesday
column.