English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  August 31/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God
Letter to the Philippians 04/04-10: “”Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 30-31/2025
Venerable Brother Estephan Nehmé and His Beatification/Elias Bejjani/August 30/2025
Text and Video: The return of the hero Etienne Saqr-Abu Arz to his homeland, Lebanon, is a national, religious, and moral duty/Elias Bejjani/August 28/2026
Lebanese Army Handed Political Fireball over Weapons Control
Report: Agreement reached on 'specific formats' for army plan
Hezbollah mourns Yemeni leaders killed in strike, condemns attack
Lebanon weighs internal dialogue vs. external pressure: Army weapons plan faces delays
Lebanon’s deputy PM distances himself from reported comment on US envoy’s 'paper'
Mitri says govt. won't back down from arms monopoly decision
Lebanese army dismantles Israeli surveillance device in Yaroun
Cabinet to Discuss Disarmament Plan in Upcoming Friday Session
Large fire engulfs archaeological site in Tyre
New hope for patients: Lebanon opens door to kidney transplants with full financial coverage
Perhaps What Is Meant Is the Collapse of Deadlines/Johnny Kortbawi/This Is Beirut/August 30/2025
Summer 2025: Lebanon Reclaims Its Suitcases… and Its Traffic Jams/Christiane Tager/This Is Beirut/August 30/2025
Can Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines succeed with a low-cost gamble?/Miguel Hadchity/Arab News/August 30, 2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 30-31/2025
Israeli airstrike kills Houthi militant PM in Sanaa
Head of Yemen's Houthi Government, Some Ministers Killed in Israeli Strike
Houthis vow to avenge death of their PM in Israeli strikes
Israeli airstrike kills Houthi rebel prime minister in Sanaa
Hamas confirms death of its military leader Mohammed Sinwar
Palestinian President's Office Urges US to Reinstate his Visa
EU Urges US to Reconsider Ban on Palestinian Officials Attending UN Assembly
Frankly Speaking: The state of political prisoners in Israel
Red Cross warns against evacuation of Gaza City as Israel tightens siege
Israel Will Soon Slow or Halt Aid into Parts of Northern Gaza as it Ramps up Offensive
Israel is Undermining the Two-state Solution, Denmark's Foreign Minister Says
Iran rejects European deal to delay sanctions, sticks to Russian-Chinese alternative
Russia Wages Non-stop Offensive along Ukraine Front Line, Says Military Chief
Iran Says 8 Arrested for Suspected Links to Israel's Mossad
Red Cross: Many Syrian Families May Never Learn Fate of Loved Ones
Toll of sectarian violence in Syria’s Sweida climbs to nearly 2,000, mostly Druze

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on August 30-31/2025
Why Iran's Ideology and Missiles Endanger the West: If Hitler Had Nuclear Weapons, Do You Think He Would Not Have Used Them?/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/August 30, 2025
What are the different names of God, and what do they mean?/GotQuestions.org/August 30/2025
Ehud Olmert did indeed speak very frankly/Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/August 30/2025
The case for a clear legal definition of environmental crime/Amal Albawardi/Arab News/August 30/2025
Slected X tweets for August 30/2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on August 30-31/2025
Venerable Brother Estephan Nehmé and His Beatification
Elias Bejjani/August 30/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/08/146829/
The Maronite Orders and Their Role in the History of Lebanon
The Lebanese Maronite Order is the heart of Maronite spirituality and its backbone from the Middle Ages until today. From the monasteries of Mount Lebanon began the movements of evangelization, education, the protection of the Christian faith, and the preservation of the Lebanese identity in the face of invasions and occupations. The Maronite monks were guardians of the land and protectors of the Word: they tilled the fields and watered the vineyards, they educated generations and copied manuscripts, and they kept Lebanon united with the Apostolic See in the Vatican.
From this spiritual soil and sacred land, the saints of Lebanon arose: Charbel, Rafqa, Nimatullah, Estephan Nehmé, and others, bearing witness that Lebanon is truly a land of holiness and spiritual heroism.
The Birth of Blessed Estephan Nehmé
Youssef Estephan Nehmé was born on March 8, 1889, in the village of Lehfed – Byblos, into a devout family of six children. He grew up in a simple agricultural mountain environment, learning the basics of reading and writing in the village school, then at Our Lady of Grace School in Rasmiya, which belonged to the Maronite Order.
From his childhood, signs of prayer, meditation, and solitude were visible in him, and he often repeated in his heart the phrase that would become the motto of his life: “God sees me.”
Entering the Monastery
Two years after the death of his father, and at the age of sixteen, Youssef decided to dedicate his life to God. In 1905, he entered the Monastery of Saints Cyprian and Justina – Kfifan, of the Lebanese Maronite Order.
Upon entering, he took the name Estephan, in honor of his father and the patron saint of his village. After two years of novitiate under Father Ignatius Dagher of Tannourine, he professed his religious vows on August 23, 1907, beginning a long journey of prayer, labor, and spiritual struggle in the service of the monastery.
His Character and Way of Life
Brother Estephan was known for his humility, silence, and deep spirituality. He was a hardworking monk, never idle, strong in body, dedicating himself to fieldwork, carpentry, and construction with skill and quiet dedication.
He combined labor and prayer: rising before dawn to pray, then heading to the monastery’s fields. A smile never left his face, and calmness and composure marked his entire demeanor.
He loved the land and understood its value, often saying: “The farmer is a hidden king.” He lived simply, in food and clothing, detached from worldly possessions, clinging only to God and to the Virgin Mary, whose rosary he prayed unceasingly.
His Miracles
During his life, he radiated peace and love to those around him. After his death, many miracles were attributed to his intercession:
Healings from incurable diseases.
Helping the poor during the years of famine and the First World War.
The preservation of his body, which remained incorrupt after his death in 1938, a clear sign of his sanctity.
These miracles were documented by the Church in his cause for beatification and became the reason for the spread of his veneration among the faithful in Lebanon and abroad.
His Death and Beatification
Brother Estephan passed away peacefully on August 30, 1938, at the Monastery of Kfifan, at the age of 49, after a life rich in prayer and work. He was buried in the same monastery, near Saint Nimatullah Al-Hardini.
The investigation into his holiness began in 2001, and on December 17, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI confirmed his heroic virtues. He was beatified in a solemn celebration in Lebanon on June 27, 2010, becoming the fourth blessed of the Lebanese Maronite Order, after Charbel, Rafqa, and Nimatullah.
His Sayings
Brother Estephan left behind only a few words, but they reveal the depth of his spirituality:
“God sees me.” (His lifelong motto)
“Blessed is the one adorned with knowledge that leads to God.”
“Love does not need knowledge, for it comes from the heart.”
His Evangelical Witness
Brother Estephan left an enduring evangelical witness: he was the example of the simple, hardworking monk, who wrote no books and gave no sermons, but preached by his silent holiness and by a Gospel that could be read in his face and his actions.
His life was a silent testimony that holiness is not in outward greatness but in simple, daily faithfulness: prayer, work, love, obedience, and joy.
For this reason, he is considered today the patron of workers and farmers, and of all who labor with their hands to live with dignity.
Conclusion
Brother Estephan Nehmé is both a farmer of the land and a farmer of holiness. His life reflects the journey of the Maronites and their monks in Lebanon: struggle, sacrifice, work and prayer, a deep bond with both earth and heaven.
He is a living image of Lebanon the message, Lebanon of the saints, Lebanon rooted in faith and always lifted up to God.

Text and Video: The return of the hero Etienne Saqr-Abu Arz to his homeland, Lebanon, is a national, religious, and moral duty
Elias Bejjani/August 28/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/08/146764/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GZ_s7J5ikU&t=3s
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing..” (02 Timothy 04:07-08)
Is it not shameful that Lebanon, after decades of sacrifices and blood, remains estranged from its true heroes?
Is it not disgraceful that the great Lebanese fighter and patriot, the historic leader Etienne Sakr – Abu Arz, still lives in exile, far from the homeland he loved, defended, and to which he gave his every effort, alongside the blood of his comrades and martyrs?
Who is Abu Arz?
Etienne Sakr was born in 1937 in the southern town of Ain Ebel. Educated in French schools in Tripoli and Beirut, he came from a deeply rooted Maronite family. He adopted the name “Abu Arz” – Father of the Cedar – as a symbol of his unshakable belonging to Lebanon’s eternal cedar tree and all that it represents in the nation’s identity.
In 1975, he founded the Guardians of the Cedars, a movement that swiftly rose to become one of the most prominent nationalist forces in Lebanon during the wars imposed on the country by others – most notably the Syrian Baathist Assad regime, Palestinian armed organizations, and their allies among leftist and pan-Arab extremist movements.
His party was marked by clarity of vision, uncompromising sovereignty, and fierce determination. Abu Arz stood courageously against every form of occupation – Palestinian, Syrian, jihadist, leftist, or pan-Arabist – raising the bold slogan: “No Palestinian will remain in Lebanon.” Under his leadership, the party sacrificed hundreds of martyrs in defense of Lebanon’s land, identity, and independence.
He personally commanded decisive battles against Palestinian terrorist organizations and the invading Syrian army, as well as their Trojan collaborators at home. He played a key role in the Battle of Zahle (1981) and the East Beirut battles (1978), proving beyond doubt that Lebanon would never be a land for foreign domination or a substitute homeland for anyone. True to his principles, he withdrew from the Lebanese Front the moment some of its factions accepted Syrian tutelage, refusing any compromise on sovereignty.
Exile and Unjust Sentences
When the Syrian army stormed Baabda Palace in 1990 and toppled General Michel Aoun’s government, Abu Arz was forced to flee Beirut for his safety. He took refuge in South Lebanon, where he remained until the Israeli withdrawal in 2000, after which he relocated to Israel and later settled in Cyprus.
In the absence of genuine justice, the Syrian-controlled Military Court issued an unjust, arbitrary, and politically motivated sentence against him in absentia: seven years of hard labor on charges of “collaboration with Israel.” This sentence was a farce – void of legal or constitutional legitimacy. That so-called military court was nothing more than an instrument of occupation, designed to crush Lebanon’s free men.
His Political and Intellectual Legacy
Despite decades in exile, Abu Arz remained a towering voice of freedom, warning of the dangers of sectarianism and affirming that Lebanese identity transcends religious and sectarian divisions. In every interview and article, he remained unshakably committed to one eternal principle: Lebanon first, last, and always – free, sovereign, and independent.
What Is Required Today
Today, after all the collapses and tragedies Lebanon has endured – after the total exposure of the false narrative of so-called “resistance and liberation”; after Iran’s decline and the crushing defeat of its terrorist proxies, foremost among them Hezbollah – the time has come to restore honor and justice to one of the bravest, most patriotic, and most selfless Lebanese leaders: Abu Arz.
It is first and foremost the duty of His Excellency the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, himself a son of the South, to exercise his constitutional authority by granting a special pardon to Abu Arz. This would allow him to return to his homeland and spend the remainder of his life among his people and on his soil. It is the least Lebanon can offer to a man who dedicated his very existence to its cause.
It is also the duty of all so-called Christian “sovereignist” political parties – those who claim to defend freedom and independence – to adopt this demand openly and to press for his honorable return, instead of turning a blind eye to his case, as they did in the past. The same applies to the Maronite Church and most political forces that once benefited from his struggle, only to later abandon him.
Honoring Abu Arz and bringing him back to Lebanon is not only a national and moral duty, but also a message to every struggler and every free Lebanese: that Lebanon – the land of holiness, saints, and mission – does not forget its heroes, nor does it bury their sacrifices in the graves of denial. A nation that does not honor its heroes is unworthy of leadership.
Let us, then, raise our voices loud and clear:
The time has come for Abu Arz’s return.
The time has come for his vindication.
The time has come for Lebanon to embrace one of its most loyal and heroic sons.

Lebanese Army Handed Political Fireball over Weapons Control
Beirut: Nazeer Rida/Asharq Al Awsat/August 30/2025
In recent weeks, Lebanon’s army has found itself stretched thin across multiple fronts: mourning two soldiers killed by an exploding Israeli drone in the south, collecting weapons from Palestinian camps in Beirut, dismantling a drug factory near the Syrian border, and reinforcing its presence south of the Litani River. Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal said on Friday the military was entering “a sensitive phase with heavy responsibilities at all levels,” pledging to safeguard civil peace and internal stability. The army numbers about 75,000 personnel deployed nationwide, including on the northern, eastern and southern frontiers. A military source told Asharq Al-Awsat the army’s duties range from counterterrorism and anti-smuggling operations to maintaining domestic order and pursuing drug traffickers, alongside tightening border control and reinforcing its deployment in southern Lebanon.
Political fireball
Analysts say Lebanon’s political class has effectively tossed a “fireball” into the army’s hands: containing Hezbollah’s weapons, stabilizing the south, policing the Syrian border, disarming Palestinian factions and cracking down on narcotics production. These tasks have put the army at the center of international diplomacy, underscored by US and French initiatives to bolster its capabilities. An American proposal delivered by envoy Tom Barrack called for nearly $1 billion in annual funding to equip the army and police, alongside expanded deployments in southern Lebanon. French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris would convene two conferences by year-end, one to support the army – which he called “the cornerstone of Lebanon’s sovereignty” – and another for reconstruction. Macron added that he had urged Beirut to approve a plan to restrict weapons to the state, which he discussed with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. He said his personal envoy would head to Lebanon once the cabinet adopts the disarmament plan.
Mounting expectations
The push to strengthen the army comes as Lebanon grapples with economic collapse and political paralysis, placing heavier burdens on soldiers whose pay and benefits have been eroded by the crisis. The cabinet is expected to review the army’s implementation plan for exclusive state control of weapons on Sept. 2, with officials stressing it would avoid confrontation. About 7,000 troops are already deployed south of the Litani under a UN-brokered mandate, a number set to rise after a ceasefire agreement, a military source said. Meanwhile, engineering units continue clearing unexploded ordnance in populated areas and farmland, a task that has killed and injured soldiers in the past.
Border with Syria
The US plan also outlined parallel steps to demarcate Lebanon’s land and maritime boundary with Syria, backed by a tripartite committee of Lebanon, Syria and the United Nations, and a joint program to combat drug smuggling. Along the border, the army has shut down most illegal crossings using a mix of fixed checkpoints, patrols and night-vision technology. Since December, it has detained more than 160 people, Lebanese and Syrians, in anti-smuggling operations. “There is ongoing coordination between the Lebanese army and the Syrian general staff through the cooperation office,” the military source said, noting progress in curbing trafficking despite difficult terrain and security risks. “The main challenge is to safeguard sovereignty and prevent armed groups or smugglers from breaching the border. That requires modern surveillance tools and constant coordination to protect border communities.”

Report: Agreement reached on 'specific formats' for army plan
Naharnet/August/30/2025
Intensive consultations are taking place behind closed doors among senior political and non-political officials regarding the army’s weapons monopolization plan that will be presented to Cabinet on September 5, media reports said. “An almost-final agreement has been reached on ‘specific formats’ on which the army plan will be based,” senior sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Saturday. The efforts are aimed at “preserving civil peace and the country’s unity, security and stability,” the sources said, adding that “all parties agree on this without exception, with the aim of preventing any clash or troubles with any local party.”

Hezbollah mourns Yemeni leaders killed in strike, condemns attack
LBCI/August/30/2025
Hezbollah offered condolences to the Yemeni people and leadership following the killing of Yemen’s Houthi government prime minister and several ministers in a strike targeting a government meeting in Sanaa. In a statement, Hezbollah described the attack as part of a broader pattern of regional aggression, accusing Israel of committing repeated crimes across the Middle East. The group said the incident highlights Yemen’s resilience and steadfast role in supporting the Palestinian cause, adding that its sacrifices stand in stark contrast to what it called global inaction.

Lebanon weighs internal dialogue vs. external pressure: Army weapons plan faces delays
LBCI/August/30/2025
All signs pointed to the cabinet holding a session on September 2 to discuss the army’s plan to consolidate weapons, but ongoing internal consultations have pushed the meeting back to September 5. Among the expected scenarios is that the session will convene, the army commander will present his proposal, and the meeting will then be adjourned for further review. Consultations are therefore not over, though some signals have emerged. Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said the U.S. proposal, if not accepted by Israel and Syria, would become meaningless. Mitri’s remarks caused a stir, prompting the prime minister to stress in remarks to LBCI that the paper is Lebanese and that the government remains committed to the objectives it approved. The “objectives” paper does not set a timetable but emphasizes, first and foremost, extending state authority over all Lebanese territory, upholding Resolution 1701, and reinforcing the state’s exclusive control over decisions of war and peace. The paper also received support from the Higher Islamic Council, which, for the first time, spoke so clearly about the exclusivity of arms. Attention now turns to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s speech marking Imam Musa al-Sadr’s disappearance. Sources say Berri is expected to call for resolving issues through internal dialogue rather than yielding to outside pressures, stressing that national interest must be the basis for negotiations. He is also expected to present a vision for talks with the U.S., particularly in light of complications from recent discussions in Beirut, which brought Lebanon no tangible results despite earlier promises.Berri is set to reaffirm keeping the army out of confrontations and not burdening it with the consequences of political decisions. His speech may also carry a message to Arab states. The question now is whether the government will freeze its decision to set a timetable, especially given President Joseph Aoun’s earlier statement that the U.S. proposal requires approval from both Syria and Israel, and instead delay implementation based on the military institution’s security and operational considerations. This question is particularly pressing as Hezbollah continues to insist that Israel fully comply with the ceasefire terms before any progress is made toward consolidating weapons under state authority.

Lebanon’s deputy PM distances himself from reported comment on US envoy’s 'paper'
LBCI/August/30/2025
Lebanon's Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri moved to clarify remarks attributed to him, stressing that he never used the phrase “Barrack's paper fell” in reference to U.S. envoy Tom Barrack. Mitri explained that during the interview, his comment was limited to noting that Barrack had not brought any new proposals from Israel. He said the phrase was introduced by the interviewer, not by him. “I only said that Barrack did not bring anything new from Israel,” Mitri stated, distancing himself from the wording that circulated recently.

Mitri says govt. won't back down from arms monopoly decision
Naharnet/August/30/2025
Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said Saturday that “Hezbollah, the army and the government have agreed to avoid confrontation.”“The government will not back down from its arms monopoly decision,” Mitri added. “I have informed Speaker (Nabih) Berri that Friday’s session should be calm and based on dialogue,” Mitri said about the session that will see the army present a plan for the disarmament of Hezbollah and all armed groups. The Lebanese government's decision to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year was made under heavy U.S. pressure and amid fears of expanded military action by Israel, which has continued to carry out attacks in Lebanon despite the November ceasefire. Hezbollah has meanwhile rejected the government’s decisions and said that it will deal with them as if they don’t exist.

Lebanese army dismantles Israeli surveillance device in Yaroun
LBCI/August/30/2025
The Lebanese army said a specialized unit discovered an Israeli surveillance device equipped with a hidden camera in the southern town of Yaroun, Bint Jbeil, during ongoing engineering sweeps in the area. The device was dismantled on site. The army urged residents to avoid suspicious objects, not to touch them, and to immediately report any findings to the nearest military post to ensure their safety.

Cabinet to Discuss Disarmament Plan in Upcoming Friday Session
This is Beirut/August/30/2025
The Council of Ministers will hold a session on Friday, September 5, at 3:00 PM, at the Presidential Palace to review and discuss the implementation of the disarmament plan. The army was tasked with preparing the plan, in accordance with Article Two of Cabinet Resolution No. 1, dated August 5, 2025. Earlier today, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reiterated the government’s commitment to disarming Hezbollah, emphasizing that the army and state institutions will need international support to implement the plan effectively. The US-backed disarmament plan envisions Hezbollah transferring its weapons to the state before the end of the year.

Large fire engulfs archaeological site in Tyre
LBCI/August/30/2025
A large fire erupted at an archaeological site in Tyre, prompting emergency teams to rush in and contain the blaze. Officials said dry grass at the site fueled the fire’s rapid spread, causing damage to the area.

New hope for patients: Lebanon opens door to kidney transplants with full financial coverage
LBCI/August/30/2025
For many kidney patients in Lebanon, a transplant once hinged on finding both a donor and the money to pay for it. Now, that financial barrier has been removed. For the first time, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health has decided to fully cover the cost of kidney transplants for anyone in need, provided a donor is available. The decision is both humanitarian and economic. By the numbers, a transplant costs about $17,000, while dialysis for a single patient costs about $13,000 annually. This decision is no longer just words on paper. At Al-Rassoul Al-Aazam Hospital, the first two adult transplant operations were successfully carried out at the ministry’s full expense, and the ministry is working to sustain the program. The move has opened a new door for patients whose treatment was previously stalled by a lack of donors or financial barriers. Officials say the ministry is also working to provide full coverage for bone marrow transplants in both public and private hospitals. Between political will and medical advances, new opportunities are emerging to write stories of recovery. All it takes: a donor and a match. The rest is up to the ministry.

Perhaps What Is Meant Is the Collapse of Deadlines…
Johnny Kortbawi/This Is Beirut/August 30/2025
Tom Barrack has made more than one misstep – mistakes that some might even consider political sins. The issue is not simply what he told journalists at Baabda Palace, but the deeper political and strategic implications of his words.
At a time when the government is moving toward the point of no return on Barrack’s proposal, and after failing to secure Israeli guarantees or clear answers, his statements carried a weightier message than their surface meaning. They echoed remarks he made a month earlier about the region’s future map.
Barrack had already stirred controversy with his comments on Bilad al-Sham (Greater Syria) and Syria’s role in it, remarks that coincided with Israeli leaks claiming that Ahmad al-Sharaa had floated the idea of offering Tripoli in exchange for the Golan Heights. Now, once again, Barrack has touched raw nerves, suggesting that Israel no longer recognizes the Sykes-Picot borders and is seeking to redraw them. It is hardly surprising that Israel would reject Sykes-Picot, since the state came into existence in 1948 – more than three decades after the Anglo-French agreement that set the region’s current borders. Nor is it surprising that Israel would pursue expansionist ambitions, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced openly in recent years. What is striking, however, is that such ideas are being repeated not just in Israeli discourse, but by a US figure of Barrack’s stature. That repetition suggests more than rhetorical provocation; it points to major regional shifts already taking shape. If talk of redrawing the map proves real, the project will not remain an Israeli one alone. It could encourage other actors to press for their own statelets: Druze, Shia, Kurdish, Alawite and Christian entities alongside the Jewish state, standing in contrast to the current Sunni-majority order. Such fragmentation would reshuffle all the political and sectarian cards in the region. For Lebanon, the implications are particularly grave. Preserving the country as a unified state within its present borders is becoming increasingly difficult, with threats now emerging from the south, north and east. In the absence of effective diplomacy, tensions are only escalating. The bottom line is that Lebanon faces three dangerous and even frightening months ahead – whether measured by political calculations or military risks. This will be a sensitive phase in the regional balance of power. For Lebanon, the only viable path forward is clear: it must be the state itself – not armed factions born of its weakness – that holds the reins of negotiation.

Summer 2025: Lebanon Reclaims Its Suitcases… and Its Traffic Jams
Christiane Tager/This Is Beirut/August 30/2025
Despite regional tensions, summer 2025 in Lebanon offered a surprising display of resilience. Beirut airport handled over 100 flights daily and up to 20,000 daily passengers, most of them returning Lebanese expats. Hotels beamed with life, restaurants saw bustling tables and traffic jams returned as part of the package. Every summer in Lebanon carries a hint of uncertainty: a sunny getaway shadowed by geopolitical clouds. In 2025, the gamble partly paid off. While not quite reaching the golden era of 2018–2019, the season brought hope to a sector long on edge.
Between July and August, Beirut welcomed more than 100 daily flights, with passenger numbers ranging from 17,000 and 20,000 passengers, according to BIA. Expatriates made up the overwhelming majority, reconnecting with their homeland and their favorite summer spots. Hotel occupancy in Beirut ranged between 80% and 90%, while other regions exceeded 60%, Pierre Achkar, head of the Federation of Tourism Syndicates, told This is Beirut. Ramzi Salman, president of the guesthouse syndicate, described the season as “a very pleasant surprise,” with “solid numbers”, except for sensitive areas.
The restaurant and nightlife scene saw more mixed results. “The season’s start was disrupted by bombings and regional tensions,” Khaled Nazha, vice president of the restaurant syndicate, explained. “Attendance improved, but still fell short of 2018–2019 levels.”
Looking Back: Summer 2024. To appreciate the cautious optimism of 2025, one must remember the bleak summer of 2024. Tourist arrivals fell by 32%, dropping from 1.67 million in 2023 to just 1.13 million in 2024, a sharp blow that left the sector exhausted and wary.
Industry professionals agree: the recovery is real, yet fragile. To sustain momentum, they’re calling for political and security stability, better roads, a low-cost terminal and modernized infrastructure to put Lebanon back on the global tourism map, ideally with fewer traffic jams and more peace of mind. Lebanon remains a land of contrasts: irresistible for its landscapes, culture and cuisine, yet held back by instability. Summer 2025 offered a breath of fresh air after a disastrous 2024, but the real challenge lies ahead: building a sustainable future for Lebanese tourism, not just celebrating a temporary rebound.

Can Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines succeed with a low-cost gamble?
Miguel Hadchity/Arab News/August 30, 2025
RIYADH: Lebanon’s flag carrier Middle East Airlines — wholly owned by the central bank, Banque du Liban — plans to launch a low-cost subsidiary to serve destinations in the EU and the Middle East in what would be a welcome addition to the sector. Amid an economy in freefall, soaring ticket prices, and competition from Hungarian budget carrier Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s limited but cheaper flights, analysts told Arab News how the proposal could still have a positive impact on the country’s aviation sector. Jassem Ajaka, an economist and university professor, believes the MEA has “kind of a monopoly in terms of direct flights.” However, negotiations with the International Monetary Fund include liberalizing various sectors, which could see increased competition for the company if new competitors enter the market. Ajaka sees the low-cost subsidiary as a strategic play, adding: “Launching an LCC (low-cost carrier) during this monopoly scene is a step to keep its position, especially as many customers suffer from high ticket prices and look for indirect flights through cheaper airlines. This could help MEA recollect those travelers.”For Lebanese expatriates like Ziad Fino, a project coordinator at business school HEC Paris who left the country during the 2019 crisis, soaring airfares have turned family visits into a costly ordeal. “I used to visit Lebanon at least twice a year — once in the summer and again during the holidays,” he told Arab News in an interview. “But now, with ticket prices skyrocketing, I’ve had to cut back to maybe once a year, if I’m lucky.”
MEA’s fares have become a significant burden.
“A round-trip ticket from Riyadh to Beirut during peak season can cost over $1,000,” said Roger Hadchity, a project manager at Riyadh-based Blueprint Middle East, a commercial fit-out and refurbishment contractor, who left Lebanon for Saudi Arabia.“We’re forced to look for alternatives, like connecting flights through other Gulf hubs, but even those options are getting pricier,” he added. But how can MEA’s subsidiary operate at genuinely lower costs? Ajaka said: “MEA is already an established airline, so it could rely on one type of airplane and benefit from existing human resources. The new LCC could also use yield management to maximize revenues from every trip.” Lebanon’s broken economy poses a steep challenge. “It’s so hard to launch and operate an LCC amid high inflation,” the economist admitted. “But it could work if the chain is autonomous and self-sufficient — selling tickets in fresh USD cash or through fresh USD credit cards, using cheap fuel, and implementing yield management,” he noted. Any operation in Lebanon is directly affected by the security in the country, and as Ajaka affirmed, nothing can operate in an armed conflict area. “In case of Israeli aggression, the project cannot proceed. Even if the airport isn’t targeted, rising insurance fees would affect profits,” he added. In July, it was announced that the new airline was set to be launched within two years and serve destinations in the EU and the Middle East. Speaking to Arab News, MEA’s Public Relations Manager Rima Mekkaoui said that concrete preparations for the airline may not begin until winter 2027. When asked for more details, Mekkaoui confirmed that was all the information currently available.
Regulatory hurdles and global partnerships
Kamil Al-Awadhi, the International Air Transport Association’s regional vice president for Africa and the Middle East, outlined the certifications that any new LCC would need to become operational. “The IATA Operational Safety Audit Program is IATA’s internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline,” he explained, noting that such IATA-specific certifications are not compulsory for aviation firms to obtain before being operational. The top official explained that if an airline wants to become an IATA member, it must become IOSA registered and must remain registered to maintain membership.
While IATA membership is not compulsory for an airline to operate, it has its perks as the association offers support to both LCCs and full-service carriers. “Becoming an IATA member airline offers numerous benefits, including enhanced credibility, access to a global network, reduced costs through streamlined operations, and a powerful voice in industry advocacy,” Al-Awadhi said. “IATA membership also facilitates industry change, promotes safety standards, and provides access to financial services and business intelligence,” adding that non-IATA airlines face limitations including barriers to joining alliances and integrating into the wider aviation ecosystem, especially without IOSA certification.
Regional LCCs and Lebanon’s uphill battle
Lebanon’s plan to launch a budget airline comes as nearly every neighboring country has already established its own successful low-cost carrier, reshaping regional travel with ultra-affordable fares. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is a growing ultra-low-cost company in the region, expanding with flights from Beirut. Flydubai serves as Dubai’s budget-friendly alternative to Emirates, while Saudi Arabia’s flynas operates flights to over 70 destinations. Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways and Oman’s Salam Air dominate budget travel in the Levant and Gulf. These airlines thrive on cost efficiency, high-frequency routes, and digital-first booking — something MEA has struggled with due to Lebanon’s economic constraints. Unlike Gulf carriers, which benefit from state-backed stability and open-skies policies, MEA faces hyperinflation, fuel shortages, and a collapsing currency.
Fleet expansion vs. economic reality
MEA has nine new aircraft on order, including long-range Airbus A321XLRs to open African routes, but delivery delays — some jets were due in 2023 — highlight broader industry struggles. Meanwhile, Beirut’s airport, strained beyond its 6-million-passenger capacity, saw a post-ceasefire surge, handling 560,050 travelers in May alone. To cope, MEA is pushing for a $400 million to $500 million second terminal via a public-private partnership, promising advanced, passport-free processing. But similar plans were scrapped in 2023 over corruption claims, and Lebanon’s instability may deter investors. In June, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam revealed plans for a second international airport in Lebanon. Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny confirmed during a speech on Aug. 19 that “reactivating the René Moawad Airport in Qlayaat is a fundamental pillar for stimulating commercial and tourist activity in the North (of Lebanon),” clarifying that “the airport’s feasibility study has been completed and the project is now awaiting the executive steps for its revival.”
Wizz Air’s shadow
Wizz Air’s arrival has exposed MEA’s pricing vulnerability, but its limited routes leave room for competition — if MEA can undercut its own mainline fares without cannibalizing revenue. With Lebanon’s financial system in shambles and political risks lingering, MEA’s gamble hinges on two bets: that travelers will trust a state-linked budget carrier, and that Lebanon’s economy won’t ground it before takeoff. As Hadchity put it: “If travel stays this expensive, more of us will drift away.”

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on August 30-31/2025
Israeli airstrike kills Houthi militant PM in Sanaa
AP/August 30, 2025
CAIRO: The Houthis said Saturday an Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the militant-controlled government in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, the most senior Houthi official killed in the Israeli-US campaign against the Iranian-backed militants. Ahmed Al-Rahawi was killed in a Thursday strike in Sanaa along with a number of ministers, the militants said in a statement. Other ministers and officials were wounded, the statement added without providing further details. The premier was targeted along with other members of his Houthi-controlled government during a “routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year,” the Houthi statement said. Thursday’s Israeli strike occurred as the militants-owned television station was broadcasting a speech for Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, the secretive leader of the militant group where he was sharing updates on the latest Gaza developments and vowing retaliation against Israel. Senior Houthi officials used to gather to watch Al-Houthi’s pre-recorded speeches. Al-Rahawi wasn’t part of the inner circle around Al-Houthi that runs the military and strategic affairs of the group. His government, like the previous ones, was tasked with running the day-to-day civilian affairs in Sanaa and other Houthi-held areas. On Thursday, the Israeli military said it “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen.” Late on Saturday, the military in a statement confirmed killing Al-Rahawi “along with additional senior officials.” It said senior officials among the dozens at the facility struck were responsible for “terror actions” against Israel. “Yemen endures a lot for the victory of the Palestinian people,” Al-Rahawi had said following an Israeli strike last week that struck an facility owned by the country’s main oil company, which is controlled by the rebels in Sanaa, as well as a power plant. The Aug. 24 strike came three days after the Houthis launched a ballistic missile toward Israel that its military described as the first cluster bomb the rebels had launched at it since 2023. The prime minister hailed from the southern province of Abyan, and was an ally to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. He allied himself with the Houthis when the rebels overran Sanaa, and much of the north and center of the country in 2014, initiating the country’s long-running civil war. He was appointed as prime minister in August 2024.
The United States and Israel began their air and naval campaign against the Houthis in response to the rebels’ missile and drone attacks on Israel and on ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis targeted ships in response to the war in Gaza, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians. Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which about $1 trillion of goods pass each year. The US and Israeli strikes killed dozens of people in Yemen. One US strike in April hit a prison holding African migrants in northern Sadaa province, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others. Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst with the Crisis Group International, a Brussels-based think tank, called the killing of the Houthi prime minister a “serious setback” for the rebels. He said it marks an Israeli shift from striking the rebels’ infrastructure to targeting their leaders, including senior military figures, which “poses a greater threat to their command structure.” In May, the Trump administration announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping. The rebels, however, said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.

Head of Yemen's Houthi Government, Some Ministers Killed in Israeli Strike
Asharq Al Awsat/August 30/2025
The Iranian-backed Houthis said Saturday an Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the Houthi-controlled government in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in a Thursday strike in Sanaa along with a number of ministers, the group said in a statement.
The Israeli military said Thursday that it “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen." Al-Rahawi, who served as prime minister to the Houthi-led government since August 2024, was targeted along with other members of his Houthi-controlled government during a routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year, the group’s statement said, Reuters reported. The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles against Israel throughout Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The group says the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians. Though most of the missiles launched by Yemen are intercepted by Israel, or fragment mid-air, this has done little to deter the attacks. Earlier in the week, Israeli strikes hit multiple areas across Sanaa, killing at least 10 people and wounding 102 others, according to the Houthi-run health ministry and government officials. The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea throughout Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The group say their attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians. In response to the Houthi attacks, Israel and a US-led coalition pounded the Houthi-held areas in Yemen, including Sanaa and the strategic coastal city of Hodeidah. Israeli strikes knocked the Sanaa airport out of service in May. The Trump administration announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping in May. The group, however, said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.

Houthis vow to avenge death of their PM in Israeli strikes
AFP/August 30/2025
Yemen's Houthi rebels vowed on Saturday to avenge the killing of their prime minister and other political leaders in Israeli strikes this week."We promise to God, to the dear Yemeni people and the families of the martyrs and wounded that we will take revenge," the head of the group's supreme political council, Mehdi al-Mashat, said in a video message posted on Telegram. He warned foreign companies to leave Israel "before it's too late.

Israeli airstrike kills Houthi rebel prime minister in Sanaa
The Associated Press/August 30/2025
CAIRO (AP) — The Iranian-backed Houthis said Saturday an Israeli airstrike killed the prime minister of the rebel-controlled government in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in a Thursday strike in Sanaa along with a number of ministers, the rebels said in a statement.
The Israeli military said Thursday that it “precisely struck a Houthi terrorist regime military target in the area of Sanaa in Yemen." Al-Rahawi, who served as prime minister to the Houthi-led government since August 2024, was targeted along with other members of his Houthi-controlled government during a routine workshop held by the government to evaluate its activities and performance over the past year, the rebels’ statement said. The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles against Israel throughout Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The group says the attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians. Though most of the missiles launched by Yemen are intercepted by Israel, or fragment mid-air, this has done little to deter the attacks. Earlier in the week, Israeli strikes hit multiple areas across Sanaa, killing at least 10 people and wounding 102 others, according to the Houthi-run health ministry and government officials. The Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted ships in the Red Sea throughout Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The rebels say their attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians. In response to the Houthi attacks, Israel and a U.S.-led coalition pounded the rebel-held areas in Yemen, including Sanaa and the strategic coastal city of Hodeida. Israeli strikes knocked the Sanaa airport out of service in May. The Trump administration announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on shipping in May. The rebels, however, said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.

Hamas confirms death of its military leader Mohammed Sinwar
Reuters/August 31, 2025
CAIRO: The Palestinian militant group Hamas confirmed on Saturday the death of its Gaza military chief Mohammad Sinwar, a few months after Israel said it killed him in a strike in May. Hamas did not provide details on Sinwar's death but published pictures of him along with other group leaders, describing them as "martyrs". Mohammad Sinwar was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the Islamist faction’s chief, who co-masterminded the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and whom Israel had killed in combat a year later. He was elevated to the top ranks of the group after the death of the brother. His confirmed death would leave his close associate Izz al-Din Haddad, who currently oversees operations in northern Gaza, in charge of Hamas' armed wing across the whole of the enclave.

Palestinian President's Office Urges US to Reinstate his Visa
Asharq Al Awsat/August 30/2025
The Palestinian president's office on Saturday urged the US government to reverse its unusual decision to revoke his visa, weeks before he was meant to appear at the UN’s main annual meeting and an international conference about creating a Palestinian state.
The 27-nation European Union asked the Trump administration to reconsider the move, which drew broad criticism. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rescinded the visas of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and 80 other officials ahead of next month’s annual high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly, the State Department disclosed Friday, citing national security interests. Abbas has addressed the General Assembly for many years, and generally leads the Palestinian delegation. “We call upon the American administration to reverse its decision. This decision will only increase tension and escalation," Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh told The Associated Press in Ramallah on Saturday. “We have been in contact since yesterday with Arab and foreign countries, especially those directly concerned with this issue. This effort will continue around the clock," he said. He urged countries to put pressure on the Trump administration to reverse the decision, notably those nations that organized a high-level conference on Sept. 22 about reviving efforts for a two-state solution in Israel and the Palestinian territories. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said he “deplores” the US decision. "The UN headquarters is a sanctuary in the service of peace. It should not be subject to any access restrictions,'' he posted on X Saturday after meeting with his counterparts from around the EU. The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas issued a statement about the revoked visas saying: ‘’In light of the existing headquarters agreements between the UN and its host state, we urge for this decision to be reconsidered.''Abu Rudeineh also called for an end to Israel’s offensive in Gaza and "escalation in the West Bank, because none of this will lead to any solution.” The move came as the Israeli military declared Gaza’s largest city a combat zone.

EU Urges US to Reconsider Ban on Palestinian Officials Attending UN Assembly
Asharq Al Awsat/August 30/2025
European Union foreign ministers have urged the United States to reconsider its decision not to allow Palestinian officials to take part in the UN General Assembly in New York, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Saturday. Speaking after a meeting of the ministers in the Danish capital Copenhagen, Kallas also said she had asked EU governments to submit proposals next week for another package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. Also, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday to tell him that Madrid supports him after the US denied him the visa to attend the United Nations gathering. The visa denial is "unjust", Sanchez said in a post on social media platform X.

Frankly Speaking: The state of political prisoners in Israel
Arab News/August 30, 2025
RIYADH: The recent taunting on camera of Marwan Barghouti, the prominent Palestinian political prisoner, by a far-right Israeli minister has been described by his son as reflective of the Palestinian people’s suffering and the oppression they have been through. “I think that it’s a representation of what the Israeli government has become,” Arab Marwan Barghouti, Marwan’s eldest son, said in the latest episode of “Frankly Speaking,” the weekly current affairs program of Arab News. “We’ve always thought that there is a ceiling toward the amount of desperation that they’re going to get to. But I don’t think that there is a ceiling … they are getting the green light from all Western governments to do whatever they want. Arab was commenting on a viral clip showing Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, walking into the cell of his father and berating him, saying: “You will not win.” The edited clip did not show Marwan’s response to Ben-Gvir’s taunting. Arab was commenting on a viral clip showing Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, walking into the cell of his father and berating him. (Screenshot) For the first time in decades, the world saw moving pictures of a man many Palestinians regard as their most legitimate and unifying figure. For Arab, the moment was both painful and symbolic. The clip, shared by Ben-Gvir’s supporters on X, showed the physical toll of more than two decades behind bars. Marwan, 66, has been imprisoned since 2002 after being convicted by an Israeli court of planning attacks that led to five civilians being killed. He is serving five life sentences plus 40 years. Arab said the scene captured not just one man’s suffering but the wider relationship between occupier and occupied. “Someone like Ben-Gvir is the one who should be in prison. He’s a fascist, he’s a convicted terrorist and he’s calling for the genocide of the Palestinian people,” he told “Frankly Speaking” host Katie Jensen. “But I can tell you that this is the normal relationship between an oppressed and oppressor. “And I think that this picture will go down in history as a representation of the oppression that the Palestinian people have been through. And I think that there is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed of as his son. I think that my father stood tall against oppression, as always, representing the whole of the Palestinian people.” Marwan’s humiliating treatment by Ben-Gvir, not to mention his aged and gaunt appearance in the footage, garnered global condemnation and reinforced previous criticism of Israel’s alleged maltreatment of prisoners. According to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, some 17,000 Palestinians were arrested by Israeli authorities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem between Oct. 7, 2023, and May this year.
Some 10,400 were being detained in Israeli jails as of June 8, according to the Israeli rights organization HaMoked. Meanwhile, 3,562 were under so-called administrative detention, held indefinitely without charge. Among those arrested between Oct. 7, 2023 and January this year were 1,055 children, of which 440 remain in jail. Thousands more detainees have been rounded up in Gaza and taken to Israeli prisons, with limited information given to families about their condition or whereabouts. Reacting to the Ben-Gvir video, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said: “The video is troubling. We are aware of it. It is important to remind that prisoners should be treated in accordance with international law, respecting their inherent dignity.” On Aug. 19, the UN Human Rights Office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan said the footage was unacceptable, adding: “The minister’s behavior and the publication of the footage constitute an attack on Marwan’s dignity.”Raed Abu Al-Homs, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission, expressed deep concern for Marwan’s life. In a statement, he said: “The language and arguments (Ben-Gvir) used, in both substance and tone, are a dangerous indication of the intentions harbored by this notorious racist.” He also urged “all international bodies to take immediate action to provide protection for this leader, who represents a unifying national symbol for the Palestinian people.”The PA’s ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, condemned Ben-Gvir’s act as “racist and fascistic hate, and a deplorable and immoral behavior that violates international law, which prohibits such heinous acts in dealing with prisoners and detainees.”For the Barghouti family, the footage was devastating. “Not easy,” Arab said of his mother Fadwa’s reaction. “I don’t think it’s easy for us to take minutes to be able to recognize my father’s face. “The whole family hasn’t seen my father in more than two-and-a-half years, since before (the Hamas-led attack of) Oct. 7 (2023). And it’s not easy. He’s been losing weight. He’s been assaulted multiple times in prison. You can see how his body is getting weaker.“But I think that we always remind ourselves that my father’s fate is always linked with the Palestinian people’s fate. If they’re being starved, he’s being starved. If they’re being assaulted, he’s being assaulted. And that’s a path that he’s chosen. “I think the sad part is to see his six grandchildren that he’s never met before, looking at him and asking so many questions that this is not our grandfather that we’ve always known. But I think that’s a representation of the Palestinian suffering. And we represent thousands of Palestinian families that are going through the same pain at the moment.”
The family’s access has long been severely restricted. “The last time my mother saw him was two and a half years ago and I haven’t seen him in three years,” said Arab. “And after turning 16 (when Palestinians qualify as adults under Israeli criminal law), I would see him once every two to three years. So this is the norm actually.”Since the Gaza war began, even those rare contacts have disappeared. “After Oct. 7, everything changed,” said Arab. “There’s no way of communication. The only way is the lawyer, and the lawyer has only been able to see him a handful of times.”
According to Arab, his father has been held in solitary confinement since Oct. 7, and regularly assaulted — an experience that many freed detainees say they have endured.
“If you talk to any Palestinian political prisoner who has been released in the last few months, you will understand the amount of torture that they go through regularly, every single day,” he said. “And this is why we have lost already, since Oct. 7, more than 76 Palestinian detainees. And that’s only the documented cases.”Once a leading figure in the West Bank’s ruling Fatah party and an elected lawmaker, Marwan remains the most popular Palestinian political figure, with polls consistently showing him far ahead of PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leaders despite his long absence. “I think it can be explained by mentioning what he is,” said Arab. “He is a unifying figure and that’s the main point that Palestinians appreciate him for. “The other thing is that he is someone who is willing to sacrifice for his people. The first statement when he went to prison, he said that if the price of my people’s freedom is my own freedom, I’m willing to pay that price. And he is paying that price. “The other thing is that I think he has a political vision that is accepted by all the Palestinian people. And that’s why in 2006, his biggest political achievement was bringing all Palestinian factions into one umbrella and one document, the Prisoners’ Document.
“It (called for the) establishment of a Palestinian state (based on) the ‘67 borders, the targeting of civilians is forbidden, the resistance should be limited to within the ‘67 borders as well. And he put all these points in one document that even Hamas, Islamic Jihad and all Palestinian political factions signed on. “And this is something that we Palestinians appreciate, because we are hungry for unity and we’ve been divided for too long and (are) paying the price for that.”Arab said his father continues to believe in the two-state solution, even though many young Palestinians increasingly see it as a dead end. “He is a supporter of the two-state solution, but he’s not delusional. He understands that it’s going to be very, very hard to do, but it’s the only viable solution at the moment. It’s the only acceptable solution even by the international community. “Our problem is not with the solution itself. Our problem is with committing to whatever we agree on.”Arab firmly rejected the notion that Palestinian leaders had squandered earlier opportunities for peace. Responding to former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s claim on “Frankly Speaking” last week that the PA turned down a “generous offer” during his term in office, Arab argued that this framing has long been part of what he called a “manipulative” Israeli narrative. He traced the roots of this narrative back to 1947, when Palestinians were offered 45 percent of the land under the UN partition plan despite, he said, owning more than 90 percent. “That’s, of course, not something that any people are willing to accept,” he said. “Then they got 78 percent of the land, and then they completed the whole land in ‘67. And then in ‘93, they came in and they said, okay, we’ll give you the 22 percent, but we’re going to divide them between A, B and C areas. And C areas represent 62 percent of the West Bank. It’s all manipulative.”For Arab, this history undermines the claim that Palestinians have simply refused peace. Instead, he sees a steady pattern of shrinking territorial rights and shifting goalposts, leaving Palestinians in a weaker position with each negotiation cycle.
What was described as an “offer,” he said, was always conditional and structured in a way that entrenched Israeli power rather than advanced Palestinian sovereignty.
Reports have long suggested that elements within the PA fear Marwan’s release would threaten the position of Abbas and his inner circle, leading to claims in some quarters that the PA has asked Israel not to free him. Arab dismissed the speculation.
“I think he’s a unifying figure not only for the Palestinian people, but also for Fatah,” he said. “If you ask my father, he is a proud Fatah member. He is a member of the Central Committee of Fatah. He was voted, first, by far the highest votes inside Fatah, not outside Fatah only. He’s a parliament member. “So, I think with his credibility, with his resume, he can bring people together. He’s not someone who is going to destabilize the Palestinian politics. He’s never been interested in that. “And even when it comes to the PA leadership and Fatah leadership, he’s more interested in bringing people together, rather than to bring more divisions. So, it won’t be something done in a chaotic way. “It will be organized and have positive dialogues and discussions internally until we get to a point where Fatah is stronger. And I think a strong Fatah means a stronger Palestinian cause and a stronger representation of the Palestinian people.”
While his father is widely seen as a potential unifier of rival factions, Arab himself is cautious about stepping into political life. He has become an articulate advocate on international platforms, but he insists his ambitions are different. “I don’t think so,” he said when asked about a political career. “My personal dream is to live in a Palestine that has children not worried about their future. Children living in safety and security.” Instead, he spoke of wanting a normal life — one where his father could finally meet his six grandchildren and keep the promise he made to Arab’s mother four decades ago: that when Palestine is free, the family would live not as symbols of resistance, but as ordinary people. Asked what his father would do if freed, Arab said: “I think he has a political vision that is accepted by the Palestinian factions and his political vision is based on establishing a sovereign, independent Palestinian state that secures freedom and living with dignity for all Palestinians. And that’s something that we all agree on. “And the interesting thing is that it’s not only accepted by Palestinian factions, but also by the international community itself. The whole international community nowadays is calling for the two-state solution.
“Here is a leader who is the most popular leader in Palestine and speaks of what the international community accepts. But that’s why we need the help of the international community and especially the regional powers like the Saudis, the Emiratis and Qataris, Egyptians, Jordanians. We need their help to make sure that we have that in reality.”

Red Cross warns against evacuation of Gaza City as Israel tightens siege
AFP/August 31, 2025
GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories: The Red Cross warned on Saturday that any Israeli attempt to evacuate Gaza City would put residents at risk, as Israel’s military tightened its siege on the area ahead of a planned offensive. Gaza’s civil defense agency said that since dawn Israeli attacks had killed 66 people in the territory already devastated by nearly 23 months of war. “It is impossible that a mass evacuation of Gaza City could ever be done in a way that is safe and dignified under the current conditions,” International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement. The dire state of shelter, health care and nutrition in Gaza meant evacuation was “not only unfeasible but incomprehensible under the present circumstances.” Israel is under increasing pressure to end its offensive in Gaza where the great majority of the population has been displaced at least once and the United Nations has declared a famine. But despite the calls at home and abroad for an end to the war, the Israeli army is readying itself for an operation to seize the Palestinian territory’s largest city and relocate its inhabitants. On Saturday, at a rally in Tel Aviv demanding the negotiated release of the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza, captives’ families warned the impending offensive could imperil their lives. The Israeli military has declared Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone,” without the daily pauses in fighting that have allowed limited food deliveries elsewhere.
The military did not call for the population to leave immediately, but a day earlier COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said it was making preparations “for moving the population southward for their protection.”
Gaza’s civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP 66 people had been killed in Israeli bombing since dawn. The army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the figure. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency or the Israeli military. Bassal said 12 people were killed when an Israeli air strike hit “a number of displaced people’s tents” near a mosque in the Al-Nasr area, west of Gaza City. The army did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Umm Imad Kaheel, who was nearby at the time, said children were among those killed in the strike, which had “shaken the earth.”“People were screaming and panicking, everyone running, trying to save the injured and retrieve the martyrs lying on the ground,” the 36-year-old said. The civil defense agency said 12 people were killed by Israeli fire as they waited near food distribution centers in the north, south and center. A journalist working for AFP on the northern edge of Gaza City reported he had been ordered to evacuate by the army, adding conditions had become increasingly difficult, with gunfire and explosions nearby.Abu Mohammed Kishko, a resident of the city’s Zeitoun neighborhood, told AFP the bombardments the previous night had been “insane.”“It didn’t stop for a second, and we didn’t sleep all night,” the 42-year-old said.
The government’s plans to expand the war have also drawn opposition inside Israel, where many fear they will jeopardize the lives of the remaining hostages. The Israeli prime minister’s office said on Saturday the remains of the second of two hostages recovered from Gaza this week have been identified as belonging to the student Idan Shtivi. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group said the return of Idan Shtivi’s body represented “the closing of a circle and fulfils the State of Israel’s fundamental obligation to its citizens.”
Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, told the Tel Aviv rally that if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “chooses to occupy the Gaza Strip instead of the current outline for a deal, it will be the execution of our hostages and dear soldiers.”Earlier in August, Hamas agreed to a framework for a truce and hostage release deal but Israel has yet to give an official response. The Israeli army, whose troops have been conducting ground operations in Zeitoun for several days, said two of its soldiers had been wounded by an explosive device “during combat in the northern Gaza Strip.”It also said it had “struck a key Hamas terrorist in the area of Gaza City” without elaborating on the identity of the target. Hamas’s October 2023 attack, which triggered the war, resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Of the 251 hostages seized during the attack, 47 are still being held in Gaza, around 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 63,371 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

Israel Will Soon Slow or Halt Aid into Parts of Northern Gaza as it Ramps up Offensive
Asharq Al Awsat/August 30/2025
Israel will soon slow or halt humanitarian aid into parts of northern Gaza as it expands its offensive attempting to cripple Hamas, an official said on Saturday. The official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, told The Associated Press that Israel will stop airdrops over Gaza City in the coming days and reduce the arrival of aid trucks into the northern part of the strip as it prepares to evacuate hundreds of thousands of residents south. Israel on Friday declared Gaza City a combat zone, calling it a Hamas stronghold and alleging that a network of tunnels remains in use despite several previous large-scale raids on the area throughout the nearly 23-month-long war. The shift comes weeks after Israel first announced plans to widen its offensive in the city, where hundreds of thousands are sheltering while enduring famine. In recent days, the military has ramped up strikes on the city’s outskirts. AP video footage overnight Friday showed several large explosions across Gaza. The military's announcement to resume fighting came as the death toll in Gaza rose to more than 63,000 people. On Saturday, four people were killed by Israeli gunfire while trying to get aid in central Gaza, according to health officials at Awda hospital, were the bodies were brought. It was unclear when the pause in aid would begin and when the airdrops would fully stop. By Saturday there had been no airdrops for several days across Gaza, a break from the almost daily drops for the past few weeks. Israel's army didn't respond to a request for comment about the airdrops or how it would provide aid to Palestinians as Israel ramped up its offensive. On Friday, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged Palestinians to flee south, calling evacuation “inevitable.”
Aid groups warn that a largescale evacuation of Gaza City would exacerbate the dire humanitarian crisis. Earlier this month the leading authority on food crises said that Gaza City was in famine and that half a million people across the strip were facing catastrophic levels of hunger. On Saturday the health ministry in Gaza said 10 people died as a result of starvation and malnutrition over the past 24 hours, among them three children. Such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb, given the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the extreme shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care,” said Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, in a statement Saturday. It's impossible that a mass evacuation of Gaza City could be done in a safe and dignified way, she said. Hundreds of residents have begun leaving Gaza City, piling their few remaining possessions onto pickup trucks or donkey carts. Many have been forced to leave their homes more than once. The UN said Thursday that 23,000 people had evacuated this past week, but many in Gaza City say there is nowhere safe to go. Others who have been displaced south worry that the area can't support an influx of people. “There is no food and even water is not available. When it is available, it is not safe to drink," said Amer Zayed as he waited for food from a charity kitchen in the southern city of Deir Al-Balah. “What exacerbates the situation is the displacement of residents ... The suffering gets worse when there are more displaced people,” he said.

Israel is Undermining the Two-state Solution, Denmark's Foreign Minister Says
Asharq Al Awsat/August 30/2025
Israel is undermining a two-state solution to the Middle East crisis through its actions in Gaza, Denmark's foreign minister said on Saturday, Reuters reported. "Israel is right now undermining the two-state solution," Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Copenhagen. A two-state solution would see the creation of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza that would co-exist alongside Israel. Such an outcome has become increasingly unlikely amid the devastation in Gaza caused by Israel's war against the Islamist group Hamas as well as the encroachment of Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Iran rejects European deal to delay sanctions, sticks to Russian-Chinese alternative
The Arab Weekly/August/30/2025
Britain, France and Germany urged Iran at the United Nations on Friday to meet three requirements so their threat of reimposing UN sanctions can be delayed to allow space for talks on a deal to address their concerns about Tehran’s nuclear programme.UN envoys for the three countries – known as the E3 – issued a joint statement before a closed-door Security Council meeting, a day after they launched a 30-day process to re-impose UN. sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme. The E3 offered to delay reinstating sanctions – known as snapback – for up to six months if Iran restored access for UN nuclear inspectors, addressed concerns about its stock of enriched uranium, and engaged in talks with the United States. “Our asks were fair and realistic,” said Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward, who read the statement. “However, as of today, Iran has shown no indication that it is serious about meeting them.”“We urge Iran to reconsider this position, to reach an agreement based on our offer, and to help create the space for a diplomatic solution to this issue for the long term,” she said, with her German and French counterparts standing next to her. In response, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said the E3 offer was “full of unrealistic preconditions”.“They are demanding conditions that should be the outcome of negotiations, not the starting point, and they know these demands cannot be met,” he told reporters. Iravani said the E3 should instead back “a short, unconditional technical extension of Resolution 2231”, which enshrines a 2015 nuclear deal that lifted UN and Western sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program. Russia and China have proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution that would extend the 2015 deal for six months and urge all parties to immediately resume negotiations. But they have not yet asked for a vote. The pair, strategic allies of Iran, have removed controversial language from the draft – which they initially proposed on Sunday – that would have blocked the E3 from re-imposing UN sanctions on Iran. Iravani described the Russian and Chinese draft resolution as a practical step to give diplomacy more time. A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the US, France, Britain, China or Russia. UN nuclear inspectors have returned to Iran for the first time since it suspended cooperation with them after attacks in June on its nuclear sites by Israel and the United States. But Iran has not yet reached an agreement on how it would resume full work with the International Atomic Energy Agency. In the meanwhile, Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said on Friday a return of sanctions under the so-called “snapback” may create restrictions on oil exports but Tehran has learned to bypass them, Iran’s state media reported. “We have faced restrictions on oil sales for years, and this has led to us gaining the necessary expertise in bypassing sanctions,” Paknejad told state media. “Naturally snapback may create conditions requiring new measures but we are not tied down by these restrictions.”

Russia Wages Non-stop Offensive along Ukraine Front Line, Says Military Chief
Asharq Al Awsat/August 30/2025
Russian forces are waging a non-stop offensive along almost the entire front line in Ukraine and have the "strategic initiative", the chief of Russia's general staff said on Saturday. "The combined group of troops continue a non-stop offensive along almost the entire front line," General Valery Gerasimov told his deputies in an address published by the Defence Ministry. "At present, the strategic initiative lies entirely with Russian forces." Russia has stepped up airstrikes on Ukrainian towns and cities far behind the front lines this summer and has continued a grinding offensive across much of the east, trying to gain more territory in its 3-1/2-year-old war in Ukraine, Reuters reported. Russian attacks on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, on Thursday killed at least 23 people and wounded 38, Ukrainian officials said. The strikes took place less than two weeks after US President Donald Trump hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska, a meeting that Washington had hoped would advance his efforts to end the conflict. Moscow denies targeting civilians. Ukrainian officials say scores of civilians have been killed in Russian strikes on densely populated areas in recent months, and thousands since the start of the war. Gerasimov said Russia had carried out 76 targeted strikes on Ukrainian military-industrial facilities this spring and summer, with a focus on destroying sites where long-range missile systems and drones are produced. Gerasimov said Moscow was now in control of 99.7% of Ukraine's eastern Luhansk region, 79% of the eastern Donetsk region, 74% of the Zaporizhzhia region and 76% of the Kherson region. Since March, Russia has captured more than 3,500 square km (1,351 square miles) of Ukrainian territory and taken control of 149 villages, he said. Russian forces this month have begun pressing into Ukraine's southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, open-source maps show. Gerasimov said seven villages in the region were now under Russian control. Reuters was unable to verify the situation on the battlefield.

Iran Says 8 Arrested for Suspected Links to Israel's Mossad
Asharq Al Awsat/August 30/2025
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday they had arrested eight people suspected of trying to transmit the coordinates of sensitive sites and details about senior military figures to Israel's Mossad, Iranian state media reported. They are accused of having provided the information to the Mossad spy agency during Israel's air war on Iran in June, when it attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and killed top military commanders as well as civilians. Iran retaliated with barrages of missiles on Israeli military sites, infrastructure and cities. The United States entered the war on June 22 with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
A Guards statement alleged that the suspects had received specialized training from Mossad via online platforms. It said they were apprehended in northeastern Iran before carrying out their plans, and that materials for making launchers, bombs, explosives and booby traps had been seized. State media reported earlier this month that Iranian police had arrested as many as 21,000 "suspects" during the 12-day war with Israel, though they did not say what these people had been suspected of doing. Security forces conducted a campaign of widespread arrests and also stepped up their street presence during the brief war that ended in a US-brokered ceasefire. Iran has executed at least eight people in recent months, including nuclear scientist Rouzbeh Vadi, hanged on August 9 for passing information to Israel about another scientist killed in Israeli airstrikes.

Red Cross: Many Syrian Families May Never Learn Fate of Loved Ones
Qamishli : Kamal Cheikho/Asharq Al Awsat/August 30/2025
Nine months after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the fate of tens of thousands of missing Syrians remains unresolved, leaving families trapped between grief and uncertainty. On Thursday, President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree establishing a National Commission for Transitional Justice, a move hailed by rights advocates as a key step toward addressing years of abuses. The announcement coincided with the International Day of the Disappeared, when the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) renewed its call on all parties to intensify efforts to clarify the fate of the missing. The ICRC said it had documented more than 37,000 cases of missing persons in Syria over the past 14 years, stressing the figure “represents only a fraction of the real number.”“The disappearance of a loved one is not only a personal tragedy,” the committee said in a statement. “It is one of the deepest and most enduring wounds of the Syrian conflict.”Since Assad’s overthrow late last year and the release of detainees from prisons run by his security apparatus, families have continued to search desperately for answers. Mass graves have been uncovered, alongside chilling testimonies of torture inside Assad-era detention centers. “We urged authorities to secure grave sites and prevent tampering so that people would not try to exhume bodies themselves,” said Stephan Sakalian, head of the ICRC delegation in Syria, speaking from Damascus. He warned that many families may never learn what happened to their relatives, or where they were buried, with identification efforts likely to take years. The fall of Assad’s security state, which ruled Syria for five decades, triggered a flood of calls and complaints to the ICRC about missing persons, many of which had never been reported before for fear of arrest. “This suggests the real number of missing is likely much higher,” Sakalian said. Estimates by the United Nations and rights groups put the number of missing between 130,000 and 200,000, including thousands who died under torture in detention after protests erupted in 2011.
The new National Commission for Transitional Justice, chaired by jurist Abdul Basit Abdul Latif, will work on legal and procedural measures to address war crimes and unresolved files, particularly the missing. Lawyers described the decree as a building block for reconciliation after years of war.The ICRC said it has been gathering information from families and civil society groups to map and manage known burial sites, offering the best chance to identify remains. “Behind every disappearance is a family living with pain that only deepens with time,” Sakalian said. “Families of the missing deserve lasting support and compassion. Their right to know is a fundamental humanitarian principle.”The United Nations also established the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria in June 2023 to help determine the fate and whereabouts of the missing. Its head, Karla Quintana, said then that “everyone in Syria knows someone who is missing,” underlining the scale of a tragedy that has haunted Syrian society for more than a decade.

Toll of sectarian violence in Syria’s Sweida climbs to nearly 2,000, mostly Druze
Reuters/August 30/2025
A Syria monitor said on Friday that the death toll from sectarian violence in Sweida province in July has climbed to nearly 2,000, after dozens more bodies were identified. The week of bloodshed erupted on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin, but rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces and fighters from other parts of Syria. Syrian authorities have said their forces intervened to stop the clashes, but witnesses, Druze factions and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor have accused them of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses against the Druze, including summary executions. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Observatory, said his organisation had identified by name 1,990 people who were killed in the violence, “including 14 since the ceasefire” which came into effect on July 20. The rise in the toll was due to bodies being found and identified in villages and towns in the southern province where access has been difficult, he said. “Some of those now confirmed dead had previously been reported as kidnapped or missing,” he added. Access to some areas remains difficult “due to the presence of fighters” hostile to the Druze population, he said. The toll includes 725 overwhelmingly Druze residents of Sweida province, including 167 civilians, who were killed in the clashes, the Observatory said. Another 765 Druze civilians were “summarily executed by defence and interior ministry personnel”, it said. The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground, said 436 government personnel were killed in the clashes. It said 40 Sunni Bedouin fighters were also killed, in addition to three Bedouin including a woman and a child who were “summarily executed by Druze fighters”. The monitor’s toll also includes 21 other people, 15 of them government personnel who were killed in Israeli strikes. Israel, which has its own Druze community, said it was acting to defend the minority group as well as enforce its demands for the demilitarisation of southern Syria. On Thursday, authorities said the main Damascus-Sweida highway reopened, with state media reporting the entry of fuel tankers and an aid convoy into Sweida province.The Observatory had previously accused armed groups linked to the government of blocking the road. Previous convoys since the ceasefire have mainly passed through neighbouring Daraa province.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on August 30-31/2025
Why Iran's Ideology and Missiles Endanger the West: If Hitler Had Nuclear Weapons, Do You Think He Would Not Have Used Them?
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Gatestone Institute/August 30, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/08/146839/
In his latest statement, Amir Hayat-Moqaddam [member of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission] openly declared that Iran is capable of striking all of Europe and even US cities such as Washington and New York with missiles launched from offshore Iranian ships.
Western policymakers had been hoping for decades that engagement, dialogue and economic deals could temper Tehran's revolutionary zeal. The regime's latest statements, however, show that such hopes are illusory: Iran is not guided by pragmatic statecraft but by an uncompromising ideology that explicitly calls for global expansion of its revolution.
Hayat-Moqaddam's words are not vague threats. They are a boast, a proclamation of a plan decades in the making. Such statements must be taken seriously: they reveal the true intentions of the regime: to extend its deterrent power by threatening both Europe and America, and to hold the West hostage to the fear of devastating missile strikes.
Iran's investment in its ballistic missile arsenal is not defensive; it reflects a doctrine of "deterrence by punishment," the idea that Iran can intimidate adversaries by holding their cities, infrastructure, and populations at risk of destruction. In this sense, Iran's missile arsenal is not just a tool of war — it is an instrument of political leverage, designed to project power far beyond Iran's borders.
[J]ust one missile tipped with a nuclear warhead hitting a European or American city would be catastrophic. Iran is estimated to still have thousands of ballistic missiles that can reach Europe when launched from Iranians soil. If launched from ships at sea, the continental United States is also within range of Iran's missiles, as Iran is now openly warning.
Iran's threat is not hypothetical; it is a proven capability paired with a proven willingness to use it.
Since 1979, Iran's leaders have always regarded the United States and Europe as enemies, even before the West imposed sanctions or intervened in regional conflicts. The hostility is not reactive; it is ideological. Like Nazism in the 20th century, the Iranian regime's ideology cannot be appeased with compromises.
The West must abandon the false hope that diplomacy alone will alter Tehran's course. Sanctions must be maintained and expanded, not lifted in exchange for empty promises. The United States must keep a military option on the table, making clear that if Iran crosses red lines, it will face devastating consequences.
Iranian diplomats who serve as spies or agents for the regime's ideological mission should be expelled, embassies shuttered, and Iran's international presence curtailed. Equally important is supporting the Iranian people, many of whom have repeatedly risked their lives in protests calling for an end to clerical rule. The collapse of the regime from within is the only real long-term solution to the threat Iran poses to the world.
Iran's leadership openly declares its intent to spread its revolution and to target Europe with missiles. To ignore such declarations would be an unforgivable mistake.
Unfortunately, the Iranian regime's threats are not empty rhetoric. They are a continuation of a consistent ideological vision that has driven its policies since its Islamic Revolution in 1979. Iran's leadership openly states that they seek not only the destruction of Israel but also the subjugation of the West. Iran's missile arsenal and naval drills show that it is actively preparing for this confrontation; its ambitions for nuclear weapons underscore the urgency.
The West must not turn a blind eye or entertain illusions of "moderation." Just as Europe once ignored Hitler's ideology at its peril, ignoring Iran's Islamist regime would be a historic mistake. The only path forward is to maintain relentless pressure, prepare militarily, support the Iranian people, and never allow this radical regime to realize its apocalyptic goals.
A senior Iranian official has openly declared that Iran is capable of striking all of Europe and even US cities, saying that Iranian ships could be moved within approximately 2,000 kilometers of the U.S. coastline, from where Washington, New York, and other American cities would be within striking range. Iran's threat is not hypothetical; it is a proven capability paired with a proven willingness to use it. During the 12-day war in June, Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel, dozens of which broke through Israeli defenses and wreaked destruction on both civilian and military targets. Pictured: Rescue workers search a residential building in Beersheba, Israel that was heavily damaged by an Iranian ballistic missile on June 24, 2025. Five civilians were killed in the missile strike, which destroyed multiple buildings. (Photo by Aldema Milstein/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Recent remarks by a senior Iranian official, Amir Hayat-Moqaddam, a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, once again confirmed what many in the West have feared: the Islamic Republic of Iran's grand strategy has always included targeting not only Israel and its neighbors but also Europe and the United States.
In his latest statement, Hayat-Moqaddam openly declared that Iran is capable of striking all of Europe and even US cities such as Washington and New York with missiles launched from offshore Iranian ships.
His comments come at a time of heightened tension in the aftermath of the devastating 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which saw Israeli and US strikes take out significant portions of Iran's nuclear program and air defense systems. These developments, in retrospect, likely saved the Western world from a nightmare scenario — an ideologically driven regime equipped with nuclear warheads capable of striking European capitals and even American cities.
Western policymakers had been hoping for decades that engagement, dialogue and economic deals could temper Tehran's revolutionary zeal. The regime's latest statements, however, show that such hopes are illusory: Iran is not guided by pragmatic statecraft but by an uncompromising ideology that explicitly calls for global expansion of its revolution.
It may have been reasonable for analysts to assume that, after the humiliation and destruction inflicted on Iran during the 12-day war, the regime might reassess its regional and global ambitions. The opposite has proven true. Instead of retreating into a defensive posture, Iran's leaders are standing defiantly against the West, doubling down on their rhetoric, and reasserting their vision of exporting their Islamist revolution.
Iran is not operating as a conventional nation-state that weighs costs and benefits rationally. It is an ideological state that adheres to the principle, enshrined in its Islamist constitution, of exporting its revolution. As the Islamic Republic's founding Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, once declared:
"We shall export our revolution to the whole world. Until the cry 'There is no God but God' resounds over the whole world, there will be struggle."
This ideology places Iran's confrontation with the United States and Europe not in the realm of geopolitics but in the realm of existential religious struggle.
Hayat-Moqaddam went on to reveal that Iran has spent more than 20 years developing a capability for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Aerospace Force to launch ballistic missiles from ships at sea. He stated that Iranian ships could be moved within approximately 2,000 kilometers of the U.S. coastline, from where Washington, New York, and other American cities would be within striking range. He further emphasized that every European country is already within Iran's missile envelope.
Hayat-Moqaddam's words are not vague threats. They are a boast, a proclamation of a plan decades in the making. Such statements must be taken seriously: they reveal the true intentions of the regime: to extend its deterrent power by threatening both Europe and America, and to hold the West hostage to the fear of devastating missile strikes.
His remarks must also be understood in the broader context of Iran's military posture. In recent weeks, Iran held its first major naval drills since the war with Israel. Iran launched new cruise missiles such as the Nasir and Qadir in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. Coastal missile batteries were also activated during these exercises. Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh confirmed that the exercises were meant to display Iran's growing missile capabilities. The message from Tehran was unmistakable: Iran seeks to demonstrate that its long-term military doctrine remains intact, and its missile arsenal remains central to its strategy of confrontation.
Iran's missile program is not a recent invention. It is the product of decades of determined development. Today, Iran possesses the largest arsenal of ballistic missiles in the Middle East. These include a range of short-, medium- and long-range missiles designed to strike adversaries near and far. Earlier this year, Iran unveiled the Qassem Bassir medium-range ballistic missile, capable of reaching roughly 1,200 kilometers, with advanced guidance systems, representing another leap forward in precision and range. Iran's investment in its ballistic missile arsenal is not defensive; it reflects a doctrine of "deterrence by punishment," the idea that Iran can intimidate adversaries by holding their cities, infrastructure, and populations at risk of destruction. In this sense, Iran's missile arsenal is not just a tool of war — it is an instrument of political leverage, designed to project power far beyond Iran's borders.
What might have been if Israel and the United States had not acted decisively during the 12-day war? President Donald Trump stated that Iran was just four weeks away from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and could quickly have mounted nuclear warheads on its ballistic missiles. The implications are chilling: just one missile tipped with a nuclear warhead hitting a European or American city would be catastrophic. Iran is estimated to still have thousands of ballistic missiles that can reach Europe when launched from Iranians soil. If launched from ships at sea, the continental United States is also within range of Iran's missiles, as Iran is now openly warning.
During the recent conflict, Iran launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel, dozens of which broke through Israeli defenses and wreaked destruction on both civilian and military targets. Iran's threat is not hypothetical; it is a proven capability paired with a proven willingness to use it.
The West must now confront the sobering truth that for too long, policymakers have entertained the illusion that Iran can be moderated through engagement, economic incentives and international agreements. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in 2015, was the most prominent example of this approach. Yet, even while this "nuclear deal" was in place, Iran continued to expand its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs, and to spread its influence across the Middle East through its proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and the Gaza Strip. This was not a deviation from its ideology but a direct application of it. Since 1979, Iran's leaders have always regarded the United States and Europe as enemies, even before the West imposed sanctions or intervened in regional conflicts. The hostility is not reactive; it is ideological. Like Nazism in the 20th century, the Iranian regime's ideology cannot be appeased with compromises.
The policy implications are clear. First, the West must abandon the false hope that diplomacy alone will alter Tehran's course. Sanctions must be maintained and expanded, not lifted in exchange for empty promises. The United States must keep a military option on the table, making clear that if Iran crosses red lines, it will face devastating consequences.
Diplomatic measures must also be tightened: Iranian diplomats who serve as spies or agents for the regime's ideological mission should be expelled, embassies shuttered, and Iran's international presence curtailed. Equally important is supporting the Iranian people, many of whom have repeatedly risked their lives in protests calling for an end to clerical rule. The collapse of the regime from within is the only real long-term solution to the threat Iran poses to the world.
Europe, in particular, must step up. Too often, European governments have clung to illusions of moderation, prioritizing business deals and short-term stability over long-term security. Yet history shows what happens when fanatic ideologies are underestimated. The failure to confront Nazism in its early stages led to disaster for the entire continent. Today, Iran's leadership openly declares its intent to spread its revolution and to target Europe with missiles. To ignore such declarations would be an unforgivable mistake. The European Union must join the United States in imposing snapback sanctions at the United Nations, tightening its own economic restrictions, and treating Iran's regime as the pariah that it is.
Unfortunately, the Iranian regime's threats are not empty rhetoric. They are a continuation of a consistent ideological vision that has driven its policies since its Islamic Revolution in 1979. Iran's leadership openly states that they seek not only the destruction of Israel but also the subjugation of the West (such as here and here). Iran's missile arsenal and naval drills show that it is actively preparing for this confrontation; its ambitions for nuclear weapons underscore the urgency.
The West must not turn a blind eye or entertain illusions of "moderation." Just as Europe once ignored Hitler's ideology at its peril, ignoring Iran's Islamist regime would be a historic mistake. The only path forward is to maintain relentless pressure, prepare militarily, support the Iranian people, and never allow this radical regime to realize its apocalyptic goals.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21868/iran-missiles-ideology
*Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, is a political scientist, Harvard-educated analyst, and board member of Harvard International Review. He has authored several books on the US foreign policy. He can be reached at dr.rafizadeh@post.harvard.edu
*Follow Majid Rafizadeh on X (formerly Twitter)
© 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.

What are the different names of God, and what do they mean?
GotQuestions.org/August 30/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/08/146848/
Answer: Each of the many names of God describes a different aspect of His many-faceted character. Here are some of the better-known names of God in the Bible:
EL, ELOAH [el, el-oh-ah]: God "mighty, strong, prominent" (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 139:19) – etymologically, El appears to mean “power” and “might” (Genesis 31:29). El is associated with other qualities, such as integrity (Numbers 23:19), jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the root idea of “might” remains.
ELOHIM [el-oh-heem]: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah. Being plural, Elohim accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first sentence, the superlative nature of God’s power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence (Genesis 1:1).
EL SHADDAI [el-shah-dahy]: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 17:1; Exodus 6:3; Ruth 1:20) – speaks to God’s ultimate power over all.
ADONAI [ˌædɒˈnaɪ; ah-daw-nahy]: “Lord” or "Master" (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) — emphasizes God’s authoritative relationship with humanity and our need to submit in reverence to God. Adonai was often used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men.
YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH [yah-way / ji-hoh-veh]: “LORD” (Exodus 3:15; Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it from Adonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is given to Moses “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance (Psalm 31:13).
YAHWEH-JIREH [yah-way-ji-reh]: "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) – the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac.
YAHWEH-RAPHA [yah-way-raw-faw]: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26) – “I am the Lord who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities.
YAHWEH-NISSI [yah-way-nee-see]: "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15), where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17.
YAHWEH-M'KADDESH [yah-way-meh-kad-esh]: "The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy" (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy.
YAHWEH-SHALOM [yah-way-shah-lohm]: "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24) – the name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him.
YAHWEH-ELOHIM [yah-way-el-oh-him]: "LORD God" (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) – a combination of God’s unique name YHWH and the generic word for “God” signifying that He is the Lord who is God.
YAHWEH-TSIDKENU [yah-way-tzid-kay-noo]: "The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16) – As with YHWH-M’Kaddesh, it is God alone who provides righteousness (from the Hebrew word tsidkenu) to man, ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
YAHWEH-ROHI [yah-way-roh-hee]: "The Lord Our Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1) – David knew what it was to be a shepherd to his sheep, and he declared, “The Lord is my shepherd [Yahweh-Rohi]; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1, ESV).
YAHWEH-SHAMMAH [yah-way-sham-mahw]: "The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) – the name ascribed to Jerusalem and the temple there, indicating that the once-departed glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 8—11) had returned (Ezekiel 44:1–4).
YAHWEH-SABAOTH [yah-way-sah-bah-ohth]: "The Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7) – Hosts means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God and shows that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do.
EL ELYON [el-el-yohn]: “Most High" (Genesis 14:18–22; Deuteronomy 32:8; Psalm 7:17; 57:2; 97:9) – derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest. El Elyon denotes exaltation and speaks of absolute right to lordship.
EL ROI [el-roh-ee]: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13) – the name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1–14). When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord, she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She also realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all.
EL-OLAM [el-oh-lahm]: "Everlasting God" (Psalm 90:1-3) – God’s nature is without beginning or end, free from all constraints of time, and He contains within Himself the very cause of time itself. “From everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2).
EL-GIBHOR [el-ghee-bohr]: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) – the name describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, in this prophetic portion of Isaiah. As a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will accomplish the destruction of God’s enemies and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).

Ehud Olmert did indeed speak very frankly
Yossi Mekelberg/Arab News/August 30/2025
The latest episode of Arab News’ “Frankly Speaking” series of interviews lived up to its name and reputation when interviewer Katie Jensen took on former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, never an easy interviewee but always good value in terms of straight talking.
Olmert, who will celebrate his 80th birthday next month, has in recent years taken on the mantle of the responsible adult of Israeli politics, a kind of a sage at the gate warning against the existential dangers emanating from Benjamin Netanyahu’s long and unbearable tenure as prime minister — even more so since the latter has partnered in power with the most extreme right-wing messianic elements in Israeli politics. Olmert is challenging to interview but never boring or short of novel ideas, partly because of his own personal and political journey, which lends much weight to what he says, but partly because he is ready to deliver certain home truths that few others in Israeli politics are willing to articulate with the same courage.
This is especially important in these dark days for Israel’s politics and society. His political career has ranged from the heights of serving in government and ascending to the prime minister’s office, as well as the rock bottom of resigning from that office after he was indicted for corruption and given a custodial sentence. Beyond the characteristic thorny and tenacious exterior of this “sabra” (a term for a Jewish person born in Israel that is derived from the word for a prickly pear cactus, which is tough on the outside and soft on the inside) there also lies a thoughtful and courageous leader. This is not only because when in power he was prepared to change course whenever he deemed it necessary, even if it meant upsetting his electoral base, but also because with Olmert there is always a learning curve and a readiness to explore new frontiers. This is something that has been especially significant in his relentless quest for peace with the Palestinians, and his constant search for new partners on both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides, most recently his collaboration with Nasser Al-Kidwa, the former Palestinian foreign minister and head of the Palestinian delegation to the UN.
What Arab News managed, very skillfully, to extract from the interview went beyond consideration of Olmert’s views on the current situation and how to resolve it, to also explore the very limits of discourse in Israel, even for one of the Netanyahu government’s harshest critics. Firstly, when it was put to him that he supported the idea that Israel’s prime minister should be tried in The Hague for war crimes, he was quick to protest that he would prefer to see Netanyahu stand in front of judges in Israel to answer for his alleged war crimes against the people of Israel, as justice should be done at home.
The second limitation touched on the most sensitive war-related issue for most Israelis: whether or not Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide. Olmert pushed the envelope of the discussion as far as possible in stating, very clearly, that war crimes were being committed in Gaza, but he knew that the very mention of the word genocide might completely discredit him and distract from the need to end the war and embark on peace building. However, the former prime minister was unequivocal in his declaration that he could not “tolerate it and forgive it (the war crimes) because I care for the lives of the Palestinians as for any other human beings.”Olmert presented an alternative course of action to the brutal and heartless actions of the Netanyahu government against the people of Gaza.
Considering the immeasurable suffering that has been inflicted by the Israeli military on the people of Gaza, this expression of empathy seems both obvious and natural, but it has not been the view of many Israelis since the Oct. 7 attacks. It is, therefore, important for Israelis, and for the wider region, to hear this from a former prime minister, and in particular one whose political roots lie not to the left of the political spectrum or in the peace camp, but one who represented the Likud party in the Knesset for 27 years and was in government for much of that time.
In his transformation, he has moved on from the idea of a “Greater Israel,” of building settlements on occupied Palestinian land, first by supporting disengagement from Gaza and then, during his premiership, presenting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with the most far-reaching peace plan offered by any Israeli leader, which unfortunately was never accepted by the Palestinian leadership. That episode has to this day left Olmert harboring a deep sense of missed opportunity — but not of despair, as much of his efforts now are focused on resurrecting that peace plan, albeit in much more difficult circumstances but at a time when the need for it is also more urgent and acute than ever.
Olmert makes a convincing case for ending the era of the present Israeli government, bringing down the curtain on Netanyahu’s extremely harmful time in office and, with that, hopefully ridding Israeli politics of Kahanist-racist-messianism. Yet there is also a certain historical irony in the bitter rivalry between Olmert and Netanyahu, and the reversal of their roles, that underlines their differing personalities.
Netanyahu, in his opportunism, can take any side of any argument as long as it serves him personally and politically. He first did this when he demanded that Olmert, while prime minister, take responsibility for the failures of the 2006 Lebanon War and resign. Speaking from the Knesset’s podium, in his customary pompous manner, he declared that Olmert’s decision not to resign “was like the captain of the Titanic, had he lived, being given another ship.” Today, leaving Netanyahu at the helm after the colossal failures of Oct. 7 is akin to handing him an entire fleet of ships. Olmert did not resign in 2006, but when he was investigated for corruption it was the self-righteous Netanyahu who, in 2008, said that “a prime minister who is neck-deep in investigations has no public or moral mandate to make crucial decisions … the right thing to do is for the government to go home.” Olmert did indeed resign when he was indicted; Netanyahu still does not believe that his own moralistic stance applies to him, and neither does he have the ability to learn from his mistakes and change. Leaving aside the personal bitterness between these two leaders, it was important that Arab News’ interview gave Olmert a platform on which to speak directly to the people of the region and send the message that what stands between ending the war, and Israel leaving Gaza and potentially embarking on a genuine peace process, is a general election.
He presented an alternative course of action to the brutal and heartless actions of the Netanyahu government against the people of Gaza when he suggested that the international community should be closely involved — with particular emphasis on regional powers — as partners, firstly in mitigating the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, and subsequently by assisting with security in the territory, the resumption of Palestinian governance without any involvement by Hamas, and then the unification of Gaza and the West Bank.
What stood out most of all in this interview was Olmert’s eternal optimism and his conviction that with vision, determination, leadership, consistency, and perseverance, the future for Israelis and Palestinians alike could be so much better than their present.
***Yossi Mekelberg is professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg

The case for a clear legal definition of environmental crime
Amal Albawardi/Arab News/August 30/2025
Often overlooked and dismissed as a minor issue, “environmental crime” remains undefined in international law, even though it is acknowledged as one of the fastest-growing areas of illicit activity worldwide. This type of crime destroys habitats, depletes economic resources, and at times creates security risks. Yet the absence of a definition has led countries and institutions to adopt their own interpretations, undermining international cooperation. The world must either establish a new convention or recognize “ecocide” as an international criminal offense, while also strengthening existing enforcement mechanisms, such as Interpol and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. For now, environmental crime exists as a fragmented legal concept that hinders global enforcement coordination and policy harmonization because it lacks universal recognition comparable to piracy or terrorism.
The broader definition, now adopted in some jurisdictions, extends to carbon market fraud, deliberate manipulation of emissions data, and cyberattacks against environmental monitoring systems. These varying definitions have created obstacles to establishing mutual understanding. While several nations support creating a new treaty or recognizing ecocide as an international crime, others continue to focus on strengthening existing frameworks.
While this global discussion continues, Saudi Arabia has worked to establish domestic legal certainty through the Environmental Law of 2020, supported by complementary regulations that codify a wide range of environmental crimes and their penalties. Key classifications include industrial pollution and hazardous waste, covering unlicensed discharges, dumping, or mishandling of dangerous materials, and illegal hunting and trading of wildlife, particularly endangered or protected species, under the Wildlife Conservation Law. They also include encroachment on protected areas, and deforestation and overgrazing, regulated by the Forests and Rangelands Law through restrictions on tree cutting, uprooting, excessive livestock grazing, and large-scale vegetation destruction. Marine and freshwater contamination caused by discharges of pollutants, and the illegal drilling of wells, which refers to unlicensed excavation or over-extraction of groundwater, are also key classifications. Enforcement is shared among specialized institutions, including the National Center for Environmental Compliance, which oversees compliance and regulations, and the Special Forces for Environmental Security, responsible for field enforcement.
While this global discussion continues, Saudi Arabia has worked to establish domestic legal certainty. These also include the National Center for Wildlife, which manages biodiversity and protected areas, and the Public Prosecution, tasked with bringing serious environmental crimes to court to hold offenders accountable. These institutions show that the Kingdom treats environmental protection as integral to its law, sovereignty, and security. Supporters of a new global framework advocate making large-scale environmental destruction an international crime. Small island states and vulnerable nations most affected by climate change support proposals to codify ecocide.
Pragmatists contend that enhancing the effectiveness of existing tools is quicker and more efficient. Interpol’s success is evident in operations such as Days at Sea and 30 Days of Action, which have uncovered thousands of violations across several countries. These programs show that enforcement can succeed even without a shared definition when states work together. In 2025, Saudi Arabia participated in the first meeting of the UN Intergovernmental Expert Group on Crimes that Affect the Environment, held in Vienna. This demonstrated its commitment to global governance through international policy work that protects national sovereignty while creating equitable partnerships.The Kingdom’s position builds on Vision 2030 domestic reforms, which place environmental sustainability at the center of national transformation.  Saudi Arabia’s approach demonstrates both national commitment and international responsibility. Domestically, the Kingdom enforces laws that punish pollution, wildlife trafficking, deforestation and illegal oil drilling. Abroad, it actively engages in shaping the conversation on how to confront these crimes collectively. The Kingdom demonstrates its position as a global leader through clear domestic policies and active international relations. Environmental crime exists beyond borders, and so does the commitment to fight it.
• Amal Albawardi is general manager of the General Department of International Agreements and Cooperation at Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Environmental Compliance.

Slected X tweets for August 30/2025
Amine Bar-Julius Iskandar
Like Mar Chalita of Ghosta, all churches and monasteries of Kesrouan (that extended at the time to Nahr Beirut) were rebuilt on their ruins after the Mamelouk retreat in 1516. Mamelouks had massacred the Shia minority and exterminated the Christian majority pushing them north

Walid Abu Haya
Proudly 100% Israeli and 100% Druze. Being Druze and being Israeli is a great blessing..
From the Druze tradition I carry loyalty and humility. From Judaism and Israeli life I see faith, resilience, and responsibility. Together they show that diversity is not weakness but strength.
Our future is built on shared service, shared sacrifice, and shared hope and home.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Look, no one will notice that the Palestinians delegation will not be at the UN General Assembly. If you really miss them, Look at their speeches from any year in the past, their speeches would have been the same since 1964, this year, and for the coming century.