English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For February 06/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
Gratitude: Jesus cured 10 Lepers, but one only came back to thank him/Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 17/11-19: “On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 05-06/2025
Passing of Retired Captain Ghassan Al-Homsi
To President Joseph Aoun: Silence on Berri and Hezbollah’s Terrorism is a Sign of Approval—A Clear and Courageous Stand is Required/Elias Bejjani / February 04/2025
The Nasserist, Arabist, and Leftist Will Only Form a Government in His Own Image/Elias Bejjani/February 03/ 2025
To All Friends in Lebanese Political Parties: Compare Lebanon’s Parties with Those in Established Democracies/Naufal Daou/Facebook/February 05/ 2025
Netanyahu gifts Trump golden pager in reference to attack on Hezbollah
Lebanon's PM-designate Nawaf Salam vows to form a 'reformist' government, prioritizing effective governance
Salam meets Aoun amid reports of imminent govt. formation
Egypt's ambassador to Lebanon tells LBCI: Government formation nearing consensus, international support growing
European Council President António Costa congratulates Lebanon’s Aoun, urges full ceasefire implementation
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon say Trump's proposal doomed to fail
Khamenei names Qassem as Lebanon 'representative'
Destruction in south Lebanon's Yaroun: Israeli bombings, demolitions leave historical sites in ruins
To What Extent Does Nawaf Salam Adopt a Common Criteria?/Johnny Kortbawi/February 5, 2025
Qatar PM says to help Lebanon rebuild after government is formed
Bassil says against 'isolating' Shiites or 'favoring' them
On LBCI, former minister Rashid Derbas proposes fund for Beirut blast victims
ISF Foils Arms Smuggling From Syria
Aoun Urges French Support for Israeli Withdrawal from South Lebanon
Hezbollah official says US plans for Palestinians are 'criminal'
Aoun Receives Credentials of Four Ambassadors
Lebanon: A State of Insecurity? Where Exactly?/Marc Saikali/This Is Beirut/February 05/2025
Is Hope Bound to Lead to Disillusionment?/David Sahyoun/This Is Beirut/February 05/2025

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 05-06/2025
Trump says he's given advisers instructions for Iran to be 'obliterated' if it assassinates him
Iran praises US for cutting foreign aid funding as it looks for a Trump message on nuclear talks
Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Jordan aim to jointly tackle Islamic State, Ankara says
Trump says wants Iran deal and 'big Middle East Celebration when it is signed'
Islamic State members held for years in a Syria prison say they know nothing of the world
Gaza is in ruins, and it's unclear how it will be rebuilt
French president is first EU head of state to call new Syrian leader
CIA sends ‘buyout’ offers to entire workforce

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on February 05-06/2025
What Is Really Destroying Europe? The EU./Drieu Godefridi/Gatestone Institute./February 05/2025
Netanyahu must push Trump to take real action on Iran/Jacob Nagel/ The Jerusalem Post/February 05/2025
Trump's Gaza plan has stunned the region. Here's a look at the serious obstacles it face/Joseph Krauss/The Associated Press/February 5, 2025
After Tariff Fight with Canada and Mexico, Trump’s Next Target Is Europe/Europe, you’re next./Patricia Cohen/The New York Times/February 05/2025
Sharaa’s Rationality/Tariq Al-Homayed/The New York Times/February 05/2025
The End of ‘Palestine’...Donald Trump reminds the world that ideas have sell-by dates/Lee Smith/The Magazine/February 05, 2025
What next after Al-Sharaa’s visit to Saudi Arabia?/Hassan Al-Mustafa/Arab News/February 05, 2025
The challenge to find a better solution for Gaza/Alistair Burt/Arab News/February 05, 2025

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on February 05-06/2025
Passing of Retired Captain Ghassan Al-Homsi
Retired Captain Ghassan Al-Homsi passed away yesterday in the United States due to a heart attack.
February 03/ 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/02/139859/
The late Captain was one of the heroic sovereign patriots who dedicated his life to Lebanon, offering everything he had—both at home and abroad—for the liberation, freedom, sovereignty, and independence of his sacred homeland.
On behalf of all honorable and sovereign Lebanese who knew him, we extend our deepest condolences to his family, loved ones, and comrades. We pray that God grants his soul eternal rest among the righteous and the pure in His heavenly dwellings

To President Joseph Aoun: Silence on Berri and Hezbollah’s Terrorism is a Sign of Approval—A Clear and Courageous Stand is Required
Elias Bejjani / February 04/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/02/139837/
Three weeks have passed, and yet Judge Nawaf Salam—the leftist, Nasserist, and former member of the Palestinian Fatah organization—remains stuck in a humiliating state of confusion and surrender to the dictates of the corrupt Nabih Berri and the terrorist, Satanic Hezbollah. Instead of completely isolating them from government participation to facilitate the implementation of international resolutions—specifically, all provisions of the ceasefire agreement with Israel, which they signed under Prime Minister Mikati’s government—Salam is caving to their blackmail, engaging in appeasement and submission.
How can they be part of the very same government that is supposed to oversee the disarmament of their militias, confiscate their war capabilities, and the handover of their stockpiles and military sites to the Lebanese Army?
We ask you, President Joseph Aoun:
Do you agree to hand over the Ministry of Finance to this defeated Iranian terrorist duo?
Will you allow them to monopolize Shiite representation, effectively booby-trapping your government, undermining your presidency, and sabotaging your national rescue mission?
A clear, transparent, and decisive stance is required.
You assumed the presidency under direct and commendable international and regional pressure, with the hope that you would lead Lebanon’s salvation, dismantle Iran’s occupation grip, and restore the state from the grasp of the militia-run mini-state.
Your silence on Judge Salam’s submission to the terrorist threats and extortion of this obstructive duo is both baffling and deeply concerning.
A firm and bold position is needed—before it is too late!

The Nasserist, Arabist, and Leftist Will Only Form a Government in His Own Image
Elias Bejjani/February 03/ 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/02/139798/
How can a government controlled by the Iranian-occupational obstructionist duo implement Resolution 1701, uphold the ceasefire agreement, disarm Hezbollah, and confiscate its vast military stockpiles?
Will this diabolical duo, led by the corrupt and vengeful Nabih Berri, agree to fill 700 vacant state positions without imposing its dominance and further paralyzing governance?
With a government dictated by Berri, Mohammad Raad, Naim Qassem, and Wafiq Safa, can Lebanon expect aid from Gulf and Western nations?
And with a government of mullahs and their proxies, will Israel withdraw from the South?
Nawaf Salam should have formed a de facto government within 24 hours of his appointment—without consultations, without seeking confidence, just as the current caretaker government operates.
Had he done so, he would have secured parliamentary confidence through the same international pressure that installed Joseph Aoun as president and appointed him as prime minister-designate.
Unfortunately, Salam has already failed, and if external pressure—especially from Saudi Arabia and the U.S. under Trump—is not exerted soon, the entire Joseph Aoun tenure may collapse with him.
The Bottom Line
For 70 years, no leftist, Nasserist, jihadist Arab nationalist waving the banners of false and delusional "liberation and resistance" has ever brought anything to the Arab world and the Middle East but disaster, defeat, and catastrophe.
If Salam is not forced to step down, he will be no different.

To All Friends in Lebanese Political Parties: Compare Lebanon’s Parties with Those in Established Democracies
Naufal Daou/Facebook/February 05/ 2025
Free translation from Arabic and the Title & introduction by Elias Bejjani)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/02/139855/
Introduction
Lebanon’s Political Illusion: No Real Parties, Only Agencies and Factions
In Lebanon, what we call “political parties” are nothing more than illusions. By Western democratic standards, Lebanon has no real political parties—no structured institutions that operate on ideological competition, internal democracy, or policy-driven agendas. Instead, the so-called parties fall into one of three categories: foreign-backed agencies serving the interests of external powers, jihadist militias using politics as a cover for armed control, or feudal, commercial, and family-run enterprises that treat the state as a private inheritance. Those who defend Lebanon’s current party system by comparing it to democratic models in the West are either misinformed or complicit in the deception. True political parties uphold accountability, internal democracy, ideological diversity, and national loyalty. In Lebanon, these concepts are absent. Until real political reform dismantles this corrupt structure, talk of democracy remains meaningless.
***To all friends in Lebanese political parties who were “offended” by my proposal for a government formation that would help Lebanon emerge from its crisis—one that limits but does not eliminate the role of political parties—and who justify their parties’ control over state institutions by referencing the role of parties in advanced democracies, I say this:
*When you name a party in Lebanon whose internal system prevents its leader from remaining in power for more than two terms—then compare Lebanese parties to those in established democracies.
*When you point to a research and policy center affiliated with a Lebanese party that develops strategies and plans for the future, just as think tanks do in the U.S. and Europe—then compare Lebanese parties to those in established democracies.
*When you identify a Lebanese party that is not built on political dynasties and family-based rule—then compare Lebanese parties to those in established democracies.
*When you cite a Lebanese party where candidates truly compete for leadership positions, just as they do in U.S. and European parties to secure nominations—then compare Lebanese parties to those in established democracies.
*When Lebanese parties become democratic models, where internal competition revolves around policies and visions rather than blind loyalty to a leader, and where all perspectives have a seat at the decision-making table—then compare Lebanese parties to those in established democracies.
*When a party’s leadership is held accountable for strategic miscalculations or failed decisions that harmed the party and the people, rather than having its supporters blindly justify contradictions and reversals—then compare Lebanese parties to those in established democracies.
*When a Lebanese party does not expel members for expressing dissenting opinions and allows ideological diversity within its ranks, with right, center, and left factions coexisting as they do in Western democracies—then compare Lebanese parties to those in established democracies.
*When Lebanese parties become genuine talent incubators, promoting competent individuals from within instead of resorting to non-partisan appointees for parliamentary, ministerial, or administrative positions—then compare Lebanese parties to those in established democracies.
*When a Lebanese party transparently publishes its annual budget, income, expenses, and assets—then compare Lebanese parties to those in established democracies.
Before discussing political reform in Lebanon, and before making broad comparisons, understand that true reform must be enacted by law—and perhaps it should start with party structures themselves.
Until then, silence might serve you better than unjustified criticism of others’ opinions. Self-criticism is the foundation of reform. Before attempting to judge others, try practicing it within your own parties.

Netanyahu gifts Trump golden pager in reference to attack on Hezbollah
Naharnet/February 5, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has gifted U.S. President Donald Trump a golden pager and a regular one, a reference to the clandestine operation against Hezbollah last year. “That was a great operation,” Trump responded, according to Israel’s Channel 12. In return, Trump gave Netanyahu a photo of the two of them from the visit, with the dedication “To Bibi, a great leader.”In September, thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah operatives across Lebanon suddenly exploded, killing at least 12 people, including two Hezbollah members and two children, and wounding more than 2,750, including civilians and Iran's ambassador to Lebanon. A day later, hundreds of walkie-talkies also blew up, killing at least 30 people and injuring over 750 others. The 150 hospitals across Lebanon that received victims of the explosions witnessed chaotic scenes. The attacks, eventually claimed by Israel, were the opening strike in an all-out war against Hezbollah that ended in late November.

Lebanon's PM-designate Nawaf Salam vows to form a 'reformist' government, prioritizing effective governance
LBCI/February 5, 2025
Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam affirmed that the aspirations of the Lebanese people are his guiding principle as he works to form a government committed to ministerial solidarity. During remarks on Wednesday after meeting with President Joseph Aoun at Baabda Palace, he acknowledged the significant role of political parties in Lebanon but emphasized that, given the current critical phase, he prioritizes effective governance over internal political disputes within the government. Salam further noted that he is working to form a "reformist government" with high expertise, ensuring no potential for obstruction in any form. He emphasized the importance of political parties in Lebanon's political life, adding, "I have worked carefully and patiently, facing challenges that some find difficult to let go of or accept new approaches in confronting."
He further expressed confidence in Lebanon's future, stating, "My bet is your bet on rebuilding the state. We have no choice but to trust ourselves, and I will not waste this opportunity." Salam also expressed his personal commitment, saying, "I am ready to invest my personal resources to form a government."

Salam meets Aoun amid reports of imminent govt. formation
Naharnet/February 5, 2025
Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam met Wednesday evening in Baabda with President Joseph Aoun, amid reports that the formation of the new cabinet has become imminent after the issue of the Lebanese Forces' share was resolved. Speaking after the meeting, Salam said he is "working on" forming a "harmonious" and "reformist" government. “I will not allow that it contain the possibility of its work being obstructed in any form, and to this end I have worked patiently,” Salam added. “We need to build the state and we cannot but move forward,” Salam went on to say. Media reports had expected that the government would be immediately announced after the Aoun-Salam meeting. Salam’s negotiations with the LF are nearing a “happy end,” MTV reported earlier in the day. It added that the LF’s share will consist of Youssef Rajji for foreign affairs, Joe Saddi for energy, Kamal Shehadeh for telecom and Joe Issa al-Khoury for industry. Sky News Arabia meanwhile reported that the heath portfolio will go to Rakan Nasreddine, who is close to Hezbollah, finance will go to Yassine Jaber, who is close to the Amal Movement, defense will go to Michel Menassa and interior will go to Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Hajjar. Informed sources had earlier told Annahar newspaper that progress was made after Salam agreed to grant the Lebanese Forces the foreign affairs portfolio in addition to three other portfolios. “Salam will propose the matter this afternoon to President Joseph Aoun and will also brief him on the contacts regarding the portfolios that will go to the Sunni community,” the sources told Annahar newspaper on Wednesday afternoon. “Things have made progress and might quickly reach a positive conclusion,” the sources added. Al-Jadeed television later said that the LF will be given "foreign affairs, energy and telecom, amid negotiations over a fourth portfolio.""Negotiations are currently underway over a candidate for the foreign affairs portfolio that the LF will present, amid ongoing negotiations over the fifth Shiite seat," Al-Jadeed added.

Egypt's ambassador to Lebanon tells LBCI: Government formation nearing consensus, international support growing
LBCI/February 5, 2025
Egypt's Ambassador to Lebanon, Alaa Moussa, told LBCI that the government formation process carries historical complexities and is moving slowly, but progress is being made toward resolving outstanding issues. The ambassador praised Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam, describing him as experienced, dedicated, and determined to overcome political obstacles through cooperation with political forces. He highlighted Lebanon’s recent political steps, including the election of President Joseph Aoun and Salam’s designation, as crucial in encouraging international and regional engagement. “This has been reflected in the number of high-level visits to Lebanon recently,” he noted. Regarding the international community’s role, the ambassador emphasized that the Quintet Committee supports swift government formation but does not interfere in its structure. “There will be no veto on the cabinet as long as it is formed smoothly and ensures the implementation of reforms,” he said. He stressed that the criteria for government formation remain in the hands of Salam and political forces, dismissing the need for external pressures or vetoes. Following discussions with U.S. Ambassador Lisa Johnson, he confirmed that Washington shares the Quintet Committee’s view on the urgency of forming a government but sees the process as Lebanon’s sovereign matter. Additionally, he said that the Egyptian foreign minister congratulated President Aoun, inviting him to visit Egypt and urging swift government formation to accelerate Lebanon’s stability. “We are pushing in this direction because the region needs a stronger Lebanon,” the ambassador said. He concluded by stating that the international and regional community will engage with the government that secures parliamentary confidence.

European Council President António Costa congratulates Lebanon’s Aoun, urges full ceasefire implementation
LBCI/February 5, 2025
European Council President António Costa congratulates Lebanon’s Aoun, urges full ceasefire implementation European Council President António Costa praised Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on his recent election, expressing hope for Lebanon’s future.
In a statement on X, Costa emphasized the need for all parties to fully implement the ongoing ceasefire. "I look forward to enhancing the EU-Lebanon partnership and to welcoming President Aoun to Brussels soon," he added.

Palestinian refugees in Lebanon say Trump's proposal doomed to fail
Associated Press/February 5, 2025
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, many of whom in exile since 1948, believe that U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for Gaza is doomed to fail, an activist said. Suheil Natour, who heads an aid group in the Mar Elias camp in Beirut, said that neither the Palestinians themselves nor the neighboring countries that Trump suggested might absorb them will accept the population transfer plan. He said that even U.S. allies like Egypt or Jordan refuse to be threatened to absorb the Palestinians from Gaza. Fathi Kallab, a member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a leftist political faction, said that the displacement of residents under humanitarian pretexts is “considered a war crime punishable by law, as recognized by multiple international organizations.”

Khamenei names Qassem as Lebanon 'representative'
Agence France Presse/February 5, 2025
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has named Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem as his "representative" in Lebanon, Iranian media reported Wednesday. "The leader of the revolution in a decree introduced Sheikh Naim Qassem, secretary general of Hezbollah, as his representative in Lebanon," Tasnim news agency said. Tasnim carried a copy of the official decree which said Qassem will represent Khamenei in handling "non-litigious matters" and "managing religious affairs" in Lebanon. The news agency recalled that Qassem's predecessor Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah -- who was killed in an Israeli air strike on Beirut's southern suburbs in September 27 -- had held the same title. Hezbollah is part of the "axis of resistance", an alliance of Iran-backed armed groups opposed to Israel and its U.S. ally. Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of state in Iran, has representatives in all of Iran's provinces with a mandate to collect religious funds and perform other duties. Qassem was named Hezbollah leader in October after heir apparent Sayyed Hashem Safieddine was killed in an Israeli strike shortly after Nasrallah's death. Hezbollah is to hold a public funeral for both Nasrallah and Safieddine on February 23. It had put off public commemorations for safety reasons until after a fragile ceasefire with Israel took hold on November 27.

Destruction in south Lebanon's Yaroun: Israeli bombings, demolitions leave historical sites in ruins
LBCI/February 5, 2025
Rooftops in the western neighborhood of Yaroun, many of which have been reduced to rubble, are being traversed. From Rmeish's direction, access to the town square is possible. Israeli demolitions, bombings, and battles have turned archaeological and historical areas into disaster zones. Among the destroyed sites are the shrine of Nabi Al-Khidr, the town’s cemeteries, the Husayniyya, the church of Yaroun, and the rock of Sheikh and historic leader Nassif Nassar. Old homes and buildings have been destroyed, and rubble has covered and altered roads. The Lebanese army, entering from Rmeish, has begun clearing the area and removing remnants of war. On the eastern side of the town square, Israeli forces are deployed in Yaroun, extending toward the entrance of Bint Jbeil. Some areas of Yaroun remain occupied, while others have been liberated. Meanwhile, a similar situation is seen in Maroun El Ras, Meiss El Jabal, and Houla. The fully occupied villages are primarily located to the east, including Blida, Markaba, Odaisseh, and Kfarkela, and extending to Wazzani, passing through El Hamames hill, Sarda, Aamra, Ain Arab, and Al Majidieh. In contrast, the fully liberated villages are situated in the western sector, except for the Labbouneh hills, Jabal Blat, and the outskirts of Marwahin. Central areas like Ramyeh, Qouzah, Aita al-Shaab, and Aitaroun have also been liberated. In the eastern region, Khiam is liberated, except for El Hamames hill. Kfarchouba and Shebaa are liberated in the far east, with some land still contested on the outskirts. This map was released less than two weeks before the deadline for the second phase of Israel's withdrawal. On Tuesday, Israel began paving the way for freedom of movement in the south, even in fully liberated towns. This similarly occurred in Arkoub, where an Israeli force and tanks entered from Kfarchouba to Kfarhamam for searches and inspections, despite the return of residents and the ongoing presence of the Lebanese army.

To What Extent Does Nawaf Salam Adopt a Common Criteria?
Johnny Kortbawi/February 5, 2025
A quick assessment of the current situation shows that among the majority of MPs who nominated Nawaf Salam to form the new government, only a few remain satisfied with the prime minister-designate’s performance. So far, Salam has managed to infuriate most of those who were on his side, while satisfying his opponents, particularly Amal and Hezbollah, who believed they were “betrayed” as soon as Salam was tasked with forming the new government. According to reports yet to be confirmed, the Amal-Hezbollah duo reportedly secured the Ministry of Finance, along with the Health, Labor and Environment portfolios, and succeeded in imposing their own terms. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Forces have expressed dissatisfaction for many reasons. They initially did not seek the Ministry of Energy, but Salam insisted on assigning it to them. They demanded four ministries in line with their parliamentary representation, while the Shiite duo, with 27 MPs, secured five. Logically, a bloc with 20 MPs is entitled to four ministries. Yet the Lebanese Forces only obtained two portfolios and the “honorary” post of deputy prime minister. They requested a key ministry, being the largest Christian political force in Parliament, but their request went unheeded, knowing that in the previous governments, they couldn’t get a key ministry because of Hezbollah’s opposition. The Free Patriotic Movement is equally frustrated, finding its representation limited to the Ministries of Tourism or Youth and Sports. The Moderation Bloc also raised objections, demanding representation for the Akkar region and involvement in appointing Sunni ministers, given that it comprises 11 of the 27 Sunni MPs in Parliament. This demand, however, went unanswered. The Marada Movement further alienated Najib Mikati by not nominating him, only to receive no support from Nawaf Salam in the government formation process. The entire cabinet formation process is riddled with contradictions. It seems impossible for the prime minister-designate to satisfy all parties. But the biggest paradox is that he only satisfied those who did not nominate him. He also didn’t comply with the criteria he announced himself, such as the rotation of portfolios, the size of the parliamentary blocs, the norms for the nomination of ministers or his opposition to the government being a reduced version of the Parliament. In reality, Salam prioritized the Shiite duo to avoid complications related to the so-called consensual charter — even though it has no constitutional basis — and to placate a Shiite community often depicted as “marginalized and abandoned.” However, this portrayal is far from accurate because the Shiite community might be the first to break free from Hezbollah’s military dominance and regain its political autonomy. The prime minister-designate may believe he has a duty to accommodate a supposedly marginalized community. But then, one can recall that governments did ignore the marginalization of the Christian community from 1992 until the Syrian withdrawal, and later overlooked the Sunni community’s grievances after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. Governments are not meant to satisfy partisan interests. Their formation should be a national duty focused on assembling the best competencies and ensuring fair political representation.

Qatar PM says to help Lebanon rebuild after government is formed
Agence France Presse/February 5, 2025
Qatar's prime minister said during a visit to Beirut that Doha would help Lebanon rebuild after a devastating Hezbollah-Israel war, but only after a new government is formed. Reeling from years of crisis and a conflict, Lebanon has pinned hopes on wealthy Gulf states to fund reconstruction, with Qatar having been heavily involved in such efforts after the Hezbollah-Israel war of 2006. "When it comes to economic support and support for reconstruction, there is no doubt that the State of Qatar will be there," Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani told reporters after meeting Lebanon's newly-elected President Joseph Aoun. "We look forward to ongoing efforts to form a government, and after that, we will discuss these files," Al-Thani said, adding that he looked forward to forming "a strategic partnership" with Lebanon. Al-Thani is set to meet other senior officials during what he described as a "visit of support", including prime minister-designate Nawaf Salam, who has been tasked with forming a government, though efforts have stalled. Qatar was among five countries, including the United States, France, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, which lobbied heavily for Lebanon to elect a president last month and end a two-year vacuum due to political deadlock. A fragile Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire has been in place since November 27, after more than a year of hostilities including two months of all-out war. Al-Thani said it was crucial for Israeli troops to "adhere to the agreement on the withdrawal... from southern Lebanon."He also called for implementing a Security Council resolution that states United Nations peacekeepers and the Lebanese Army should be the only forces present in the country's south. Under the truce deal, Lebanon's military was to deploy in the south alongside U.N. peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdrew over a 60-day period. Hezbollah was also to pull back its forces north of the Litani River -- about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border -- and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south. The withdrawal period was extended to February 18 after the Israeli military missed the original January 26 deadline. Both sides have repeatedly accused the other of violations of the truce deal. Al-Thani also said Qatar would continue providing humanitarian aid, as well as support for Lebanon's cash-strapped army. Washington is the main financial backer of Lebanon's army but it also receives support from other countries including Qatar, which has granted in-kind and monetary aid.

Bassil says against 'isolating' Shiites or 'favoring' them
Naharnet/February 5, 2025
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has noted that the FPM supports the principle of rotating ministerial portfolios. “No component or group should monopolize any ministry, and we’re specifically against perpetuating the allocation of the finance portfolio to the Shiite community, especially in light of the bad practices we have witnessed,” Bassil said at a press conference. “The FPM is against isolating or targeting any component, specifically Shiites, or making them feel that there’s an attempt to make them lose politically as an outcome of the (latest) war (with Israel), but this does not mean favoring them over others in nominations or giving them what’s not being given to others as a compensation to them,” Bassil added. As for the concerns that the FPM might join Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, the Marada Movement and the Tashnag Party to wield a one-third-plus-one veto power in cabinet, Bassil said: “We are not allies of the Shiite Duo to work with them on toppling the government, and we’re also not allies with what’s left of the opposition to work with it on that.”“We are not allies with anyone and we are not enemies with anyone,” he stressed.

On LBCI, former minister Rashid Derbas proposes fund for Beirut blast victims
LBCI/February 5, 2025
In an interview on LBCI, former minister Rashid Derbas urged the establishment of a fund to collect donations for temporary compensation for the families of victims and those affected by the Beirut Port explosion. The fund would collect contributions from both domestic and international sources until the investigation process is concluded. Derbas also directed his comments to Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam, stating, "Aren't you aware of the danger in what [U.S. President Donald] Trump said about Israel? He referred to Israel as a small country needing expansion, and that's when I realized that the slogan 'Your kingdom, Israel, from the Euphrates to the Nile' has become frighteningly real."

ISF Foils Arms Smuggling From Syria
This is Beirut/February 5, 2025
The Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced that it has foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons and ammunitions from Syria, and confiscated the arms transported on board a four-wheel drive vehicle. In a press release issued on Wednesday, the ISF stated that “as part of their mission to combat crime in all its forms, an operation carried out by their units led, on January 11, to the arrest of an individual driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee on the Dahr el-Baidar road, which links the Bekaa region to Beirut. During the check, the car was seized after the ISF discovered a substantial stock of weapons and ammunition.
The cargo contained rifles, pistols, magazines and ammunition. The suspect was immediately referred to ISF’s Information Branch for further interrogation. During the interrogation, the apprehended suspect, identified by his initials, A.R., a Lebanese born in 1982, quickly confessed that he was transporting weapons from Syria to Lebanon in the company of another individual, B.F., also Lebanese, born in 1987. He explained that, after colliding with a pedestrian at the Syrian customs checkpoint, B.F. was forced to get out of the vehicle at the Lebanese border. On January 13, following investigations and surveillance, ISF personnel successfully arrested the second suspect in the city of Aley. During interrogation, he not only admitted his involvement in the attempted smuggling operation, but also confessed to having taken part in five other similar operations. “Upon interrogation, he admitted to participating in the arms smuggling operation but claimed he hesitated to continue the journey after the customs incident,” the statement added. Legal action was taken against the two suspects, and the case was referred to the relevant judicial authorities. The ISF further disclosed that the two suspects had been involved in at least five similar smuggling operations, and efforts are ongoing to track down additional individuals linked to the network.

Aoun Urges French Support for Israeli Withdrawal from South Lebanon
This is Beirut/February 5, 2025
President Joseph Aoun has called on France to support the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from South Lebanon and to pressure Israel to stop violating the November 27 ceasefire agreement. During a meeting with French Ambassador to Lebanon Hervé Magro and Vice-Chairman of the Ceasefire Supervisory Committee General Guillaume Ponchin, Aoun urged Paris to exert diplomatic pressure to secure the release of Lebanese detainees held by Israel before the February 18 deadline. This deadline was set for the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese villages where they still maintain a presence along the border. Meanwhile, on the ground in southern Lebanon, Israeli troops and tanks remain stationed in the al-Mufailha region, west of Mays al-Jabal, while Lebanese Army (LAF) personnel are positioned just meters away on the western side.

Hezbollah official says US plans for Palestinians are 'criminal'
Reuters/February 5, 2025
An official from Hezbollah on Wednesday described U.S. plans to move Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip as "criminal orders."The comments by Hussein Moussawi, political advisor to the group's secretary general, were published in a statement from Hezbollah.
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States would take over Gaza after Palestinians were resettled elsewhere and develop it economically. He was speaking at a joint press conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Aoun Receives Credentials of Four Ambassadors
This is Beirut/February 5, 2025
President Joseph Aoun officially received the credentials of four ambassadors to Lebanon on Wednesday, marking the first such diplomatic procedure since his election.
The ambassadors presenting their credentials included Herve Magro (France), Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Faisal Thani al-Thani (Qatar), Maria Hadjitheodosiou (Cyprus) and Despina Koukoulopoulou (Greece). Notably, these diplomats had not submitted their credentials for the past two years due to the presidential vacuum that persisted in Lebanon following the end of former President Michel Aoun’s term on October 31, 2022.

Lebanon: A State of Insecurity? Where Exactly?
Marc Saikali/This Is Beirut/February 05/2025
For the past few weeks, in a scattered yet synchronized manner, acts of delinquency have been multiplying in certain neighborhoods of Beirut. Of course, there’s no proof that these incidents are coordinated. However, in Lebanon, there’s always a “but!” The profile of the targeted areas, the locations… strong clues cast a dangerous shadow of suspicion. Businesses, nightlife spots, establishments and individuals are being targeted in Achrafieh, Badaro… And some people have been injured. Not to mention the heinous crime in Faraya and the assassination of Archimandrite Kojanian. Sometimes, when criminals aren’t enjoying certain “protections,” they’re arrested, but there’s always someone ready to take over. The pool of bandits, of all kinds, is far from running dry. The feeling of insecurity is growing alongside the anger of residents. They have limited trust in the judicial system and are wondering where the municipal police have gone. Therefore, what everyone fears is starting to unfold. People are beginning to talk about self-defense, about coming together to protect their property… a dangerous shift away from state control. Let’s be honest, the state is preoccupied elsewhere, trying to form a government. Back to the familiar game of political horse-trading. Every party is scrambling for as many “prime positions” as it can get. A pinch of Shiite tandem here, a dash of the Free Patriotic Movement there… The designated prime minister’s main task? To avoid ruffling too many feathers while steering clear of the most “unacceptable” names. It’s as if there had been no war. No defeat. No international pressure. We’re recycling the same old faces and starting over… running in vicious circles! To break this cycle, a little push is needed. And it's on the way. This Thursday, Beirut is expecting the visit of Morgan Ortagus, who succeeds Amos Hochstein as Donald Trump’s special envoy to Lebanon. One can’t exactly say her personality is of any convenience to irresolute and procrastinating Lebanese politicians. She will surely demand strong actions and, chances are, she’ll be back regularly to shake up the current apathy. What will she talk about? A government in which Hezbollah doesn’t call the shots, respect for UN resolutions, the disarmament of militias, support for the Lebanese army, the looming February 18 deadline, marking the end of the extended Israeli withdrawal and the truce… The list is long. Meanwhile, the Lebanese, not just those in the capital city, will continue to keep a close eye on the delinquents lurking around—as if an invisible hand is trying to divert their attention. Paul Valéry once said, “Politics is the art of preventing people from engaging with what concerns them.” And here we are.

Is Hope Bound to Lead to Disillusionment?
David Sahyoun/This Is Beirut/February 05/2025
Is hope bound to lead to disillusionment? This fundamental question shapes our individual and collective lives, from the intimacy of the psychoanalytic couch to the political upheavals that shake public squares, to the conjugal bedrooms where the dramas of love unfold. Psychoanalysis, through its various theoretical currents, offers valuable insight into understanding this relentless dialectic between hope and disillusionment. Just as Freud contrasts the existence of two realities that govern us—the reality of the psyche, primarily governed by our unconscious, and that of the external world—he also introduces the “reality principle” as a necessary counterpoint to the “pleasure principle,” subjecting the human psyche to a fundamental and continuous tension between desire and its limitation, foreshadowing the dynamic between hope and disillusionment.
Childhood is the crucible where the hope-disillusionment dynamic is forged. From birth, the child experiences expectations, often accompanied by an illusion of omnipotence. However, the child must quickly deal with the frustration experienced in the “loss of the object” (the mother). The emergence of this feeling is a crucial step in their development. A little later, with the transition from a position marked by the splitting of the object, still the mother, into good and bad, the child will learn to recognize that these two aspects actually belong to the same object, thus constituting a structuring disillusionment, integrating the ambivalence of reality.
With Lacan’s “mirror stage,” the child, around 7 or 8 months old, gains access to a first form of idealized identity, with a part of foundational illusion. This stage marks the entry into the symbolic order, where the subject structures itself around an idealized image of itself. But this imaginary identification carries within it the seed of disillusionment because it is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the division of the subject. Another decisive contribution is made by Winnicott with his concept of the “transitional object” and his theory of the “good enough mother.” The transitional object (such as a security blanket) is the child’s first attempt to manage the separation from the mother, creating an intermediary space between the illusion of fusion and the reality of separation. This “transitional space” will later become a model for all societal, cultural and creative spaces where the adult can invest their hopes without falling into total delusion. In adulthood, this dynamic finds a particular echo in romantic relationships, where the loved one is often invested with a near-magical aura, a promise of flawless happiness. But love cannot escape disillusionment. The encounter with the other’s alterity, the discovery of their imperfections, will shake the ideal forged in the early stages of love. Elaborating on this disillusionment, mourning the idealized love to access a more mature and lucid love will prove crucial for maintaining the relationship.
But if this dialectic of hope and disillusionment permeates our intimate lives from childhood and in our romantic relationships, it also finds a striking echo in the political sphere, particularly in our Lebanese society. The confessional structure of this society, inherited from a complex history and often devastating communal tensions, fosters a dependency on religious and political leaders. These leaders are viewed as paternal figures invested with a quasi-messianic savior mission, entrusted with defending the interests of their community and carrying their hopes. However, they are just human beings, divided and limited, like everyone else. Similarly to what is happening now, citizens project onto these leaders a chimera-like thought, similar to what the child develops toward their parents, oscillating between exalted hope and violent rejection. Each citizen places in the leader the hope for recognition, protection or even revenge on other communities. But this excessive expectation can only clash with the reality of power dynamics and political compromises. The disillusionment that results then fuels a cycle of frustration and identity retreat, with each clan feeling betrayed by leaders who are incompetent and corrupt to the core.
The dependency relationship thus created prevents the emergence of an autonomous civic consciousness, capable of transcending confessional divides. The Lebanese political structure can be understood as an institutionalization of what Lacan calls the “master's discourse,” where the leader occupies a position of authority that masks the structural division of the subject. This discourse maintains the illusion of possible social harmony, while in reality, it is based on submission to an all-powerful master, obscuring the conflicts and contradictions that run through both individuals and society.
Lebanon does not have a monopoly on this logic of the master. It can be found, in various forms, in many countries in the region. From the cult of personality surrounding certain leaders to the dominance of tribal or religious affiliations, the idealization of authority figures seems to respond to a deep need to believe in the mirage of a father of the tribe, imposing a stable and protective order. But this quest for an all-powerful father, whether in the form of a political leader, religious figure or even an ideology, can only lead to disenchantment. For no master and no ideology can permanently patch up the cracks of a system that generates corruption, division and exclusion.
The political disillusionment that runs through Lebanon cannot be reduced to a mere loss of confidence in failing leaders. It reveals a deeper crisis of representation and identification mechanisms that structure these Middle Eastern societies. As long as individuals remain prisoners of an infantilizing conception of power, projecting their hopes and frustrations onto the masters of the day, the sobering-up will remain the price to pay for being misguided.
Literature and cinema are full of examples illustrating this dialectic of hope and disillusionment, reflecting our own humanity and inviting us to reflect on the human condition. Flaubert’s Madame Bovary paradigmatically embodies the quest for an idealized love and the painful confrontation with prosaic reality. Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby shows how the American dream crashes against the impossibility of reclaiming an idealized past. In cinema, Fellini’s La Dolce Vita or Sam Mendes’ American Beauty sharply explore the tension between the characters’ aspirations and the mediocrity of their existence.
In the end, we can say that disillusionment, far from being a mere accident, may constitute a necessary moment in individual and collective psychic development. For the issue is not to avoid it, but to make it an object of elaboration and creativity. In a context like the Middle East, this work takes on particular significance. The challenge, which we have faced for many years, is to transform social and political structures while allowing the emergence of new forms of social connection that no longer rely on the massive idealization of leaders. This requires abandoning the childish illusions of an all-powerful master in order to assume civic responsibility in building a common future together. Perhaps true psychological maturity, both individual and collective, lies precisely in this ability to maintain a lucid hope, conscious of its limits, but no less vibrant.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on February 05-06/2025
Trump says he's given advisers instructions for Iran to be 'obliterated' if it assassinates him
Michelle L. Price, Aamer Madhani And Zeke Miller/The Associated Press/ 05/2025
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he's given his advisers instructions to obliterate Iran if it assassinates him. “If they did that they would be obliterated,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters while signing an executive order calling for the U.S. government to impose maximum pressure on Tehran. "I’ve left instructions if they do it, they get obliterated, there won’t be anything left.”The Justice Department announced in federal charges in November that an Iranian plot to kill Trump before the presidential election had been thwarted.. The department alleged Iranian officials had instructed Farhad Shakeri, 51, in September to focus on surveilling and ultimately assassinating Trump. Shakeri is still at large in Iran.

Iran praises US for cutting foreign aid funding as it looks for a Trump message on nuclear talks
Nasser Karimi And Jon Gambrell/TEHRAN, Iran (AP)/February 05/2025
 Iran's government seems to be welcoming some recent decisions by the United States — even though they happen to come from a man Iranian operatives have allegedly been plotting to assassinate. President Donald Trump's moves to freeze spending on foreign aid and overhaul, maybe even end, the U.S. Agency for International Development have been lauded in Iranian state media.
The reports say the decisions will halt funding for opponents of the country's Shiite theocracy — pro-democracy activists and others supported through programs as part of U.S. government's efforts to help democracy worldwide. At the same time, Iranian officials appear to be signaling that they are waiting for a message from Trump on whether he wants to negotiate over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. At stake are potentially billions of dollars withheld from Iran through crushing sanctions and the future of a program on the precipice of enriching weapons-grade uranium.
And even when signing an executive order to reimpose his “maximum pressure on Iran” on Tuesday, Trump suggested he wanted to deal with Tehran. Meanwhile, ordinary Iranians worry what all this could mean for them. “It encourages hard-liners inside Iran to continue repressions because they feel the U.S. would have less capability in supporting Iranian people who seek freedom,” said Maryam Faraji, a 27-year-old waitress in a coffee shop in northern Tehran. Iranian media say Trump's cuts could stop the opposition in Iran. The state-run IRNA news agency said that “cutting the budget of foreign-based opposition” could “affect the sphere of relations” between Tehran and Washington. Newspapers, like the conservative Hamshhari daily, described Iran's opposition as “counterrevolutionaries” who had been “celebrating" Trump's election as heralding the "last days of life of the Islamic Republic.”
They then "suddenly faced the surprise of cut funding from their employer,” the newspaper crowed. Even the reformist newspaper Hammihan compared it to a “cold shower” for opponents of Iran's theocracy abroad, an idea also expressed by the Foreign Ministry. “Those financial resources are not charity donations," Esmail Bagahei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said during a briefing with reporters on Monday. “They are wages paid in exchange for services." "This is a clear sign of America’s interventionist policy particularly during the Biden administration, which tried to pressure Iran and meddle in its domestic affairs through financial aid,” Bagahei added.
It remains unclear how funding for Iranian activists and opposition figures would be affected by the USAID decision.
The lion's share of money for civil society in Iran has come through the U.S. State Department's Near East Regional Democracy fund, known by the acronym NERD, which grew as an American response to the Green Movement protests in 2009.
In 2024, the Biden administration requested $65 million for NERD after over $600 million had been appropriated by Congress for the fund, according to the Congressional Research Service. That money and other funding had gone in the past toward training journalists and activists on how to report on human rights abuses, funding access to the internet amid government shutdowns and other issues. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment over the NERD funding and its future. American officials for years have kept the awardees of NERD grants secret due to what they describe as the risk activists face from Iran, particularly after Iranian intelligence officers have allegedly targeted in kidnapping or assassination plots, U.S. prosecutors say.
Iran repeatedly hints it's ready to talk to Trump
Iran also noticed that the U.S. avoided direct criticism of the Islamic Republic during a review by the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva last week. For those in Iran's government, there's anticipation this could mean that Trump is willing to negotiate, something he repeatedly brought up in his election campaign as a possibility.
Even Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, in a speech in September opened the door to talks with the U.S., saying there is “no harm” in engaging with the “enemy.” More recently, he tempered that, warning that sinister plots could still be “concealed behind diplomatic smiles.”“We must be careful about who we are dealing with, who we are negotiating with, and who we are speaking to," Khamenei said last week. While Bagahei, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, acknowledged Iran hasn't seen any “green light” yet for talks, Iran is trying to do everything it can to signal it wants them. The country's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who campaigned on outreach to the West, urged officials on Monday to listen to dissent from the Iranian people and avoid further crackdowns like those that followed the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini. “The enemies are hoping that by stirring up disputes within the country, they will throw people into the streets and then ride the wave of protests themselves," Pezeshkian said. As he signed the executive order on Iran on Tuesday, Trump warned the country would be “obliterated” if he was assassinated by Tehran. But he still left the door open for talks.
“I’m going to sign it, but hopefully we’re not going to have to use it very much,” he said from the Oval Office. “We will see whether or not we can arrange or work out a deal with Iran.”“We don’t want to be tough on Iran. We don’t want to be tough on anybody," Trump added. "But they just can’t have a nuclear bomb.”However, factions within Iran's theocracy are still likely to oppose talks, whether out of their own self interest or over anger that Trump ordered the 2020 drone strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the country's top general and a revered figure. That killing fueled Iranian calls for Trump's assassination — and alleged plots against him. In November, the Justice Department disclosed an Iranian murder-for-hire plot to kill Trump. While Iran denied being involved, Tehran has a history of plotting the killing of opponents abroad. "This will not have any impact on the factions that oppose talks with the U.S. but maybe some moderates find it as an excuse to say that Trump is taking some steps,” Iranian political analyst Ahmad Zeiabadi said.
For now though, much of this can seem as conjecture and theorizing to many of Iran's over 80 million people who continue to struggle in the grips of the country's ailing economy. Tehran taxi driver Gholanhossein Akbari, 27, insisted Iranians like him never benefitted from U.S. support of Iran’s pro-democracy activists abroad. "We did not see any result from the funds the U.S. paid to foreign-based Iranian activists who only make comments in the media,” Akbari said.

Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Jordan aim to jointly tackle Islamic State, Ankara says
Reuters/Wed, February 5, 2025
Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Jordan will take steps toward jointly combating Islamic State in the region and they aim to hold a first meeting on the issue in Jordan, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday. Since the ousting of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, Western and regional countries have warned of a possible resurgence of Islamic State. Thousands of members of the militant Islamist group are being held in prison camps in northeast Syria. Fidan told Turkey's state-owned Anadolu news agency that the four countries had reached a preliminary agreement for closer cooperation involving their foreign and defence ministries and intelligence agencies. The four countries plan to take measures on border security, he added, though he did not say but did not say when the first meeting would take place. The U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are guarding the Islamic State prison camps in northeast Syria. Turkey regards the SDF and the YPG militia which spearheads the group as terrorists, and says the prisons must be handed over to Syria's new leadership. Ankara has repeatedly said it would support the new Syrian administration - which is friendly toward Turkey - in its battle against both Islamic State and the YPG, while calling for a joint battle against them. On Tuesday, President Tayyip Erdogan hosted Syria's newly appointed president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Ankara for talks on steps to be taken against Kurdish militants and other issues.

Trump says wants Iran deal and 'big Middle East Celebration when it is signed'
Agence France Presse/February 5, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran "cannot have a Nuclear Weapon", a day after he signed an order reinstating a "maximum pressure" policy against Tehran over allegations that it was trying to develop such weapons. "I want Iran to be a great and successful Country, but one that cannot have a Nuclear Weapon," he said in a post on his Truth Social platform, adding: "I would much prefer a Verified Nuclear Peace Agreement, which will let Iran peacefully grow and prosper.""We should start working on it immediately, and have a big Middle East Celebration when it is signed and completed. God Bless the Middle East!" Trump added. He also said reports that the United States, "working in conjunction with Israel, is going to blow Iran into smithereens" were "GREATLY EXAGGERATED."

Islamic State members held for years in a Syria prison say they know nothing of the world
The Associated Press/Wed, February 5, 2025
Men of various ages and nationalities sit silently in their cells, a small window in the metal doors their only opening to the world. All are alleged members of the Islamic State group, captured during the final days of the extremists' so-called caliphate declared in large parts of Iraq and Syria.
The Gweiran Prison, now called Panorama has held about 4,500 IS-linked detainees for years. The Associated Press was given an exclusive visit to the prison, nearly two months after the fall of the 54-year Assad dynasty in Syria — an upheaval the detainees might not even know about as prison officials try to limit outside information.
Syrian President Bashar Assad's ouster during a lightning insurgent offensive in December has led to new attention, and new pressures, on such detention centers in the country's northeast that have been holding some 9,000 IS members without trial.
The centers are guarded by members of the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that in March 2019 captured the last sliver of land that IS members once held, the eastern town of Baghouz.
SDF chief commander Mazloum Abdi told the AP that after the fall of Assad, IS members captured large amounts of weapons in eastern Syria from posts abandoned by forces loyal to the former president.
An SDF security official warned that the extremists might attack detention facilities and try to free their comrades. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The detainees are “a literal and figurative ‘ISIS army’ in detention," Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of the U.S. Central Command, said during a visit to Syria last month. The prison visit occurred in a corridor with six cells on each side and with masked guards holding clubs. A window in a cell door was opened, and the detainees were told they could speak briefly to journalists.
A young man moved forward and identified himself as Maher, a nurse from Melbourne, Australia. Prison authorities asked that only first names be used.
“I’d love to go back to Australia,” the man said, adding that he was not arrested in 2019 in Baghouz but gave himself up when the U.S.-led coalition opened a humanitarian corridor. “I didn’t do anything to anyone. I’ve been here for seven years without judgement. Without anything,” he said, and expressed regret for “a lot of things.”
Maher said he married a Syrian woman and has two sons, and they are at one of the camps housing families of IS members in northeast Syria. He said he has not had information about them, and that he sent a letter to his parents via the International Committee of the Red Cross and never received an answer.
The security of the detention centers is a growing question since Assad's fall.
One of the most serious threats to the centers came in January 2022 when IS gunmen stormed the prison, leading to 10 days of battles with the SDF that left nearly 500 people dead. The prison, formerly the classrooms of a technical school, was later renovated with the help of the U.S.-led coalition. Security was tight when the AP visited, with armed fighters stationed on roads leading to the facility.
But SDF officials have said that recent clashes between their fighters and Turkey-backed gunmen in northern Syria, which coincided with the insurgent offensive that led to Assad's fall, are affecting their ability to protect the prisons.
During a visit to Turkey last month by Syria’s foreign minister, Asaad al-Shibani, his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan told reporters that Ankara was ready to help Syrian authorities manage the detention centers as well as the camps where more than 40,000 people, many of them women and children, with alleged IS links are held.
But the SDF chief commander didn't welcome the idea.
“The way Turkey can help is to stop its attacks on us so that we concentrate on the protection of al-Hol and the prisons,” Abdi said.
He added that the fate of al-Hol and other prisons can be solved within Syria. The country's future is being discussed in talks between the SDF, which controls nearly 25% of Syria, and the new government in Damascus led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group.
Inside the cells, the men wait for word on their own fate.
A British prisoner from London who asked that his name not be made public said he wants to return to Britain and stand trial there. He was 18 when he came to Syria a decade ago after seeing media reports on “the killings of kids” by Assad’s government forces during a popular uprising that turned into civil war.
He said he later wanted to leave Syria but could not.
“Once you enter (IS) it's hard to leave,” he said.
He claimed he had not been a fighter but bought and sold cars while living in IS-held areas. He said all men captured by the SDF in the Baghouz area in early 2019 were classified as IS members.
Seven years have passed in detention.
“To survive a day in this place is a miracle," he said, adding that he and fellow detainees know nothing of the world now, not even the date.
Asked what day it was, he replied: “We are in early 2025.”
Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press

Gaza is in ruins, and it's unclear how it will be rebuilt
Joseph Krauss/February 5, 2025
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are eager to leave miserable tent camps and return to their homes if a long-awaited ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war holds, but many will find there is nothing left and no way to rebuild. Israeli bombardment and ground operations have transformed entire neighborhoods in several cities into rubble-strewn wastelands, with blackened shells of buildings and mounds of debris stretching away in all directions. Major roads have been plowed up. Critical water and electricity infrastructure is in ruins. Most hospitals no longer function. And it's unclear when — or even if — much will be rebuilt. That's particularly come into question as U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that displaced Palestinians in Gaza be permanently resettled outside the war-torn territory and that the United States take “ownership” of the enclave. The agreement for the phased ceasefire and the release of hostages held by Hamas-led militants does not say who will govern Gaza after the war, or whether Israel and Egypt will lift a blockade limiting the movement of people and goods that they imposed when Hamas seized power in 2007. The United Nations says that it could take more than 350 years to rebuild if the blockade remains.
Two-thirds of all structures destroyed
The full extent of the damage will only be known when the fighting ends and inspectors have full access to the territory. The most heavily destroyed part of Gaza, in the north, had been sealed off and largely depopulated by Israeli forces in an operation that began in early October. Using satellite data, the United Nations estimated last month that 69% of the structures in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, including over 245,000 homes. The World Bank estimated $18.5 billion in damage — nearly the combined economic output of the West Bank and Gaza in 2022 — from just the first four months of the war. Israel blames the destruction on Hamas, which ignited the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 47,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were fighters. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The military has released photos and video footage showing that Hamas built tunnels and rocket launchers in residential areas, and often operated in and around homes, schools and mosques.
Mountains of rubble to be moved
Before anything can be rebuilt, the rubble must be removed — a staggering task in itself. The U.N. estimates that the war has littered Gaza with over 50 million tons of rubble — roughly 12 times the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza. With over 100 trucks working full time, it would take over 15 years to clear the rubble away, and there is little open space in the narrow coastal territory that is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians. Carting the debris away will also be complicated by the fact that it contains huge amounts of unexploded ordnance and other harmful materials, as well as human remains. Gaza's Health Ministry says thousands of people killed in airstrikes are still buried under the rubble.
No plan for the day after
The rubble clearance and eventual rebuilding of homes will require billions of dollars and the ability to bring construction materials and heavy equipment into the territory — neither of which is assured. The ceasefire agreement calls for a three- to five-year reconstruction project to begin in its final phase, after all the remaining 100 hostages have been released and Israeli troops have withdrawn from the territory. But getting to that point will require agreement on the second and most difficult phase of the deal, which still must be negotiated. Even then, the ability to rebuild will depend on the blockade, which critics have long decried as a form of collective punishment. Israel says it is needed to prevent Hamas from rebuilding its military capabilities, noting that cement and metal pipes can also be used for tunnels and rockets. Israel might be more inclined to lift the blockade if Hamas were no longer in power, but there are no plans for an alternative government. The United States and much of the international community want a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern the West Bank and Gaza with the support of Arab countries ahead of eventual statehood. But that's a nonstarter for Israel's government, which is opposed to a Palestinian state and has ruled out any role in Gaza for the Western-backed authority. International donors are unlikely to invest in an ungoverned territory that has seen five wars in less than two decades, which means the sprawling tent camps along the coast could become a permanent feature of life in Gaza.

French president is first EU head of state to call new Syrian leader
ARAB NEWS/February 06, 2025
LONDON: French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the new leader of the Syrian Arab Republic, and congratulated him on assuming the presidency. The telephone call was the first from a head of state of an EU nation to the new leadership since Bashar Assad fled to Moscow in December amid the collapse of his family’s 54-year rule. Macron congratulated Al-Sharaa on “liberating the country … from the Assad regime” and expressed his full support for the transition of power in Damascus, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported. Macron also emphasized France’s efforts to ensure Western sanctions on Syria are lifted, and its support for the country’s territorial sovereignty. He invited Al-Sharaa to visit France in the coming weeks. Al-Sharaa, elected president by rebel groups on Jan. 29 for the transitional phase, said Syria would play a positive role in efforts to ensure stability in the region. He thanked France for supporting the Syrian people over the past 14 years of civil war. The leaders also discussed the security challenges facing Syria, the Assad-era international sanctions that weakened the economy, and the challenges associated with rebuilding the country. Syria was a French colony from 1919 until 1946. During that time, Alawite and Druze minorities established small states that were eventually incorporated into the Syrian state.

CIA sends ‘buyout’ offers to entire workforce
Katie Bo Lillis and Kaitlan Collins, CNN/February 5, 2025
The Central Intelligence Agency on Tuesday became the first major national security agency to offer so-called buyouts to its entire workforce, a CIA spokesperson and two other sources familiar with the offer said, part of President Donald Trump’s broad effort to shrink the federal government and shape it to his agenda. The offer — which tells federal employees that they can quit their jobs and receive roughly eight months of pay and benefits — had up until Tuesday not been made available to most national security roles in an apparent cognizance of their critical function to the security of the nation.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe personally decided he also wanted the CIA to be involved, one of the sources said. The spokesperson said that the move is part of Ratcliffe’s efforts to “ensure the CIA workforce is responsive to the Administration’s national security priorities,” adding that is “part of a holistic strategy to infuse the Agency with renewed energy.”Still, even as the offer was sent to the entire workforce at the agency, it was not immediately clear whether all would be allowed to take it. Some specific occupations and areas of expertise appear likely to be restricted, one of the sources familiar with the offer said, suggesting that the effort is far less sweeping than in civil service agencies that are not considered to be doing national security work. There’s also a caveat for Ratcliffe to retain flexibility to work through the timing of officer departures in critical areas, according to another source familiar with the matter.
The Office of Personnel Management had issued internal guidance last week that some officers at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence may be able to participate in the program but that not all positions at the ODNI will necessarily be eligible, according to two other sources familiar with the communications. The decision to include the CIA in the program appears to be a recent one: As of last week, the CIA workforce was still being advised that officials were trying to determine whether they would be eligible for the program, one of those sources said. The broad CIA offer was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Trump and his allies have claimed at different points that intelligence officers at the CIA have been part of a “deep state” determined to undermine him, and some critics have described the deferred resignation program as a purge – something Trump officials have denied. Some national security officials in Trump’s orbit believe that the CIA in recent years has become too heavily weighted towards analysis at the expense of clandestinely collecting intelligence and carrying out covert operations – functions of the agency’s much smaller Directorate of Operations.
Ratcliffe during his confirmation hearing vowed to reinvest in both.
“To the brave CIA officers listening all around the world, if all of this sounds like what you signed up for, then buckle up and get ready to make a difference,” he said in his opening statement. “If it doesn’t, then it’s time to find a new line of work.”The deferred resignation program has caused an uproar across government. The controversial offer, which unions have urged members not to accept, was unveiled in a mass email from the OPM to federal employees on January 28. The Trump administration is now planning widespread layoffs among the federal workforce soon, leaving employees across the government who don’t accept the deferred resignation offer at risk of losing their jobs. The layoffs, which are being referred to internally as sweeping “Reductions in Force,” are expected to begin soon after the Thursday deadline that the Office of Personnel Management set for workers to accept the resignation package, officials said. The package allows them to leave voluntarily and be paid through September 30 but not have to continue working. It was not clear whether those same terms applied to the offer sent to the CIA workforce.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on February 05-06/2025
What Is Really Destroying Europe? The EU.
Drieu Godefridi/Gatestone Institute./February 05/2025
The truth is that the reduction in CO2 emissions in Europe is almost exclusively due to industry leaving Europe. That is the dirty little secret of the Green Deal: Europe is reducing its CO2 emissions to the extent and in proportion to the destruction of its industry.
The EU elite has lost control of the narrative. Europeans are turning away from the lies and myths of the Green Deal en masse.
Given the absence of precise definitions, the censors do whatever they want.... In practice, these censors massively quash so-called "right-wing" content, while leaving the abundant anti-Semitic, Islamist and Marxist literature untouched.
[T]he EU is, in reality, a Potemkin democracy. It looks like a democracy, but is in fact an authoritarian bureaucracy. There is no election by the citizens of a parliament worthy of the name, no transparency, no recourses and, it seems, no way of eliminating the organization or any part of it. European citizens can vote as they please, but it is a self-appointed elite within the European institutions who decide the future of Europe. These "elites" will do anything to keep themselves and their ideology in power.
In addition, Qatar has massively infiltrated the European Parliament, buying parliamentarians to promote its interests and its Islamist vision of the world.
Can one measure the sense of alienation that must be felt by Europeans, forced to finance a corrupt bureaucracy working against their interests?
When it comes to migration, the economy, free speech and democracy, the EU is not the solution to any problem. The EU is the problem.
The truth is that the reduction in CO2 emissions in Europe is almost exclusively due to industry leaving Europe. That is the dirty little secret of the Green Deal: Europe is reducing its CO2 emissions to the extent and in proportion to the destruction of its industry. (Image source: iStock/Getty Images)
The founding idea of the European Union was to build, through shared prosperity, solidarity and a sense of shared destiny among the nations of Europe. That was why three communities were formed: the economy, coal and steel, and nuclear energy. Until around 2000, in terms of growth and innovation, the European economy, year in, year out, was on par with the American one.
Of that initial -- and fairly brilliant -- gesture of "peace through prosperity," literally nothing remains. None of the EU's current leaders cares about the financial well-being of Europeans. Coal is regarded as the devil's fuel, and nuclear energy is abhorred by Europe's elites, who say they prefer the inefficient and erratic wind turbines. Since 2000, the European economy has been mired in stagnation, which has worsened since 2008 and threatens to reach its height in the coming years -- ending in the destruction of Europe.
Green Deal
The EU is a web of institutions with which an American would find nothing familiar, so let us just say that this web is dominated by one institution: the European Commission. It is a kind of European "government'" with a monopoly on legislative initiatives. Nothing is voted on in the EU without the Commission's assent.The Commission makes no secret of the fact that its absolute priority is the Green Deal: to turn Europe into a "Carbon Neutral Society" by 2050. This means achieving a balance between the greenhouse gas emissions produced and those absorbed by natural or technological carbon sinks. The EU's key strategies to achieve this balance include reducing emissions by massively increasing the use of "renewable energy" sources such as solar, wind, hydro and biomass, improving the energy efficiency of buildings, vehicles and industries, and moving towards low- or zero-emission industrial processes, particularly in steel, cement and chemicals. They also aim to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to absorb and store CO2 from combustion sources or from the air. Carbon dioxide captured is typically stored in geological formations such as depleted natural gas fields, or old coal mines. In Europe, the North Sea seabed serves as an ideal location for carbon storage.
The problem is that these CCS technologies are extremely expensive. Imposing them in the gigantic way that zero-carbon requires implies additional costs that are impossible for any developed economy to digest. That is probably why these fantastical CCS technologies play such a marginal role in Europe. The truth is that the reduction in CO2 emissions in Europe is almost exclusively due to industry leaving Europe. That is the dirty little secret of the Green Deal: Europe is reducing its CO2 emissions to the extent and in proportion to the destruction of its industry.
The industry destroyed in Europe, however, is immediately reborn elsewhere in the world: in East Asia, South America and, of course, the United States. This means that the CO2 emissions destroyed in Europe reappear as if by magic somewhere else -- before the products of that particular industry are re-exported to Europe. In the majority of cases -- because transporting anything emits CO2 -- the balance sheet in terms of this European sleight of hand in reducing global CO2 emissions is negative.
The stated motive and reason for being of the Green Deal is to save the climate, which in European circles is often spelled with a capital C – "Climate" -- which says a lot about the religiosity of the whole approach. To "save the planet," we are told, we need to reduce CO2 emissions.
The only technological way we know so far to reduce CO2 emissions is by nuclear power. The EU "elites," however, hate nuclear power: their real objective is not to mitigate climate change and "save the planet", but to force an exit from capitalism and return to the subsistence economy that has always been the ambition, the dream and the horizon of environmentalists -- long before there was any talk of global warming. "Capitalism is killing the Planet", wrote The Guardian.
Freedom of speech
If there is one reality that leaders whose power is founded on myths abhor, it is transparency. Whereas in 2020, the power of the American legacy media still allowed it to make people believe that Hunter Biden's laptop was a Russian disinformation operation, over the last few years, this power was been reduced to shreds. The same shift is happening in Europe, under the influence not of European social media networks, because they do not exist, but of American ones, such as X. The EU elite has lost control of the narrative. Europeans are turning away from the lies and myths of the Green Deal en masse.
This is what the EU cannot tolerate. By adopting the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU wanted to give itself an instrument with which to subdue the American platforms, and are obliged to fund hordes of censors to hunt down content that disagrees with the European Queen-Commission. The EU has been requiring a fine of 6% of worldwide revenue from social media companies, which would inevitably kill off the platforms.
These faceless censor-hunters, who are accountable to no one, are supposed to remove all content that is hateful, discriminatory or transphobic. None of these vague terms can be rigorously defined. Given the absence of precise definitions, the censors do whatever they want. The arbitrariness is total. In practice, these censors massively quash so-called "right-wing" content, while leaving the abundant anti-Semitic, Islamist and Marxist literature untouched.
That, apparently, is the whole point. The European Left, like the American Left, devotes unlimited antagonism to anything that does not think like it, talk like it, dream, eat or work like it.
By introducing legislation such as the DSA, Europe is asserting itself as a major player in the censorship camp, following the example of China, Iran, Russia and Islamist countries, and contributing to the de-civilization of the European continent. After all, isn't freedom the definition, the reason for being and the sole distinguishing criterion of Western civilization?
Open borders
Not a week goes by in Europe without an illegal immigrant, a recent migrant, an asylum seeker or an Afghan who is here without anyone knowing in what capacity, deliberately mowing down pedestrians, stabbing young women or massacring infants and young children in a crib. Europe is experiencing the worst crisis of migratory anarchy since the Norman and Islamic invasions of the High Middle Ages.
This anarchy is not a natural calamity. It is the result of a series of political decisions, shared between the EU, the European Court of Human Rights and the member states. The EU in particular, being a borderless market, has created and developed an external border guard service, FRONTEX. The problem is that, as European law currently stands (EU + ECHR), these border guards essentially provide a free ferry service between Africa and Europe. European law expressly prohibits them from turning back illegal immigrants when they are intercepted. They are obliged to bring them into the European Union so that they can exercise all their "rights".
In Europe, even more than in the USA, once an illegal immigrant is in the country, in the overwhelming majority of cases, they stay -- millions of them. Europeans watch in amazement as their proud cities -- Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Rome, London -- undergo demographic metamorphoses in real time, while hate-filled crowds march regularly through their streets shouting anti-Semitic slogans, "death to the Jews" and other benedictions borrowed from their friendly native culture.
Can the EU be saved?
One reason for democracy to exist is to allow a peaceful change of leadership and policy. In the last European Parliament elections, Europeans voted massively to the right, evidently in reaction and fury against the policies of the European Commission under Ursula von der Leyen. What enraged voters is the Green Deal, which makes energy unaffordable, and the migratory chaos, now heavily tinged with Islamism and hatred of Jews.
What came out of those elections? A new von der Leyen Commission! With a different program? No, with a program that is even more radical, environmentalist and censorious than the first von der Leyen Commission. It is as if Americans voted 60% Republican, and the president then appointed was a socialist. How can this be, when Europe claims to swear by "democracy"?
Because of two factors, it seems. The first: the largest group in the European Parliament is the centre-right European People's Party (EPP). This group is numerically dominated by Germany's CDU/CSU – the party of former Chancellor Angela Merkel. Her party, however, is to the left of the US Democratic Party on most issues. Its support for the most obtuse environmentalism, and the Green Deal in particular, appears total. Therefore, when it came to imposing a new president of the European Commission after the June 2024 elections, the CDU/CSU chose someone from within its ranks who maintains strong environmentalist convictions: Ursula von der Leyen.
The second and most important factor is that the EU is, in reality, a Potemkin democracy. It looks like a democracy, but is in fact an authoritarian bureaucracy. There is no election by the citizens of a parliament worthy of the name, no transparency, no recourses and, it seems, no way of eliminating the organization or any part of it. European citizens can vote as they please, but it is a self-appointed elite within the European institutions who decide the future of Europe. These "elites" will do anything to keep themselves and their ideology in power. Last week, the Dutch daily De Telegraaf revealed that the first von der Leyen Commission had massively financed environmental NGOs to put pressure on members of the European Parliament -- long live the separation of powers! -- and citizens in favor of the Green Deal.
In addition, Qatar has massively infiltrated the European Parliament, buying parliamentarians to promote its interests and its Islamist vision of the world. Whether people vote left or right, it makes no difference: Von der Leyen and her far-left environmentalist agenda are still in power. Can one measure the sense of alienation that must be felt by Europeans, forced to finance a corrupt bureaucracy working against their interests?
When it comes to migration, the economy, free speech and democracy, the EU is not the solution to any problem. The EU is the problem.
**Drieu Godefridi is a jurist (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain), philosopher (University Saint-Louis, University of Louvain) and PhD in legal theory (Paris IV-Sorbonne). He is an entrepreneur, CEO of a European private education group and director of PAN Medias Group. He is the author of The Green Reich (2020).
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Netanyahu must push Trump to take real action on Iran
Jacob Nagel/ The Jerusalem Post/February 05/2025
Any resolution must address all three components of Iran’s nuclear program: fissile materials, weaponization, and delivery systems.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing in Washington for one of his most important meetings in recent years with President Donald Trump.
Netanyahu has the honor of being the first leader invited for an official meeting, receiving the full protocol, including the Blair House and an official dinner. This recalls the positive atmosphere of the first official visit in February 2017, in which I had the privilege of participating — both in its preparation and in the meeting itself — as acting national security advisor. The discussion will cover crucial and urgent issues for both leaders, even if there are expected differences in approach on some of them. From my experience in the previous meeting (and in many that followed), the warm and close personal relationship between the leaders is of utmost importance in reaching as many agreements as possible. This time, the topics at hand are at the core of Israel’s national security.Naturally, the focus is on the ceasefire in Gaza and the beginning of negotiations for the second phase of the hostage deal. However, it is essential to remember  that the most central and critical issue on the agenda is the need for a determined and joint effort to counter Iran’s nuclear ambitions, its aggressive regional behavior, and its continued support for terrorism. In addition to discussions on Gaza and Iran, other topics will include the ceasefire in Lebanon, the collapse of Assad’s regime in Syria and the rise of al-Jolani, a potential normalization with Saudi Arabia and its implications, the new U.S. aid agreement (MOU), and other strategic matters.
Discussions About Iran
When IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi states that Iran must reach an understanding with the Trump administration to avoid another military confrontation in the Middle East, and when some administration officials do not rule out the possibility of a new and improved deal with Iran, it reflects a fundamentally flawed and highly dangerous approach. Even discussions about the possibility of entering negotiations with Iran are perilous. The question should not be what a future good agreement should look like but rather what preconditions Iran must meet before any negotiations can begin.
The current status of Iran’s nuclear program does not allow for an agreement that would be acceptable, one that will prevent Iran from continuing its nuclear activities, as Iran is unlikely to agree to such terms. Any resolution must address all three components of Iran’s nuclear program: fissile materials, weaponization, and delivery systems.
Negotiations can only begin after rolling back all the capabilities Iran has developed since 2009 — and even earlier — including full compliance with the UN Security Council resolutions that were in place before the signing of the disastrous JCPOA. Fissile materials (uranium and plutonium) and the technology for their production must be entirely banned on Iranian soil and monitored by the IAEA. All built capabilities — conversion and enrichment facilities, centrifuges and raw materials for their construction, stockpiled enriched material at all levels, heavy water reactors, and similar infrastructure — must be completely dismantled. On this issue, there is no room for negotiations. Moreover, the prime minister must clarify to the president that the strategic priorities of 2015 have shifted. Even a severe strike that destroys Iran’s enrichment facilities in Natanz and Qom — whether by Israel alone or in coordination with U.S. capabilities, including platforms and bombs currently not in Israel’s possession — may not be sufficient. In some cases, such an attack could even be counterproductive if not accompanied by a simultaneous and severe blow to Iran’s weaponization program, resolution of past weaponization efforts, and addressing the uranium already enriched to 60 percent. With this enriched uranium, a small number of advanced centrifuges and a deeply buried underground facility could still lead Iran to a nuclear weapon.
At the same time, efforts must continue to weaken the Iranian regime until the Iranian people overthrow the oppressive dictatorship that rules over them.
Additionally, Israel must prepare for a broad confrontation with Iran to eliminate the primary existential threat to its continued existence.
Second Phase of Gaza Ceasefire
As expected, the first phase of the agreement is progressing, and our hearts are filled with joy as the hostages reunite with their families. The price Israel is paying at this stage is heavy but still manageable. However, the second phase is expected to be far more challenging. While we all wish to see all the hostages safely home as soon as possible and the fallen laid to rest in Israel, it must not come at any cost. The prime minister must convince the president that Israel cannot afford to forfeit the military achievements in Gaza and allow Hamas to continue ruling the Strip. Instead, Israel must prepare, with U.S. support, for the continuation — and even escalation — of military operations alongside the return of the hostages despite the inherent contradiction between the two.
Strategic Defense Shift
The “Nagel Committee,” which recently submitted its recommendations, emphasized the necessity of a big shift in Israel’s security strategy. The shift must be from a doctrine of containment and defense to a doctrine of prevention and offense. While this is true for Gaza, it is even more relevant for Lebanon, Syria, Judea and Samaria, and any other threat. Israel must not allow any entity — state or terrorist organization — to pose a threat on its borders or from a distance. The newly appointed IDF chief of staff, Major General (res.) Zamir, whom we all wish great success, has expressed similar views. Under his leadership, the IDF can implement the recommended strategic shift. In Lebanon, the IDF is already implementing this approach, albeit not fully, by striking threats before they materialize. This must be the standard across all borders, even if it means ongoing friction and conflict.
Saudi Arabia and U.S. Aid Agreement
The Saudi issue is of great importance, and the prime minister himself listed it as one of his key objectives upon his reelection, following the Iranian threat. However, it is crucial not to lose focus: countering Iran and, after October 7, safeguarding Israel’s strategic interests at its borders are more pressing priorities. The new U.S. aid agreement will also be discussed and is of paramount importance. I strongly recommend that the Israeli team adopt the recommendations of the “Nagel Committee Report,” communicate with Trump in his own terms, and ensure that the entire budget is spent in the United States, focusing on key platforms and American-made munitions. Netanyahu and Trump understand each other and the Middle East exceptionally well. As in 2017, much of what will be discussed in the Oval Office will likely remain confidential — and rightly so. However, this meeting must serve as a turning point, from which Israel and the United States will work hand in hand to achieve their shared strategic goals.
**Brigadier General (Res.) Professor Jacob Nagel is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a visiting Professor at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, and former acting national security advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and head of the National Security Council.

Trump's Gaza plan has stunned the region. Here's a look at the serious obstacles it faces
Joseph Krauss/The Associated Press/February 5, 2025
Trump's Gaza plan has stunned the region. Here's a look at the serious obstacles it faces
President Donald Trump's stunning proposal to forcibly transfer hundreds of thousands of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip and develop it as a tourist destination faces major obstacles. The Palestinians and many others view such plans as ethnic cleansing, an attempt to drive them from their homeland after Israel's 15-month offensive against Hamas rendered much of it uninhabitable. It was also seen as an attempt to liquidate their decades-long struggle for a state, which has wide international support.Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan — close U.S. allies at peace with Israel — have condemned such plans and roundly rejected Trump's suggestion that they take in more Palestinian refugees. Saudi Arabia issued a rare overnight statement rejecting the idea of transfer and reiterating that it won't normalize relations with Israel — a key goal of the Trump administration — without the establishment of a Palestinian state including Gaza. The proposal also risks undermining the ceasefire in Gaza and the continued release of hostages taken in Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Trump has claimed credit for brokering the truce, but its future is now more uncertain.
The Palestinians don't want to leave
Palestinians view Gaza as an integral part of their national homeland and aspire to an independent state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Most of Gaza's population are descendants of refugees from the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven out of what is now Israel. They were not allowed to return because they would have outnumbered the new state's Jewish population. The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, suggested that if Trump's goal is to send the Palestinians to a “happy, nice place,” they should return to their ancestral homes in Israel. The ideal of remaining on one's land despite threats of expulsion is at the heart of the Palestinians' struggle and self-identity, and was on vivid display last week when hundreds of thousands returned to northern Gaza despite its near-total destruction. Both Hamas and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which recognizes Israel and cooperates with it on security, have vehemently condemned Trump's proposal.
Arab countries will not accept Palestinian refugees
Egypt and Jordan, which made peace with Israel decades ago, have repeatedly rejected previous proposals to resettle Palestinians within their borders. They too fear that Israel would never allow the Palestinians to return, and that a mass influx of Palestinian refugees would once again destabilize the region, as it did in the decades after 1948, when it was a key factor in Lebanon's civil war and Israel's two invasions of that country. Both countries also have struggling economies that would have a hard time absorbing large numbers of refugees. Trump suggested that wealthy Gulf countries could pay to resettle the Palestinians, but that appears unlikely. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have joined Egypt and Jordan in rejecting any transfer plans, and the Saudis repudiated the plan almost immediately. The Saudi statement reiterated remarks made in September by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who said Saudi Arabia would not normalize relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital. The kingdom said its “unwavering position is non-negotiable and not subject to compromises.”
Trump has leverage, but so do Mideast leaders
Trump seems to relish using tariffs, sanctions and aid cutoffs to pressure allies and adversaries alike, and could apply economic pressure on countries like Egypt and Jordan, which have long relied on American aid. But those countries have levers of their own in the face of what they see as a major threat to their national security. And wealthy Gulf countries, which have also historically provided aid to Egypt and Jordan, could help cushion any economic blow. Egypt has already warned that any mass transfer of Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula bordering Gaza could undermine its peace treaty with Israel — a cornerstone of regional stability and American influence for nearly a half-century. Egypt and Qatar have also served as key mediators with Hamas in the talks that led to the ceasefire, and both are working with Trump's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, to try to extend it.
Israelis welcome the plan, but hostages are a priority
The idea of mass transfer has historically been confined to the far-right in Israel, but on Wednesday, mainstream leaders said Trump's plan was worth considering.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the press conference with Trump, acknowledged that “jaws drop” when the U.S. president proposes unorthodox ideas, but then “people scratch their heads and they say, ‘You know, he’s right.'"Benny Gantz, a centrist politician and former general long seen as a more moderate alternative to Netanyahu, said Trump’s proposal showed “creative, original and intriguing thinking,” and should be studied alongside other war goals, “prioritizing the return of all the hostages.”Opposition leader Yair Lapid, a fierce critic of Netanyahu who has voiced support for a two-state solution in the past, did not object to the idea. Instead, he said in an interview with local media that it was too early to react to Trump’s proposal since there are no concrete details, and that returning the hostages was most important. The current phase of the Gaza ceasefire, in which Hamas is to release 33 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, ends in early March. The second phase, in which the remaining 60 or so hostages would be freed in exchange for more prisoners, is being negotiated. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal — which would likely preclude any forcible transfer. Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who supports what he refers to as the “voluntary emigration” of large numbers of Palestinians and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements in Gaza, has threatened to leave Netanyahu's coalition if he doesn't resume the war after the first phase, which would likely lead to early elections. He welcomed Trump's proposal. The resumption of the war would put the remaining hostages' lives at risk, and there's no guarantee it would eliminate Hamas, which still controls most of Gaza. It would also undo what Trump has portrayed as a major accomplishment and further delay any normalization with Saudi Arabia.
An opening gambit?
There's another possibility: That Trump's proposal is an opening gambit in a bargaining process aimed at eventually securing the kind of Middle East mega-deal he says he is seeking. It was only last week that Trump was threatening major tariffs against Canada and Mexico, America's two biggest trading partners, before putting them on hold after their leaders took steps to appease his concerns about border security and drug trafficking. During his first term, Trump flirted with the possibility of Israel annexing parts of the occupied West Bank before the idea was shelved as part of a normalization agreement with the United Arab Emirates.Trump could ultimately pare down his proposal or put it on hold in exchange for concessions from Arab leaders, perhaps on Gaza's reconstruction or on normalization with Israel — though the Saudi statement appeared to rule that out.
There could be more clarity when the shock wears off, and when Trump meets with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House next week.

After Tariff Fight with Canada and Mexico, Trump’s Next Target Is Europe/Europe, you’re next.
Patricia Cohen/The New York Times/February 05/2025
That’s the latest message from President Trump, who has repeatedly said in recent days that he would slap punitive tariffs on the 27 members of the European Union.
Tariffs “will definitely happen with the European Union,” Trump told the BBC Sunday evening, and they are coming “pretty soon.” He doubled down on the threat on Monday, complaining about deficits in auto and farm products. New tariffs were set to go into effect on imports from Canada, China and Mexico on Tuesday, but on Monday Mexico and Canada were granted a one-month delay. “The European Union has abused the United States for years, and they can’t do that,” Trump said on Monday.
A head-spinning blitz of executive orders and policy reversals related to international trade, aid and agreements has come out of the White House in the past two weeks. But one common thread is that Trump has directed the harshest penalties at some of America’s closest economic and military allies. One reason is that the United States has large trade deficits with Mexico, Canada and the European Union in addition to China, said Agathe Demarais, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Trump is obsessed with trade deficits,” she said. And he may be “starting with the places where he feels he will have quick wins.”Of course, trade surpluses are not necessarily any indication of a country’s economic health. The last time the United States had an overall trade surplus was 1975, when the American economy was still in a severe recession. The United States did have a trade surplus in 2023 with Britain, according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. And that may help Britain avoid tariffs. “I think that one can be worked out,” Trump said, contrasting Britain with Europe. As for the European Union, Trump has characterized the bloc’s trade practices as an “atrocity.” But tariffs imposed by the United States and the European Union on each other are pretty similar. “The pattern of protectionism between the US and Europe is very even, and there is absolutely no evidence that the US has been taken advantage of,” said Kimberly Clausing, an economist at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. “This claim is disingenuous.”
Products exported from the United States to the European Union are on average subject to a 3.95 percent tariff, according to ING Global Markets Research. A 3.5 percent tariff on average is added to products from the European Union that head west across the Atlantic. The disparities, however, are bigger on some items, like cars. The European Union tariff is 10 percent, compared with 2.5 percent from the United States. And E.U. tariffs on food and beverages are on average 3.5 percent higher than those set by the United States. Mr. Trump has long complained about both sectors. The United States is the No. 1 buyer of E.U. exports, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the total in 2023, according to Eurostat. The bloc’s surplus on goods was roughly $160 billion; there was a $107 billion deficit on services. Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s prime minister, said Monday that she would “never support fighting allies,” but that “if the US puts tough tariffs on Europe, we need a collective and robust response.”Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister, said, “We have to do everything to avoid it — totally unnecessary and stupid tariff war or trade wars.”For months, European leaders have quietly been preparing for how to respond. Business leaders and trade associations are warning that the brewing trade war and the unpredictable way in which it is being waged could slow investment. American tariffs on European goods would also hurt companies when they were weakened by flagging demand at home and in China.
The US Chamber of Commerce to the European Union issued a statement on Monday criticizing potential tariffs, arguing that they would invite retaliation and cause companies on both sides of the Atlantic to suffer. German business leaders were reluctant on Monday to comment on the possibility of tariffs on Europe, but they reacted with a mixture of concern and resignation to those targeting Mexico and Canada.
“German industry is directly affected by the tariffs, as it also supplies the U.S. market from plants in Mexico and Canada,” said Wolfgang Niedermark, a board member of BDI, a German industry lobby group. “The automotive industry and its suppliers, including the chemical industry as a supplier of chemical raw materials, will be hit much harder than other sectors.”
Many of the 2,100 German companies that have operations in Mexico, including BMW, Volkswagen and Audi, chose to build there after Trump signed a trade agreement with Mexico and Canada during his first term, when the threat of tariffs against Germany loomed. Nearly a quarter of the 1.3 million vehicles that German automakers sold in the United States last year were produced in Mexico. In addition to the car companies, a web of auto parts suppliers, such as Bosch and ZF, have research and production plants there. Asian and European stock markets fell on Monday, with some of the biggest drops in share prices among auto manufacturers.
Economists at the Prognos Institute in Switzerland calculated that 1.2 million jobs in Germany were dependent on exports to the United States, and that as many as 300,000 of them could be endangered if tariffs against Europe came into effect.
Europe’s luxury industry has also been bracing for a hit. In 2019, the United States briefly imposed 25 percent tariffs on French wines and Italian cheeses, as well as luxury leather handbags and luggage from brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci.
Bernard Arnault, the head of the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton empire, has sought to cultivate direct ties with Trump, who personally invited him to attend last month’s inauguration in Washington. At an earnings presentation last week, Arnault said that by lowering the corporate tax to 15 percent and “welcoming you with open arms,” Trump was making the United States more attractive for companies.
There can be reasons for a country to worry about too large a trade deficit, said Clausing, the Peterson Institute economist. But the United States is not facing those problems at the moment. The trade deficit signals that American consumers are getting a lot of stuff from the rest of the world, she explained. If tariffs drive up prices and Americans have to pay more, as most economists expect, their standard of living will go down.

Sharaa’s Rationality
Tariq Al-Homayed/The New York Times/February 05/2025
Since Bashar al-Assad fled the country and Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in Damascus, eventually being declared president, every speech and interview he has given, whether televised or in print, reflects a degree of rationality Syria had not seen in half a century.
President Sharaa has been interviewed by both Western and Arab media. All of them were substantive. Unlike the criminal, Assad, who could speak for three hours without saying anything worth listening to, he has totally avoided meaningless repetitive statements. Sharaa is swimming with the sharks, or traversing a landmine, both domestically and externally. He has to manage challenges coming from Iran to Israel, from Lebanon to Iraq, and with the Arab states reluctant to support Syria.
Some may argue that the Arabs’ hesitation stems from concerns over the "political Islamism" of Sharaa and his allies. However, various regional actors have aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah, and others, even endeavoring to accommodate them.
Despite all these risks, Sharaa has managed to communicate well, with the Syrian people, as well as with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and, of course, Türkiye. He also reassured Iraq with a recorded video message, engaged with European leaders, and put his foreign minister’s diplomatic skills on display in Davos. Now, Sharaa seeks to open a new chapter with the United States. Sharaa’s sensible approach is evident in how he has handled the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and his responsiveness to criticism of all kinds following Assad’s fall. He has, for example, outlined a clear roadmap for the formation of a new government and holding elections. His statements on Israel also reflect this pragmatism, as he has tried to defuse its hostility to the new Syria.
His grounded approach was also evident in the countries he has chosen to visit. Saudi Arabia was the destination of his first foreign visit, followed by Türkiye, showing that he understands the regional balances and knows how to play the game in a way that maximizes Syria’s leverage. His emphasis on not seeking aid from the Gulf, but rather a partnership - a fundamental distinction - is particularly notable.
Does this imply that he should be given unconditional support? A blank check? I will not hide the fact that I have advocated unwavering support for Syria and its cause - the fall of the Assad regime - throughout my journalistic career. However, this is not a matter of sentiment or journalistic posturing. My stance is rooted in a fundamental principle: Syria must remain an Arab country. Bringing Syria back into the Arab fold curbs Iranian expansionism and pushes back against its project to export its revolution. Support must be given to individuals. We must support a political project that ensures regional security, stability, and social cohesion, and diffuses sectarian tensions. So far, Sharaa has demonstrated a grounded approach that we had not seen from Bashar al-Assad, Hamas, Hezbollah, or even its Lebanese rivals. Self-proclaimed leaders have not shown similar pragmatism either.
Therefore, it would be unwise to squander the historic opportunity that has emerged in Syria. Instead of competing for influence, regional powers should invest in ensuring that Damascus plays a central role in stability rather than conspiracies. The mistakes of the power struggles we saw in Lebanon should not be repeated. They present a long and cautionary tale in themselves. Some in our region have wasted years and vast resources trying to persuade Assad to end the violence and distance himself from Iran. Today, Syria is very much out of Iran’s orbit. Russia’s influence has waned, and the country is closer to the Arab world than ever. Yes, Türkiye has gained a foothold there, but it maintains a balanced relationship with Arab states. The current priority is to support and invest in Sharaa’s rational approach. Until we see signs to the contrary, this is an opportunity that we and the Syrian people have awaited nearly fifty years for.

The End of ‘Palestine’...Donald Trump reminds the world that ideas have sell-by dates
Lee Smith/The Magazine/February 05, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/02/139866/
Yesterday, President Donald Trump single-handedly collapsed the most destructive idea of the last hundred years—Palestine. During meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israel officials, Trump said he was going to move 1.7 million Palestinians out of Gaza. And just like that, he broke the long spell that had captured generations of world leaders, peace activists and Middle East terror-masters alike, who had paradoxically come to regard the repeated failure and haunting secondary consequences of the idea of joint Arab Muslim and Jewish statehood in the same small piece of land as proof of its necessity.
Palestine was an misshapen idea from the beginning, engendered by an act of pure negation. The Arabs could have gone along with the UN’s partition plan like the Jews did, and chosen to build whatever version of Switzerland or Belgium on the Eastern Med in 1948. Instead, they resoundingly chose war. That’s the storied “Nakba” at the core of the Palestinian legend—the catastrophe that drove the Arabs from their land and hung a key around the neck of a nation waiting to go home. The Arabs chose the catastrophe; they chose war, based on the premise that they would inevitably win and exterminate the Jews.
Yet despite repeated military failures, and the increasing distance between the first-world powerhouse that the Israelis built and their increasingly war-torn third-world neighborhood, the global conscience was always pre-disposed to rebuilding what the Palestinians destroyed. Accordingly, the Palestinian Arabs became a tribe of feral children whose identity was carved out of the relentless vow to eliminate Israel and slaughter the Jews en masse—despite repeated failures, each one more crushing than the last.
Trump said enough, we’re not rebuilding Gaza. Time for a new idea—the Gazans have to to go, they can try to start again somewhere else, in a land where every building still standing isn’t already wired to explode.
Gazans waged an exterminationist campaign against Israel, and they lost. At any other time in history, save the last 75 years, they would be lucky to lose only territory and not have their legend and language permanently deleted from the book of the living.
What if they won’t go, or if the Egyptians and Jordanians won’t take them? They’ll take them, said Trump. Ah, he’s talking big but it’s not real, say the experts—after all, he’s a real estate guy, and he’s pretending it’s just another property deal to pressure Hamas—Mar-a-Gaza. You can’t move a million people just like that, says an American electorate that elected Trump because he promised to deport tens of millions of illegal aliens who crossed the U.S. border in the last four years. He’s nuts says the D.C. foreign policy crowd: He’ll destabilize Egypt and Jordan, and undermine America’s best Arab friends and allies in the region.
Yet Trump is right to see both Egypt and Jordan as paltry constructions with little-to-no ability to project force on America’s behalf, and whose survival depends month to month on American aid. Cairo is useful to the United States only insofar as it, one, makes sure the Suez Canal is open and, two, observes the peace treaty with Israel—i.e., continues its campaign of repression against a populace of 112 million people who can barely afford to buy bread, and many of whose dreams are filled with the same insanity that drives Hamas. The only antidote to this misery that Egypt’s rulers have found is blaming the Zionists next door for the ills of their own society, while torturing religious extremists in their prisons. Maybe when Elon Musk is finished fixing Washington he can conduct an audit of where American money goes in Egypt. Somehow, I doubt he’d get in the door.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s problem is that he allowed Hamas to smuggle arms through the Philadelphi crossing into Gaza, thereby violating Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel—which is what we nominally pay him for. From the perspective of Trump, an American president keen to enforce treaty obligations, Sisi has a new chance to prove himself as a friend of America and not a grafting liar by adding a million Gazans—who in the past have been ruled by Egypt and have family names like al-Masri (“the Egyptian”)—to Egypt’s existing population of 112 million, amounting percentage-wise to roughly the same number of legal immigrants that the United States accepts per year. Sisi can deal with the Hamas members among the Gazan immigrants the same way he deals with Muslim Brotherhood militants in his own society—or he can give them all medals for their service. It’s up to him.
And if not? Well, he might remember that Hosni Mubarak’s regime collapsed not because of Muslim Brotherhood-led street protests during the 2011 Arab Spring but because Barack Obama withdrew his support from the longtime U.S. ally.
With money from the Gulf states, or even Israel, Sisi can afford to absorb Palestinians and might even volunteer to take all of Gaza—the average salary in Egypt at present being the equivalent of $5,000 per year. He can then leave Jordan’s King Abdullah responsible for the rest of the Palestinians in the likely event that Trump, as he did in his first term, encourages Netanyahu to annex the Jordan Valley, or goes a step further and acknowledges Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
Since the CIA has long treated the Hashemite Kingdom as a key asset, we can expect within the next week The Washington Post’s David Ignatius to publish an article based on intelligence sources—i.e., U.S. and Jordanian spies—concocting a story about Trump’s rationale for “destabilizing Jordan.” The reality is that the Jordanians, with U.S. help, put down a Palestinian rebellion in 1970. The country of a little more than 11 million is already estimated to be two-thirds Palestinian, the rest Jordanian tribesmen, and it’s hard to see how adding another 500,000 Palestinians will make it harder for Jordan’s notoriously effective security services to contain their neighbors, especially if the offer includes a few dozen more Black Hawk helicopters. After all, no one will expect the Jordanians to allow Hamas to build a giant tunnel-city stuffed with rocket factories beneath their encampments while giving them billions in foreign aid to pay for it all.
Again, the key players here aren’t Jordan and Egypt but the oil rich Gulf Cooperation Council states, especially Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and of course Qatar. Trump might make Saudi largesse in resettling the Gazans a pre-condition for the much-hyped prospect of normalizing relations between Riyadh and Jerusalem. Given the fact that Israel regularly attracts nine- and ten-figure investments from Silicon Valley’s biggest funds, the reality is that the Saudis have little to offer Israel except for money applied to exactly this type of local purpose. Moving millions of Gazans who have repeatedly attacked their Israeli neighbors out of what is now a shattered war zone is a sensible investment in the kind of stability that helps rich people get richer.
The Arabs and Democrats are only the most vocal of the many opposed to Trump’s initiative. Left-wing governments from Europe to Australia are lining up to pledge their allegiance to the fantasy of a Palestinian state, in the hopes of propitiating Muslim and Arab constituencies at home—whose understanding of “peace” means eliminating Israel. But even leaving the patent bad faith of those professing “peace” aside, moving Gazans out of Gaza is the only sane option 14 months after they initiated a campaign of rape, murder, and hostage-taking that brought their own house down on their heads.
After all, what’s more fanciful, moving 1.7 million people out of Gaza, a large portion of whom would simply be required to board air-conditioned buses or walk across the nearby Egypt border, or compelling them to live in a giant rubble field booby-trapped by an Iran-backed terrorist group? Estimates vary as to how long it would take to clear Gaza of explosives—half a decade or more? 15 years? 20? Are the Gazans supposed to live quietly in tents for the next decade or two while their homes are rebuilt next door? Where? In “temporary cities” made of Dwell Magazine-like rehabbed shipping containers built by graduates of Birmingham University? In Hamas’ tunnels?
Regardless, should the Palestinians remain in Gaza, they would invariably return to war no matter how much munificence the Gulf Arab states, the European Union, and perhaps even the U.S. might shower on the toxic sand-castle built over the past two decades with billions of Western aid money. Proof the Palestinians can’t and won’t keep the peace is that even after they won a reprieve when Trump’s Middle East envoy Steven Witkoff forced the Biden administration’s ceasefire on Jerusalem, Hamas and its NGO-supported human shields celebrated in the streets as if the Hamas space program had successfully landed Palestinians on Mars. Even as Israel released jailed murderers, the Gazans paraded Israeli hostages through the ruins of Gaza like trophies of war.
The Saudis, Qataris, Emiratis and others who now rend their clothes while lamenting the likely fate of their ant-farm death cult might well have counseled: Quiet brothers, you have been spared. Don’t bring attention to yourselves. For the winds of Gaza shift on a whim and who knows if you are not next to be swept away by fate—or the American President.
Here is the stark reality: Gazans, not just the enlisted members of the Hamas brigades, waged an exterminationist campaign against Israel, and they lost. At virtually any other time in history, save the last 75 years, they would be lucky to lose only territory and not have their legend and language permanently deleted from the book of the living.
Trump’s generous offer to the Gazans therefore signals a return to history, but with a twist. Trump has not only spared them, but vowed to provide them with new lives, better lives, work, new homes, a chance to raise their families in peace, an existence not premised on total and permanent war with a more powerful adversary destined to rout them entirely, and would have already done so if not for the objections of other powerful global players.
Trump, in his innovative mercy, has offered to save the Palestinian people from their own history, and give them a new idea to live by. They should thank their maker for the chance to start anew—and give thanks as well to the American President, who realistically promises them a better future, backed by U.S. global power. Given the repeated failure of the multi-decade-long dream of eliminating and replacing the Jews of Israel, it seems unlikely that the Palestinians will receive a better offer.
**Lee Smith is the author of Disappearing the President: Trump, Truth Social, and the Fight for the Republic (2024).
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/end-of-palestine

What next after Al-Sharaa’s visit to Saudi Arabia?
Hassan Al-Mustafa/Arab News/February 05, 2025
Saudi Arabia is taking a proactive and serious approach to the dramatic shifts in the Syrian Arab Republic following the collapse of Bashar Assad’s regime. The Kingdom is determined to play a strategic role that safeguards its national interests while ensuring stability in Syria — a key element of broader Arab security. This strategy has direct implications for the stability of neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia itself.
Rather than reacting to events, Riyadh has positioned itself as a key player from the outset, engaging in political, humanitarian and diplomatic efforts through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These initiatives include dialogue with influential nations involved in the Syrian crisis.
The withdrawal of Iran and its allied militias, coupled with the reduced military and political presence of Russia, has created a significant power vacuum. Regional powers like Turkiye are eager to fill this void, seeking influence in Damascus through soft power strategies.
In response, Saudi Arabia has not merely observed these changes, it has sought to shape them. By doing so, the Kingdom aims to maintain regional balance in the Middle East, while facilitating Syria’s return to the Arab fold, helping its gradual transition toward stability and reconstruction and building a civil state beyond ethnic and sectarian divisions. Moreover, Saudi Arabia, as custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, carries forward an enlightenment project aimed at reviving moderate Islam based on mutual respect and the rejection of violence and fundamentalism. To counter radical groups, the Kingdom approaches extremist groups with measured wisdom, implementing direct security measures against terrorist cells while addressing ideological issues and challenging extremist rhetoric.
Thus, the Saudi interest in Syrian stability partly stems from a desire to prevent the country from becoming a haven for terrorism or a platform for violent ideologies spreading across the Arab world. Supporting Damascus aligns with reinforcing moderation and addressing extremist thought methodically.
It is also worth noting that millions of Syrians reside in Saudi Arabia, treated not as refugees but as legal residents granted free education, employment opportunities and dignified living conditions. Riyadh seeks to send positive signals that this care extends to their homeland, emphasizing that Saudi policy seeks to help Syrians rebuild their modern nation-state without interfering in its internal affairs.
Observers of Saudi Arabia note its continuous modernization of society, laws and state structures. Vision 2030 has initiated fundamental transformations that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman intends to sustain long-term. This vision’s success requires not just strong economic performance but also regional stability, making Syria’s security a strategic Saudi interest for sustaining its development and megaprojects.
Against this backdrop, Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week and his reception by the crown prince carries significant weight. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the pair discussed Syrian developments, bilateral relations and regional issues, exploring ways to support Syria’s security and stability while strengthening cooperation across various fields.
The Kingdom aims to maintain regional balance in the Middle East, while facilitating Syria’s return to the Arab fold.
The crown prince’s reception of Al-Sharaa signals Riyadh’s support for Damascus’ political transition and genuine desire for positive developments in security, stability and development, leading toward an inclusive national government representing all Syrian demographics.
However, this does not translate to unconditional Saudi support for every action by Syria’s new leadership. Riyadh’s policy typically avoids giving any party a blank check or acting as a guardian of other nations’ political administrations. Instead, it supports broad principles of security, stability, reconstruction, development and filling any security or political vacuums. Riyadh seeks to avoid destabilizing tremors that could unsettle the Syrian landscape, leaving the finer details and specific implementations to Syrian discretion. The Kingdom may agree or disagree with particular decisions, offering advice when requested by Damascus.
Al-Sharaa’s Saudi visit, while providing political backing and potentially opening doors to other capitals, presents a historic opportunity for Syria. Success depends on it developing credible, practical plans that engage all Syrians in political processes and state reconstruction, avoiding revenge politics and sectarian or ethnic quotas. This approach can build trust and foster sustainable cooperation between the two nations.
*Hassan Al-Mustafa is a Saudi writer and researcher interested in Islamic movements, the development of religious discourse and the relationship between the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Iran. X: @Halmustafa

The challenge to find a better solution for Gaza
Alistair Burt/Arab News/February 05, 2025
It is quite hard to know where to begin with the news that the US president has had a revelation that the way forward in the Middle East is to move not those who are occupying land illegally, but to evict those who have been bombed to destruction in Gaza so as to redevelop it for hotels and apartments.
However, let us unpick the headline. Behind the breathtaking absurdity of the proposed solution — rightly denounced by Arab states including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan — lies a land of catastrophic destruction, people in need and a political minefield across an entire region that demands urgent attention. There are now no voices claiming that the situation between Israel and the Palestinians can be “managed.”
There was a sharp contrast in power at the press conference where President Donald Trump made his remarks. On the one hand was a president, flushed with electoral success, in complete political command of all branches of government and possessing a belief that he can now do exactly what he wants. On the other was a weakened Israeli prime minister, not in full control of his Cabinet, who could fairly claim that his actions against Hezbollah and Iran had changed the dynamics in the region, but at huge cost and without either defeating Hamas or freeing the cruelly taken hostages.
There is a logic to the new US position if you see the whole region as one vast real estate plot and believe that business and money can overcome everything. If you are not a politician, and have seen politics fail time and again, why would you not think that something different is worth a try? Gaza is indeed now a wasteland, where the condition of the people is desperate and will be for some time. Who would not want the prospect of living in the same location, but one which was safe, thriving and bustling, and making a good living? After all, he would say, barely 300 km away is Beirut, once truly the Riviera of the Mediterranean.
A moment’s reflection would remind you of the reality behind the comparison. As Lebanon and the suffering of Beirut has illustrated, the region is not real estate and it is not a new land. It is history, as well as both current and past politics.
If you have seen politics fail time and again, why would you not think that something different is worth a try? The removal of Palestinians in Gaza as some form of logistical challenge was presented like cleaning up a landslip before construction can begin. This is reminiscent of the carelessness with the displacement of Palestinians in the past. Almost everything in the current-day understanding of the issues between Israel and its neighbor demands an awareness of the Nakba and its influence. Israel itself is a response to the historic Jewish diaspora of centuries, and the region is filled with memory, poetry and story of home, exile, the longing for return and the misery of enforced movement.
That is why, at the beginning of this round of conflict, Egypt and Jordan were clear that they would not take refugees from Gaza. They knew that Palestinians would rightly fear that, once they left Gaza, there would be little chance of a return and that their own populations would likely be violently opposed to any collusion in such a plan. They still are. This fear is rightly bolstered by the development of hard-line Israeli politics. The racism represented by Meir Kahane and his followers, which would once never have been countenanced by a decent Israeli leadership, is now a potent force in the government itself, to the dismay of many other Israelis. Extremist settlers, too often protected by the Israeli state, terrorize Palestinian villagers in the West Bank and make no secret of their intention to push them out for the exclusive use of the territory by Jewish Israelis. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who can still make or break Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet, openly calls for Israeli sovereignty and annexation.
Is it any wonder that the idea of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza, whatever the excuse given, looks exactly like what it is: the delivery of the most carefully-thought-out, hard-line, extremist Israeli political agenda?
The tragedy of what has happened will be compounded if the possibility of a better option is lost
The tragedy of what has happened will be compounded if the possibility of a better option is lost. Saudi Arabia’s rapid response to the president’s suggestion was “to reaffirm its unequivocal rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, through … attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.” It has reinforced its commitment to a Palestinian state as part of any normalization with Israel. And there lies the better option. President Trump is right to say that, if we keep trying the same things, then there will be conflict everlasting. Something different is worth a try. It is called a Palestinian state and a normalized Israel, based on the Global Alliance for Implementation of the Two-State Solution. Could it possibly be that he has, unwittingly or not, thrown out the challenge: if you do not like what I am suggesting, what have you got instead?
It is time to deliver the better option.
**Alistair Burt is a former UK member of Parliament who has twice held ministerial positions in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; as parliamentary undersecretary of state from 2010 to 2013 and as minister of state for the Middle East from 2017 to 2019. X: @AlistairBurtUK