English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For February 17/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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lccc Site
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/aaaanewsfor2025/english.february17.25.htm
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Bible Quotations For today
Lift your drooping hands and strengthen your
weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not
be put out of joint, but rather be healed
Letter to the Hebrews 12/01-13/:”Since we are surrounded by so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that
clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before
us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and
has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who
endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow
weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to
the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten the exhortation that
addresses you as children ‘My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of the
Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those
whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts.’ Endure trials for the
sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there
whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that discipline in which
all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children. Moreover, we
had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even
more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live?For they
disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but he disciplines us
for our good, in order that we may share his holiness. Now, discipline always
seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful
fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your
drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your
feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.
Titles For The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on February 16-17/2025
Text & Video: The Mullahs and Their Terrorist Proxy "Hezbollah" Are
Planning to Invade Lebanon with Thousands of Jihadists Under the Pretext of
Participating in Nasrallah's Funeral/Elias Bejjani/February 16/2025
Khamenei's, Hezbollah's, Berri's Thugs & all gangs of the so-called “Resistance”
understand only the language of their uncle, Netanyahu. We Ask Him to Discipline
Them./Elias Bejjani/February 15, 2025
Text & Video/For These Reasons, We Fear the Nasserite Arabists, Fatah
Supporters, and Leftists Like Nawaf Salam and Tarek Mitri/Elias Bejjani/February
15/2025
Link to a video commentary by journalist Ali Hamadeh
One Killed, Several Injured in Israeli Gunfire in Southern Lebanon
Iran: All Flights to Lebanon Have Been Canceled Until the 18th of February
Trump's Advisor: Washington is working to prevent funds from reaching the
"party"
The army explains what happened on the airport road yesterday: We intervened
after 23 soldiers, including 3 officers, were injured
The Israeli army is preparing to withdraw completely from the south within two
days?
Khadija Atwi joins her father Hussein as a martyr in Houla
Federalism: An Ideal or a Threat?/Amine Jules Iskandar/This is Beirut/February
16/2025
Naim Qassem Between Conciliation and Blame: 'Are We Employees of Israel?'
Hezbollah Condemns Attack on UNIFIL Convoy in Beirut
Tear Gas Fired at Hezbollah Supporters Protesting Lebanon Blocking Iranian
Flight
Saad Hariri's Comeback: A Turning Point for the Sunni Community?/Yara
Germany/This is Beirut/February 16/2025
The Regalian Function and the Poor Exercise of Power/Charles Elias Chartouni/This
is Beirut/February 15/2025
Etienne Sakr - Abu Arz: Security By Mutual Consent Is A Fragile Settlement & An
Ongoing Crisis
Saudi Arabia supports Lebanon's measures to confront attempts to tamper with
citizens' security
Lebanon Tells Iran Its Flights to Beirut Suspended till Feb 18
Pressure mounts as Lebanon and Israel approach key ceasefire deadline: The
latest details
Hezbollah-led protests, Iranian flights issue fuel political tension: Will
diplomacy or street action decide the outcome?
Patriarch Al-Rahi: In 1975, the state fell, but society remained, so we stood
firm and won together, and rebuilt the state
Bishop Elias Aoudi: We hope that the government will work as one united team and
pay attention to the issues and pains of the people
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on February 16-17/2025
US military says airstrike in Syria kills leader of Al-Qaeda affiliate
Hurras al-Din
Rubio in Israel Says Hamas Must Be Eradicated, Casting Further Doubt on Gaza’s
Shaky Ceasefire
Israel, Hamas Complete Their Latest Exchange as Ceasefire’s First Phase Has Just
2 Weeks Left
Israel Receives Shipment of Heavy Bombs Cleared by Trump
Netanyahu Says ‘We Can Finish the Job’ against Iran after Meeting Rubio
Rubio in Israel Says Hamas Must Be Eradicated, Casting Further Doubt on Gaza’s
Shaky Ceasefire
US Mideast Envoy Says Phase Two Gaza Talks to Continue This Week
Israel, Hamas Complete Their Latest Exchange as Ceasefire’s First Phase Has Just
2 Weeks Left
Israeli Strike Kills Three Members of Hamas-Run Police Force in Gaza, Interior
Ministry Says
Woman Killed as Israeli Forces Fire on Returnees to Southern Lebanon Ahead of
Ceasefire Deadline
Frankly Speaking: Is a Palestinian state more remote than ever?
Syria’s Sharaa in Idlib on His First Internal Visit
Iraq Says Won’t Be Used for Activities Hostile to Syria
Lavrov, Rubio Discuss Removal of ‘Barriers’ Set by Previous US Administration,
Russia Says
Pope Has Another Peaceful Night in Rome Hospital
Iran targets Azeri ethnic minority activists to 'silence dissent,' Human Rights
Watch report reveals
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on February 16-17/2025
UAE Pledges $200 Million to Support Sudan/Robert Williams/Gatestone
Institute/February 16, 2025
How Saudi Arabia Has Excelled Politically/Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
newspaper/February 16/2025
Between Iran’s Apprehension and America’s Recklessness/Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al-Awsat
newspaper/February 16/2025
Unity, stability the key goals of Syria’s post-Baathist transition/Dr. Gyorgy
Busztin/Arab News/February 16, 2025
Crossing Jordan is not a good idea/Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/February 16, 2025
What Gaza plan means for US-Egypt ties/Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab
News/February 16, 2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on February 16-17/2025
Text & Video: The Mullahs and Their Terrorist Proxy
"Hezbollah" Are Planning to Invade Lebanon with Thousands of Jihadists Under the
Pretext of Participating in Nasrallah's Funeral
Elias Bejjani/February 16/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/02/140276/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj_JyWXCCNw&t=180s
Reports from Hezbollah in Lebanon indicate that thousands of its supporters are
coming from 70 countries to participate in the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah and
Safi Al-Din on the 23th of this month. Sources close to this Iranian gang state
that these trained fighters have been entering Lebanon daily in large numbers
for days.
In this terrifying and terrorist context, journalist Mariam Majdoline warned on
social media about this diabolical plot and wrote under the title "Attention and
Caution" the following:
"May God protect Lebanon from Khamenei’s tails and his criminal axis (supporters
and allies of the Popular Mobilization Forces, the Houthis, and others) who have
started entering Lebanon under the pretext of participating in Hassan
Nasrallah's funeral. What they did in Syria is a lesson for us all.
Attention, attention, attention. We cannot trust terrorists and mercenaries who
move with religious mandates."
In the same context, we draw attention to this satanic plot being executed by
the mullahs and their criminal, jihadist, and invasion-oriented Hezbollah aiming
to strike the new government in Lebanon, bring in Iranian funds through the
airport and via Algerian and Iraqi planes to reorganize the structure of their
organization and obstruct the implementation of the ceasefire agreement,
including international resolutions 1559, 1701, and 1680, along with the Taif
Agreement—all of which stipulate disarming all Lebanese and non-Lebanese
militias (primarily the defeated, broken, and surrendered Hezbollah) and
extending the state's legitimate authority across the entirety of Lebanese
territory.
What is frightening and confirms the seriousness of this Iranian jihadist
invasion plot under the guise of participating in Nasrallah and Safi Al-Din's
funeral is Hezbollah's violent and criminal actions along the airport road, in
Beirut, and in the south—acts of aggression, chaos, accusations of treason
against Presidents Aoun and Salam, attacks on the Lebanese army, assaults on
UNIFIL personnel, and threats of assassinations and civil war voiced by its paid
mouthpieces like Qassem Qasir. This is a clear and blatant coup attempt against
the government, a refusal to acknowledge defeat, and, more dangerously, a
rejection of implementing the ceasefire agreement, which unambiguously requires
Hezbollah to disarm and dismantle its military structures and weapons depots
across Lebanon.
In reality and actuality, Hezbollah poses an existential threat to the state,
its institutions, the peace, stability, and livelihood of all Lebanese
sects—foremost among them the honorable Shiite community, which it holds
hostage, exploits, and uses its youth to fight in all of Iran's wars.
The writer is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Writer's Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Website Link:
https://eliasbejjaninews.com
Khamenei's, Hezbollah's, Berri's Thugs & all gangs of the so-called “Resistance”
understand only the language of their uncle, Netanyahu. We Ask Him to Discipline
Them.
Elias Bejjani/February 15, 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/02/140222/
Can someone tell us what happens to the stupidity, hysteria, terrorism, and
street-thug mentality of Nasrallah, Khamenei, and Berri’s gangs, when just one
Israeli drone appears over their rotten, hollow heads near the airport? Panic,
wailing, chaos, and infighting, without a doubt! And they will scatter like
rats, tripping over each other in terror. Enough of their filth and corruption!
Let them be buried in their cowardice. And to the government, the president, and
the army—take action! Discipline them, cleanse the country of their disease, and
finally fulfill the mission that the international community entrusted you with.
No more half-measures with Iran and its criminal proxies. Either get the job
done or step aside!
Text & Video/For These Reasons, We
Fear the Nasserite Arabists, Fatah Supporters, and Leftists Like Nawaf Salam and
Tarek Mitri
Elias Bejjani/February 15/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/02/140191/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1zFkE_4Me8&t=9s
In Lebanon, some—leftists, fake nationalists, eternal adversaries of Israel, and
those who trade in the deception of so-called "resistance &
Liberation"—criticize us (The Lebanese Patriots) for labeling Nawaf Salam and
Tarek Mitri as Nasserite Arabists and as Palestinians more Palestinian than
Arafat the Muslim Brotherhood loyalist, George Habash the leftist, and Yahya
Sinwar the jihadist. They accuse us of being Lebanese nationalists, opposing the
Taif Agreement, and advocating for federalism and partition.
Rather than engaging in futile debates with Lebanon’s enemies and those who
reject the Christian role in governing the country, we respond firmly and
unapologetically, relying on the facts and history that expose the true nature
of these figures and their ideology:
Abdel Nasser Nasser and all the officers who overthrew King Farouk’s regime in
Egypt were members of the Muslim Brotherhood. There is no need to elaborate on
the hatred, extremism, and radical objectives of this jihadist movement.
Abdel Nasser, who infused Arabism with Brotherhood ideology, led the region into
ignorance, populism, and fanaticism, culminating in one of the greatest defeats
in Arab history. He failed in his union with Syria, his war in Yemen, his
hostility toward the Gulf states, and in every civilian, military, social, and
political endeavor. Today, few in Egypt even know where his grave is.
Meanwhile, Palestinian organizations—chief among them Fatah, which Nawaf Salam,
Tarek Mitri, and many others supported under the deceptive umbrella of the
so-called "National Movement"—turned against Lebanon, its people, and its
government, particularly the Christians. They waged wars, launched invasions,
and committed massacres, all while promoting delusions that the road to
Palestine passed through Jounieh. In this, they are no different from Iran’s
mullahs and their jihadist proxies, including Hezbollah, who—by deliberate
choice—have never once found the road to Jerusalem. According to their twisted
logic, the road to Jerusalem passes through Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo. Today,
their deceit has evolved, and now, the road supposedly runs through Beirut
International Airport!
As for the Arabists and Fake nationalists—whether Baathists, Syrian
nationalists, leftists, communists, or others consumed by hatred for everything,
including themselves, their people, and their homelands (excluding the Gulf Arab
identity, which fundamentally opposes Nasserite and Arafatist Arabism)—their
record of failures and betrayals is immeasurable. They are not only Lebanon’s
enemies but also their own worst adversaries. With the fall of Assad’s regional
influence, they have vanished from every ruling Arab government. It is also
worth noting that Erdogan and Qatar’s rulers belong to the same jihadist breed,
and the devastation of Gaza is a direct consequence of their policies.
This is why our concern for Lebanon and its people is both urgent and
justified—against every Arabist, Nasserite, leftist, fake nationalist, mullah
loyalist, and deceiver who chants about throwing Israel into the sea,
"liberating" Palestine, and praying in Jerusalem.
Based on all of the above, and because Nawaf Salam, Tarek Mitri, and perhaps
Ghassan Salamé are deeply rooted in the defeatist, deceptive ideology of Arafat
and Nasser—one built on manipulation, false resistance, and perpetual failure
(Arafat himself was a prominent Muslim Brotherhood member)—we have every right
to reject them in the current new Lebanese government, or at least to fear their
non-Lebanese agendas. How can we be trustful when the newly formed government’s
primary mission must be the complete eradication of Iranian influence, embodied
in Hezbollah’s terrorist network, and active participation in the Arab-Israeli
peace process embraced by all Arab states.
Ultimately, the mindset and ideology of leftists, Nasserite Arabists, mullah
loyalists, Islamists, and jihadists are, at their core, one and the same.
Link to a video
commentary by journalist Ali Hamadeh
Link to a video commentary by journalist Ali Hamadeh, where he exposes the
dangers, illegalities, and terror threats stemming from assassinations,
invasions, chaos, and roadblocks orchestrated by the defeated and defunct
Iranian Hezbollah. Hamadeh explains how these reckless actions, driven blindly
by the Mullahs’ decrees, reflect the depths of their madness as they remain
trapped in their delusions, hallucinations, and empty barbaric rhetoric
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/02/140270/
February 16/2025'
One Killed, Several Injured in Israeli Gunfire in Southern Lebanon
This is Beirut/February 16/2025
Israeli forces opened fire toward the town of Hula on Sunday, killing one person
and injuring several others, according to the National News Agency (NNA). The
escalation followed an incident in which residents of the southern Lebanese town
bypassed a barrier erected by the Israeli army and entered the area despite
Israeli military presence. Israeli troops fired machine guns toward people in
Hula and detained five individuals. Additionally, Israeli forces remain deployed
near the Imam al-Hadi Mosque in the Mufailha area and in Wadi Krom al-Ataq, west
of Mays al-Jabal. In parallel, the Lebanese Army (LAF) dismantled earthen berms
between the towns of Bani Hayan and Markaba. Tensions also flared earlier on
Sunday when Israeli forces advanced toward Saddaneh Hill in Kfarchouba, near an
LAF post, and began bulldozing operations. At the same time, Israeli troops were
seen constructing a road through the Saddaneh woods, north of Kfarchouba,
extending toward Kfar Hammam and Hebbariyeh. The Lebanese Army Command issued a
statement urging citizens to avoid southern areas where military deployment has
not yet been completed. It emphasized the importance of adhering to instructions
from deployed units to ensure their safety and prevent casualties, citing the
threat of unexploded ordnance left by the Israeli army and the possible presence
of Israeli forces in those regions. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to the ceasefire in Lebanon, stating
that he expects the Lebanese government to do the same. He further insisted that
Hezbollah must be “fully disarmed.”Explosions and bombardments in series. The
Israeli army massively shelled the area between Kfar Hamam and Habariyeh. The
areas between Mays el-Jabal and Hula were subjected to artillery fire. Heavy
explosions were carried out in Jabal al-Sadana and in the Mufailha area, west of
the town of Mays al-Jabal.
Iran: All Flights to Lebanon Have Been Canceled Until the 18th of February
This is Beirut/This is Beirut/February 16/2025
The head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, Hossein Pourfarzaneh, has
announced that due to ongoing security problems at Beirut airport, all flights
to Lebanon have been canceled until the 18th of this month at the earliest. In a
statement to journalists, Mr. Pourfarzaneh Pourfarzaneh commented on the news of
Israel's threat to “target Iranian aircraft flying to Lebanon”, saying: “I
didn't hear the word threat, but in light of what was discussed in writing
between the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization and Lebanon, the Lebanese side
informed us that due to the particular security conditions in Beirut and the
cancellation of all external flights, it was decided to suspend Iranian flights
to Lebanon until February 18 this year, and therefore Iranian passenger
operations will stop during this period.”The Iranian official stressed that the
Iranian Civil Aviation Organization would be following this issue on a daily
basis, adding: “We will certainly resolve this problem,” according to Sky News
Arabia, citing Iranian media. Lebanese authorities blocked an Iranian plane from
flying to Beirut on Thursday following a warning from the United States that
Israel might target the airport, a Lebanese security source told AFP. The ban,
which was extended to another flight on Friday, triggered protests from
Hezbollah supporters, who blocked the road leading to Beirut’s International
Airport (BIA). “Through the Americans, Israel informed the Lebanese state that
it would strike the airport if the Iranian plane landed in Lebanon. The American
side conveyed that Israel was serious about its threat,” the security source
said. Citing the risk of an Israeli strike, Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works
and Transport, Fayez Rasamny, in consultation with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam
and President Joseph Aoun, decided to deny flight authorization, notifying the
airline before takeoff, the source added. “The best solution was for this plane
not to land to avoid endangering the airport, even though Lebanese security
imposes strict controls on Iranian flights,” the source said. Prime Minister
Salam affirmed on Saturday that “the security of Beirut airport takes precedence
over any other consideration, and the safety of travelers as well as the
security of Lebanese citizens are elements with which we will not
compromise.”Israel has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of using Beirut’s airport to
transport weapons from Iran, allegations that Hezbollah has denied.Lebanon
remains under a fragile ceasefire since November 27, following over a year of
hostilities and two months of open conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. With
AFP
Trump's
Advisor: Washington is working to prevent funds from reaching the "party"
Janubiya/February 16, 2025
US President Donald Trump's advisor for Arab and Middle East affairs, Mas'ad
Boulos, announced in an interview with MTV today, Sunday, that "the US
administration is working to prevent funds from reaching Hezbollah, whether
through Iran or alternative countries."
The army
explains what happened on the airport road yesterday: We intervened after 23
soldiers, including 3 officers, were injured
Markazia/February 16, 2026
The Army Command - Directorate of Orientation issued the following statement:
In clarification of what is being circulated in the media about the army's
intervention during the sit-in on the Rafic Hariri International Airport Road,
the Army Command confirms that there was prior coordination with the sit-in
organizers regarding their commitment to peaceful expression of opinion and not
blocking the road leading to the airport. However, a number of protesters later
proceeded to block the road and attack members of the military units tasked with
maintaining security, and assault their vehicles, which led to 23 soldiers,
including 3 officers, being injured with various wounds, which forced these
units to intervene to prevent the assault on their members and open the road.
The army's intervention came in implementation of the political authority's
decision with the aim of preventing the closure of roads and attacks on public
and private property, and to ensure the operation of public facilities and
maintain the security and safety of travelers, in order to preserve security and
stability.
The Israeli army is preparing to withdraw completely from the south within two
days?
Markazia/February 16, 2026
Israel Hayom newspaper revealed that the Israeli army is preparing to completely
withdraw from southern Lebanon within two days. Security sources told the
Israeli newspaper: "We have not received instructions from the political
leadership regarding remaining at any point in southern Lebanon." The security
sources added: "We are awaiting the political leadership's instructions
regarding withdrawing from Lebanon or extending the stay." They indicated that
"Israeli army forces will be deployed near the border with Lebanon at three
times the number they were before the war."
Khadija Atwi joins her father Hussein as a martyr in Houla
Hussein Saad/Janubiya/February 16, 2025
Life was not pleasant for Khadija Atwi without her father, the martyr Hussein
Atwi, one of the martyrs of Houla, on the road to Jerusalem. She stormed death
to defend her occupied town, defying all dangers, after she and others crossed
the dirt barriers and wires towards the town's neighborhoods. The occupation
soldiers who were hidden on the outskirts of the town, aimed their bullets at
Khadija, 17 years old, who was martyred immediately and others were wounded.
Until late at night, the Israeli occupation forces did not allow the Red Cross
to go to the place where Atwi was martyred, to work on transferring her to the
hospital, where her body is still in the open, while the fate of ten other
people is still unknown after they entered the occupied part of the town, in
addition to two paramedics from the Islamic Message Scouts, who are still being
detained by the occupation forces, after they tried to transfer the wounded. In
this context, the Houla Municipality appealed to the concerned parties and
officials in the Lebanese army, the international emergency forces, and the
International Red Cross to intervene quickly and directly, and to work
diligently and seriously to facilitate the immediate and rapid evacuation
process, so that citizens do not remain in the open tonight. The Lebanese Army
Command issued a statement on “the necessity for citizens not to head to the
southern areas where deployment has not been completed, and to adhere to the
instructions of the deployed military units, in order to preserve their safety
and avoid the fall of innocents, due to the danger of unexploded ordnance left
behind by the “Israeli” enemy, in addition to the possibility of the presence of
enemy forces in those areas.” While all eyes are on Tuesday morning, February
18, the date set for the withdrawal of the occupation army from the towns of
Houla, Markaba, Adaisseh, Mahbib, Blida, Kfar Kila, Mays al-Jabal, in the
eastern sector, and the towns of Maroun al-Ras and Baroun, in the central
sector, and to maintain a number of border points, the occupation forces
continued their attacks, destroying a house in the town of Kfar Shouba and
dropping a bomb on a bulldozer in the town of Marouhin, which was working to
clear the road. After the Israeli raid that targeted the town of Jarjou last
night and led to the martyrdom of two people, warplanes launched three raids in
the evening on the towns of Halbata and Harbata in the northern Bekaa region,
and the Israeli army claimed that they targeted sites belonging to “Hezbollah.”
Federalism: An Ideal or a Threat?
Amine Jules Iskandar/This is Beirut/February 16/2025
The concept of true politics is not about the negativity of threats and
blackmail. It must be visionary, shaping the future for the common good,
grounded in a fair and courageous reading of the past and present realities. “If
the Shiite duo, Amal-Hezbollah, persists in refusing to abide by the laws and
the Constitution, we will have no other choice but to raise the issue of
federalism.” This phrase is repeatedly used as a threat, a form of blackmail
wielded by certain Christian politicians. It implies that federalism is a lesser
evil—unfortunate but necessary, and a better alternative to the widespread
collapse brought about by Hezbollah’s militia and its supporters.
The Threat
Since the 1970s, this rhetoric has resurfaced at every critical juncture when
the security and survival of Christians are at risk. It acts as a scare tactic,
meant to be wielded to emphasize its leverage in negotiations over the spoils of
the central state. Whether facing the Palestinians and their Mourabitoun allies,
the Syrians or today the Shiite duo, the same threat recurs: “Do not force us
toward federalism,” in other words, “Do not push us to make the wrong choice to
safeguard our survival.” These politicians seem just as inept in this matter as
any newcomer. Unfortunately, in Lebanon, a background in political science is
not required to engage in politics, represent the people and fight for their
security and prosperity. The criteria for joining Parliament or the government
are entirely different and do not take the relevance of this discipline into
account. In this broader climate of incompetence, many who should be working for
the common good instead use the concept of federalism as a tool of intimidation.
However, all serious studies consistently highlight the federal governance
system as the most enlightened and respectful approach to human dignity. As a
warrantor of harmony, it is ideally suited to ethnic diversity, whether
cultural, linguistic, racial or religious, as in Switzerland (where it mainly
involves linguistic differences), or ethnoreligious, as in Lebanon (where it
reflects deep cultural divides).
Harmony
The facts confirm what political science analyses and research consistently
show: 40% of the world’s population lives under federal systems and prospers
just as well as in Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, Germany or Australia.
The federal system even averted the partition of Canada while preserving
Quebec’s unique characteristics. As a result, during the 1995 referendum,
Quebecers voted to remain within the federation. Therefore, federalism is the
ideal framework to safeguard coexistence. It is grounded in the principle of
subsidiarity, advocated by the Church's social doctrine and outlined in the 1931
encyclical Quadragesimo Anno under Pope Pius XI. In this context, subsidiarity
is presented as a guarantor of pluralism, and by extension, of human rights and
the rights of minorities. It is defined as “the pluralistic structuring of
society and the representation of its vital forces.”Under John Paul II, the
Church even warned against any distortion of this form of governance in the name
of politically correct ideals. In its 2004 social doctrine, it stated that
“experience shows that denying subsidiarity, or limiting it in the name of
supposed democratization or equality in society, limits and sometimes even
destroys the spirit of freedom and initiative.”
The Prerequisites for Federalism
Federalism is the ultimate form of harmony and coexistence. In contrast to the
relentless claims of certain Christian politicians, it can only be applied if
the Shiite duo is committed to the principles of coexistence and international
law. A federal system that truly unites can only be realized among groups acting
in good faith, with a shared desire to build a common project while respecting
their diversity. It is precisely when the Shiite duopoly stubbornly rejects
national and international law that federalism becomes unachievable and
partition becomes the only viable option. Creating a national project does not
entail dividing central power, monopolizing certain ministries by an
ethnoreligious community or granting a veto power. It is therefore not about
allocating roles through a process of concessions and the gradual erosion of the
state's sovereign functions. Such practices would only result in the collapse of
institutions and the irreversible emigration of the youth.
The Anthropological Realities
Like the unitary state, federalism is based on a shared vision and the desire to
build, together, a national entity that fosters unity while respecting
diversity. The crucial question is whether all the key players involved in what
we consider a national project can embrace the concept of a nation and its
borders. What about transnational identities—those that cannot accept this idea
due to ideological reasons (such as Wilayat al-Faqih or Arabism), or even due to
dogmatic beliefs within their religion, which blends both spiritual and temporal
dimensions? Nation-building is a serious undertaking, and when it fails, the
consequences can be devastating, as seen in Lebanon since 2019. This task can no
longer be left to career politicians, heirs of feudal or neo-feudal dynasties,
or clerics thrust into politics. Decisions that shape the future of men and
women, their security and their heritage cannot be built on utopian visions or
empty slogans. Anthropological research—and the courage to accept its
findings—are essential to preventing the mistakes of the past. True politics is
the courage to put forward a project founded on a clear vision and a noble
cause. It establishes programs and strategies to achieve concrete goals and move
forward constructively to build a sustainable future. It is not driven by
threats or coercion, nor does it operate reactively. Instead, it relies on
planning and foresight, offering solutions before crises unfold. True politics
is visionary, shaping the future through a rigorous and courageous understanding
of the past and a clear assessment of the present.
Naim Qassem
Between Conciliation and Blame: 'Are We Employees of Israel?'
This is Beirut/February 16/2025
In commemoration of the memory of Hezbollah's martyred leaders, Hezbollah's
Secretary General Naim Qassem invited a large popular turnout. ©Al-Markazia. In
a ritual now well mastered, Hezbollah’s Secretary General Naim Qassem placed his
speech under two political banners, one rather reduced, regional, the other more
elaborate, local. With regard to internal political developments, Qassem played
the cards of “apparent good intention” and “innocence.” “We have endeavored to
contribute to the regulation of the institutions: everyone can attest that it
was the Shiite duo that successfully led the election of President Joseph Aoun,
and so we have been a fundamental stakeholder in the consecration of the
national entente,” he asserted. In the same conciliatory tone, Qassem described
the Shiite duo, in this case Hezbollah, as “facilitators” in the formation of
the government and “contributors to the country's take-off.”Referring to the
ministerial declaration, which will no longer provide “legitimate cover” for
Hezbollah's weapons by using the traditional slogan “people, arms and
resistance,” now revoked from official literature, Qassem had no hesitation in
declaring: “The Lebanese people have the right to confront the Israeli enemy. It
is an established right.”As for the case of the Iranian plane banned from
landing at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport, Qassem discredited the
“protection of civilians” reason put forward by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam,
believing that it was in fact the execution of an Israeli order. “Let the plane
land and let's see what Israel does,” he claimed. “Are we employees of Israel?
We are carrying out the occupier's demands. I ask the government to reconsider
this decision in a way that strengthens our sovereignty.” Qassem denigrated the
firing of tear gas canisters against demonstrators on the airport road. He
considered that “there was no need for us to get involved between the Army and
the people.”He also condemned the attack on the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL).
Qassem then established himself as the guide of the State. He identified the
guidelines to be applied by those in charge: bring the corrupters to trial; work
by all means to force Israel to withdraw completely, otherwise “everyone knows
how to deal with the occupation,” alluding to Hezbollah's eventual recourse to
arms. Another instruction to the State was to begin reconstruction. Qassem had
no hesitation in expressing himself clearly on this subject: “The State's duty
is to work towards reconstruction. We are ready to cooperate in this operation,
which is the responsibility of the State.”Still dressed as an advisor to the
Republic, he “proposed” that the government use competitive examinations to
select competent administrative officials, thus putting an end to the
distribution of quotas and clientelism.
Addressing US President Donald Trump's “very dangerous” stance on the
Palestinian cause, Qassem described it as “political genocide” in line with
Israel's flawed attempt to eradicate the Palestinian people. Qassem blamed Arab
countries for remaining silent in the face of the “genocide” perpetrated against
the Palestinian people, when they could exert pressure and resort to the boycott
policy to “change the equation.” “We firmly reject any displacement of
Palestinians to Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia or any other country. We also reject
any move to Lebanon,” affirmed Qassem. Returning to the occasion of this speech,
the commemoration of the memory of Hezbollah's martyred leaders, Hezbollah's
Secretary General invited a large popular turnout in view of the “exceptional
character” of Hezbollah's two former Secretaries General, Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, but above all as a public declaration of
loyalty to a path and a way of life.
Hezbollah Condemns Attack on UNIFIL Convoy in Beirut
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
Hezbollah on Sunday condemned an attack on a United Nations Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy in Beirut on Friday which the US State Department has
said was reportedly carried out by supporters of the armed group. UNIFIL said on
Friday its outgoing deputy force commander was injured when the convoy, which
was taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport, was "violently attacked". Lebanese
authorities have detained more than 25 people as part of an investigation into
the attack. In Sunday's statement, the Iran-backed group expressed firm
rejection to any targeting of UNIFIL forces. Separately, it also denounced the
Lebanese army for firing tear gas on Saturday at protesters of the group who
were protesting against Lebanon blocking an Iranian flight to Beirut this week
after accusations by the Israeli military that Tehran was using civilian
aircraft to smuggle cash to Beirut to arm the Lebanese group. It called on the
Lebanese military to open a probe into what it described as an "unjustified
assault on peaceful civilians". Iran barred Lebanese planes from repatriating
dozens of Lebanese nationals stranded in Iran on Friday, in a standoff between
the two countries following what Tehran described as an Israeli threat to attack
it.
Tear Gas Fired at Hezbollah Supporters Protesting Lebanon
Blocking Iranian Flight
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
The Lebanese army fired tear gas on Saturday at Hezbollah supporters protesting
around Beirut airport against Lebanon blocking an Iranian flight to Beirut this
week after the Israeli military accused Tehran of using civilian aircraft to
smuggle cash to Beirut to arm the Lebanese group. Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan
Fadlallah called on the army to hold those who fired at the protesters to
account. The Lebanese army and government "should have held immediate meetings
to prevent the Israeli enemy from imposing its dictates on the airport and from
continuing its occupation of Lebanese territory ... instead of using force
against a peaceful sit-in on the airport road," Fadlallah added in a statement.
Iran barred Lebanese planes from repatriating dozens of Lebanese nationals
stranded in Iran on Friday, in a standoff between the two countries following
what Tehran described as an Israeli threat to attack it. Iranian Foreign
Minister Abbas Araqchi spoke to his Lebanese counterpart by phone on the matter
and both "declared their readiness for constructive talks," state media said,
without elaborating. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on
Friday had said that Israel had threatened a passenger plane carrying Lebanese
citizens from Tehran, disrupting flights to Beirut airport. He condemned the
alleged Israeli threat as a violation of international law.
Saad Hariri's
Comeback: A Turning Point for the Sunni Community?
Yara Germany/This is Beirut/February 16/2025
Saad Hariri was greeted with a massive crowd at Martyrs' Square on Friday,
February 14. His return, eagerly awaited by his supporters, came more than three
years after his withdrawal from the Lebanese political scene. In fact, much of
the Sunni community has been feeling sidelined and underrepresented in recent
years. For former Minister Rashid Derbas, the withdrawal of Rafic Hariri's son
from the political scene created “a leadership vacuum” within the Sunni
community. According to former Future Movement MP Sami Fatfat, during this time,
the Sunni community became fragmented, and its representatives lacked unity.
This weakness was particularly apparent during the formation of the most recent
government. “The absence of a unified Sunni bloc weakened the influence of its
representatives, allowing the Prime Minister to form his cabinet without
genuinely addressing their demands,” explained the former MP. He believes that
with Hariri's return, better representation now seems possible, although it
remains unclear whether this will include a personal return or merely a
commitment through the party.
A Key Figure for the Future Movement
This return is of particular importance for the Future Movement. According to
Fatfat, while supporters trust the party, they remain strongly attached to Saad
Hariri himself. The personal connection he maintains with his supporters is a
major asset for the party. “The party's ideology is based on the principles of
Saad's father, Rafic Hariri, and his political legacy. That’s why his presence
is crucial to ensuring the party’s stability and preserving its influence on the
political scene,” he explains.
A Timely Comeback?
Until last year, Saad Hariri had been postponing his return to politics,
stating, “everything in due course.” His decision to return today reflects a
shift in perspective and an acknowledgment of the new political dynamics in
Lebanon. According to Fatfat, the values expressed by the head of state align
with those of the Future Movement. “I believe the ideas conveyed by President
Joseph Aoun in his inauguration speech encouraged Saad Hariri to return, to
deliver such a speech and to once again believe in Lebanese politics,” he said.
“The current political dynamic aligns with our values. Now, we must engage more
deeply to contribute to rebuilding the country,” the former MP added. Derbas
believes that Saad Hariri’s support for both the president and Prime Minister
Nawaf Salam underscores that he is returning to “contribute to the
reconstruction of Lebanon, not to obstruct their work.” Moreover, according to
Fatfat, the moderation advocated by Hariri’s political movement – based on
free-market economy, openness and strong ties with the Arab world – offers a
necessary alternative to sectarian extremism, religious fundamentalism and
isolationism in a Lebanon fractured by war. He believes that “Lebanon needs
Hariri’s political approach and its moderation more so today than ever,”
especially after the war which “Hezbollah dragged us into.” “In a politically
polarized environment,” Fatfat stressed that a party capable of uniting rather
than dividing would be a valuable asset for the country, particularly given the
extensive international connections held by the Future Movement and Saad Hariri,
which could prove beneficial for Lebanon.
A Long Way Ahead
Despite this momentum, several challenges lie ahead for Saad Hariri and his
party. The Future Movement must take a clear stance on key issues, including the
government’s statement and the upcoming municipal and legislative elections.
Fatfat stresses that these positions will be formally communicated and outlined
by the Future Movement and its leadership. Furthermore, the former MP explains
that consolidating Saad Hariri’s return to politics—and that of his party—hinges
on overcoming the crucial test of the legislative elections. “While the Future
Movement represents the majority of the Sunni community, it can only truly make
its voice heard and implement its agenda with a strong parliamentary presence.
This will only be achievable at the upcoming elections, for which we are already
actively preparing,” Fatfat noted. One of the key obstacles Saad Hariri must
overcome before fully returning to political life is his relationship with Saudi
Arabia, according to Moustapha Allouche. The former MP and ex- senior official
of the Future Movement emphasizes that “there are still questions that need to
be addressed regarding how Saad Hariri intends to return and in what capacity.”
He believes that, “at the very least, this entails a reconciliation with Saudi
Arabia,” as Riyadh’s backing has always strengthened the political standing of
both Saad and his father. While he says he has no additional information on the
matter, Allouche notes that had Saudi Arabia given its approval, Hariri would
likely have announced his return from Riyadh. Another challenge lies in the need
to restructure the party. Allouche believes the Future Movement must first
reassess its internal organization and break away from certain figures of the
past who no longer align with the principles of Harirism. He argues that “the
Future Movement must reinvent itself to adapt to the country’s political
realities.” How this restructuring will be implemented remains uncertain.
The Regalian Function and the Poor Exercise of Power
Charles Elias Chartouni/This is Beirut/February 15/2025
The new government of Lebanon was welcomed as symptomatic of a
new era. Nonetheless, its shortcomings are obvious, and its inaugural
performance is not of good omen. The political subtext is plainly contradictory,
and its steering committee doesn’t seem to realize that its multiple
inconsistencies are self-defeating. Surfing on the false idea of technocratic
neutrality and non-partisanship, its ideological discrepancies and regalian
exercise of power betray its blatant partisanship and the inability of the
cabinet to operate as an integrated body with clearly stated policy objectives.
Otherwise, the glaring differences between the experts and the politicians seem
to distort the democratic decision process and the concentration of power within
a coterie of power holders with an obvious political agenda.
The latest political troubles are quite ominous and revelatory of the
multitudinous ideological and political incompatibilities and imbalances. The
cabinet formation scheme has utterly failed to create an integrated platform
whereby technicality and political expediency are complementary. To boot, the
implicit political assumption is explicitly dismissive of the strategic and
political facts generated by the Israeli counteroffensive and its manifold
consequences. The ideological blinders do not acknowledge these facts, and
policy-making mutates into political exorcism and denial of reality. The
lackluster implementation of the truce stipulation and the childish blame
externalization dictate the political agenda and account largely for the
inability to draft a coherent statement and deal with the vagaries of Shiite
fascism.
This cabinet should realize that it cannot navigate its course amidst political
inconsistencies and ideological blinders and be swayed by the sabotaging
politics of Hezbollah and the instrumentation of Iranian power politics. The
political silence of the current coalition displays its structural weaknesses
and political inadequacies. Leaving the unleashing insecurity in the hands of
poorly framed security measures and the flimsy structured military interventions
is a hazardous course that may expose the troops to the inconsistencies of the
executive power. Finally, the implementation of the international resolutions
cannot be confined to mere operational issues and dismiss the larger political
picture.
Lebanon is not anymore able to steer its political course through tactical
tinkering, mendacity, and political meandering. It has to make an explicit
political statement on the urgency of a negotiated peace treaty with the State
of Israel lest it engage the final stage of a self-generated process of
political destruction initiated sixty years ago. Lebanon has no more chance to
survive unless it addresses the issue of peace with Israel as an axial point in
policy formation. I wonder whether the Salam cabinet is willing to modify its
ideological script, amend its policy plan, and distance itself from Palestinian
militancy and Iranian power politics that have jointly challenged the negotiated
peace process scenarios, albeit their strategic differences.
The hackneyed topics of ontological enmity with Israel were recycled by the
incoming executive power, which was a repeated exercise in political futility,
political irresponsibility, and inability to imagine an alternative course to
the destructive cycles of violence that have plagued this country over the last
decades, let alone their lack of audacity and ideological subservience to the
dull and murderous ideology of absolutized enmity and essentialized hatred.
Lebanon is the last hostage of Iranian power politics and has no opportunity to
escape the damnation of the Shiite totalitarian panopticon unless Iran is
defeated, its tattered Islamic narrative discredited, and remaining proxies
annihilated.
The ideological delirium exhibited by the Hezbollah cohorts is the outcome of a
long-standing indoctrination and a hardwired string of networks operating on a
continuum of terrorism and organized criminality that accounts for the sturdy
knots that bind this primitive horde huddled around its totemic figures and
operational nexuses. Lebanon has no other alternative but to reckon with the
salient strategic and political issues and start acting as a coherent and
sovereign national actor; otherwise, its disintegration has come full circle,
and the loopholes are hard to find. Any executive in Lebanon has to come to
terms with the new realities on the ground, outgrow the infantilization driven
by a stunted political growth, and face the reality of peacemaking elicited by
the Abrahamic accords and their revolutionary ideological and political
inflections.
Etienne Sakr - Abu Arz: Security By Mutual Consent Is A
Fragile Settlement & An Ongoing Crisis
Etienne Sakr - Abu Arz / February 16, 2025
(Free
translation from Arabic by Elias Bejjani)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/02/140266/
In his recent interview with Tele Liban, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam addressed
several pressing issues, including political, economic, social, and financial
matters. However, he deliberately avoided a serious discussion about the
security file, despite its centrality to Lebanon’s existential crisis. He merely
promised to work towards extending Lebanese state sovereignty over all its
territories.
Yet, extending sovereignty is impossible without tackling the elephant in the
room: Hezbollah's weapons. This remains the greatest obstacle to restoring the
Lebanese state's sovereign decision-making power, especially in light of UN
Resolution 1701. Lebanese citizens hoped for a bold and clear plan from the
prime minister on how to address this file—including disarmament, dismantling
Hezbollah’s military structure, and banning its reorganization. The absence of
such a plan raises serious concerns that the government will pursue a dangerous
policy of “security by consent”—an implicit agreement between the state and
Hezbollah, where its weapons and activities are ignored in exchange for keeping
a low profile. Such settlements will only deepen the crisis and extend Lebanon's
agony.
The international community, led by the World Bank and donor countries, has
explicitly tied financial support for Lebanon to radical reforms—chief among
them returning security and military decisions to the state and curbing
Hezbollah’s influence. Ignoring or circumventing this file will only exacerbate
international isolation and deprive Lebanon of the desperately needed aid to
overcome its crippling financial and economic catastrophe.
The government's approach to reform may, unfortunately, mirror its approach to
the security file. It appears likely to pursue what could be called “reform by
agreement”—holding some minor corrupt figures accountable while shielding the
major players. This half-measure will not restore the confidence of the Lebanese
people or the international community; it will only perpetuate corruption as an
integral part of the ruling system.
Regarding government formation, the Shiite duo's involvement, even with
nominally non-partisan ministers loyal to Hezbollah, reflects a political
approach based on deception rather than confrontation. The pretext of not
appointing party members as ministers, while accepting loyalists, does not
change the grim reality of Hezbollah’s influence within the government. This
raises a fundamental question: how can a government that includes ministers
loyal to Hezbollah confront its influence and address its weapons file? The
answer is clear: it cannot.
Given international shifts, the government seems to be dangerously betting on
the continuation of the Biden administration's lenient approach to Lebanon.
However, it ignores the possibility of a radical shift in the American position
under a new Trump administration. If the government persists with its methods of
circumvention, deception, and temporary settlements, it may face increased
American and international pressure, potentially leading to an unprecedented
political and economic crisis.
The recent serious riots carried out by Hezbollah elements on the airport
road—where they assaulted UN forces, burned their vehicles, and blocked the road
with burning debris—would not have occurred without the policy of appeasement,
laxity, and concessions practiced by Nawaf Salam with the Shiite duo to secure
their participation in the government. This disgraceful reality must end.
Lebanon stands at a critical juncture: either continue with fragile settlements
that only produce further collapse, or make bold, uncompromising decisions that
restore the state's prestige and the Lebanese people's faith in their country.
At your service, Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia supports Lebanon's measures to confront
attempts to tamper with citizens' security
Riyadh/Middle East/February 16, 2025
Saudi Arabia expressed its full support for the measures taken by Lebanon to
confront attempts to tamper with the security of Lebanese citizens, and to deal
firmly with the attack on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (Sunday), Saudi
Arabia renewed its support and confidence in what Lebanese President Joseph Aoun
and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam are taking in this regard, and the national tasks
carried out by the Lebanese army that contribute to achieving security and
stability.
Lebanon Tells Iran Its Flights to Beirut Suspended till
Feb 18
Asharq Al-Awsat/February
16/2025
Lebanese aviation officials have told Iran that Iranian flights to Beirut are
suspended until Tuesday, Hossein Pourfarzaneh, head of Iran's Civil Aviation
Organization, was quoted as saying on Sunday by the Iranian state news agency
IRNA.
Lebanon denied permission for Iranian flights to land in Beirut twice this week
after the United States warned Israel might shoot the planes down, a Lebanese
security source told AFP Saturday. The first incident occurred on Thursday, when
Lebanese authorities sent word to Iran that a Beirut-bound flight should not
take off. “Through the Americans, Israel informed the Lebanese state that it
would target the airport if the Iranian plane landed in Lebanon,” the source
said. “The American side told the Lebanese side that Israel was serious about
its threat,” the source added. Lebanon’s public works and transport ministry
then refused clearance for the flight, after consulting the prime minister and
president, the source added. The message was passed on before the flight took
off, said the source. Another flight was also barred from taking off from Iran
on Friday, which prompted protests in Lebanon from supporters of the Iran-backed
Hezbollah group, who blocked the road to the country’s only international
airport. “The security of Beirut airport takes precedence over any other
consideration,” Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Saturday. “And the
safety of travelers as well as the safety of Lebanese citizens are elements on
which we will not compromise.” Israel has on several occasions accused Hezbollah
of using the airport in Beirut to bring in weapons from Iran. The group -- and
Lebanese leaders -- have denied those allegations. A fragile ceasefire has been
in place in Lebanon since November 27, after more than a year of hostilities and
two of months of open war between Israel and Hezbollah there.
Pressure mounts as Lebanon and Israel approach key
ceasefire deadline: The latest details
LBCI/February 16/2025
Standing on a high hill at the border with Lebanon, closely watching the
Lebanese towns and hills where the Israeli army is expected to remain longer
than anticipated, Northern Command leader Ori Gordin and the Israeli military
leadership are unconcerned by threats from Lebanese officials opposing the
extension of the army's presence—whether in various areas of Lebanon after
February 18, or in the five sites where it will remain "indefinitely." For
Gordin, these threats had no effect. While he awaits a response to his request
for an extension until the end of the month, the decision regarding the five
sites has been made and will become a reality on the ground. Moreover, Israel's
continued expansion into Arab land, as seen in Syria and plans for Gaza, has now
turned its attention toward Lebanon, raising the stakes of its demands. It has
moved beyond insisting on military sites or a buffer zone, planning how it can
reopen and reshape a ceasefire agreement, ensuring further occupation under the
pretext of securing borders and residents. If the military leadership aims for
more occupation, the political-security leadership remains focused on Lebanon's
internal developments, looking for any gaps or events that could support the
military's plan. The central goal is Lebanon's army and its ability to carry out
its field missions. In this regard, military, political, and security officials
disagree on whether the army is incapable of controlling the situation or
whether conditions should be provided to enhance its capabilities. In the end,
the final decision rests with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has also
made Lebanon a central focus in his meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State.
The next two days will be the longest and most pressure-filled 48 hours
in Tel Aviv, just as they are in Beirut, as each side moves toward its goal and
exerts pressure on Washington from one side and the international committee
tasked with implementing the agreement from the other. Will Lebanon succeed in
enforcing the agreement that all parties have signed, or will Israeli occupation
"dominate" Lebanon as it has on other fronts?
Hezbollah-led protests, Iranian flights issue fuel political tension: Will
diplomacy or street action decide the outcome?
LBCI/February 16/2025
The Lebanese state prioritized the safety of its citizens amid concerns over
airport security and the backlash from a segment of the population, along with
the security incidents that followed. The outcome was expected, with an attempt
to understand and accommodate the reactions—albeit to a certain extent.
This became clear during the protest called by Hezbollah on Saturday along the
airport road in response to the decision to prevent Iranian planes from landing
at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport and the Israeli "intervention" in
that decision. The protest began peacefully but did not remain that way. What
exactly happened? Security sources say prior coordination took place with the
Lebanese army to prevent blocking the road leading to the airport. However,
during MP Mahmoud Qamati's speech, around 10 young men from the Al-Zaiter
family, standing behind the podium, cut the main road, attacked military
vehicles, and provoked soldiers with offensive slogans. In response, the army
fired tear gas, leading to a chaotic scene before the protest concluded. The
army cleared the road and is now searching for the young men who have gone into
hiding. Meanwhile, informed sources acknowledged that
the tear gas used against protesters not involved in the disturbance may not
have been entirely necessary. However, Hezbollah issued a statement condemning
the events as an unjustified attack on peaceful citizens, accusing those
responsible of attempting to provoke the army into a confrontation with its own
people. While the army continues to search for the
perpetrators, investigations by the military intelligence, under the supervision
of Military Court's Government Commissioner Judge Fadi Akiki, are ongoing
regarding an attack on Friday on United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
vehicles. More than 25 individuals have been arrested in connection with the
protest along the airport road. So far, the identity of only one direct
perpetrator has been confirmed, and the search continues for the others. Reports
state that the Deputy Commander of UNIFIL testified before Judge Akiki that the
vehicle fire occurred after protesters threw an incendiary substance at it.The
recent events could recur unless a resolution is found regarding Iranian
flights.
What's the latest on the matter?
As of now, Middle East Airlines (MEA) has not received approval from Iranian
aviation authorities to allow two of its planes to land in Tehran and return
stranded Lebanese citizens to Lebanon. The Lebanese ambassador in Tehran has
sent multiple letters to Iranian aviation authorities through the Iranian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but no response has been received. Meanwhile,
communication continues between the Lebanese and Iranian foreign ministers.A
small meeting is scheduled for Monday between the ministers of foreign affairs,
public works, and defense to discuss a solution.
In the meantime, Lebanon's ambassador to Iran is attempting to persuade the 150
Lebanese citizens stranded in Tehran to travel to Iraq and then return to
Lebanon via Middle East Airlines, which has expressed its willingness to
organize a flight to Baghdad for this purpose.
Patriarch Al-Rahi: In 1975, the state fell, but society
remained, so we stood firm and won together, and rebuilt the state
NNA/February 16, 2025
Patriarch Al-Rahi stressed in his sermon during the Mass he presided over in the
Church of Bkerke that "Christianity is the civilization of true love" in
temporal affairs: social, political, and economic, as well as in marital and
family life. It is the declaration of the truth of Christ's love in society. We
need to spread this civilization and embody it in actions, positions, and
initiatives. The Second Vatican Council teaches that "whoever follows Christ,
the perfect man in love and truth, becomes himself more human" (The Church in
the Modern World, 41). This civilization is not possessed by the state, but
rather by the society that existed before the state. Before Lebanon was a state
and an entity in 1920, it was a society; and this is what helped our fathers and
grandfathers to stand firm before and after the emergence of the state of
Greater Lebanon. It was society, not the state, that enabled the Lebanese of the
mountain to confront the Mamluk and Ottoman occupations. It was society, not the
state, that enabled the Lebanese of sovereignty, independence and liberation to
confront the Syrian and Israeli occupations. It was society, not the state, that
preserved Lebanon in 1975 and beyond, despite the division of the state’s
constitutional, security and military institutions. Our national society had a
triple cause: security, freedom and civilization. Saint Pope John Paul II told
us at the conclusion of the Synod for Lebanon in 1995: “What saved Lebanon and
saved it from destruction was its society, distinguished by Christian-Muslim
coexistence. In 1975, the state fell and society remained, so we stood firm and
won together and rebuilt the state. What distinguishes Lebanon from the
countries around it is that it is a state that revolves around society, while in
the surrounding countries there are countries that revolve around their systems.
Pluralism was never an obstacle to the unity of Lebanese society, because it was
a Lebanese pluralistic identity.” The Patriarch concluded: "Let us pray, dear
brothers and sisters, for the officials in our country, so that they may make
the state a society similar to the Lebanese society, purifying it from its
impurities, so that it may become a society of the civilization of love and
truth. And we raise a hymn of glory and thanks to the Holy Trinity, the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever, Amen."
Bishop Elias Aoudi: We hope that the government will work
as one united team and pay attention to the issues and pains of the people
NNA/February 16, 2025
Bishop Elias Aoudi said today in the sermon he delivered at the Cathedral of
Saint George that Our hope is that all the Lebanese will return to the bosom of
their homeland after hope has returned with the election of a president for the
republic and the formation of a government that we wish success and achievement.
It is a time of work and great challenges because the aspirations of the
Lebanese are broad. They aspire to live in a country that has been restored and
life has returned to it, a country that unites its people under the banner of
justice and equality, where the law is sovereign and the state’s prestige is a
deterrent, so that no one dares to violate people’s dignity, money or property,
and no one dares to kill, steal or insult a security officer, or violate the
laws, especially the traffic law. The Lebanese dream of a country where there
are no privileges for anyone, but rather equality among citizens, respect for
competence, and justice in employment. The Lebanese dream of living in a safe,
stable country, where there is no war threatening them or an enemy threatening
them. They dream of economic, financial, political and administrative reform, of
uprooting corruption and activating oversight bodies, of recovering their money,
and of a free and independent judiciary that achieves justice in all pending
cases, most notably the port explosion. We hope that the government will work as
a single, united team, and that it will pay attention to the people’s issues and
pains, and address everything that affects their lives, reducing slogans and
increasing work and production, because a lot of time has been lost and the time
for jihad has come. The government has adopted the slogan of reform and rescue.
Our hope is that reform will begin, and God sees and the citizens see, and then
every member of it will deserve, instead of a title that does not make a man,
the love, trust, appreciation and respect of the people, and this is the highest
medal.” He concluded: “Our call today is to start packing our bags to embark on
the journey of the holy Great Lent, so that we abandon what does not benefit us,
and keep what enriches the soul and spirit and invest it so that it will be
beneficial to us and to all those around us, until we all reach the joy of the
glorious resurrection.”
The Latest English LCCC
Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on February 16-17/2025
US military says airstrike in Syria kills leader of Al-Qaeda
affiliate Hurras al-Din
Arab News/February 17, 2025
RIYADH: A senior official of an Al-Qaeda affiliate was killed during an
airstrike by American forces in northwest Syria, the US Central Command, or
Centcom said on Sunday. In a statement posted on the X platform, CENTCOM said
the "precision airstrike" targeted and killed "a senior finance and logistics
official in the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda
affiliate."It said the operation "is part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment, along
with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to
plan, organize, and conduct attacks" against civilians and military personnel
from the US and its allies. "We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists
in order to defend our homeland, and US, allied, and partner personnel in the
region,” the statement quoted Centcom chief Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla as saying.
Last January 30 in Syria, a Hurras al-Din leader was also reported killed in a
US military airstrike that targetted his vehicle on a highway near the village
of Batabo in northwest Syria. The US military has around 900 troops in Syria as
part of the international coalition against the Daesh group. The coalition was
established in 2014 to help combat the armed group, which had taken over vast
swaths of Iraq and Syria.(With AFP)
Rubio in Israel Says Hamas Must Be
Eradicated, Casting Further Doubt on Gaza’s Shaky Ceasefire
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 16/2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday fully
endorsed Israel's war aims in the Gaza Strip, saying Hamas "must be eradicated"
and throwing the shaky ceasefire into further doubt. Rubio met with Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem at the start of a regional tour,
where he is likely to face pushback from Arab leaders over President Donald
Trump's proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza and
redevelop it under US ownership. Netanyahu has welcomed the plan, and said he
and Trump have a "common strategy" for Gaza's future. Echoing Trump, he said
"the gates of hell would be open" if Hamas does not release dozens of remaining
hostages abducted in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the 16-month war.
Their remarks came two weeks before the ceasefire's first phase is set to end.
The second phase, in which Hamas is to release dozens of remaining hostages in
exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting truce and the withdrawal of
Israeli forces, has yet to be negotiated. Rubio said Hamas cannot continue as a
military or government force. "As long as it stands as a force that can govern
or as a force that can administer or as a force that can threaten by use of
violence, peace becomes impossible," he said. "It must be eradicated."Such
language could complicate continued talks with Hamas, which remains in control
of Gaza despite suffering heavy losses in the war. The Israeli military
meanwhile said it carried out an airstrike Sunday on people who approached its
forces in southern Gaza. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said the strike killed
three of its policemen while they were securing the entry of aid trucks near
Rafah, on the Egyptian border. Hamas called the attack a "serious violation" of
the ceasefire and accused Netanyahu of trying to sabotage the deal.
Readiness to resume war
Resuming the war could be a death sentence for the remaining hostages and may
not succeed in eliminating Hamas, which reasserted control over Gaza when the
ceasefire took hold last month. Netanyahu has signaled readiness to resume the
war after the current phase and has offered Hamas a chance to surrender and send
its top leaders into exile. Hamas has rejected such a scenario, and spokesman
Abdul Latif al-Qanou told The Associated Press the group accepts either a
Palestinian unity government or a technocratic committee to run Gaza. The group
insists on Palestinian rule. Hamas last week threatened to hold up the latest
release of hostages because Netanyahu has yet to approve the entry of mobile
homes and heavy machinery into Gaza as required by the ceasefire agreement,
before proceeding with the release Saturday based on what it called assurances
from Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with
regulations, said the issue would be discussed in the coming days and that
Israel was coordinating with the United States. In another sign of the allies
closing ranks, Israel's Defense Ministry said it received a shipment of
2,000-pound (900-kilogram) MK-84 munitions from the United States. The Biden
administration had paused a shipment of such bombs last year over concerns about
civilian casualties in Gaza. Rubio was not scheduled to meet with Palestinians
on his Mideast trip. Egypt will host an Arab summit on Feb. 27 and is working
with other countries on a counterproposal that would allow for Gaza to be
rebuilt without removing its population. Human rights groups say the expulsion
of Palestinians would likely violate international law. Egypt has warned that
any mass influx of Palestinians from Gaza would undermine its nearly
half-century peace treaty with Israel, a cornerstone of US influence in the
region. "The continuation of the conflict and broadening its scope will harm all
parties without exception," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Sunday,
according to a statement from his office. Arab and Muslim countries have
conditioned any support for postwar Gaza on a return to Palestinian governance
with a pathway to statehood in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem,
territories Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel has ruled out a
Palestinian state and any role in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority, whose
forces were driven out when Hamas seized power there in 2007.
Israel, Hamas Complete Their Latest Exchange as Ceasefire’s First Phase Has Just
2 Weeks Left
Asharq Al-Awsat/February 16/2025
The head of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said on Sunday that Israeli troops
must withdraw from Lebanese territory in full by a February 18 deadline, saying
it had "no pretext" to maintain a military presence in any post in southern
Lebanon. Under a truce brokered by Washington in November, Israeli troops were
granted 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon where they had waged a ground
offensive against fighters from Iran-backed Hezbollah since early October. That
deadline was later extended to February 18, but Israel's military requested that
it keep troops in five posts in southern Lebanon, sources told Reuters last
week. In a recorded televised speech, Hezbollah secretary general Naim Qassem
said: "Israel must withdraw completely on Feb. 18, it has no pretext, no five
points or other details... this is the agreement." Qassem said any Israeli
military presence on Lebanese soil after February 18 would be considered an
occupying force. "Everyone knows how an occupation is dealt with," Qassem said,
without explicitly threatening that his group would resume attacks against
Israel. Israel's public broadcaster said on Wednesday the US had authorized a
"long term" Israeli troop presence in southern Lebanon. During the broadcast of
Qassem's speech, at least three Israeli air strikes hit Lebanon's eastern Bekaa
Valley. Israel's military said it conducted strikes after identifying Hezbollah
activity at sites containing rocket launchers and other weapons. Qassem also
called on the Lebanese government to reconsider its ban on Iranian flights
landing in Beirut. Lebanese authorities banned the flights from landing until
February 18 following Israeli accusations that Tehran was using civilian
aircraft to smuggle cash to Beirut to arm Hezbollah. The decision stranded
dozens of Lebanese nationals in Iran, where they had been on a religious
pilgrimage with plans to return via Iran's Mahan Air. Lebanon sent two of its
own planes to retrieve them, but Iran barred them from landing in Tehran.
Hezbollah organized a protest outside Beirut airport on Saturday, where its
supporters were tear gassed by Lebanese troops. Qassem described Lebanon's ban
on Iranian planes as "the implementation of an Israeli order". "Let the plane
land and we will see what Israel will do," he said.
Israel Receives Shipment of Heavy Bombs Cleared by Trump
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
Israel has received a shipment of heavy MK-84 bombs from the United States,
after US President Donald Trump lifted a block imposed on the export of the
munitions by the administration of predecessor Joe Biden, the defense ministry
said on Sunday.
The MK-84 is an unguided 2,000 pound bomb, which can rip through thick concrete
and metal, creating a wide blast radius. The Biden administration declined to
clear them for export to Israel out of concern about the impact on densely
populated areas of the Gaza Strip. The Biden administration sent thousands of
2,000-pound bombs to Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas
fighters from Gaza but later held up one of the shipments. The hold was lifted
by Trump last month. "The munitions shipment that arrived in Israel tonight,
released by the Trump Administration, represents a significant asset for the Air
Force and the IDF and serves as further evidence of the strong alliance between
Israel and the United States," Defense Minister Israel Katz said late on
Saturday. The shipment arrived after days of concern about whether a fragile
ceasefire in Gaza agreed last month would hold, after both sides accused each
other of violating the terms of the deal to halt fighting to allow the exchange
of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli
jails. Washington has announced assistance for Israel worth billions of dollars
since the war began.
Netanyahu Says ‘We Can Finish the Job’ against Iran after
Meeting Rubio
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
Israel and the United States are determined to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions
and its "aggression" in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said on Sunday after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Speaking after meeting Rubio in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said they had held a "very
productive discussion" on a number of issues, "none more important than Iran".
"Israel and America stand shoulder to shoulder in countering the threat of
Iran," he said. "We agreed that the mullahs must not have nuclear weapons and
also agreed that Iran's aggression in the region must be rolled back."Rubio
said: "Behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every
destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for
the millions of people that call this region home is Iran."Israeli-Iranian
enmity stretches back decades through a history of clandestine wars and attacks
by land, sea, air and cyberspace. Iran, which says it is enriching uranium for
peaceful purposes, has also backed armed groups across the Middle East that
describe themselves as the "Axis of Resistance" to Israel and US influence in
the region. The Axis includes not only Hamas, the Palestinian group that ignited
the Gaza war by attacking Israel in October 2023, but also the Hezbollah
movement in Lebanon, the Houthi militias in Yemen, various Shiite armed groups
in Iraq and Syria. Over the 16 months since the Gaza war erupted, Israel has
assassinated top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah and Israel and Iran have
exchanged limited retaliatory attacks. Netanyahu said Israel had dealt a "mighty
blow" to Iran since the start of the war in Gaza and said that with the support
of US President Donald Trump "I have no doubt we can and will finish the job".
Thanking Rubio for "unequivocal backing" for Israel's policy in Gaza, Netanyahu
said Israel and the United States under Trump shared a common strategy in the
Palestinian enclave, where a fragile ceasefire is in effect. "I want to assure
everyone who's now listening to us, President Trump and I are working in full
cooperation and coordination between us," he said.
Rubio in Israel Says Hamas Must Be Eradicated, Casting
Further Doubt on Gaza’s Shaky Ceasefire
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday fully endorsed Israel's war aims in
the Gaza Strip, saying Hamas "must be eradicated" and throwing the shaky
ceasefire into further doubt. Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu in Jerusalem at the start of a regional tour, where he is likely to
face pushback from Arab leaders over President Donald Trump's proposal to
transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza and redevelop it under US
ownership. Netanyahu has welcomed the plan, and said he and Trump have a "common
strategy" for Gaza's future. Echoing Trump, he said "the gates of hell would be
open" if Hamas does not release dozens of remaining hostages abducted in its
Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the 16-month war. Their remarks came two
weeks before the ceasefire's first phase is set to end. The second phase, in
which Hamas is to release dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for more
Palestinian prisoners, a lasting truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, has
yet to be negotiated. Rubio said Hamas cannot continue as a military or
government force. "As long as it stands as a force that can govern or as a force
that can administer or as a force that can threaten by use of violence, peace
becomes impossible," he said. "It must be eradicated." Such language could
complicate continued talks with Hamas, which remains in control of Gaza despite
suffering heavy losses in the war. The Israeli military meanwhile said it
carried out an airstrike Sunday on people who approached its forces in southern
Gaza. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said the strike killed three of its
policemen while they were securing the entry of aid trucks near Rafah, on the
Egyptian border. Hamas called the attack a "serious violation" of the ceasefire
and accused Netanyahu of trying to sabotage the deal.
Readiness to resume war
Resuming the war could be a death sentence for the remaining hostages and may
not succeed in eliminating Hamas, which reasserted control over Gaza when the
ceasefire took hold last month. Netanyahu has signaled readiness to resume the
war after the current phase and has offered Hamas a chance to surrender and send
its top leaders into exile.Hamas has rejected such a scenario, and spokesman
Abdul Latif al-Qanou told The Associated Press the group accepts either a
Palestinian unity government or a technocratic committee to run Gaza. The group
insists on Palestinian rule. Hamas last week threatened to hold up the latest
release of hostages because Netanyahu has yet to approve the entry of mobile
homes and heavy machinery into Gaza as required by the ceasefire agreement,
before proceeding with the release Saturday based on what it called assurances
from Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt. An Israeli official, speaking on condition
of anonymity in line with regulations, said the issue would be discussed in the
coming days and that Israel was coordinating with the United States. In another
sign of the allies closing ranks, Israel's Defense Ministry said it received a
shipment of 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) MK-84 munitions from the United States.
The Biden administration had paused a shipment of such bombs last year over
concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza. Rubio was not scheduled to meet with
Palestinians on his Mideast trip. Egypt will host an Arab summit on Feb. 27 and
is working with other countries on a counterproposal that would allow for Gaza
to be rebuilt without removing its population. Human rights groups say the
expulsion of Palestinians would likely violate international law. Egypt has
warned that any mass influx of Palestinians from Gaza would undermine its nearly
half-century peace treaty with Israel, a cornerstone of US influence in the
region. "The continuation of the conflict and broadening its scope will harm all
parties without exception," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Sunday,
according to a statement from his office. Arab and Muslim countries have
conditioned any support for postwar Gaza on a return to Palestinian governance
with a pathway to statehood in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem,
territories Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel has ruled out a
Palestinian state and any role in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority, whose
forces were driven out when Hamas seized power there in 2007.
US Mideast Envoy Says Phase Two Gaza Talks to Continue This
Week
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
US Middle envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday that talks on phase two of a
ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas would continue
this week "at a location to be determined" to figure out how to reach a
successful conclusion. He told Fox News that he had "very productive and
constructive" calls on Sunday with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt's
director of intelligence. Witkoff said they spoke about "the sequencing of phase
two, setting forth positions on both sides, so we can understand ... where we
are today, and then continuing talks this week at a location to be determined so
that we can figure out how we get to the end of phase two successfully."
Israel, Hamas Complete Their Latest Exchange as Ceasefire’s First Phase Has Just
2 Weeks Left
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
Israel and Hamas completed the sixth exchange of hostages and Palestinian
prisoners on Saturday with just over two weeks remaining in their fragile Gaza
ceasefire's initial phase, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in
Israel to begin a Middle East tour. The three hostages — Argentinian-Israeli
Iair Horn, 46; American-Israeli Sagui Dekel Chen, 36; and Russian-Israeli
Alexander Troufanov, 29 — seemed in better condition than the emaciated ones
freed a week ago. Troufanov was informed of his father's death in the Hamas-led
Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the 16-month war. Chen was meeting his
youngest daughter for the first time. Horn's brother, Eitan, remains in
captivity. Armed gunmen made the pale, worn men speak to a crowd before handing
them over to the Red Cross in the southern city of Khan Younis. The 369
Palestinian prisoners were later released. A tense dispute had threatened to
derail the ceasefire, but Hamas said Thursday it would move ahead with the
planned exchange after it said mediators Egypt and Qatar pledged to "remove all
hurdles" so Israel would allow more tents, medical supplies and other essentials
into devastated Gaza. US President Donald Trump’s proposal to remove Gaza’s over
2 million Palestinians and settle them elsewhere in the region also shook the
truce. Rubio will hear more about that, starting with his meeting Sunday with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump on Saturday posted on social
media that "Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00
O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES. The United
States will back the decision they make!"
Israel has not imposed such a deadline. Netanyahu’s office said he would convene
the Cabinet as soon as possible to decide on next steps. In the occupied West
Bank, released prisoners were greeted by a cheering crowd. Some appeared gaunt,
and the Palestinian Red Crescent emergency service said four were taken for
treatment. Buses transported 333 others to Gaza. The ceasefire took effect on
Jan. 19. Before Saturday, 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners had
been freed during the truce's first phase.
There have not been substantive negotiations over the ceasefire's second phase,
in which Hamas would release all remaining hostages in return for ending the
war. The three hostages had been abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community
hard-hit in the Oct. 7 attack. Horn was taken with his brother, who is not
expected to be released in the ceasefire's first phase. "Now, we can breathe a
little. Our Iair is home after surviving hell in Gaza," his family said. "Now,
we need to bring Eitan back so our family can truly breathe." Chen's wife,
Avital Dekel Chen, hid in a safe room with their daughters. She gave birth to
their third daughter two months later. She told Israeli media she was
overwhelmed with happiness to see her husband back in Israel, where he was
meeting his youngest daughter, Shachar. Troufanov was taken hostage with his
grandmother, mother and girlfriend. The women were released during a brief
ceasefire in November 2023. His family said they were "overwhelmed with emotion
and gratitude" Saturday. Of the 251 people abducted during the Oct. 7 attack, 73
remain in Gaza, around half believed to be dead. Nearly all are men, including
Israeli soldiers. One hostage, 65-year-old Keith Siegel, said Friday in a video
message addressed to Trump that his captors treated him worse as the war
intensified, kicking him, spitting on him and holding him without water or
light. The released Palestinian prisoners included 36 serving life sentences for
involvement in deadly attacks against Israelis. They include Ahmed Barghouti,
48, a close aide of militant leader and iconic Palestinian political figure
Marwan Barghouti. Twenty-four of those will be exiled abroad. "When I saw my
son, my soul came back to me again and I came back to life," said Om Bashar,
mother of Hassan Aweis, sentenced to life in 2002 on charges of voluntary
manslaughter, planting an explosive device and attempted murder. Israel also
committed to releasing over 1,000 detained from Gaza provided they did not
participate in the Oct. 7 attack. The Israeli Prison Service released the
Palestinians in sweatshirts emblazoned with a Star of David and the phrase
"Never forgive, never forget" in Arabic. Some threw their sweatshirts on the
ground and burned them.
Truce remains fragile
Netanyahu’s far-right allies want the war to resume in early March with the goal
of destroying Hamas. The group remains in control of the territory after one of
the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history. Hamas
may be unwilling to release more hostages if it believes the war will resume.
Many Israelis want a deal to bring all remaining hostages home, fearing time is
running out. They urge Netanyahu to send a senior-level delegation to talks on
the ceasefire's second phase. "Any other decision is sabotage that endangers the
lives of the abductees," Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker,
told Saturday's rally in Tel Aviv. A new challenge is Trump's proposal to
relocate Palestinians from Gaza, welcomed by Israel’s government. It has been
rejected by Arab countries and Palestinians, who fear they won't be able to
return. Human rights groups say the relocation could amount to a war crime.
Trump also proposed that once the war ends, Israel would transfer control of
Gaza to the United States, which would redevelop it as the "Riviera of the
Middle East."At its height, the war displaced 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3
million. Hundreds of thousands have returned to their homes during the
ceasefire, though many found only rubble, human remains and unexploded ordnance.
The war has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children,
according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters.
Israel says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.
Israeli Strike Kills Three Members of Hamas-Run Police
Force in Gaza, Interior Ministry Says
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
An Israeli airstrike killed three policemen east of Rafah in the southern Gaza
Strip on Sunday, the Hamas-run interior ministry said, calling it a breach of
the fragile January 19 ceasefire. It said the policemen were deployed in the
area to secure the entry of aid trucks into Gaza. "The ministry...condemns this
crime and calls upon the mediators and the international community to compel the
occupation to stop targeting the police force, which is a civil apparatus," the
ministry said in a statement. The Israeli military said the strike targeted
several armed individuals who were moving toward forces deployed near the area
and "hits were identified". It called on all residents of Gaza to adhere to army
instructions and refrain from approaching Israeli troops deployed in the area.
Woman Killed as Israeli Forces Fire on Returnees to
Southern Lebanon Ahead of Ceasefire Deadline
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
A woman was killed and several other people wounded Sunday when Israeli forces
opened fire on a group of residents attempting to return to the village of Houla
in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese state-run news agency reported. There was no
immediate comment from the Israeli military on the incident, which comes two
days before the deadline for implementation of a ceasefire agreement that ended
the latest war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in late
November, including a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
The original deadline was in late January, but Israel and Lebanon agreed to
extend it to Feb. 18. Hours before they agreed to the extension on Jan. 27,
hundreds of protesters attempted to enter villages still occupied by the Israeli
army to demand its withdrawal, and Israeli forces opened fire in several
locations, killing more than 20 people. Israel blamed Hezbollah for sending
“rioters.”Also Sunday, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that an Israeli
airstrike had hit a bulldozer that was attempting to open roads that had been
blocked by the Israeli military near the village of Marwahin. No casualties were
reported. The Lebanese army, which has taken control of areas that the Israeli
forces have withdrawn from, in a statement warned citizens not to try to enter
areas where Lebanese troops have not yet deployed. It remains unclear whether
Israel will fully withdraw from Lebanese territory on Tuesday. Internal tensions
have risen in Lebanon in recent days ahead of the deadline and after Lebanese
authorities revoked permission for an Iranian plane that had been set to travel
from Tehran to Beirut, leaving dozens of Lebanese passengers stranded. The
decision came after Israel had alleged that Iran was sending cash to Hezbollah
via civilian flights and said it would “use all available means” to stop it. The
outgoing deputy commander of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon was injured
Friday when protesters attacked a convoy taking peacekeepers to the Beirut
airport.
Frankly Speaking: Is a Palestinian state more remote than ever?
Arab News/February 16, 2025
DUBAI: Riyad Mansour, permanent observer of Palestine to the UN, has strongly
rejected any proposal to eject the Palestinian population from Gaza to Jordan
and Egypt, reaffirming the Palestinian people’s right to rebuild their homeland
and establish a state of their own. Appearing on the Arab News current affairs
program “Frankly Speaking,” Mansour also praised Saudi Arabia’s support for
Palestinian sovereignty, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of
war crimes, and outlined the role of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza’s future.
The controversial proposal floated by US President Donald Trump to take control
of Gaza and relocate Palestinians to Jordan and Egypt has been met with outright
rejection by regional leaders. King Abdullah II of Jordan, the first Arab leader
to meet Trump in Washington since he began his second term, made it clear that
Amman would not accept any forced transfer of Palestinians. Instead, Jordan
agreed to take in 2,000 critically ill Palestinian children for medical
treatment. Mansour highlighted the unified Arab stance against any forced
displacement of Palestinians. “The King (Abdullah II) put on his X account that
the Kingdom (of Jordan) is against the transfer of the Palestinians outside of
the Gaza Strip,” he told “Frankly Speaking” host Katie Jensen. “Their position
is very firm in order to see the ceasefire holding and the implementation of the
agreement. He said that there is no solution except the two-state solution and
readiness of Jordan and the Arabs to work with the Trump administration for
accomplishing these objectives.”
Following Trump’s remarks earlier this month in which he announced his intention
to take over Gaza and remove its Palestinian population, Saudi Arabia issued a
strong statement reaffirming Palestinian sovereignty.
“The Kingdom affirms that the Palestinian people have a right to their land, and
they are not intruders or immigrants to it who can be expelled whenever the
brutal Israeli occupation wishes,” Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry posted on X.
Similar strong statements on the issue have been issued by the Kingdom since
then.
Mansour praised Saudi Arabia’s swift and firm stance. “I was not surprised,” he
said. “We work very closely with our brothers in Saudi Arabia at all kinds of
levels. We are on the same page, that the question of Palestine and the rights
of the Palestinian people should be recognized.”
He also highlighted the role of the Arab Peace Initiative, first proposed by
Saudi Arabia in 2002, in shaping the international response to Palestinian
statehood. “We appreciate all these principled, very powerful, and strong
positions of Saudi Arabia,” he said. “And I believe all of the Arab countries
are on the same page with Saudi Arabia in order to push back against those who
want... to finish the national aspirations of the Palestinian people.”Netanyahu,
currently facing corruption charges that could lead to a 10-year prison
sentence, has come under further scrutiny for his handling of the war in Gaza.
Many critics believe his political survival hinges on prolonging the conflict.
Mansour was unequivocal about Netanyahu’s legal and moral accountability. “At
the global (level), he is also an international wanted criminal by the ICC.
There is a warrant for his arrest as a war criminal and he has to face justice
in that International Criminal Court.”
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on Nov. 24, accusing him of using
starvation as a method of warfare and of intentionally directing an attack
against the civilian population, and of murder, persecution, and other inhumane
acts — accusations he has rejected.
Similar warrants were issued for Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former minister of
defense, and for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, who was reportedly
killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 13, 2024. While leaving Israeli domestic
matters to their citizens, Mansour stressed that the international community
must pursue justice for the atrocities committed in Gaza. “The international
community will deal with him as a wanted international criminal in The Hague and
the ICC.”
Asked whether the conflict in Gaza and the threatened exile of the Palestinian
people would have happened had Hamas not committed the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on
southern Israel, or if it had agreed to hand over the hostages taken in that
attack much sooner, Mansour said nothing justified the “genocidal war” Israel
had mounted against civilians. “The history of the Palestine question did not
start on Oct. 7,” he said. “And regardless of what happened on Oct. 7, there is
no justification whatsoever for the genocidal war committed against the
Palestinian civilians.”
Since the war began, some 64,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to
some estimates, while at least 110,000 have been injured, thousands of children
orphaned, and countless more having lost limbs in Israel’s bombardment of the
enclave.
“These crimes cannot be justified for any reason whatsoever under international
law, under morality, under humanity,” said Mansour. “So therefore, those who are
trying to justify this massive amount of killing, because of what happened on
Oct. 7, there is no justification for what they did, and those criminals who
gave the order to commit these crimes against the Palestinian people, especially
the children and women, should face justice and they should receive the
punishment that they deserve.”With ongoing speculation over who will govern Gaza
after the war, which has been paused since the ceasefire deal of Jan. 19,
Mansour insisted that the Palestinian Authority remains the legitimate
government of the State of Palestine.
“We have a legitimate government and we have the recognition of the
international community and the Arab official systems of the government of the
State of Palestine and the Palestine Liberation Organization as the
representative of the Palestinian people,” he said. He outlined the PA’s
responsibility in ensuring governance in Gaza after the war. “Now, those who
have this legitimacy, they have also the responsibility to shoulder their
responsibilities in terms of doing what needs to be done in the Gaza
Strip.”Mansour pointed to a detailed plan presented by Egypt and shared with the
UN, which supports PA governance as a key component of regional peace efforts.
“The legitimate government, which is acceptable by the international community,
is the party that’s supposed to be dealing with its full power in terms of its
responsibilities in the Gaza Strip,” he said. Ahmed Aboul Gheit,
secretary-general of the Arab League, suggested in a recent interview with Al
Arabiya that Hamas should step aside if it serves Palestinian interests. Asked
whether the group should relinquish power, Mansour emphasized the need for
Palestinian self-determination.
“We have a lot of issues to deal with internally in the Palestinian house,” he
said. “And I believe that we should be left to deal with these issues
internally.”
He added that once a permanent ceasefire is in place, internal Palestinian
matters can be addressed. “Once we succeed in putting an end to this war and
make the ceasefire permanent, there are a lot of things that we need to deal
with internally,” he added. Trump’s suggestion that many Palestinians would
rather leave Gaza permanently has been widely condemned by Arab leaders. Mansour
dismissed the claim, pointing to the recent return of hundreds of thousands of
displaced Palestinians to their war-ravaged homes in the north of Gaza.
“The answer was given by our people who marched in two days, in the span of a
few hours, by marching from the south to the north in more than 450,000 people,”
he said. “They knew that they were going back to destroyed homes and properties,
but loving the land and the place where you were born and where you have
memories and you have dreams, it is so valuable to us. It is in our DNA as
Palestinians.”Mansour reaffirmed that the Palestinian people will never accept
forced displacement. “The answer came from those who marched on their feet, not
even by vehicle, from the south to the north, old, young, all of them going back
to these places. So that is the answer of those of our people whom some say that
they have no choice but to leave. No, they have a choice. “They are returning to
the place that they cherish and love. This is the meaning of why do people fight
for their national homelands? Why do they defend it with all of their might?
Because they love it and they’re attached to it and they want to be in it. “That
is so applicable to us, the Palestinian people, and for those who do not know
us, this is a very important component of our being as Palestinians, of how much
we love our homeland, how much we love our land and our country, whether it has
palaces on it or whether it has destroyed homes. “It is our land and we don’t
have any other country except the country that we love, which is Palestine.”
Syria’s Sharaa in Idlib on His First Internal Visit
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa paid a quick visit to the northwestern
province of Idlib on Saturday, his first since assuming his post. The state news
agency SANA reported that he inspected refugee camps in the area. Social media
posts showed Sharaa as he walked in the city, where he lived for several years
during the war and from where the military operation that culminated in the
ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December was launched. Government
spokesman Mohammed al-Faisal told Asharq Al-Awsat that Sharaa “had not forgotten
Idlib, the launch point for the liberation” of Syria. “He visited it out of
pride in its role and in appreciation of the sacrifices of its people, who
embraced Syrians from across the country during the long difficult years of the
revolution,” he added. The refugees there are a priority for the government that
wants to end their suffering and ensure that they can return to their homes as
soon as possible, he went on to say. Sharaa also visited Idlib’s martyrs square
and its city center where anti-regime protests used to be held. He visited his
former residence and toured the streets where he was warmly greeted by the
people. He was accompanied by Damascus Governor Maher Marwan. During the war,
Sharaa formed the Nusra Front in Idlib in 2012. The group later pledged
allegiance to the al-Qaeda extremist group before later breaking away from it
and becoming known as the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Following the ouster of the
regime, several Syrians visited Idlib, which was off limits to them by the
regime. They discovered a city that was modern and enjoyed a free market and
several services, such as electricity and modern technology provided by
neighboring Türkiye. Sharaa returned to Damascus after completing his hourslong
visit. Late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad had visited Idlib once throughout
his entire term in power. It was back in summer 1971 and the people attacked him
with tomatoes and shoes. He never returned. His son Bashar never visited Idlib.
Iraq Says Won’t Be Used for Activities Hostile to Syria
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
The Iraqi government denied that any activity hostile to Syria was taking place
inside its territories. Iraq will not be a haven for foreign outlaws, a trusted
source in the Iraqi government told Asharq Al-Awsat. It dismissed as false
reports about Syrian or foreign fighters entering Iraq who are being led by
external parties. Recent reports have claimed that Syrian fighters have set up a
training camp in Iraq. The source categorically denied the report, saying it is
part of a media campaign aimed at undermining Iraq’s position towards
neighboring Syria. Iraqi security and military authorities are closely securing
all borders and firmly confronting any attempts to infiltrate or threaten the
country, it stressed. Iraq is committed to respecting the national sovereignty
of other countries and it refrains from meddling in their internal affairs, it
declared. Moreover, the source reiterated the Iraqi government’s stance in
solidarity with the Syrian people and their right to determine their fate. It is
ready to help support Syria’s reconstruction and economic revival after years of
war, it went on to say. Syria’s stability is integral to Iraq’s own stability,
it remarked. Both countries have an interest in their own security and
stability, which will in turn support regional stability. Baghdad will host an
Arab League summit in May. Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been
officially invited to attend in what is seen as an attempt to ease the tentative
relations between Baghdad and Damascus after the ouster of the Syrian regime on
December 8. Media reports had said that former members of the Syrian army have
set up camp in Iraq after refusing to return to their country. Members of
pro-Iran militias have also reportedly left Syria for Iraq. Last week, the Iraqi
Interior Ministry firmly denied claims that dozens of Syrian regime officers,
who had sought refuge in Iraq, were granted temporary residency on humanitarian
grounds. On December 19, Iraqi authorities turned over 1,905 regime officers,
who had fled Syria, to the new authorities in Damascus.
Lavrov, Rubio Discuss Removal of ‘Barriers’ Set by Previous
US Administration, Russia Says
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
discussed the situation in Ukraine on Saturday, as well as the removal of
"unilateral barriers" set by the previous US administration, Moscow said. US and
Russian officials are to start talks in the coming days on ending Moscow's war
in Ukraine after US President Donald Trump shocked European allies by calling
Russian President Vladimir Putin and declaring an immediate start to the talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that Kyiv would not
engage with Russia before consulting with strategic partners. Lavrov and Rubio,
in a call initiated by the US, agreed to maintain contacts to resolve problems
in bilateral relations, "in the interests of removing the unilateral barriers to
mutually beneficial trade, economic and investment cooperation inherited from
the previous administration," Russia's foreign ministry said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear what barriers were discussed.
The US under then-President Joe Biden and Kyiv's allies around the world imposed
waves of sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine three years ago, aimed
at weakening the Russian economy and limiting the Kremlin's war efforts. The US
State Department said Rubio reaffirmed in the call Trump's commitment to finding
an end to the conflict in Ukraine. "In addition, they discussed the opportunity
to potentially work together on a number of other bilateral issues," it said in
a statement, without providing further detail. Russia said Lavrov and Rubio
"expressed their mutual willingness to interact on pressing international
issues, including the settlement around Ukraine, the situation around Palestine
and in general in the Middle East in general". They agreed to work on restoring
"mutually respectful interstate dialogue" in line with the tone set by the
presidents, the ministry said. Trump and Putin spoke for over an hour on
Wednesday, the first known direct contact between US and Russian presidents
since Putin had a call with Biden shortly before ordering tens of thousands of
troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The Russian foreign ministry said Lavrov
and Rubio also discussed how to quickly improve "the conditions for the
functioning of Russian diplomatic missions" in the US. Experts will meet soon
"to agree on specific steps to mutually remove obstacles to the work of Russian
and US missions abroad," the ministry said.
Pope Has Another Peaceful Night in Rome Hospital
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
Pope Francis, who is receiving treatment for a respiratory tract infection, had
a peaceful night in Rome's Gemelli hospital, Italy's ANSA news agency reported
on Sunday. Francis, 88, will not appear in public on Sunday to lead his usual
weekly prayer with pilgrims, the Vatican said on Saturday, because he has been
told to rest. The pontiff has been suffering from bronchitis for more than a
week and was admitted to hospital on Friday morning. Francis briefly watched
some of the main evening news bulletin on Italy's RAI TV at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT) on
Saturday before having a restful night, ANSA reported. A Vatican statement
released late on Saturday said that the pope had been "prescribed complete rest"
in order to help his recovery. The pope's treatment on Saturday was "slightly
modified based on further microbiological findings", the statement said.
"Today's laboratory tests showed an improvement in some values," it added. The
Vatican has said the pope would remain in hospital as long as necessary for his
treatment. Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other
health problems several times over the past two years.
Iran targets Azeri ethnic minority activists to 'silence dissent,' Human Rights
Watch report reveals
Euronews/February 16, 2025
Iran jailed at least two dozen Azeri minority activists since October, Human
Rights Watch reported on Sunday, adding that Iranian authorities did not present
any real evidence against them when it issued the “heavy prison sentences”. The
HRW report comes at a time of worsening relations between Baku and Tehran, with
Azeris representing the largest ethnic minority in Iran. The prison sentences
against 10 Azeri activists, ranging between 3 to 14 years, were issued by
Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court on various charges, which HRW calls a
“repression to crush civil society and prevent ethnic minorities from demanding
their basic rights.”In a detailed documented report quoting “informed sources,”
HRW said some of the detainees were accused of activism on issues like
environmental concerns and advocating for the civil rights of ethnic groups in
Iran, as well as involvement in assisting family members of protesters killed or
injured during the 2022 protests in Iran. Others were charged with “membership
in an opposition group,” “propaganda against the state,” “conspiracy against the
country,” and “forming an opposition group against the state.” “Iranian
authorities systematically target civil society and ethnic minorities with
abusive charges and heavy prison sentences to silence dissent,” said Nahid
Naghshbandi, acting Iran researcher at HRW. HRW said that Iranian authorities
systematically deny medical care to the detainees, with some being kept in
solitary confinement and subjected to psychological pressure.
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on February 16-17/2025
UAE Pledges $200 Million to Support Sudan
Robert Williams/Gatestone Institute/February 16, 2025
Sudan's Growing Crisis: Famine, Displacement, and Unprecedented Suffering
Stopping Iran's growing foothold in Africa is not just about Israel's security —
it's about protecting U.S. economic and military interests. The consequences of
inaction will be felt at home, from higher energy prices to increased global
instability. The time to act is now. "The war has lasted too long, cost too many
lives, and caused immense suffering. What we seek to do, alongside our partners,
is call for a humanitarian pause to allow aid to reach those in need." — Reem
al-Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation at the UAE Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, February 14, 2025.
Iran is establishing another Hamas-like entity in Sudan, mirroring its creation
of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces. This group, known as "Kizan,"
maintains ties to Hamas, Hezbollah, and African branches of Al Qaeda. If Iran's
allies gain full control over Sudan, Iran will have effectively tightened its
grip on Israel's southern flank, adding yet another hostile front to the region.
The Biden administration's failure to act decisively has emboldened Iran and
endangered both Israel and American strategic interests.
President Donald Trump, as a leader committed to restoring U.S. strength, must
confront the Iranian infiltration in Sudan head-on. [I]t is imperative that
Trump - for US interests! - publicly recognize the efforts of Al Nahyan in
advancing this vision, acknowledging his leadership and unwavering dedication to
peace and prosperity in the region. The UAE has taken a significant step in
alleviating the suffering of the Sudanese people by announcing a $200 million
aid package, in a high-level humanitarian conference held in Ethiopia.
Amid Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis, Addis Ababa, February 14, 2025: The United
Arab Emirates (UAE) has taken a significant step in alleviating the suffering of
the Sudanese people by announcing a $200 million aid package, in a high-level
humanitarian conference held in Addis Ababa. The conference, organized by the
UAE in collaboration with the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on
Development, and Ethiopia, is taking place on the sidelines of the 38th African
Union Summit. A Call for Action: Mobilizing Support for Sudan's Dire
Humanitarian Needs
The UAE's contribution is a response to the devastating civil war in Sudan,
which has torn the country apart since April 2023. The brutal conflict between
the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and Sudan's military has claimed tens of
thousands of lives and displaced over 12 million people. The UAE's announcement
serves as a call for global attention and a coordinated effort to provide
much-needed support to the Sudanese population.
A Humanitarian Pause During Ramadan: UAE's Urgent Appeal
In addition to the financial contribution, the UAE has called for a
"humanitarian pause" during Ramadan, which begins in two weeks. Reem al-Hashimy,
Minister of State for International Cooperation at the UAE Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, emphasized the importance of this pause in facilitating the unhindered
delivery of aid to those most affected by the conflict, particularly women and
children, who are enduring unimaginable hardship. "The war has lasted too long,
cost too many lives, and caused immense suffering. What we seek to do, alongside
our partners, is call for a humanitarian pause to allow aid to reach those in
need," al-Hashimy stated at the conference in Addis Ababa.
Sudan's Growing Crisis: Famine, Displacement, and Unprecedented Suffering
According to the United Nations, Sudan is grappling with widespread famine, with
five regions already affected, including three in North Darfur. By May, the
famine is expected to spread to five more districts. The African Union has
described the situation as "the worst humanitarian crisis in the world." The
UAE's move comes as part of a broader commitment to supporting Sudan and Africa.
In April 2024, the UAE had already allocated $100 million to UN agencies and
humanitarian organizations to aid Sudan. The country also played a crucial role
by establishing an air bridge to Sudan and neighboring Chad, delivering critical
humanitarian assistance since the conflict's outset.
UAE's Ongoing Support: A Long-Term Commitment
The UAE's assistance to Sudan has been extensive. Since the conflict began, the
UAE has contributed $130 million to humanitarian efforts, along with sending
9,500 tons of food and medical supplies via 148 flights and a ship carrying
1,000 tons of emergency aid. Additionally, the UAE has supported Sudanese
refugees in Chad and South Sudan, providing food aid through the World Food
Programme (WFP).
As one of the main humanitarian donors to Sudan and Africa, the UAE's efforts
reflect its ongoing commitment to providing vital support in times of crisis.
Through its leadership, the UAE hopes to inspire regional and international
partners to join the cause and help mitigate the devastating impact of Sudan's
ongoing humanitarian emergency. Iran's Dangerous Expansion: The Growing Threat
in Sudan and Its Global Consequences
Iran is establishing another Hamas-like entity in Sudan, mirroring its creation
of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces. This group, known as "Kizan,"
maintains ties to Hamas, Hezbollah, and African branches of Al Qaeda. If Iran's
allies gain full control over Sudan, Iran will have effectively tightened its
grip on Israel's southern flank, adding yet another hostile front to the region.
For the United States, this presents a grave national security challenge. Israel
will be forced to request more U.S. missile interceptors and military support.
American stockpiles are already strained, and prolonged U.S. involvement in
regional conflicts carries significant risks. Meanwhile, Iran-backed militants
threaten maritime security, increasing drone and missile attacks on U.S. and
allied shipping in the Red Sea. With both Yemen and Sudan as potential launch
points, Iran's influence is expanding in a way that threatens global trade. The
closure or disruption of Red Sea shipping routes would render the Suez Canal
nearly useless, forcing oil and gas shipments to reroute around Africa—raising
costs, delaying supplies, and worsening inflation in the United States.
The Biden administration's failure to act decisively has emboldened Iran and
endangered both Israel and American strategic interests.
President Donald Trump, as a leader committed to restoring U.S. strength, must
confront the Iranian infiltration in Sudan head-on. Stopping Iran's growing
foothold in Africa is not just about Israel's security — it's about protecting
U.S. economic and military interests. The consequences of inaction will be felt
at home, from higher energy prices to increased global instability. The time to
act is now.
The United Arab Emirates has firmly established itself as the United States' and
Israel's most steadfast Arab ally. Under the visionary, trailblazing leadership
of His Highness Mohammed Sheikh bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE has demonstrated
unparalleled diplomatic foresight and pragmatism in pursuit of regional
stability.
In a bold and almost singular stance among Arab nations, the UAE has called for
constructive engagement with Trump's vision for Middle East peace—a vision that
seeks to combat terrorism, foster economic prosperity, and lay the foundation
for a region built on coexistence.
Rather than dismissing the plan outright, the UAE has advocated for a nuanced
approach, urging Arab leaders to focus on rejecting only the resettlement
component while reaffirming its preference for an independent Palestinian state
alongside Israel.
This strategic and forward-thinking position underscores the UAE's vital role in
shaping a new era of stability and economic growth in the Middle East, aligning
with Trump's commitment to a future free from extremism and defined by
cooperation, development, and enduring security.
Given this invaluable support, it is imperative that Trump - for US interests! -
publicly recognize the efforts of Al Nahyan in advancing this vision,
acknowledging his leadership and unwavering dedication to peace and prosperity
in the region.
*Robert Williams is based in the United States.
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
How Saudi Arabia Has Excelled Politically
Tariq Al-Homayed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
I have been making this point for a while now: Saudi Arabia does not have a
"zero problems" policy; rather, it has adopted a "zero severance" policy. That
is, the Kingdom does not totally cut ties and boycott others, as politics is the
art of the possible, and it requires communication, even with adversaries.
I previously wrote: "Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has changed the rules of
the game through investment initiatives. His projects and programs have made
Saudi Arabia a trusted ally and a desirable partner. Communication and building
bridges was a necessary element of this success, and that will not change."I
also wrote: "This is what the Crown Prince has done, and that is why I always
argue that, under his leadership, Saudi Arabia is not seeking 'zero problems'
but 'zero severance,' as Vision 2030 has clear requisites."
Furthermore, I wrote that "communication is the essence of politics, as we
negotiate with our adversaries, not our allies. They are the ones we have to
come to an understanding with to avert wars and mitigate crises. This is common
sense, not a 'foreign policy reset' or 'zero problems.'"
Accordingly, through its various initiatives (foremost among them internal
reforms led by Crown Prince Mohammed) and its new foreign policy posture, Saudi
Arabia is now reaping the political, economic, and, of course, social rewards of
its political success.Some might think that I am hinting at President Donald
Trump's announcement of his intention to meet with his Russian counterpart
Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia and with Crown Prince Mohammed in the room. Saudi
Arabia has welcomed the idea through a statement released by the Foreign
Ministry.
Yes, this is a significant and historic summit. However, the matter does not end
there. It runs deeper and has its own context. Anyone who looks back at what has
been happening recently, for example, going over the list of visitors to Saudi
Arabia over the past two months alone, will see that Crown Prince Mohammed's
realignment has been and continues to be fruitful. Over the last two months, for
instance, Crown Prince Mohammed has received the British Prime Minister, the
French President, the Italian Prime Minister, the German President, and former
US President Bill Clinton.
He has also met with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, Iraqi Prime Minister
Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, the Pakistani Prime Minister, President of Kazakhstan,
and President of the World Bank, not to mention the long list of phone calls and
other diplomatic engagements. My point is that Saudi Arabia, under the Crown
Prince's leadership, has succeeded in becoming a positive, effective, and
credible player. It draws everyone seeking investment, partnership, and
stability. This is why it has grown closer to Russia despite criticisms from the
US, whose previous policy has proven ineffective. It has also maintained close
ties with Ukraine, even inviting its president to the Arab Summit in Jeddah.
Likewise, Saudi Arabia remains a close and trusted ally of the United States,
even during President Biden's term, despite the criticisms he made before
winning the race in 2020.
Today, Saudi Arabia is closer to Europe than Europe is to Washington. It is also
closer to China. It is the driving force behind Syria's reconstruction efforts,
and it provides a safety net for Lebanon's "new era." Moreover, it is now
broadly acknowledged across the region: Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of
Crown Prince Mohammed, has emerged as the real primary defender of the
Palestinian cause. That is how Saudi Arabia has succeeded, and this is how Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the leader of initiatives, has achieved success on
all fronts, in both domestic affairs and on the global stage.
Between Iran’s Apprehension and America’s Recklessness
Mustafa Fahs/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/February 16/2025
The recklessness of the Israeli occupation forces cannot be understood in
isolation from the American recklessness. President Donald Trump has made
statements in favor of negotiation, and he has repeatedly stressed his intention
to resolve the complex crisis with Iran through negotiations. However,
contradictions abound, aggravating Tehran’s suspicions and concerns. He links
negotiations to sanctions and threatens military action - essentially placing
all his cards on the table.
For its part, Tel Aviv, Trump's sole ally, is pushing for a military solution
against everything it deems an Iranian threat: conventional military facilities,
nuclear sites, and even economic sites. The approach of Tel Aviv and Washington
- of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and the Trump administration - breaks with
that of the previous administration, which had been largely focused on
containment. Now, all options are on the table. Indeed, The Wall Street Journal
citing intelligence sources, reported, near the end of President Joe Biden’s
term, that Israel was seeking support for attacks on Iran from the Trump
administration.
Iran’s concerns are well-founded. Trump and his administration have voiced
contradictory and multifaceted positions. On the one hand, he stresses that
reaching a nuclear agreement is his preferred option. Just last week, however,
he reinstated stringent sanctions on Iran and reaffirmed his commitment to
resuming the “maximum pressure” strategy he had implemented during his previous
term. On the other hand, he is narrowing Tehran’s options. He says that it has
two choices: either a written agreement different from the previous one or
military strikes.
This stance has angered Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his negotiating
team. On the 46th anniversary of the Iranian revolution, Pezeshkian summed up
the current state of play: “If the United States is sincere about negotiating,
why has it imposed sanctions?”
This is not the first time we have seen threats of military action against
Iran’s nuclear facilities. Nonetheless, the threat seems serious this time.
President Trump believes that Iran’s leadership is in a state of panic. In an
interview with Fox News, he linked what he described as “Iranian panic” to the
Israeli strikes on Iran’s air defense system on October 26, 2024, predicting
that Tehran is eager to reach an agreement to avoid being bombed.
Iran’s leadership understands that Trump wants to negotiate their “surrender.”
He wants an agreement that encompasses all of Iran’s conventional, ballistic,
and nuclear capabilities, as well as its regional influence. Brigadier General
Majid Khademi, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ Intelligence
Protection Organization, responded by saying: “Trump has approached negotiations
with deception and trickery. His aim is to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program,
missile system, and conventional weapons.” He added that negotiations with
Washington have become increasingly perilous.
Concerns over Trump’s approach to Iran (military, nuclear, and foreign policy
dimensions) have pushed Iran’s leadership to take a hardline position endorsed
at the highest level. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has the final say,
publicly rejected negotiations with Washington. “It is not intelligent and will
not solve Iran’s problems,” he said, suggesting that past experiences prove
Washington fails to uphold its end of the bargain, even when Tehran had made
significant concessions.
Between fear and recklessness, Tehran is seeking a way out of confrontation.
However, it refuses to sign an all-encompassing agreement that would contain its
regional influence, restrict its ballistic missile program, and put an end to
its nuclear ambitions. Such an outcome would deal a fatal blow to both the
regime and the revolution. In other words, while Iran may offer concessions on
certain issues, it cannot compromise on this “trinity” that sustains what
remains of its “revolutionary legitimacy,” which is already the subject of an
open-ended internal debate that could go either way.
Unity, stability the key goals of Syria’s post-Baathist
transition
Dr. Gyorgy Busztin/Arab News/February 16, 2025
The Baath Party, once a dominant force in the Arab world, has been reduced to a
dwindling memory of its former rule, running down its legacy in Syria in the
face of the Assad regime’s demise. Its collapse, following decades of repression
and sociopolitical upheaval, marks the expiration of an ideology that shaped the
region, but left a legacy of division and authoritarianism. As Syria begins to
navigate its post-Baathist transition, the lessons learned from Iraq’s de-Baathification
offer a cautionary tale. The dissolution of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party in 2003
led to serious consequences, including institutional collapse, widespread
instability and sectarian violence. If Syria is to avoid repeating these
mistakes, it must chart a different course: one that emphasizes unity, justice
and the integrity of its national statehood.
The de-Baathification process in Iraq was swift and indiscriminate. More than
35,000 government employees lost their jobs overnight and thousands of military
personnel were dismissed as the Iraqi army was dissolved. This dismantling of
state institutions created a power vacuum that fueled anarchy and sectarian
divisions and allowed the rise of extremist groups like Daesh. Rather than
addressing past grievances, Iraq’s de-Baathification actually deepened societal
rifts. The campaign disproportionately targeted Sunni communities, perpetuating
cycles of violence and mistrust. This experience underscores the importance of
pursuing accountability in a manner that promotes reconciliation rather than
retribution.
Syria’s path forward must prioritize inclusivity, justice and a vision for
shared prosperity. Central to this vision will be the reform of state
institutions, ensuring that they serve all citizens equitably, regardless of
sect or ethnicity. This requires rebuilding governance structures on the
principles of merit and fairness, fostering a system that includes voices that
have been previously marginalized by decades of authoritarian rule. The scale of
the challenge is immense. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, as
at the end of 2023, 16.7 million people in Syria required humanitarian
assistance, the highest number since the onset of the crisis. Additionally,
there are 7.2 million internally displaced persons as per the Joint Data Center
on Forced Displacement, reflecting the devastating toll of conflict on the
population. These figures underscore the urgency of comprehensive governance
reforms and inclusive recovery plans to address the needs of the most
vulnerable.
The international community must recognize the critical importance of
safeguarding Syria’s sovereignty. Accountability will also play a critical
role in healing societal wounds. Establishing a transitional justice framework,
rooted in international norms, is essential to address past grievances without
resorting to collective punishment. By holding perpetrators of war crimes and
human rights abuses accountable, Syria can begin to rebuild trust among its
people. Economic reconstruction stands as an equally urgent priority. Over the
last decade, Syria’s economy has suffered a catastrophic decline, with its real
gross domestic product contracting by about 84 percent between 2010 and 2023,
according to the Middle East Council on Global Affairs. Estimates of the cost of
rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure range between $400 billion and $600
billion, highlighting the monumental financial resources required for recovery,
according to Arabian Gulf Business Insight. This task will demand robust
international support, particularly from the Gulf states, which have
demonstrated their commitment to regional stability. Through partnerships and
targeted investments, Syria can pave the way for sustainable development, job
creation and the reintegration of displaced communities. Moreover, regional and
international cooperation is vital. Syria’s stability (or lack thereof) will
have an effect that extends beyond its borders, impacting the broader Middle
East. Collaborative efforts with neighboring countries and global institutions
must be prioritized to ensure security and foster a peaceful transition. The
UAE’s diplomatic leadership, with its emphasis on dialogue and humanitarian
initiatives, offers a model for constructive engagement in Syria’s recovery
process.
At the heart of this vision for the future lies the principle of unity.
Preserving Syria’s territorial integrity is nonnegotiable and fragmentation
along sectarian or ethnic lines risks further destabilization, potentially
perpetuating cycles of violence. The international community must recognize the
critical importance of safeguarding Syria’s sovereignty while promoting
reconciliation and inclusivity.
The end of Baathist rule in Syria offers a historic opportunity to redefine the
country’s future. By learning from its own past mistakes, along with others in
the region, and prioritizing inclusivity, justice and unity, Syria can emerge as
a stable and prosperous state. The global community, particularly key regional
actors, must rally around this vision. Through collaboration and shared
commitment, Syria can transition from a fractured past to a cohesive future that
serves as a beacon of hope for the region.
**Dr. Gyorgy Busztin is Diplomat-in-Residence at the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic
Academy.
Crossing Jordan is not a good idea
Faisal J. Abbas/Arab News/February 16, 2025
With the new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio embarking on his first tour of
the Middle East, which includes visits to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, it
is imperative for both America and the region to act quickly, and wisely, to
benefit from the alignment of the stars in the last few months.
I am specifically referring to the collapse of the Assad regime in the Syrian
Arab Republic and the new, Hezbollah-free government and president in Lebanon,
as well as the reforms happening in the Gulf, particularly in Saudi Arabia.
While it is very easy to be pessimistic, these opportunities do form, when you
connect the dots, a unique chance for America and the Middle East to chart a new
course for peace and prosperity in the region.
However, comments such as those made recently regarding displacing Palestinians
and turning Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East” do not help, whether they
were meant sincerely as part of a serious plan or part of a negotiation tactic
or were mere ideas. Similarly, the recent apparent faux pas by the new US
administration, particularly in its dealings with King Abdullah II of Jordan,
risks undermining not only the broader stability of the region but US interests
as well.
The administration’s proposal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza to Jordan and
Egypt has been met with vehement opposition from the kingdom and the Arab world
as a whole. The regional position has been led by Saudi Arabia, which is also
spearheading a global coalition to implement the two-state solution and
consultations for a response and a possible counteroffer to the US
administration. Egypt has also said it is preparing a plan for the
reconstruction of Gaza, without the element of forced displacement — naturally,
it would be wise for the US to have those discussions.
Despite the White House trying to cool the situation, and Donald Trump himself
appearing to endorse King Abdullah in a direct address to the Jordanian people,
there is no question that the current US administration has now received much
scrutiny as to whether or not the president’s advisers understand the golden
rule of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”Moreover, there have been indirect
insinuations that President Trump has considered withholding aid to Jordan
should it refuse to accommodate displaced Gazans. This approach not only
undermines the long-standing partnership between the two nations but also
disregards the immense sacrifices Jordan has made in the pursuit of regional
peace. If anything, Jordan deserves more aid — not less — due to all that it has
endured and the burdens it has taken on time after time, whenever a regional
conflict erupts. Such unwise tactics risk alienating a key ally and could have
far-reaching repercussions. From spillover risks to a new surge in extremism,
crossing Jordan will never be a good idea. As Rubio embarks on his first Middle
East tour, it is imperative to act quickly, and wisely, to benefit from the
recent alignment of the stars.
In light of these developments, it is imperative that the US administration
reevaluates its stance toward Jordan and consults its trusted Middle East allies
— especially Saudi Arabia. If the solution to the Russia-Ukraine war can be
found in Riyadh, then it is obvious that the solution to the conflict in Gaza,
which is far closer to home, can be found there too.
Voices within the US political landscape have already highlighted the importance
of this alliance. These include Rep. Michael Waltz, the new national security
adviser, who has emphasized the critical role Jordan plays in regional security.
Other congressmen and representatives, including from the president’s own party,
have also dismissed the idea of resettling Gazans.
Meanwhile, one cannot help but raise one’s hat to the wisdom and statesmanship
deployed by King Abdullah during his White House meeting with Trump last week.
There, despite the severity of the questions raised by the press and the ideas
proposed by the new US administration, he kept his emotions under control. He
demonstrated the true Jordanian values of standing with those in need by
announcing an initiative to welcome 2,000 severely ill Gazan children, while
insisting on not saying anything that would jeopardize national or regional
stability and remaining diplomatic and respectful to the president of the US, a
major ally for Jordan and the region as a whole.
In case the American foreign policy advisers did not realize, Jordan serves as a
linchpin in Middle Eastern affairs. Its borders touch many conflict-prone areas,
yet the kingdom has managed to maintain a semblance of peace and order within
its territory. This is no small feat, given the tumultuous landscape that
surrounds it. Beyond its role in regional politics, Jordan has been an
indispensable partner in the global fight against terrorism. The kingdom’s
strategic location and intelligence capabilities have made it a front-line ally
in combating extremist groups. The US Department of State has highlighted
Jordan’s “leadership role in advancing peace and moderation in the region.” This
collaboration is not merely a matter of convenience but a testament to Jordan’s
unwavering commitment to counterterrorism.
The kingdom also has a long-standing tradition of providing refuge to those
fleeing conflict. During the Syrian civil war, Jordan opened its borders to
millions of refugees, offering them safety and shelter. Similarly, in the
aftermath of the Iraq war, the kingdom welcomed a substantial number of Iraqi
refugees, demonstrating its commitment to humanitarian principles.
In a region often marred by sectarian strife, Jordan stands out as a beacon of
religious tolerance. The kingdom has been a pioneer in promoting interfaith
dialogue and fostering peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians.
Initiatives such as the Amman Message and the World Interfaith Harmony Week,
proposed by King Abdullah and adopted by the UN, underscore Jordan’s commitment
to bridging religious divides. This emphasis on interfaith harmony is not merely
symbolic. It reflects Jordan’s broader strategy to combat radicalization and
promote a culture of peace. By encouraging mutual respect and understanding
among different religious communities, the kingdom aims to build a more cohesive
and resilient society. Despite these invaluable contributions to regional
stability and Amman’s steadfast alliance with the US, recent actions by the
Trump administration have raised concerns. Naturally, we must not pay too much
attention to words and focus more on US actions. This is a lesson we Arabs have
learned the hard way from dealing with a number of US presidents, especially
Barack Obama.
My point of view is that we must bring the rhetoric down from the boiling point
it has already reached and then engage in a more rational discussion. At the end
of the day, interests have to align and the US has a lot to gain from working
closely with Riyadh, Amman and Cairo.
*Faisal J. Abbas is the editor in chief of Arab News. X: @FaisalJAbbas
What Gaza plan means for US-Egypt ties
Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/February 16, 2025
Egyptian-American relations have witnessed notable tensions in recent weeks due
to President Donald Trump’s insistence on implementing his plan to displace
Palestinians from Gaza — a move that was met with firm rejection from Cairo.
This Egyptian refusal was not merely a political stance but a clear expression
of Egypt’s commitment to its principles, particularly concerning the Palestinian
cause and its own national security.
As US pressure mounts, many wonder about the future of relations between the two
countries. Will this crisis lead to a diplomatic rupture or will shared
strategic interests ensure continued cooperation despite the disagreements?
Since the outbreak of the latest war in Gaza, Israeli and American calls have
emerged to evacuate the territory’s Palestinian residents under the pretext of
ensuring “Israel’s security.” Although different versions of this plan have been
proposed, its core remains the same: pressuring neighboring countries,
particularly Egypt, to accept large numbers of Palestinian refugees.
For Egypt, this poses a direct threat to its national security. The Sinai
Peninsula, suggested as a potential destination for these refugees, remains a
sensitive region that has experienced periodic terrorist activity. Hosting large
numbers of Palestinians there without a clear political solution would create
long-term security, political and demographic crises. Furthermore, Egypt views
agreeing to such displacement as an implicit approval of the liquidation of the
Palestinian cause — an injustice to the Palestinian people that Egypt refuses to
be part of, as President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has stated.
This rejection is not arbitrary but rather an extension of Egypt’s historical
stance against the displacement of Palestinians since the Nakba of 1948. Egypt,
which administered Gaza between 1949 and 1967, fully understands the
consequences of bearing this burden without a just resolution to the Palestinian
issue. Hence, President El-Sisi’s response was unequivocal: “The deportation or
displacement of the Palestinian people is an injustice in which we cannot
participate.”
The current tensions between Cairo and Washington are not unprecedented, but
they represent one of the most severe crises in three decades. As the situation
escalates, the key question arises: How will this crisis impact bilateral
relations?
Military and economic aid has been the primary leverage the US has wielded.
Since the Camp David Accords came into effect in 1979, Egypt has received
military aid from Washington. It is today worth about $1.3 billion a year. Trump
is now threatening to cut this aid as a means of pressuring Egypt into accepting
his plan.
However, the actual impact of such a move may be limited. Egypt no longer relies
solely on the US for military procurement; it has diversified its arms sources
to include Russia, China and France. Consequently, any reduction in US aid could
push Egypt to strengthen alternative alliances, thereby diminishing American
influence in the region.Any US escalation against Egypt could undermine
Washington’s ability to achieve its objectives in the region.
Beyond military aid, investments and trade play a crucial role in
Egyptian-American relations. US companies hold significant investments in
Egypt’s energy, infrastructure and technology sectors. However, any American
move to impose economic sanctions or reduce investments could backfire,
prompting Cairo to deepen its partnerships with the EU, China and the Gulf
states to offset any losses.
Egypt’s regional role remains vital, even if it sometimes appears to fluctuate.
Cairo is a key player in Middle Eastern affairs, whether as a mediator in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict or as a major actor in regional issues such as
Libya and Sudan. Thus, any US escalation against Egypt could undermine
Washington’s ability to achieve its objectives in the region.
Israel is acutely aware of this dynamic. Israeli political sources have
expressed concerns that deteriorating Egyptian-American relations could
jeopardize the Egypt-Israel peace agreement. For Tel Aviv, the peace treaty
loses value if Cairo feels compelled to distance itself from Washington.
Could the crisis lead to a complete rupture? This question is circulating within
Egypt’s political and media circles. Despite current tensions, a total breakdown
in Egyptian-American relations seems unlikely. In practical terms, neither
country can afford the consequences of a full diplomatic or economic severance.
From Washington’s perspective, Egypt remains an indispensable partner in the
Middle East. Its role in securing the Suez Canal, combating terrorism and
managing regional conflicts makes it a critical component of US strategy in the
region. Therefore, while Washington may impose symbolic pressures — such as
partially suspending aid or issuing public criticisms — it is unlikely to push
relations to breaking point.
From Cairo’s standpoint, although it is working to diversify its international
alliances, its relationship with the US remains strategically important. Egypt
will seek to navigate the crisis carefully, reaffirming its national principles
while avoiding unnecessary concessions on the displacement issue.
In this context, Egypt has already taken steps to bolster its diplomatic
position. In recent days, Cairo has sent direct messages to Washington
underscoring its absolute rejection of the displacement plan. It has also
postponed President El-Sisi’s visit to the White House to avoid a potentially
contentious meeting that could involve direct American pressure. Is this a reset
or an open confrontation? The prevailing indicators suggest that the Egypt-US
crisis will remain within the framework of a reset rather than an outright
rupture. The US administration is expected to adopt a more flexible approach
toward Cairo, particularly if pressure on Egypt over the displacement issue
proves ineffective. Meanwhile, Egypt will continue to firmly oppose any
Palestinian displacement plans, while striving to maintain its ties with
Washington based on shared interests. The current crisis has revealed the limits
of American influence in the region and reaffirmed Egypt’s determination to
safeguard its national security and make independent decisions free from
external pressure. Cairo understands that compromising on the displacement issue
would not just be a political mistake, but also a historic catastrophe that
would threaten its stability for decades to come.
Ultimately, the question remains: Does Washington recognize that Egypt’s
stability is key to regional stability? Or will American pressure persist until
it reaches the point of no return? Only the coming days will reveal the
trajectory of this strategic relationship.
**Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy has covered conflicts worldwide. X: @ALMenawy