English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 20/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas, the rock
John 01/35-42.: “The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God! ’
The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned
and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said
to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He
said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they
remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of
the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’
(which is translated Anointed).He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and
said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is
translated Peter). the rock”
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on May 19-20/2025
Condemnation and Disbelief at the Lebanese Presidential Statement
Regarding President Joseph Aoun’s Handshake with Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif in the
Vatican"/Elias Bejjani/May 18/2025
Lebanese President: Hezbollah Has No Choice but to Accept Concept of the State
Egypt rejects all Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty, El-Sisi tells Aoun
Aoun meets Egyptian president in Cairo
Lebanese President meets Arab League chief in Cairo, reviews Baghdad Summit
outcomes
Aoun says exchanging messages with Hezbollah, disarmament can't be done hastily
US seeks info on 'Hezbollah financial network' in South America
Israeli Army Says It Killed Hezb Operative in Southern Lebanon
Report: Hezbollah quietly ceding posts north of Litani to army
Finance Minister relays Berri's readiness to convene Parliament to approve laws
that would support reform
Syrian FM says agreed with Salam on steps to end 'plight of Syrian prisoners'
Fayad: We won't accept that our people be left unprotected
Muslim-Christian parity preserved in Beirut Municipality as list backed by main
political parties wins
Report: Decision to disarm Palestinian camps taken, Abbas' visit decisive
MP Gebran Bassil says municipal elections exposed the myth of NGOs
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on May 19-20/2025
Pope Leo XIV and JD Vance meet ahead of US-led diplomatic flurry to reach
ceasefire in Ukraine
Iran says nuclear talks will fail if US pushes for zero enrichment
Iran warns US nuclear talks will fail if enrichment demand stands
US, UAE agree to establish major defense partnership
After Putin call, Trump says Russia-Ukraine talks to begin ‘immediately’
Britain and Iran summon each other's diplomats after Iranians charged in UK
probe
Netanyahu Says Israel to Take Over All Gaza, Start Aid Flows
UK, France and Canada threaten 'concrete actions' against Israel, including
sanctions
Israel recovers possessions of 1960s spy executed by Syria
Israel orders Khan Younis evacuation ahead of 'unprecedented attack'
Trump plan or not, Israel is letting more Palestinians leave Gaza
First aid trucks enter Gaza after almost three-month Israeli blockade, UN says
Jordanian king, Maltese PM discuss cooperation in energy, tourism
Amnesty: US strike on Yemen migrant center may constitute humanitarian
‘violation’
Trump says Russia and Ukraine to 'immediately' start ceasefire negotiations
after two-hour call with Putin
Putin says held 'useful' call with Trump on Ukraine: Russian state media
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sourceson
on May 19-20/2025
How Arabs See Trump's 'Separate Peace' and Deals With Islamists/Khaled
Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute./May 19, 2025
Faith, fire, and fragmentation: The Druze dilemma in a New Syria/Makram Rabah/Al
Arabiya English/19 May ,2025
We should break the myth because women can do both/Dr. Thamer A. Baazeem/Al
Arabiya English/19 May ,2025
A Decisive Alliance is Reshaping the Region/Sam Menassa/ Asharq Al-Awsat
newspaper/May 19/2025
Baghdad, Sharaa and Trump’s Shadow/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/May
19/2025
Jailbreaking/Charles Chartouni/This is Beirut/May 19/2025
With Assad Down and Sanctions Lifted, Are Syrian Refugees Finally Being Pressed
to Leave?/Natasha Metni Torbey/This is Beirut/May 19/2025
Pakistan’s actions should be called state-sponsored terrorism/Jos Joseph,
opinion contributor/The Hill/May 19, 2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on May 19-20/2025
Condemnation and Disbelief at the Lebanese Presidential
Statement Regarding President Joseph Aoun’s Handshake with Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif
in the Vatican"
Elias Bejjani/May 18/2025
It is, indeed, a matter of pride and dignity that the President of the Republic
of Lebanon, General Joseph Aoun, met with a respected religious figure
representing the honorable Druze community in the State of Israel—Sheikh Mowafaq
Tarif—at the Vatican, the very heart of peace, love, and spiritual and human
openness. The casual meeting and handshake, which took place during the historic
mass marking the inauguration of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, were not political
acts nor diplomatic declarations. Rather, they were a vivid expression of the
values of spiritual and human brotherhood—values that rise far above narrow
calculations and populist rhetoric.
Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif is not a politician, but a respected man of religion, who
came to the Vatican by official invitation as the representative of his
community—the Druze of Israel—who are universally recognized for their
commitment, patriotism, and pivotal role in promoting peace and serving
humanity.
Has it come to this—that a handshake with a religious leader in the house of God
is now grounds for condemnation or betrayal?
And yet, despite the spiritual significance of this moment, the Media Office of
the Lebanese Presidency issued the following statement:
“The Media Office at the Presidency of the Republic clarifies that earlier
today, as President Joseph Aoun made his way to his seat at the inaugural mass
of Pope Leo XIV, he was approached by one of the Druze clerics attending the
ceremony who shook his hand. The President does not know this individual and had
never met him before. It later became clear that the man was Sheikh Mowafaq
Tarif, representative of the Druze community in Israel. The Israeli Broadcasting
Corporation deliberately circulated the photo along with a false caption. The
Media Office noted that such suspicious practices are typical of Israeli media
during similar international gatherings, but they do not change Lebanon’s
official position in general, nor President Aoun’s stance in particular.
Therefore, there is no need to promote such lies or serve the interests of the
Israeli enemy. This clarification was necessary.”
Frankly, this statement is unacceptable. It is disconnected from reality,
unnecessary, and reflects confusion, insecurity, and an embarrassing sense of
self-doubt. Instead of highlighting a moment of respect and interfaith harmony,
the Media Office absurdly rushes to distance the President from a gesture of
decency and human contact.
Let us be absolutely clear: The handshake with Sheikh Tarif does not constitute
a political stance on Israel. The only troubling element here is the issuance of
this panicked, misguided statement. Such clarifications only serve the
propaganda of the Iranian terrorist proxy Hezbollah and those obsessed with
distortion and fear mongering.
A member of the Druze community responded sharply on X platform to the
presidency’s post: “Regarding the statement published by the Presidency’s X
page: we stand firm in our position, because we are certain that the X page—like
many other state institutions—is under occupation. We do not care what it
publishes, as it does not reflect the truth. Yes, President Joseph Aoun met with
Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif and they shook hands.”
We now ask President Joseph Aoun directly: Did you personally instruct your
media office to publish this shameful and misleading statement, or did your
advisors take it upon themselves to act in your name without your knowledge?
According to informed Lebanese sources, your advisors have repeatedly led the
presidency into unnecessary entanglements, misrepresenting your actions and
distorting your positions. Some go further, suggesting that your team may
include individuals who are aligned with, or influenced by, the terrorist
Hezbollah and its anti-normalization-peace agenda. If that is the case, it is
time to make a change. Replace them—immediately. There is no shame in shaking
hands with a man of faith in God’s house. On the contrary, it is a badge of
honor.
President Aoun is urged to clarify his position publicly and to reject the
harmful and absurd statement issued by his media office. He is also strongly
advise to reconsider the team around him—because Lebanon deserves a presidency
that reflects strength, openness, and national dignity—not fear and submission
to ideological intimidation. A strong, unambiguous stance from President Aoun is
now necessary—one that restores truth, honors Lebanon’s diversity, and makes
clear that spiritual gestures of peace are never crimes to be denied.
Lebanese President:
Hezbollah Has No Choice but to Accept Concept of the State
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/May 19/2025
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Sunday Hezbollah “has no choice but to
accept the concept of the state.”“Hezbollah has the right to take part in
political life, but weapons must be restricted to the state,” he told local
Egyptian television on the eve of a visit to Egypt. “We have asked for
US-sponsored indirect negotiations with Israel over the land border, similar to
the negotiations that had taken place over the maritime border,” he revealed. “I
have not received a request for direct negotiations with Israel,” he went on to
say. “No one can pressure Israel but the United States,” he continued, noting
that he believes that Washington has “positive” intentions.As for Palestinian
refugee camps in Lebanon and the spread of arms there outside state control,
Aoun said: “We will take escalatory measures against anyone undermining the
Lebanese scene.”He stated that he was awaiting a visit by Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the issue of weapons inside the camps. On his visit to
Egypt, he said he will discuss with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi providing the
Lebanese army with equipment to handle explosives and tunnels.
Egypt rejects all Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty, El-Sisi
tells Aoun
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/May 19, 2025
BEIRUT: Egypt rejects repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty and
its occupation of parts of the country, and supports Lebanon’s reconstruction
efforts, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Monday as he received a visit in
Cairo from his Lebanese counterpart, Joseph Aoun. The two leaders discussed ways
in which bilateral relations might be strengthened and Egypt can support
stability in Lebanon, as well as broader challenges to regional peace. During a
joint press conference following their talks, El-Sisi said that his country
remains firm in its support of Lebanon’s internal stability and efforts to
safeguard its full sovereignty.
He said Egypt continues to call on Israeli authorities to withdraw their forces
immediately and unconditionally from Lebanese territory, respect the 1949
Armistice Agreements with Arab states, and fully implement UN Security Council
Resolution 1701. Resolution 1701 was adopted in 2006 with the aim of resolving
the conflict that year between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. El-Sisi
said his country will not interfere in internal Lebanese affairs but is keen to
have a strong relationship with the nation. The president added that he wants
Egypt to support reconstruction efforts in Lebanon, called on the wider
international community also to assume its responsibilities in this process, and
affirmed the need to enhance the nation’s internal stability and preserve its
full sovereignty. “On the political level, there should be a voice that supports
Lebanon and its president, namely when it comes to calling for the withdrawal of
the Israeli army from the five occupied hills, and addressing the remaining
issues calmly and regularly in accordance with the Lebanese president’s wish in
order to preserve the country’s security and stability,” El-Sisi said.
Turning to the situation in Palestine, he stressed the need to end Israeli
hostilities in Gaza immediately. He called for the mobilization of the
international community to implement a Gaza reconstruction plan without any
displacement of the population, and to enable Palestinian authorities to carry
out their role in fully managing the territory. Aoun praised the depth of the
Lebanese-Egyptian relationship, saying it is built on “freedom and openness.” He
affirmed the commitment of his nation to Resolution 1701, which he said
preserves his country’s sovereignty and territorial unity, and emphasizes the
importance of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon’s role in the south of the
country.
He called for a halt to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and said: “We affirm
the necessity to put an end to Israeli hostilities, and adhere to the provisions
of the 1949 Armistice Agreement in a way that ensures security and stability in
southern Lebanon and the whole region.”The Lebanese president urged the
international community to “fulfill its responsibilities, particularly in
compelling Israel to adhere to the ceasefire agreement, reached under US and
French sponsorship, in order to maintain security and stability in Lebanon and
the region, withdraw from all Lebanese territories up to our internationally
recognized and demarcated borders, and facilitate the return of Lebanese
prisoners.”Aoun also emphasized his nation’s “commitment to establishing the
best possible relations” with neighboring Syria, and highlighted the importance
of “coordination and cooperation between the two countries to address shared
challenges, particularly concerning the issue of Syrian refugees.”He underscored
“the necessity of ensuring the safe and dignified return of the refugees to
their homeland,” and urged the governments of Syria and Lebanon “to act swiftly
through joint committees that have been agreed upon to achieve this, thereby
safeguarding the interests of both nations and their peoples.”He affirmed
Lebanon’s support for all efforts to preserve Syrian unity and sovereignty and
address the aspirations of its people. He welcomed recent decisions to lift
international sanctions against the country, following the fall of the Assad
regime, and expressed hopes that this will contribute to its recovery and wider
regional stability. Returning to the situation in his own country, Aoun said
Lebanon needs “stability and lasting peace in our region, built on justice by
granting all rights to their rightful owners. This is what the Arab countries
approved in the Beirut Peace Initiative in 2002 and this is what we look forward
to embodying as soon as possible.”
This peace would include “the establishment of a sovereign, independent
Palestinian state,” he added, and a battle against “extremism and terrorism,
poverty and hunger, ideas of elimination and desires of exclusion,” to “achieve
development and prosperity for our people. “I affirm that Lebanon cannot be
outside such an equation. It is not in the interest of any Lebanese person, nor
any country or people in our region, to exclude itself from the path of a
comprehensive and just peace.”
Aoun called for “the establishment of a system for common Arab interests, one of
the first pillars of which would be a body regulating the common interests of
our countries and peoples, as a prelude to establishing a common regional market
that would begin between two countries and gradually expand across sectors and
geographies.” Aoun’s office said that during his talks with El-Sisi the two
leaders agreed to convene a joint high-level committee meeting, chaired by the
countries’ prime ministers in Cairo on a date to be announced, to examine
Lebanon’s needs and establish a working mechanism to help achieve them. El-Sisi
said he wishes to see Egyptian companies operating in Lebanon and providing
assistance, as the Lebanese market represents a promising destination for trade
and investment. The Egyptian minister of electricity and renewable energy,
Mahmoud Esmat, highlighted the cooperation between the two countries in the
electricity sector, and El-Sisi said Lebanon “must be assisted in repairing its
(power) grid and in everything that can help secure electricity.” This will be
discussed further during the upcoming high-level ministerial committee meeting,
he added. Aoun’s visit to Egypt formed part of his strategic Arab outreach
following his election as president in January. The trip to Cairo followed
visits to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in what Lebanese presidential
sources described as a concerted effort to “forge a new chapter in Lebanon-Arab
world relations.”
Aoun meets Egyptian president in Cairo
Naharnet/May 19, 2025
President Joseph Aoun met Monday with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
at the Heliopolis Palace in Cairo, a day after he attended the inauguration Mass
of the new Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City. In Rome, Aoun held talks with Italian
President Sergio Mattarella and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In an
interview with Egyptian digital television channel ON E, Aoun said he will
discuss with Sisi the reconstruction of war-hit Lebanon, the energy file, aid to
the Lebanese Armed Forces, and other developments including U.S. President
Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East. Aoun said that Lebanon has returned to
the Arab World and that he expects an imminent resumption of Saudi flights to
Lebanon after the UAE allowed its citizens to travel to Lebanon lifting a
four-year travel ban. "Arab countries want economic reforms and stability (in
Lebanon) before making new investments," Aoun told the Egyptian channel.After
meeting Sisi, Aoun said peace in Lebanon should begin with the implementation of
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. The Lebanese President urged a
halt to Israel's offensive in Gaza and Israeli attacks on Lebanon and said he
backs Hezbollah's disarmament.
Lebanese President meets Arab League chief in Cairo,
reviews Baghdad Summit outcomes
LBCI/May 19, 2025
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun visited the Arab League headquarters in Cairo,
where Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit received him. The meeting focused on
the outcomes of the recent Baghdad Summit, with particular emphasis on the
decision to establish a regional Recovery Fund. Aoun's visit to the League is
part of his broader diplomatic engagements in Egypt, including discussions with
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on regional cooperation, Lebanon's
internal challenges, and broader Arab solidarity.
Aoun says exchanging messages with Hezbollah, disarmament
can't be done hastily
Naharnet/May 19, 2025
President Joseph Aoun has said diplomatic contacts are ongoing especially with
the U.S. to pressure Israel to stop its attacks on Lebanon, adding that Deputy
U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Morgan Ortagus will visit Lebanon soon. In an
interview late Sunday with Egyptian digital television channel ON E, Aoun said
the Israeli occupation of five Lebanese hills is preventing the Lebanese army
from deploying on the border. "We are in constant contact with the U.S. to urge
it to pressure Israel," he said, explaining that Lebanon is seeking a truce deal
and not a normalization of ties with Israel. "We have asked for indirect
negotiations to demarcate the land border the same way we did with the maritime
border" with Israel, Aoun told the Egyptian channel. As for his dialogue with
Hezbollah over the handover of its weapons, Aoun said he and Hezbollah are
exchanging messages but that the group's security situation does not allow it to
have meetings. "Hezbollah represents a segment of the Lebanese population and
has the right to participate in the politics but not to keep its arms."Aoun said
that addressing the Hezbollah's disarmament should not be done too hastily,
adding that Lebanon has good relations with Iran but does not accept any foreign
intervention. "If the U.S.-Iranian negotiations reach a conclusion, it will
affect the region and Lebanon," he said. Aoun will also discuss this week with
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas the disarmament of Palestinian camps. By
long-standing convention, Lebanon's army stays out of the Palestinian camps --
where Abbas's Fatah movement, militant group Hamas and other armed groups are
present -- and leaves the factions to handle security. Last month, the army said
it had arrested several Lebanese and Palestinians in connection with rocket
attacks towards Israel. Abbas last visited the country in 2017 and will arrive
in Lebanon on May 21.
US seeks info on 'Hezbollah financial network' in South America
Naharnet/May 19, 2025
The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program on Monday announced a
reward of up to $10 million for information on “Hezbollah financial networks in
South America.” “Hezbollah has maintained a presence in the Western Hemisphere
since the 1980s, particularly in the Tri-Border Area (TBA) of Argentina, Brazil,
and Paraguay,” RFJ said. “The group is responsible for carrying out terrorist
attacks in the Western Hemisphere, including the July 18, 1994 bombing of the
Argentine Jewish Mutual Aid Society. Hezbollah was also implicated, along with
Iran, in the 1992 attacks on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina as
well as the 1994 bombing of Alas Chiricanas flight 00901 in Colón, Panama,” it
added. The statement claimed that “in the TBA, Hezbollah members, supporters,
and facilitators are involved in large-scale revenue-generating schemes,
including trade-based money laundering, narcotics trafficking, charcoal and oil
smuggling, illicit diamond trade, bulk cash smuggling, smuggling of cigarettes
and luxury goods, document forgery, and the counterfeiting of U.S.
dollars.”“They also generate revenue from commercial activities across Latin
America, including construction, import/export trade, and real estate sales,” it
added.
Israeli Army Says It Killed Hezb Operative in Southern
Lebanon
This is Beirut/May
19, 2025
South Lebanon continued to be the scene of targeted Israeli attacks on Monday,
as the Israeli army announced that it had eliminated a Hezbollah cadre in the
locality of Houla, in the Marjayoun district of the Nabatieh governorate. An
initial report stated that one victim had been killed near his home. The Israeli
army's Arabic-speaking spokesman, Avichay Adraee, then stated on X that “earlier
today, the Israeli army attacked in the Houla area, in southern Lebanon, and
eliminated a terrorist element from Hezbollah's Radwan force”.One person was
wounded earlier on Monday in the town of Kfar Kila after the Israeli army opened
fire, striking the individual in the shoulder. The wounded man, identified only
by his initials, M.F., was rushed to Marjayoun Governmental Hospital for urgent
medical treatment. In a statement released Monday, the Public Health Emergency
Operations Center of the Ministry of Public Health confirmed the incident,
saying “a citizen in the town of Kfar Kila was wounded after the Israeli enemy
opened fire towards him.”The shooting is the latest in a series of escalating
incidents along Lebanon’s southern border. Earlier in the day, two individuals
were injured when an Israeli drone targeted a motorcycle on the Sarbin-Wadi al-Ayoun
road. In a separate incident, another Israeli drone strike targeted a vehicle in
the town of Dhayra. The attack resulted in material damage to the car but no
reported casualties.
Report: Hezbollah quietly ceding posts north of Litani to
army
Naharnet/May 19, 2025
Dialogue between the Lebanese state and Hezbollah over the latter’s remaining
weapons is ongoing behind the scenes, a diplomatic source from the five-nation
group for Lebanon said. “A number of sites north of the Litani River have been
handed over, away from the spotlight and media coverage, as per the agreement
between the two sides,” al-Liwaa newspaper quoted the source as saying. Israel
has continued to launch raids on Lebanon despite a November truce which sought
to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah including two months of
all-out war.Under the ceasefire, the Iran-backed Hezbollah was to pull back its
fighters north of Lebanon's Litani River and dismantle any remaining military
infrastructure to its south. Israel was to withdraw all its forces from Lebanon,
but it has kept troops in five areas that it deems "strategic".The Lebanese Army
has been deploying in the south as Israeli forces have withdrawn and has been
dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure. The truce was based on a United Nations
Security Council resolution that says Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers
should be the only forces in south Lebanon, and calls for the disarmament of all
non-state groups. Last month, President Joseph Aoun said the army was deployed
in more than 85 percent of the south, and that the sole obstacle to full control
across the frontier area was "Israel's occupation of five border positions."Also
in April, Lebanon's military said a munitions blast in the south killed three
personnel, days after an explosion killed another soldier as the force was
dismantling mines in a tunnel.
Finance Minister relays Berri's readiness to convene
Parliament to approve laws that would support reform
LBCI/May 19, 2025
Finance Minister Yassine Jaber affirmed Monday that both the Lebanese government
and Parliament are committed to passing the necessary legislation to restore
financial and monetary stability and protect depositors' rights amid the
country's deepening crisis.
Following a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh, Jaber
relayed Berri's readiness to convene Parliament to discuss and approve any law
supporting the Finance Ministry and Central Bank's reform plans. He said, "The
goal is to restore international confidence in Lebanon's financial institutions,
revive economic activity, encourage investment, and secure the return of funds
to rightful owners. Jaber also quoted Berri as stressing the importance of
prioritizing the reconstruction file, especially in identifying funding
channels. While social stability stems from economic recovery, Berri reportedly
emphasized that the human capital of Lebanon is vital to rebuilding efforts and
must be preserved to prevent further brain drain. Earlier, Minister Jaber met
with Bar Association head Fadi Masri and a delegation from the syndicate to
discuss fees collected by notaries and the Finance Ministry on behalf of the Bar
Association. He also held talks with a delegation from the Council of Notaries
regarding the revision of fees that have lost their real value due to the
collapse of the local currency. The meeting concluded with an agreement to form
a joint committee comprising representatives from the Finance and Justice
Ministries and the Notaries' Council to review and propose adjustments to the
current fee structure.
Syrian FM says agreed with Salam on steps to end 'plight of
Syrian prisoners'
Naharnet/May 19, 2025
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced that he agreed with Lebanese
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on practical steps to “end the plight of Syrian
prisoners in Lebanon.”After a meeting with Salam on the sidelines of the Arab
Summit in Baghdad, Shaibani wrote on X: “We discussed the need to expedite
ending the plight of Syrian prisoners in Lebanon.”“We agreed on some practical
steps in this regard and we stress the Syrian government’s full keenness on
finalizing this file as soon as possible,” Shaibani added.
Fayad: We won't accept that our people be left unprotected
Naharnet/May 19, 2025
Hezbollah MP Ali Fayad warned Monday that “the military, political and financial
pressures that Lebanon is facing are expected to escalate,” noting that some
sides mistakenly think that “their escalation will push the Lebanese people to
surrender.”
“These are wrong calculations, because threats boost the Lebanese society’s
firmness and readiness to defend itself,” Fayad added. “Hezbollah is showing
full readiness for cooperation for the sake of a salvation course that leads to
recovery, stability and reform, but it will strongly reject any attempt to
impose political conditions that harm Lebanese sovereignty or aim to remove the
right of the Lebanese to defend themselves,” the MP said. “The complications of
the current period necessitate further responsibility and firmness,” Fayad went
on to say, calling for “adhering to national unity.”He added: “What increases
the fears of the Lebanese is the fall of international guarantees, especially
from the two countries sponsoring the implementation of Resolution
1701.”Accusing the U.S.-led ceasefire committee of “full bias” in Israel’s
favor, Fayad said “the gateway to stability and recovery in Lebanon begins by
pressing Israel to withdraw from the five hills, halt hostilities, release the
captives, respect Lebanese sovereignty and lift the obstacles in the way of
reconstruction.”
Moreover, Fayad said “Hezbollah has positive intentions for cooperating with the
government within the context of dialogue and understanding, with the aim of
building state institutions and enabling them to perform their missions. But we
will not accept or tolerate that some leave our people out in the open, without
any protection, guarantees or capabilities.”“Protecting the Lebanese people is
the state’s duty, as per its ministerial statement and presidential inauguration
speech, and it needs to commit to its sovereign role in safeguarding national
rights,” the lawmaker added.
Muslim-Christian parity preserved in Beirut Municipality as
list backed by main political parties wins
Naharnet/May 19, 2025
A list backed by most political parties won all 24 seats of Beirut's
municipality on Sunday, maintaining Christian-Muslim parity on the capital’s
municipal council. Political rivals such as Hezbollah and the Lebanese Forces
came together to form the list, arguing that such a temporary coalition was
necessary to preserve equal Christian-Muslim power-sharing. The list was also
backed by the Amal Movement, the Kataeb Party, the Free Patriotic Movement, al-Ahbash,
the Tashnag Party, the Hunchak Party and MP Fouad Makhzoumi. A rival list was
formed by MP Nabil Bader, the Jamaa Islamiya and a figure who was considered
close to al-Mustaqbal Movement. Four other lists were also formed in the
capital, including one by the Beirut Madinati civil society group, which won one
third of the capital’s votes in the 2016 polls. Voter turnout reached 21% in
Beirut, 44.57% in Zahle, 41.11% in West Bekaa, 37.70% in Rashaya, 34.15% in
Hermel and 48.88% in Baalbek. The Lebanese Forces meanwhile announced its
victory in the Zahle municipal polls against a list backed by all the other
political forces and families in an electoral battle in which the Free Patriotic
Movement gave its supporters the freedom to vote for either list. LF leader
Samir Geagea hailed a “major victory” in the city, saying “Zahle has chosen
progress, change, civilization, sovereignty, martyrs and Lebanon.”A Hezbollah
spokesman meanwhile said the party and its ally the Amal Movement won in the
city of Baalbek, the city of Hermel and in 19 towns in the Bekaa.
Report: Decision to disarm Palestinian camps taken, Abbas'
visit decisive
Naharnet/May 19, 2025
A decision to disarm the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon has been taken and
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to Beirut on Wednesday will be
“decisive in this regard in terms of devising the plans and executive
mechanisms,” Lebanese sources informed on the Palestinian file said. “Lebanese
officials prefer that the plans be Palestinian and shared with the Lebanese
side, with Lebanon pushing for the disarmament process to be among the
Palestinian themselves and led by the Fatah Movement,” the sources told ad-Diyar
newspaper. “The Hamas Movement for its part has sent positive signals on its
readiness to hand over weapons if there is a major Lebanese-Palestinian decision
in this regard, as eyes remain fixed on the hardline organizations inside the
camps and whether they will cooperate or the matter will require surgical
measures carried out by Fatah and its allies,” the sources added.
MP Gebran Bassil says municipal elections exposed the myth of NGOs
LBCI/May 19, 2025
Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader and MP Gebran Bassil said the party's
choices in the recent municipal elections in Beirut were driven by a political
agreement to preserve the city's sectarian power-sharing balance, which he
described as vital for coexistence. "Beirut has proven it cherishes unity, and
its people have demonstrated greater awareness than any political leader in
their commitment to parity," Bassil said in a press conference. He criticized a
breach of that balance by the electoral list led by MP Nabil Badr, warning that
political fragmentation can occur despite public awareness. "This incident shows
the need to reinforce the spirit of parity with legal safeguards," he added.
Bassil also addressed the participation of the Lebanese Forces in a joint
municipal list with Hezbollah in Beirut, saying it was justified by both parties
as necessary to maintain the delicate balance. "This challenged the narrative
against our previous political understandings with Hezbollah," he noted. Bassil
stressed that the FPM's approach to the elections was rooted in supporting
family-based representation rather than partisan dominance. He also aimed at
civil society groups, accusing them of hypocrisy and weakness in areas with a
developmental or political electoral identity. "The elections exposed the myth
of the NGOs and their demonization of political parties," Bassil said, adding
that many of these organizations had failed to impact municipal contests,
particularly in Beirut. In the Bekaa and Baalbek-Hermel regions, Bassil said the
FPM maintained a significant presence across several districts. "From Hermel to
Zahle and Rachaya, we are still strong among Christian voters. In West Bekaa, we
helped broker electoral understandings, and in Zahle, we remain a major
force."While acknowledging setbacks in the town of Qaa due to internal
divisions, he said the FPM had scored wins in nearby Ras Baalbek and Jdeidet
Fakeha, which carry weight in the local political landscape. "Even in Hermel,
where our presence is limited, we succeeded in electing several mukhtars,"
Bassil added.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published
on May 19-20/2025
Pope Leo XIV and JD Vance meet ahead
of US-led diplomatic flurry to reach ceasefire in Ukraine
AP/May 19, 2025
ROME: Pope Leo XIV and US Vice President JD Vance met at the Vatican on Monday
ahead of a flurry of US-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire
in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Vance, a Catholic convert, had led the US delegation
to the formal Mass opening the pontificate of the first American pope. Joining
him at the meeting on Monday was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also a
Catholic, Vance spokesperson Luke Schroeder said. “There was an exchange of
views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian
law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution
between the parties involved,” according to a Vatican statement after their
meeting. The Vatican listed Vance’s delegation as the first of several private
audiences Leo was having Monday with people who had come to Rome for his
inaugural Mass, including other Christian leaders and a group of faithful from
his old diocese in Chiclayo, Peru. The Vatican, which was largely sidelined
during the first three years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has offered to
host any peace talks while continuing humanitarian efforts to facilitate
prisoner swaps and reunite Ukrainian children taken by Russia. After greeting
Leo briefly at the end of Sunday’s Mass, Vance spent the rest of the day in
separate meetings, including with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He
also met with European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and
Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni, who said she hoped the trialateral meeting could
be a “new beginning.”In the evening, Meloni spoke by phone with US President
Donald Trump and several other European leaders ahead of Trump’s expected call
with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Monday, according to a statement from
Meloni’s office. ‘Every Effort’Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, is a
Chicago-born Augustinian missionary who spent the bulk of his ministry in
Chiclayo, a commercial city of around 800,000 on Peru’s northern Pacific coast.
In the days since his May 8 election, Leo has vowed “every effort” to help bring
peace to Ukraine. He also has emphasized his continuity with Pope Francis, who
made caring for migrants and the poor a priority of his pontificate. Before his
election, Prevost shared news articles on X that were critical of the Trump
administration’s plans for mass deportations of migrants. Vance was one of the
last foreign officials to meet with Francis before the Argentine pope’s April 21
death. The two had tangled over migration, with Francis publicly rebuking the
Trump administration’s deportation plan and correcting Vance’s theological
justification for it.
Iran says nuclear talks will fail if US pushes for zero enrichment
Reuters/May 19, 2025
DUBAI: Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States “will lead nowhere” if
Washington insists that Tehran drop its uranium enrichment activity to zero,
Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takhtravanchi was quoted by state media on Monday
as saying. US special envoy Steve Witkoff reiterated Washington’s stance on
Sunday that any new deal between the US and Iran must include an agreement to
refrain from enrichment, a possible pathway to developing nuclear bombs. Tehran
says its nuclear energy program has entirely peaceful purposes. “Our position on
enrichment is clear and we have repeatedly stated that it is a national
achievement from which we will not back down,” Takhtravanchi said. During his
visit to the Gulf region last week, US President Donald Trump said a deal was
very close but that Iran needed to move quickly to resolve the decades-long
dispute. Washington is complicating negotiations by expressing views in public
different from what is discussed privately during talks, an Iranian foreign
ministry spokesperson said on Monday. “Despite hearing contradictory statements
from the Americans, we are still participating in negotiations,” Esmail Baghaei
added. A fifth round of talks is expected to take place in Rome this weekend
pending confirmation, an Iranian official told Reuters. During his first,
2017-21 term as president, Trump withdrew the United States from a 2015 deal
between Iran and world powers that placed strict limits on Tehran’s enrichment
activities in exchange for relief from international sanctions. Trump, who
branded the 2015 accord one-sided in Iran’s favor, also reimposed sweeping US
sanctions on Iran. The Islamic Republic responded by escalating enrichment.
Iran warns US nuclear talks will fail if enrichment demand stands
Abbas Al Lawati and Mostafa Salem, CNN/May 19, 2025
An Iranian official has warned that nuclear talks with the United States “will
not actually get anywhere” if Washington insists Tehran abandons enrichment of
uranium – a process that can also be used to make a bomb. “Regarding zero
enrichment, we said from the beginning that if this is their (American)
position, it is natural that the work will not actually get anywhere,” Deputy
Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi was cited as saying by Iran’s Nour News on
Monday. “Our position on enrichment is clear, and we have repeatedly stated that
enrichment is a national achievement for us,” added Ravanchi. We will not back
down on the issue of enrichment.”Iran and the US capped their fourth round of
talks in Oman earlier this month, aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program in
exchange for sanctions relief. US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading
the American delegation to the talks, told ABC over the weekend that Washington
“cannot allow even 1% of an enrichment capability” under an agreement. “We’ve
delivered a proposal to the Iranians that we think addresses some of this
without disrespecting them,” he said.
While enriched uranium can be used for peaceful purposes like energy production,
it can be weaponized if refined to high levels. “Enrichment enables
weaponization, and we will not allow a bomb to get here. But short of that,
there are all kinds of ways for us to achieve our goals in this negotiation,”
Witkoff said, adding that the next round of talks may take place in Europe this
week. “We hope that it will lead to some real positivity.”Iran has repeatedly
said that any suggestion that it abandons enrichment would be a non-starter,
insisting that it reserves the right to enrich uranium under the UN’s Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty. Witkoff had previously suggested that Iran could be
allowed some uranium enrichment. On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry
spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said that the issue “is not negotiable under any
circumstances,” criticizing American negotiators for reversing their positions
after each round of negotiations. “This creates repeated uncertainty, making it
more difficult for any negotiation process and raising more doubts about the
seriousness of the other side in this process. This is a question that the
American parties naturally have to answer,” he said, according to Iran’s
state-run IRNA news agency.
‘We are not afraid of threats’
The war of words between both nations spiraled after the Iranian president
seemingly clashed with his US counterpart, saying his country favors
negotiations with the White House to avoid fighting but rejecting threats by US
President Donald Trump. “We are not seeking war, we favor negotiation and
dialogue, but we are not afraid of threats either, and we will in no way retreat
from our legal rights,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at an event in
the port city of Bandar Abbas Saturday. He didn’t specify which comments he was
referring to, but Trump told reporters on a Middle East tour last week that Iran
has to “move quickly” in negotiations with the US or “something bad’s gonna
happen.”The Iranian leader insisted “no one but Trump himself believes his words
against the Iranian nation.”“On the one hand, he speaks of peace and stability
and, on the other hand, he threatens (us) with the most sophisticated tools for
homicide and with contradictory statements,” added Pezeshkian. “He
simultaneously sends messages of peace, bloodshed and insecurity.”Also on
Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei referred to unspecified
comments by Trump on Iran, calling them a “disgrace to the American nation” and
“not worthy of a response at all.”Over his Gulf tour, Trump repeatedly cautioned
Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon, threatening to strike the country if it
fails to reach a nuclear deal with the US. But he has not explicitly ruled out
Iran enriching uranium. On Friday, Trump said the US had put forward a
formal proposal for a nuclear deal, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi
said the same day that Iran had not received any such written proposals from
Washington, either directly or indirectly.“There is no scenario in which Iran
abandons its hard-earned right to (uranium) enrichment for peaceful purposes: a
right afforded to all other (Non-Proliferation Treaty) signatories, too,”
Araghchi said. In an interview with Breitbart last week, Witkoff said Iran’s
uranium enrichment program must be dismantled, though in an earlier interview
with Fox News he had suggested that Iran could be allowed to enrich uranium to
low levels. The most recent round of talks between the US and Iran, in the Omani
capital Muscat, was described by the Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson as
“difficult.”A senior Trump administration official gave a more positive
assessment, telling CNN the discussions, which lasted over three hours, were
encouraging.
US, UAE agree to establish major defense partnership
Al Arabiya English/19 May ,2025
The US and UAE have agreed to establish a major defense partnership, Washington
and Abu Dhabi announced on Monday. This follows the designation of the UAE as a
major defense partner by the Biden administration last year. The letter of
intent was signed between the UAE’s Minister of State for Defense Affairs,
Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth last week. “This
LOI represents a shared commitment to develop a structured roadmap that will
guide enhanced military-to-military cooperation, joint capability development,
and long-term defense alignment between the two nations,” the joint statement
read. “The two sides will explore a phased framework for advancing bilateral
force readiness, interoperability, and innovation-driven collaboration.”Hegseth
also announced a strategic initiative between the US Defense Innovation Unit
(DIU) and the UAE’s Tawazun Council to deepen ties in defense innovation,
increase joint research and expand industrial and investment partnerships across
the defense sectors of both countries. Separately, the UAE was welcomed into the
US National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP) through a partnership with the
Texas National Guard. This will increase military modernization efforts and
enhance cooperation in integrated air and missile defense, cybersecurity,
disaster response, and operational planning, according to the statement.“The
designation of the UAE as a Major Defense Partner reflects a decades-long
relationship anchored in mutual trust, shared objectives, and a common
commitment to regional and global security,” the statement said.
After Putin call, Trump says Russia-Ukraine talks to begin
‘immediately’
Reuters/19 May ,2025
US President Donald Trump said his call with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin
on Monday went very well and that Moscow and Kyiv would immediately start
negotiations toward a ceasefire and end to the war. Under pressure from Trump,
delegates from the warring countries met last week in Istanbul for the first
time since 2022, though they failed to agree to a truce. Kyiv says it is ready
for a ceasefire now; Moscow says conditions must be met first. “Negotiations
between Russia and Ukraine will begin immediately,” Trump said in a Truth Social
post following his call with Putin, which lasted two hours. Trump said he held a
joint call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as the leaders
of the European Union, France, Italy, Germany and Finland following his call
with Putin. Trump informed those leaders that negotiations would start
immediately, he said. Trump floated the idea of newly installed Pope Leo as host
for the talks, saying: “The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that
it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations.” Trump said that the
“tone and spirit of the conversation (with Putin) were excellent,” and that
Russia wants to do “largescale” trade with the US once the war is over. He said
that Ukraine would also benefit from trade “in the process of rebuilding its
country.”
Britain and Iran summon each other's diplomats after
Iranians charged in UK probe
Reuters/May 19, 2025
LONDON -Britain and Iran summoned each other's diplomats in London and Tehran on
Monday after British authorities charged three Iranian nationals under a
national security law following a major counter-terrorism investigation. Britain
said it had summoned Iranian Ambassador Seyed Ali Mousavi to appear at its
foreign office, while Iran summoned the British charge d'affaires in Tehran over
the arrests of its nationals, calling the accusations "false claims".The three
men appeared in court in London on Saturday, charged with engaging in conduct
likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between August 2024 and February
2025. British police have said the foreign state in question is Iran. Four other
Iranians were arrested earlier this month in a separate case. Police said on
Saturday that they had been released but that the investigation was still
ongoing.
The charges come at a time of intense scrutiny of suspected Tehran-backed
activity in Britain, with London recently placing Iran on the highest tier of
its foreign influence register. "The UK Government is clear that protecting
national security remains our top priority and Iran must be held accountable for
its actions," Britain's foreign office said. Iranian state media reported that
the British diplomat had been summoned to provide an official explanation for
the arrest of Iranian citizens."The responsibility for the inappropriate effects
of such actions, which appear to be motivated by political motives to exert
pressure on Iran, will lie with the British government," state media quoted a
foreign ministry official as saying.
Netanyahu Says Israel to Take Over All Gaza, Start Aid
Flows
Alisa Odenheimer, Ethan Bronner and Galit Altstein/Bloomberg/May 19, 2025
Israel will take over the entire Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
said on Monday, as the military announced it would carry out an “unprecedented
attack” on Hamas. Netanyahu said that, alongside the increased attacks, Israel
would start allowing aid into Gaza again after stopping it in early March in a
bid to make Hamas release hostages and surrender. International pressure has
mounted on Israel to restart aid. The United Nations says malnutrition is
worsening and last week France’s President Emmanuel Macron accused Netanyahu of
“shameful” behavior in blocking aid. As of Monday evening, only nine trucks had
been allowed into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing, where the territory’s
border meets those of Israel and Egypt, said Tom Fletcher, the top UN
Humanitarian coordinator. “A drop in the ocean. It must reach the civilians who
need it so urgently, and we must be allowed to scale up,” he posted on X.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionism party, who had
in the past opposed restarting the aid, said on Monday there was no choice,
“otherwise, the world will force us to stop the war.” He also said that the
military is now operating with much greater intensity. “This time, the
operational method is completely different: not raids, but rather occupation,
cleansing and holding the territory until Hamas is destroyed,” Smotrich said.
“Along the way, we are destroying everything that is left of the Gaza Strip,
because everything there is one big city of terror.”According to the Integrated
Food Security Classification, whose assessments are used for planning by the UN
and international aid organizations, around 1.6 million of Gaza’s 2 million
people are now facing an emergency regarding the availability of food. Israel
denies there are significant shortages of food. But Netanyahu said he needed to
allow in aid to stop the onset of hunger, adding that US senators who support
Israel had urged him to do so. Netanyahu’s decision to resume aid flows isn’t
universally popular in Israel, especially among far-right members of his
coalition. They believe aid should stay blocked to prevent Hamas using supplies
of food and medicine to fund and bolster its war effort. Netanyahu said the
Israel Defense Forces recommended he make the move.
Israel had originally said it would restart aid once it could establish secured
distribution areas that would prevent Hamas from stealing the supplies.
However, this mechanism will only begin around May 25, until when an interim
arrangement would be put in place, Caroline Glick, international affairs adviser
to the prime minister, said in a telephone interview.
“We have a stopgap measure for a week because while there is no starvation or
critical shortage, it is getting close and we don’t want to reach a red line,”
Glick said. “We are going to make sure no one goes hungry in Gaza. There will be
mobile kitchens.”
The Israeli foreign ministry said at a Jerusalem press conference that the first
items headed in are baby food, medical supplies and flour for the bakeries run
by international organizations. The IDF is asking Palestinians in Khan Younis,
one of Gaza’s biggest cities, and two other nearby areas to leave immediately,
ahead of an attack.On Sunday, the IDF said it was poised to order tanks and
troops into unconquered parts of the Gaza Strip in an all-out bid to destroy
Hamas, which still holds 58 hostages. The operation involves tens of thousands
of soldiers.
International Anger.The decision to step up operations has angered many Arab
states and European countries. They fear it will increase the death toll in Gaza
significantly and prolong the war, now almost 20 months old. Hamas, designated a
terrorist organization by the US and European Union, triggered the conflict when
it attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, from Gaza. It killed 1,200 people
and took 250 hostages. Israel’s offensive has killed more than 53,000 people in
Gaza, according to the Palestinian territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. Israel
and Hamas continue to negotiate via mediators such as the US, Qatar and Egypt.
Israel has signaled it might accept a proposal from Steve Witkoff, US President
Donald Trump’s main Middle East envoy, that would free about 10 hostages in
return for a truce of roughly six weeks to two months.
UK, France and Canada threaten 'concrete actions' against
Israel, including sanctions
Tia Goldenberg, Samy Magdy And Wafaa Shurafa/The Associated Press/May 19, 2025
TEL AVIV, Israel — The U.K., France and Canada on Monday threatened “concrete
actions” against Israel, including sanctions, for its activities in Gaza and the
occupied West Bank, calling on Israel to stop “egregious” new military actions
in Gaza and immediately allow in humanitarian aid. The sharply worded statement
came shortly after Israel and the United Nations said the first few trucks of
aid had entered Gaza after nearly three months of an Israeli blockade, as Israel
acknowledged pressure from allies. The joint statement called Israel's decision
to allow a “minimal” amount of aid into Gaza “wholly inadequate.” There was no
immediate Israeli comment. Five trucks carrying baby food and other desperately
needed aid entered the territory of over 2 million Palestinians via the Kerem
Shalom crossing, according to the Israeli defense body in charge of coordinating
aid to Gaza, COGAT. The U.N. called it a “welcome development” but said far more
aid is needed. Food security experts last week warned of famine in Gaza. During
the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March, some 600 aid trucks entered
Gaza each day. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his decision to
resume limited aid to Gaza came after allies said they couldn't support Israel's
renewed military offensive if there are “images of hunger” coming from the
Palestinian territory. The U.N. humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said the first
few trucks were a “drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.” He said an
additional four U.N. trucks were cleared to enter Gaza. Those trucks may enter
Tuesday, according to COGAT. Fletcher added that given the chaotic situation on
the ground, the U.N. expects the aid could be looted or stolen, which has been a
growing problem as the blockade continued and resources became increasingly
scarce. He urged Israel to open multiple crossings in northern and southern Gaza
to permit a regular flow of aid. Israel over the weekend launched a new wave of
air and ground operations across Gaza, and the army ordered the evacuation of
its second-largest city, Khan Younis, where Israel carried out a massive
operation earlier in the 19-month war that left much of the area in ruins.
Israel says its offensive is a bid to pressure Hamas to release the remaining
hostages abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. Hamas has
said it will only release them in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an
Israeli withdrawal. Netanyahu said Monday that Israel plans on “taking control
of all of Gaza,” as well as establishing a new system to distribute aid that
circumvents Hamas. He has said Israel also will encourage what he describes as
the voluntary emigration of much of Gaza's population to other countries —
something that Palestinians have rejected.
Threat of sanctions
Monday's statement by France, Canada and the U.K. marks one of their most
significant criticisms of Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and Israel’s
actions in the occupied West Bank. "We oppose any attempt to expand settlements
in the West Bank," the three countries said, calling them illegal. The countries
said they have always supported Israel’s right to defend itself against
terrorism but called the military escalation in Gaza disproportionate. The
countries earlier criticized a new U.S.-backed proposal for aid delivery in
Gaza, saying it would not align with humanitarian law. They urged Israel to
allow U.N. and other NGOs to reenter the strip. Canada has already imposed a
series of sanctions against Israel over the last two years regarding settler
violence in the West Bank. It was unclear how much France can act unilaterally
given that it is a member of the European Union.
Pressure from the US
The Trump administration has voiced full support for Israel's actions and blames
Hamas for deaths in Gaza, though in recent days it has expressed growing concern
over the hunger crisis. President Donald Trump — who skipped Israel on his trip
to the region last week — voiced concern about the humanitarian situation in
Gaza, as did Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In a video statement, Netanyahu
said Israel's “greatest friends in the world” had told him, “We cannot accept
images of hunger, mass hunger. We cannot stand that. We will not be able to
support you." The video statement appeared aimed at pacifying anger in
Netanyahu's nationalist base at the decision to resume aid. Two far-right
governing partners have pressed Netanyahu not to allow aid into Gaza.
Netanyahu says ‘minimal’ aid will be let in
Aid into Gaza would be “minimal,” Netanyahu said, and would act as a bridge
toward the launch of a new aid system in Gaza. A U.S.-backed organization will
distribute assistance in hubs that will be secured by the Israeli military.
Israel says the plan is meant to prevent Hamas from accessing aid, which Israel
says it uses to bolster its rule in Gaza. U.N. agencies and aid groups have
rejected the plan, saying it won't reach enough people and would weaponize aid
in contravention of humanitarian principles. They have refused to take part.
According to aid officials familiar with the plan, it will involve setting up
distribution points mostly in southern Gaza, forcing many Palestinians to move
south once again. The recent ceasefire saw hundreds of thousands return to homes
in the north.The war has displaced around 90% of its population, most of them
multiple times. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern
Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 others.
The militants are still holding 58 captives, around a third believed to be
alive, after most of the rest were returned in ceasefire agreements or other
deals. Israel’s retaliatory offensive, which has destroyed large swaths of Gaza,
has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according
to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and
combatants in its count.
Israel recovers possessions of 1960s spy executed by Syria
James Mackenzie/Reuters/May 19, 2025
JERUSALEM -Israel's spy agency Mossad has recovered a trove of documents and
photographs belonging to its late agent Eli Cohen, who was hanged in a downtown
Damascus square six decades ago after collecting intelligence on Syrian military
plans. The 2,500 documents, photographs and personal belongings of Cohen were
taken to Israel after a "covert and complex Mossad operation, in cooperation
with an allied foreign intelligence service" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's office said on Sunday. A Syrian government spokesperson did not
immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on how the trove had left
Damascus, where last year's overthrow of Bashar al-Assad has upset established
alliances and enmities across the region. Israel has repeatedly bombed Syria
since former rebels led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, once an al Qaeda leader, took office
in December, but the new government in Damascus has responded with conciliatory
language, saying it seeks peace with all states. Sharaa said this month that
Syria had held indirect talks with Israel to reduce tensions.
Last month Israel said it had recovered the body of a soldier, Zvi Feldman, who
was killed in a battle with Syrian forces in Lebanon in 1982. Cohen was born in
Egypt to a Jewish family who moved to Israel after it was created in 1948. He
joined Mossad and was sent to Syria, posing as a Syrian businessman returning to
the country from South America. After penetrating Syria's political leadership
under an alias, he sent high-level intelligence back to his Israeli handlers but
was captured in 1965, put on trial and sentenced to death. He was hanged on May
18, 1965.
The documents and possessions recovered by Mossad include family photographs,
letters and the key to his Damascus apartment, as well as such operational
material as reports to his handlers, Netanyahu's office said. They also included
the original death sentence passed by the Syrian court and his will. Some of the
original documents and personal items were presented to Cohen's widow, Nadia,
Netanyahu's office said.
Israel orders Khan Younis evacuation ahead of
'unprecedented attack'
Tom Bennett - BBC News/May 19, 2025
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has ordered residents of Khan Younis to evacuate
as it prepares to launch an "unprecedented attack". People were ordered to move
towards al-Mawasi in the west of the strip, in one of the largest evacuation
orders issued by the Israeli military in recent months. An Arabic statement
shared by IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the area "will be considered a
dangerous combat zone", adding: "Terrorist organizations have brought you
disaster. For your safety, evacuate immediately."The IDF launched a major new
Gaza offensive on Saturday named Operation Gideon's Chariots. Hospitals have
said more than 100 people have been killed in the last 24 hours. One woman from
Khan Younis told BBC News that the new evacuation order - which also covers the
areas of Bani Suhaila and Abasan - was her "worst nightmare". Another woman, who
is already living under an evacuation order in central Gaza, said she would not
move "because there is no place to go".The IDF said its aim was to "destroy the
capabilities of terrorist organizations in this area".Earlier on Monday, Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would "take control" of the
whole of Gaza. In a video posted on social media, he said: "We are engaged in
massive fighting - intense and substantial - and there is progress.
"We are going to take control of all areas of the Strip, that's what we're going
to do."
The IDF said it had struck 160 targets across the strip in the last 24 hours.
A warehouse containing medical supplies at the Nasser Hospital was hit by an
Israeli strike overnight, Gaza's Hamas-run ministry of health reported.British
charity Medical Aid for Palestinians said the strike happened "as Palestinians
who were killed and wounded from other attacks were being brought to the
hospital"."We are just seeing all our work being burned to ashes," a spokesman
for the charity said. Separately, Palestinian media reported that Israeli
special forces troops dressed in women's clothing had entered a Khan Younis home
undercover and killed one man on Monday morning, before arresting his wife and
child. Israeli media named him as Ahmad Sarhan, and reported he was a senior
member of the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees - a Palestinian
militant group aligned with Hamas. The IDF has previously said the expanded Gaza
operations are aimed at "achieving all the war's objectives", including
releasing hostages and "the defeat of Hamas". But a group representing many of
the hostage's families said the operation posed "grave and escalating dangers"
to hostages still held in Gaza.
"Testimonies from released hostages describe significantly worsened treatment
following military strikes, including physical abuse, restraint and reduced
food," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said. On Sunday, Israel announced
it would allow a "basic amount of food" to enter Gaza to ensure that "no
starvation crisis develops" after blockading the territory for 10 weeks. The war
was triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023,
which saw about 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage.
Some 58 hostages remain in Gaza, up to 23 of whom are believed to be alive. More
than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's military campaign in
Gaza.
Trump plan or not, Israel is letting more Palestinians
leave Gaza
Nidal al-Mughrabi, Alexander Cornwell, Maayan Lubell/ReutersMay
19, 2025
CAIRO/RAMALLAH/ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER -For more than a year, Israeli authorities
prevented Ayed Ayoub from escaping Gaza's hunger and war with his family for an
academic fellowship in France. He finally left last month, after Israel
unexpectedly eased its tight control of the border. Ayoub, his wife and their
four children are among around 1,000 Palestinians who have left Gaza following
Israel's relaxation of rules in recent months, bussed from the enclave to board
flights to Europe and elsewhere, according to interviews with affected Gazans
and foreign diplomats. "The situation in Gaza has become unbearable," said
57-year-old Ayoub, an engineer who earned his doctorate and masters degree at a
French university after moving there in the early 2000s. His return was as part
of a group of 115 Gazans accepted by France in April. The new departures require
a request to Israel by a foreign government and their numbers remain relatively
small. Reuters could not establish why Israel was now letting more Palestinians
leave Gaza, which comes amid international outcry over the humanitarian
conditions there. However, the easing of restrictions parallels the Israeli
government's stated goal of facilitating the resettlement of Gaza's population
in other countries. For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, talk of mass
resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza has helped shore up support with
far-right allies who oppose a further truce with Hamas and want to re-establish
Jewish settlements there. Interior Minister Moshe Arbel has described the recent
departure of Gazans to European countries as a bid to temporarily and
voluntarily vacate the Gaza Strip to allow for its reconstruction, a process he
said was inspired by Donald Trump. The Republican U.S. president has proposed
developing the enclave as a coastal resort, free of Palestinians. "I thank
President Trump for thinking of this important initiative," Arbel said on April
1, after supervising the departure of a flight taking Gazans to Germany.
"Together, joining forces, we will turn this place into a paradise. With God's
help, let us succeed." His spokesperson did not respond to a request for
comment. After the evacuation that Ayoub's family were part of, the French
Foreign Ministry said France remained opposed to the forced displacement of
people from Gaza. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned
that the Trump idea could amount to ethnic cleansing.
Despite the comments from Arbel, five Israeli officials told Reuters the easing
of restrictions was not a direct response to Trump's Gaza proposal or part of
any such plan. One of the Israeli officials said Israel was not trying to reduce
Gaza's population but rather responding to mounting requests by countries
seeking to help people reach a safe destination. For many Palestinians, the
opportunity to move is fraught with echoes of historical dispossession of their
lands. Ayoub and others among those who recently left told Reuters their
departure was only temporary. However, nearly half of Gazans would now consider
leaving, according to a recent Palestinian poll, after Israel's 19-month
offensive has left much of the strip in ruins, with its population largely
displaced and dependent on dwindling aid supplies. Policies in place since
Israel broke a fragile six-week ceasefire on March 2 further increased pressure
on Gaza's population, even as U.S. and Arab mediators push for an end to the
war. Famine risks have worsened under Israel's two-month blockade of all aid
deliveries in Gaza. It renewed a bombing campaign, killing 464 people last week,
according to Gaza's Health Ministry. And it launched a new "extensive" land
offensive on Sunday, two days after Trump concluded a tour of Gulf states.
Israel also said on Sunday it would ease the blockade and allow in limited aid.
Netanyahu has hailed Trump's idea for Gaza but cites a major obstacle: "We have
one problem - we need receiving states," he told a hawkish group of Gaza war
veterans on Tuesday. Neighbours Jordan and Syria - which have large Palestinian
refugee populations dating back decades - and Egypt are loathe to take in large
numbers of Gazans. For this story, Reuters spoke with five Gazans who have left
recently, along with nine foreign diplomats and seven Israeli officials to
establish details of the impact of the new rules around exits from Gaza.
The foreign diplomats said Israel began informing foreign governments late last
year, before Trump took office and floated his proposal, that they would soon
ease the restrictions. The diplomats asked to remain anonymous because they were
not authorised to speak to the media. The relaxed restrictions largely took
effect at the start of the year. Israeli officials now take days instead of
weeks or months to approve requests for Palestinians with foreign citizenship,
their relatives, and recipients of foreign scholarships, the diplomats involved
said. Among those now allowed to leave were Palestinians previously denied exit
by Israel on security grounds, they added. Israel's Prime Minister's office,
Defence Ministry and its COGAT branch which coordinates with the Palestinians
did not respond to Reuters queries about the scope or reason for the recent
easing of restrictions. Hamas, which has urged Gazans not to take part in any
relocation offers, said it was looking into reports of restrictions being eased.
GAZA
The population of Gaza has already fallen by about 160,000 during the course of
the war to around 2.1 million, according to the Palestinian statistics agency.
More than 53,000 residents have been killed and the rest have left, including
some allowed out for medical emergencies. Others have been able to leave through
an expensive system involving Egyptian brokers. Thousands of foreign nationals
fled earlier in the war, but it became much harder to get permission once Israel
took over the Rafah crossing with Egypt in May last year and enforced a
near-total closure of Gaza's borders. In late March, Israel's government
established a new agency that would help Gazans who want to resettle in third
countries. Reuters was unable to establish whether the department is
functioning. Reuters could not establish exactly how many people had been able
to leave under the new criteria. Three diplomats estimated at least a thousand,
while several said they could only be sure of their own citizens, citing numbers
in the high hundreds. Israeli authorities did not respond to a question about
numbers.
Over a dozen, primarily European, countries have now been able to get people out
from Gaza, with most exits occurring since March, all the diplomats said. Gisha,
an Israeli human rights group that advocates for freedom of movement for
Palestinians, said Israel's easing of restrictions were "partial, inconsistent,
and non-transparent," arguing that many more people should be allowed to leave.
"What may appear to be 'concessions' are, in fact, selective and limited
responses to international pressure and legal action," Gisha spokesperson Shai
Grundberg told Reuters. The organisation estimates thousands of Palestinians
still in Gaza hold foreign citizenship, residency, student visas, or eligibility
for entry into a third country through family reunification visas or similar
programs.
'WE WILL COME BACK'
Only a fraction of Gazans meet the present Israeli criteria for being allowed
out. For those who do, the choice is not easy. Many fear leaving their land
would result in another "Nakba" or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands of
Palestinians were dispossessed of their homes in the 1948 war between Arab
states and the newly created state of Israel. Many of those hoping to return
within weeks remained refugees.
"We will come back to Gaza once the conditions allow, as soon as we can," said
poet Dunia Al-Amal Ismail, a 53-year-old widow who made it out as part of the
same group as Ayoub, with her 21-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son.
Ismail secured a place in the same French academic program that helps
researchers, artists and their families get out of conflict zones. Those leaving
face a perilous journey through the enclave, which is scattered with unexploded
rockets and shells. Palestinians are gathered by vehicles before dawn and driven
to an Israeli-run border crossing, where they undergo Israel security checks
before being processed by foreign diplomats, the people Reuters spoke to said.
Israel only allows those leaving to bring one small bag each. They travel in
buses under Israeli military escort to the Jordan border, four diplomats said.
Aware of severe food scarcity, the diplomats said they bring sandwiches and
drinks for those leaving Gaza. One diplomat said a Palestinian man, eating a
chicken sandwich, had commented that he had forgotten the taste of meat.
An academic among the group that recently arrived in France described meeting
the diplomats in the desert. "All of a sudden, a fridge appears from nowhere,
and you see everything you have been deprived of for many months," he told
Reuters. "I ate, but with pain in my chest for the people who we left
behind."Several of the Palestinians Reuters spoke to declined to be identified
for fear of retribution from Hamas and other armed groups. Travel documents
present logistical challenges, several of the diplomats said. Some papers have
been lost in the war, while others are needed for children born since it began.
Some must have travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah
or Cairo, they said.From Jordan, they board flights to the countries that helped
them leave, though there have been some flights from Israel, according to the
diplomats, flight data and Israel's Interior Ministry.
For Ayoub, painful memories weigh heavily.
One of Ayoub's sisters, her husband and their son were killed in bombardments at
the start of the war, which was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern
Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed
and 251 were taken as hostages to Gaza. Ayoub's nephew, an architect, had also
recently won a fellowship in France but never made it out. He died on Thursday
from injuries he sustained in an airstrike. The French programme backing the
fellowship issued a statement mourning his death. Ayoub was conflicted about
leaving: relieved to secure a better future for his children but at the same
time distraught "because I left my sister and her children, and many people who
are dear to me," he said, referring to another of his siblings. "One moment I'm
happy, and the next I remember what's happening in Gaza," Ayoub said.
First aid trucks enter Gaza after almost three-month Israeli
blockade, UN says
Gavin Blackburn/Euronews/May 19, 2025
The first aid trucks have entered Gaza after an almost three-month long blockade
of the territory by Israel, the United Nations has confirmed. Five trucks
carrying humanitarian aid, including baby food, entered the territory of over
two million Palestinians via the Kerem Shalom crossing on Monday, according to
the Israeli defence body in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, Cogat. The UN
called the delivery a "welcome development" but said much more aid is needed to
address the humanitarian crisis in the Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said earlier on Monday that the decision to resume limited deliveries
of aid to Gaza after a blockade that started on 2 March came after pressure from
allies who said they couldn't support Israel's renewed military offensive if
there are "images of hunger" coming out of the Palestinian territory. Israel has
meanwhile launched a new wave of air and ground operations across the territory
and the army ordered the evacuation of Gaza’s second-largest city, Khan Younis,
where Israel carried out a massive operation earlier in the war that left much
of the area in ruins. On Sunday, Israel said it would allow a "basic" amount of
aid into Gaza to prevent a "hunger crisis" from developing. Experts have already
warned of potential famine if the blockade imposed on the territory's roughly
two million Palestinians is not lifted.Israel has stepped up its offensive in
Gaza in what it says is a bid to pressure Hamas to release the remaining
hostages abducted in the 7 October 2023 attack that ignited the war. Hamas has
said it will only release them in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an
Israeli military withdrawal from the territory.Netanyahu said that Israel plans
on "taking control of all of Gaza," and establishing a new system to distribute
aid that circumvents Hamas. He has also said Israel will encourage what he
refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of Gaza’s population to other
countries.
A 'red line' on Gaza
The Trump administration has voiced full support for Israel's actions and blames
Hamas for the toll on Palestinians, though in recent days it has expressed
growing concern over the hunger crisis. Trump, who skipped Israel on his trip to
the Middle East last week, voiced concerns about the humanitarian situation in
Gaza, as did Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said on a visit to Turkey that
he was "troubled" by it. In a video statement posted to social media, Netanyahu
said Israel's "greatest friends in the world" had told him, "We cannot accept
images of hunger, mass hunger. We cannot stand that. We will not be able to
support you." Netanyahu said the situation was approaching a "red line" but it
was not clear if he was referring to the crisis in Gaza or the potential loss of
support from allies. The video statement appeared aimed at pacifying anger from
Netanyahu's nationalist base at the decision to resume aid. Two far-right
governing partners have pressed Netanyahu not to allow aid into Gaza. At least
one of them, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, appeared to be on board with the
latest plan.
"No more raids and going in and out, but conquering, cleansing and remaining
until Hamas is destroyed," he said. "We are destroying what is still left of the
Strip, simply because everything there is one big city of terror." Israel says
its new distribution plan is meant to prevent Hamas from accessing aid, which
Israel says it uses to bolster its rule in Gaza. But UN agencies and aid groups
have rejected the proposal, saying supplies won't reach enough people and would
weaponise aid in contravention of humanitarian principles.
Jordanian king, Maltese PM discuss cooperation in energy, tourism
Arab News/May 19, 2025
LONDON: King Abdullah II of Jordan met with Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela
to discuss ties and regional development at Al-Husseiniya Palace in Amman on
Monday. King Abdullah said that the cooperation agreement and memorandums of
understanding between Jordan and Malta highlight their commitment to
strengthening private sector collaboration. Crown Prince Hussein attended the
meeting, which highlighted the need to receive sick and injured Palestinian
children from Gaza for medical treatment. Abela praised Jordan for promoting
stability and peace in the region, providing medical care for Gaza’s children,
and offering assistance to Syrian refugees, the Petra news agency reported. King
Abdullah stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the flow of
humanitarian aid, reiterating Jordan’s commitment to working with allies for
peace and praising Malta’s role in these efforts. He said that tensions in the
occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, along with Israeli plans to displace
Palestinians from Gaza, threaten regional stability. The king and Abela
witnessed the signing of a framework agreement for cooperation, along with three
memorandums of understanding in the areas of water and energy, tourism, and
language exchange and archiving. On Monday, Abela met with Jordan’s Prime
Minister Jafar Hassan to discuss cooperation in the economy, culture, education,
and academia sectors.
Their discussion focused on building partnerships in the pharmaceutical and
medical industries, future technologies, and potential twinning agreements
between tourist cities in both countries, Petra added.
Amnesty: US strike on Yemen migrant center may constitute
humanitarian ‘violation’
AFP/May 19, 2025
DUBAI: Rights group Amnesty International urged the United States on Monday to
investigate possible violations of international law in a deadly strike on a
migrant detention facility in rebel-held Yemen. Last month’s attack, which
prompted international alarm and was part of the US bombardment campaign against
the Iran-backed Houthis, killed 68 people held at a center for irregular
migrants in Saada, the rebel authorities said at the time. Agnes Callamard,
Amnesty’s secretary-general, said that “the US attacked a well-known detention
facility where the Houthis have been detaining migrants.”The dead were all
migrants from African countries, the Houthis had said. To Callamard, “the major
loss of civilian life in this attack raises serious concerns about whether the
US complied with its obligations under international humanitarian law.”“The US
must conduct a prompt, independent and transparent investigation into this air
strike,” she added. A US defense official had told AFP in the aftermath of the
strike that the military launched “battle-damage assessment and inquiry” into
“claims of civilian casualties related to the US strikes in Yemen.”Amnesty cited
people who work with migrants and refugees in Yemen and visited two hospitals
that treated the victims, saying that they had seen “more than two dozen
Ethiopian migrants” with severe injuries including amputations.
The morgues at both hospitals had run out of space, the witnesses told Amnesty.
In mid-March, the United States began an intense, near-daily military campaign
against the Houthis after they had renewed threats to attack vessels in the
vital Red Sea and Gulf of Aden shipping lanes.
The campaign ended with a US-Houthi ceasefire agreement earlier this month. The
Houthis, who control large swathes of Yemen, began firing on Israel and
Israeli-linked shipping in November 2023, weeks into the Gaza war triggered by
an attack by the Yemeni rebels’ Palestinian ally Hamas.
Amnesty said it had analyzed satellite imagery and footage from the site of last
month’s strike on Saada, in Yemen’s north.The group said it was “unable to
conclusively identify a legitimate military target” within the targeted prison
compound, citing Houthi restrictions on independent investigations. “Any attack
that fails to distinguish between civilians and civilian objects on the one
hand, and legitimate military targets on the other, even within the same
compound, constitutes an indiscriminate attack and a violation of international
humanitarian law,” Amnesty said.
Trump says Russia and Ukraine to 'immediately' start ceasefire
negotiations after two-hour call with Putin
BBC/May 19, 2025
After the call with Trump, the Russian leader says he is prepared to discuss
"compromises" on Ukraine, without adding clarification - here's who else Trump
spoke to today. The US president has often talked up his relationship with Putin
but it will be interesting to see what pressure, if any, Trump has put on
Russia, writes North America correspondent Nomia Iqbal. Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky asks Trump not to make decisions about Ukraine "without us"
as Kyiv is considering a "high-level" meeting with international leaders. Today
suggests there'll be even more talks about talks before any pauses in fighting,
writes our Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse Trump says Russia and Ukraine
to 'immediately' start ceasefire negotiations after two-hour call with Putin
Putin says held 'useful' call with Trump on Ukraine:
Russian state media
LBCI/AFP/May 19, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he held a "useful" call with U.S.
leader Donald Trump on resolving the conflict in Ukraine."It was very
informative and very open and overall, in my opinion, very useful," Putin told
Russian media after the call, saying it lasted "more than two hours."
The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous
sources
on May 19-20/2025
How Arabs See Trump's 'Separate Peace' and Deals
With Islamists
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute./May 19, 2025
In the eyes of Iran and the Houthis, Trump's separate peace deal that excluded
Israel is a captivating green light to continue their attacks on "The Little
Satan", while obligingly halting their assaults on vessels in the Red Sea.
Trump's deal with the Houthis sent everyone in the Middle East the message that
the Trump administration has finally thrown Israel under the bus.
Worse, Trump's agreement does not require the Houthis to abandon their jihad
(holy war) against either the US or Israel.
"[The Palestinians are] ecstatic that their employer, Qatar, just "purchased"
the US presidency with a $400 million 747 jet and a Golf Course...." — Ahmed
Fouad Alkhatib, Palestinian political analyst, X, May 11, 2025.
Qatar wanted the American-Israeli hostage released as a gesture to Trump on the
eve of his visit to the Gulf state. Hamas leaders were not able to say no to
Qatar, and immediately complied.
This event shows that Qatar has enough influence over Hamas to instruct it to
release all the hostages. Qatar could have used its influence from the beginning
to force Hamas to release all of them; but it did not.
Qatar wants to make sure that its long-standing allies, Iran and Hamas, remain
strong and in power after the current war.
Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are being played and appear not even
to know it. If they do know it, personal friendships and financial rescues have
apparently taken priority over hard-nosed negotiating. Their only priority seems
to have been raking in trillions of dollars from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf
states, a Trump golf resort in Saudi Arabia, a $400 million "flying palace" from
Qatar, a Trump hotel in Dubai and the promise of a Trump Tower in Damascus.
"Donald Trump may go down in history as the American President who empowered
Islamism around the globe [by funding Syria's al-Sharaa], more than any other
president in the history of the USA." — Nervana Mahmoud, Egyptian political
analyst, X, May 13, 2025. Trump and his advisors undoubtedly have good
intentions, but... trying to strike deals with Iran and its Hamas and Houthi
terror proxies, instead emboldens these terrorists and enemies of the US.
After Trump returns to Washington, he will quickly discover that the Islamists
and their sponsors in the Middle East have not changed. Iran, Hamas and the
Houthis will continue to call for death to Israel and America. Qatar will
continue to provide political and financial support to anti-American Islamists
and other Jihadis. As for Syria's jihadist president, the belief that he will
transform himself into a moderate pro-Western Arab leader and a democrat is,
unfortunately, nothing but a joke.
Saudi Arabia, under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also appears to be moving
in that direction, though at a much slower pace. MBS will not join the Abraham
Accords. Trump's wish that he would sign onto them "in your own time" is a
sweet, naïve dream. If Trump were to use military force against Iran's nuclear
weapons program, it would not only be a blow to Tehran and its terror proxies,
it would enormously empower the moderate Arabs and Muslims who correctly view
the mullahs as a threat to their national security and stability.
If Trump wants real peace and prosperity, he must, unfortunately, act against
Iran and its terror proxies, and distance himself from jihadists and their
sponsors, especially Qatar. Such a move would be the best way to expand the
Abraham Accords and encourage other Arabs to seize hold of Trump's great
promise.
President Donald Trump's visit to Qatar -- Hamas's major sponsor and funder --
is seen by many Palestinians and Arabs as a victory for the Palestinian terror
group. If Trump wants real peace and prosperity, he must, unfortunately, act
against Iran and its terror proxies, and distance himself from jihadists and
their sponsors, especially Qatar.
As US President Donald J. Trump was being hosted in Saudi Arabia by Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of the kingdom, the Iran-backed Houthi
militia in Yemen fired another ballistic missile at Israel.
The missile, which flew over Saudi Arabia on its way to Israel, was fortunately
intercepted by the Israel Defense Forces before reaching its intended target.
The Houthis, in fact, fired three ballistic missiles at Israel, right over the
Crown Prince's head. The missile attacks came less than a week after Trump
announced that he had reached a separate ceasefire deal with the Houthis to end
their attacks on American-flagged vessels in the Red Sea. "They just don't want
to fight, and we will honor that," Trump said. "We will stop the bombings, and
they have capitulated. But more importantly, we will take their word. They said
they will not be blowing up any ships anymore."Sadly, anyone who takes the word
of a terrorist group is living in a dream world. Just look at Afghanistan. The
Taliban could not wait to break their vow to make sure that women's rights would
be protected. Women have been erased. They can no longer "work, sing travel,
study" or even appear near a window.
Israel took the word of Hamas when the terror group repeatedly indicated its
desire to maintain a truce. In the end, however, on October 7, 2023, Israel paid
a heavy price for its gullibility. Thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel,
murdered 1,200 people, many of whom were attending a music festival, wounded
thousands, and kidnapped 251 others, dragging them into the Gaza Strip. Of
those, 58 are still being held by Hamas. Only 23 are believed to still be alive.
The Trump-Houthi agreement, notably, did not require the Iranian proxy militia
to stop its missile attacks on Israel. The Yemeni group therefore did not
hesitate to launch a ballistic missile at Israel during Trump's visit to Saudi
Arabia. By using the Houthis to attack Israel, Iran -- hiding behind the skirts
of the Houthis rather than attacking Israel itself – could congratulate itself
on staying safe from potential retaliation.
The missile attack from Yemen seemed a clear message to the US president that
the Houthis, as well as Iran's mullahs, are happy to continue their assaults on
Israel.
In the eyes of Iran and the Houthis, Trump's separate peace deal that excluded
Israel is a captivating green light to continue their attacks on "The Little
Satan", while obligingly halting their assaults on vessels in the Red Sea.
Trump's deal with the Houthis sent everyone in the Middle East the message that
the Trump administration has finally thrown Israel under the bus.
A pro-Houthi social media account mocked Saudi Arabia, Trump and Israel in a
cartoon that depicted the US president squeezing money out of the Saudis as a
Houthi missile is seen soaring over his head on its way to Israel.
An Egyptian social media user, "Emmy Hamdy," commented:
"Trump is milking the Pseudo Arabs of their billions while the true Arabs are
defending Palestine – God bless Yemen's Ansar Allah (Houthis) and its mighty
people."
A Houthi spokesman announced on May 13:
"The missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation
targeting Lod Airport, Israeli name 'Ben Gurion'... using a hypersonic ballistic
missile. The missile successfully achieved its target, thanks to Allah, and led
millions of occupying Zionists to flee to the shelters and halting airport
operations for nearly an hour."
The spokesman threatened that missile attacks on Israel will continue in support
of the "oppressed Palestinian people."
Senior Houthi official Nasruddin Amer said:
"Everyone, including international airlines, should realize that the Zionist
entity is unsafe and could be targeted at any moment. Our operations will not
stop until the [Israeli] aggression on Gaza stops."
Worse, Trump's agreement does not require the Houthis to abandon their jihad
(holy war) against either the US or Israel. Notably, the political slogan of the
Houthis reads:
"God [Allah] is Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse be upon the
Jews, Victory to Islam." A new Houthi slogan appeared after the US re-designated
the militia as a terrorist organization: "America is the Mother of Terrorism."
The Houthis may have agreed to a temporary cessation of attacks on American
targets, but they have certainly not abandoned their jihad to murder Israelis
and Americans.
Just as Trump's deal with the Houthis was interpreted by Yemen's Houthis as a
green light to continue missile attacks on Israel, his administration's direct
negotiations with Hamas, as well as his visit to Qatar -- Hamas's major sponsor
and funder -- is seen by many Palestinians and Arabs as a victory for the
Palestinian terror group. According to Palestinian political analyst Ahmed Fouad
Alkhatib:
"Hamas accounts on Twitter and Telegram are exploding in orgies of joy,
arrogance, foolish proclamations, and declarations that they're finally being
recognized and legitimized by the USA. They're ecstatic that their employer,
Qatar, just "purchased" the US presidency with a $400 million 747 jet and a Golf
Course, making the unconditional release of an American-Israeli hostage, Edan
Alexander, from Gaza's tunnels completely worth it. "One 'analyst' for the
terror group declared that this is the first direct 'political agreement'
between the United States and Hamas, while another bragged about how Sinwar's
October 7th attack ultimately made it possible for Hamas to force Trump to
'kneel' before the group to retrieve hostages thanks to the billions of its
chief backer, Qatar." Qatar wanted the American-Israeli hostage released as a
gesture to Trump on the eve of his visit to the Gulf state. Hamas leaders were
not able to say no to Qatar, and immediately complied.
This event shows that Qatar has enough influence over Hamas to instruct it to
release all the hostages. Qatar could have used its influence from the beginning
to force Hamas to release all of them; but it did not. Since the start of the
war on October 7, 2023, Qatar, which hosts several senior Hamas leaders, has
failed to pressure the terror group to release all the hostages, disarm or cede
control over the Gaza Strip.
Qatar wants to make sure that its long-standing allies, Iran and Hamas, remain
strong and in power after the current war.
Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are being played and appear not even
to know it. If they do know it, personal friendships and financial rescues have
apparently taken priority over hard-nosed negotiating. Their only priority seems
to have been raking in trillions of dollars from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf
states, a Trump golf resort in Saudi Arabia, a $400 million "flying palace" from
Qatar, a Trump hotel in Dubai and the promise of a Trump Tower in Damascus.
In addition to the deals with the Houthis and Hamas, Trumps' visit to Qatar and
his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a "reformed" Islamist
terrorist affiliated with al-Qaeda, have drawn criticism from several Arab
political commentators.
Egyptian political analyst Nervana Mahmoud commented on May 13 about Trump's
decision to meet with al-Sharaa and lift US sanctions on Syria:
"Donald Trump may go down in history as the American President who empowered
Islamism around the globe, more than any other president in the history of the
USA."
She added: "After 24 years of bloody hostilities, today al-Qaeda has reached a
peace deal with the USA." The next day, she commented on the economic and
defense agreements Trump signed with Saudi Arabia and Qatar:
"Post Conversation Nervana Mahmoud @Nervana_1 Americans are ( rightly) happy
with the business side of the deals, but they fail to grasp the political price
of appeasing rebranded Islamists like Syria de-facto leader."
Trump and his advisors undoubtedly have good intentions, but they appear not to
have taken into consideration that engaging Islamist leaders such as al-Sharaa
and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and trying to strike deals with
Iran and its Hamas and Houthi terror proxies, instead emboldens these terrorists
and enemies of the US.
After Trump returns to Washington, he will quickly discover that the Islamists
and their sponsors in the Middle East have not changed. Iran, Hamas and the
Houthis will continue to call for death to Israel and America. Qatar will
continue to provide political and financial support to anti-American Islamists
and other Jihadis. As for Syria's jihadist president, the belief that he will
transform himself into a moderate pro-Western Arab leader and a democrat is,
unfortunately, nothing but a joke.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are different: their leaders have made a
strategic choice to distance themselves from Islamist terror groups such as the
Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Hezbollah. In addition to signing peace
treaties with Israel, the two countries have worked to strengthen their economic
and security ties with Israel and boost normalization with Israelis.
Saudi Arabia, under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also appears to be moving
in that direction, though at a much slower pace. MBS will not join the Abraham
Accords. Trump's wish that he would sign onto them "in your own time" is a
sweet, naïve dream. The Abraham Accords need more moderate Arabs and Muslims,
not jihadists who consider Israel and the US as the No. 1 enemy of Arabs and
Muslims.
If Trump were to use military force against Iran's nuclear weapons program, it
would not only be a blow to Tehran and its terror proxies, it would enormously
empower the moderate Arabs and Muslims who correctly view the mullahs as a
threat to their national security and stability.
If Trump wants real peace and prosperity, he must, unfortunately, act against
Iran and its terror proxies, and distance himself from jihadists and their
sponsors, especially Qatar. Such a move would be the best way to expand the
Abraham Accords and encourage other Arabs to seize hold of Trump's great
promise.
**Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
**Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21632/trump-deals-with-islamists
Faith, fire, and fragmentation: The Druze dilemma in a
New Syria
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya English/19 May ,2025
The fall of the Assad regime – long thought unimaginable – brought immense
relief to millions of Syrians who had endured over five decades of repression.
For those who rose in revolt in 2011, it felt like vindication. But what
followed has not been a clean transition to democracy or stability. Instead,
Syria is now ruled by a former jihadist-turned-president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, whose
self-appointed government is viewed with deep suspicion by many of the country’s
minority groups.
The recent détente between the new Syrian regime and the Trump administration –
formalized during the US-Saudi summit in Riyadh – while giving the Syrian
renewed hope has equally refocused attention on the country’s delicate balance.
The US announced a surprise lifting of sanctions on Syria. This was followed by
a trilateral meeting between Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, and President al-Sharaa. While the sanctions move was framed as a reset
of regional relations, many religious and ethnic communities within Syria now
fear that their fate will be sacrificed at the altar of geopolitical pragmatism.
Chief among those resisting integration into this new political order are the
Druze of Syria. A small, heterodox Muslim sect with influential communities in
Lebanon and Israel, the Druze have openly refused to disarm or join the newly
formed Syrian army. In the Damascus suburbs of Jaramana and Sehnaya, recent
clashes between Druze militias and pro-government forces left dozens dead and
prompted a rare Israeli airstrike – what Israel labeled as a “warning shot”
against forces planning to attack the Druze population.
The immediate spark for this violence was a leaked audio recording, allegedly
from a Druze cleric, interpreted by some Sunni factions as blasphemous. The
result was swift and bloody retaliation. But the underlying tension runs far
deeper, reflecting a growing fear among the Druze that Syria is falling into the
grip of an extremist Sunni regime with little tolerance for religious diversity.
The Druze community, estimated at just under a million people across the Levant
and diaspora, now finds itself divided. In Lebanon, powerful Druze leader Walid
Joumblatt has expressed concern over the accommodating tone adopted by Syrian
Druze leaders, going so far as to publicly criticize Sheikh Hikmat al-Hajari, a
top religious figure in Suwayda. Al-Hajari, notably, enjoys full support from
Sheikh Mowaffak Tarif – the Druze spiritual authority in Israel.
This internal split is uncharacteristic of a group that has historically prized
unity, especially during times of regional upheaval. Joumblatt advocates for
conforming to the dominant Sunni discourse, including remnants of Arab
nationalism. But many within his community – and among Syrian Druze – disagree.
Increasingly, voices are calling for international and even Israeli protection,
casting the al-Sharaa regime as a wolf in moderate clothing.
Adding fuel to this fire was a failed coup attempt in Syria’s Alawite coastal
regions. President al-Sharaa crushed the rebellion with brutal force, further
alarming minority communities who now see armed suppression – not dialogue – as
the new regime’s default setting. While al-Sharaa has been publicly conciliatory
toward the Druze, elements within his coalition reportedly view them as
heretics, undeserving of political autonomy or protection.
Israel, meanwhile, is paying close attention. The Israeli Druze – fully
integrated into the state, serving in the army and often in elite units – have
long been seen as loyal citizens. Security officials and military planners in
Israel increasingly see value in aligning more directly with the Druze across
the border. Political figures like Benjamin Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and
Bezalel Smotrich have been less subtle: they frame support for the Syrian Druze
as a means of weakening an adversary and bolstering their own political
fortunes.
Recent developments underscore this realignment. Recently, 500 Syrian Druze
joined their Israeli counterparts on a pilgrimage to Nabi Shuʿayb, the tomb of
the Prophet Jethro and the Druze faith’s holiest site. Though primarily
religious in nature, the visit carried undeniable political symbolism – a nod
toward deepening ties and perhaps even open alliance.
Still, the notion of a Druze secessionist state – an idea quietly whispered in
some circles – is riddled with logistical and geopolitical obstacles. Suwayda,
the main Druze enclave in southern Syria, is geographically isolated from the
Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, where the second-largest Druze population
resides. Creating a viable, connected, and internationally recognized Druze
entity is not only impractical – it risks provoking wider regional
fragmentation, particularly among the Kurds, something Turkey will fiercely
oppose.
Perhaps those Druze who are eager to openly call for an alliance with Prime
Minister Netanyahu should take a closer look at the limited nature of Israeli
military support. Despite several airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force targeting
the new Syrian army and affiliated factions, the attacks have caused minimal
damage and have done little to prevent assaults on Druze villages outside the
stronghold of Suwayda. Notably, as Druze fighters were fending off al-Sharaa’s
troops, the Turkish government granted Netanyahu’s plane permission to fly
through its airspace en route to Azerbaijan – a stark reminder of the dangers
small communities face when placing their fate in the hands of shifting regional
and international alliances.
The Druze have long excelled at survival through pragmatism, leveraging their
small numbers into outsized political influence by mastering the art of
neutrality and adaptive loyalty. But in the volatile, post–October 7 Middle
East, neutrality may no longer be a viable strategy. The collapse of al-Assad,
the decline of Hezbollah, and the unraveling of Iran’s regional hold have
upended familiar power dynamics. This moment demands something more than quiet
negotiation – it requires vision, bold alliances, and perhaps most critically,
the courage to abandon old assumptions.
In this context, the US reversal on sanctions sends a dangerous signal to
Syria’s vulnerable communities: that global powers may once again be willing to
overlook domestic repression in exchange for regional stability. For the Druze,
it confirms what many already suspect—that survival will depend less on promises
from abroad and more on the hard choices they must make themselves.
The Druze are now at a crossroads. The world around them is shifting fast.
Whether they will once again emerge intact from the wreckage – or lose their
place in the new order – depends not on history, but on the choices they make
now.
We should break the myth because women can do both
Dr. Thamer A. Baazeem/Al Arabiya English/19 May ,2025
There is a growing conversation in our society about fertility, family, and
economic development. However, too often, it turns into finger-pointing at
women. The narrative is familiar and unfair: that women have “abandoned” the
family in pursuit of careers, that success in one comes at the cost of the
other. This mindset is outdated and dangerous. It presents a false choice, one
that stifles progress and burdens women unnecessarily. As a Saudi man who
believes in his country’s potential, I’m convinced of this: Women can raise
strong families and lead successful careers. When they do both, they contribute
profoundly to the soul of our society and the strength of our economy. We need
to stop treating this conversation as a blame game and start treating it as a
current and futuristic policy challenge.
Imagine asking a bird to fly with one wing. That’s what society does when it
asks women to choose between career and family in the current modernized tech &
AI era. Both roles are essential, not just for the woman herself, but for the
future of the world. Let us imagine a hypothetical Saudi woman with an
engineering background and she wants to be an excellent wife and have children
while excelling at her job. Instead of asking her to sacrifice one dream for the
other, what if her workplace provides innovative flexible hours and on-site
childcare? What if her husband shared home responsibilities as an integrated
relationship? She would innovate by day and nurture by night, proving that
productivity, being a wife and parenting can coexist.
This is not a fantasy. It is a reality that many women in Saudi and globally
have achieved. Throughout history, women have shattered the myth that family and
career are incompatible. Khadijah, the first wife of Prophet Mohammed, Peace be
upon him, was both a pioneering businesswoman and a devoted wife and mother. Her
legacy reminds us that professional excellence and family devotion are not
opposites. Recently, in the modern history of Saudi Arabia, Queen Iffat, wife of
King Faisal, helped shape Saudi Arabia’s education system for girls while
raising nine children. Her life was a powerful lesson in dual responsibility:
nurture the home and build the nation. Internationally, Ursula von der Leyen,
President of the European Commission and mother of seven, shows that even in
high office, family and leadership can go hand in hand. These examples are not
abnormal; they are precedents.
The transformation we are witnessing in Saudi is extraordinary. Women’s
participation in the Saudi workforce jumped from around 17 percent in 2016 to
over 36 percent by 2024, exceeding Vision 2030’s target ahead of schedule. At
the same time, women are graduating at higher rates in universities across the
Kingdom. These numbers signal potential. However, they do not tell the full
story. Women still face social expectations that make them feel like wanting
both a career and a family is “too much.” Some delay marriage or motherhood out
of fear they will not be able to manage both. Others drop out of promising
careers when family support systems fail. Meanwhile, our fertility rates are
falling. In the 1960s, Saudi women had six or more children on average. Today,
it is closer to two or three. Unfortunately, it is still declining. This is part
of a global trend, but it has specific local implications. Without supportive
environments, we risk a future with fewer families, shrinking populations, and
wasted talent.
When we restrict women’s roles, we lose not just productivity but stability. A
woman who thrives in both spheres does not just contribute financially, she
raises the next generation with knowledge, resilience, and inspiration.
Inclusion also drives economic growth. No doubt that gender parity in employment
could add trillions to global GDP. In Saudi Arabia, where many women now lead
small businesses or hold executive roles, we are already seeing the impact.
Nevertheless, we must go further, not just to add more women to the workforce,
but to make it sustainable for them to stay.
Therefore, here is the key insight: countries that support women in balancing
work and family, through childcare, flexible jobs, and parental leave, often see
higher birth rates, not lower. France, for example, combines high female
employment with one of Europe’s highest fertility rates. The lesson? Helping
women “do both” helps societies thrive.
Hence, to fully unlock this potential, we must move beyond symbolic reforms to
structural support. We can start by taking 3 steps:
1. Family-Friendly Workplaces: entities may offer flexible hours, remote work
options, and on-site childcare. These small shifts can do a lot.
2. Equitable Parental Leave: maternity leave has improved, but paternity leave
is minimal. Encouraging fathers to share in early childcare responsibilities
lightens the burden on women and sets the tone for true support emotionally
before physically.
3. Work-Life Culture Shift: we need to normalize success in both home and work.
Media, education, and public dialogues should highlight role models who balance
both, including men who take active parenting roles.
At the same time, this conversation should not remain informal or emotional. It
needs to be institutional. We need a national, independent research center
dedicated to family’s socioeconomic development. This center would study how
Saudi families are evolving, what support women and men need, how to generate
newly innovative ideas to solidify family’s structure and what global best
practices can be adapted to our culture. From tracking fertility trends to
piloting family-friendly workplace models, such a center would provide
policymakers with actionable insights. It would also help shift the narrative
from a personal struggle to shared national strategies. I write this not just as
professional practitioner, but as a father and Saudi citizen who sees the
untapped brilliance of our women and the unjust pressures they face. Every time
a woman is told she must choose between her ambitions; we limit her and weaken
our nation. Every time we support her to pursue both, we build a stronger, more
balanced Saudi Arabia. Let’s imagine a near future where the sight of a mother
leading a board meeting before attending her child’s school event is not a
novelty, but the norm. Where success at work and at home are seen as two sides
of the same coin, not competing currencies. It is not an either/or game anymore.
It is time to break the myth.
A Decisive Alliance is Reshaping the Region
Sam Menassa/ Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/May 19/2025
It is difficult to single out one aspect of US President Donald Trump’s pivotal
visit to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, as the most
prominent or important. The visit was clearly not merely made for investment
deals alone. Rather, it amounts to a turning point that consolidates new power
dynamics in the Middle East, giving rise to strategic shifts that are hard to
ignore: the obvious decline of Iran’s regional influence, the failure of
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to impose its agenda on the White House, and the
unprecedented rise of Saudi influence in the region and beyond. Meanwhile,
Russia’s role and presence in the region is waning, with an aloofness bordering
on complete absence from China.
The most apparent conclusion to draw about his Gulf visit is that it has
solidified Saudi Arabia’s position as a major three-dimensional regional power:
a force for regional political stability, a global economic and investment hub,
and an effective player in international diplomacy and security. The Kingdom is
no longer content with remaining a traditional Western partner or an energy
partner. It has become central to conflict resolution and peace global efforts,
a decisive player in reshaping the regional order, and a partner in global
decisions. Saudi Arabia in particular, and the Gulf states more generally, has
redefined itself. Instead of reacting to developments, it shapes them, becoming
a security guarantor for its regional and international partners.
The most striking reflection of this new role is its newfound influence on
Trump. Saudi Arabia managed to convince Trump to lift sanctions on Syria,
reflecting the Kingdom’s capacity to take the initiative, use leverage, and
negotiate. This achievement is not only a diplomatic victory, but also reflects
the scale of Saudi Arabia’s growing influence. Moreover, this move reveals
strategic awareness on Saudi Arabia’s part. It understands the importance of
reintegrating Syria into the Arab fold, specifically within the alliance of Arab
moderate states. Despite its current frailty, Syria maintains its symbolic and
political weight, granting the moderate Arab camp strategic depth and shutting
down the aspirations of extremists and ideological bravado, as well as filling
any vacuum that could be exploited by regional powers.
The implications of this success go beyond Saudi Arabia’s position in the
region, as the implications for Syria’s domestic situation are difficult to
overstate. It now has a chance to rebuild the state, mend Syria's national
political and social fabric, regain its political independence, and create an
economic environment that allows for the return of refugees. Syria has returned
to the Arab world, and the state is now back in the hands of the Syrian people.
On the Palestinian front, the growing divergence between Trump and Netanyahu,
particularly regarding the continuation of the war on Gaza, could potentially
lead to a shift in US policy. The US has historically offered unconditional
support to Israel, but Trump’s new administration may find itself compelled to
listen to the positions of its Arab partners, foremost among them Saudi Arabia
and the Gulf states, who are increasingly presenting themselves as the
guarantors of any future political settlement, including one that leads to an
end to the occupation and establishes an independent Palestinian state.
It appears that Israel has lost the unique privilege it enjoyed during Trump’s
first term. Gradually, it is becoming a strategic burden on the US
administration. There is every reason to believe that Netanyahu is losing his
cards, one by one: setbacks in Gaza, failing to divide Syria and inflame
sectarian strife, going nowhere with his efforts to obstruct Lebanon’s path to
reclaiming its sovereignty, and losing his influence over US decisions. Has the
countdown to his exit from the scene truly begun?
Here, one cannot overlook the regional shift precipitated by the decline of
Iran’s over Arab territories, especially in light of President Trump’s optimism
about the prospects of a new nuclear agreement with Tehran. His effort to reach
a deal suggests that Washington intends to recalibrate its relationship with
Iran, in order to avoid indirect military intervention in the region. It also
aligns with Saudi Arabia’s efforts to rebalance regional dynamics, stand in the
way of sectarian projects, and render national sovereignty the sole legitimate
alternative to the sectarian legitimacy that Iran has sought to impose through
its proxies.
The hope is that any agreement will lead to a shift in the Iranian regime’s
behavior. The new role that Saudi Arabia is playing could be an attractive model
that compels Iran to correct course and avoid regional marginalization, joining
the club of “normal” states instead. Iran could understand that this serves its
interests, if Tehran comes to realize that its ideological project is no longer
viable.
Trump’s Gulf tour has redefined regional priorities and affirmed that legitimate
actors who can impose stability are the ones shaping the future. The Middle East
is currently witnessing the rise of a new American approach that is being
developed, this time, in close coordination with regional partners.
Someone likened the scene of the US-Saudi summit to a spaceship preparing to
take its passengers to new worlds as others stand watching from the runway,
convinced that it's all nothing more than science fiction. Ahmed al-Sharaa made
up for lost ground and managed to get on the ship, while many others, including
Lebanon, are still striving to qualify to get on board.
Baghdad, Sharaa and Trump’s Shadow
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/May 19/2025
Baghdad has the unusual ability to force its visitor to open up about the past
and its pains. The ability becomes more pronounced when the friends choose to
have dinner on the banks of the Tigris only to find out that the current resort
was once one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces.
I believe people are like pledges and ideas, just passengers in the train of
time. The only difference between the passengers is their destination and the
impact they leave behind. The guardians of the past travel towards it and even
drown in it. The men of the future strive to remove the rubble and escape the
prisons of fear. Much can be said about this, but for now, let’s leave the past
to the past and look to the present.
Baghdad hosted the 34th Arab League Summit to deliver several messages. The
first is that Baghdad is stable, secure and capable of hosting such a major
event without security measures that can be exhausting for a city and its
residents.
The second is that Baghdad is aware of the importance of joint Arab work and
opportunities to activate it as it has an interest in collective cooperation and
consultations. The third is that Baghdad is committed to so-called Arab
principles, whether those related to the two-state solution or searching for
negotiated solutions to treat wounds in fractured Arab maps.
Journalists know from experience that the discussions that take place on the
sidelines of a summit are no less important than what goes on inside it.
Journalists in Baghdad noted two major issues that dominated discussions at the
summit. The first was Syria after the handshake between US President Donald
Trump and Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the American
administration’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria at the encouragement of
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Many noted that Sharaa received an extraordinary dose of Arab and international
support, leaving neighboring countries with the only choice to normalize ties
with Syria’s Sharaa and cooperate with it.
I wanted to know what impression people who met Sharaa had of him. I could come
up with the following:
- Sharaa is a pragmatic man who knows very well what land he is treading, the
complications that come with Syria’s geography and its difficult relations with
its neighbors.
- He is trying to ease doubts about his extremist past and that he will not
adopt extremist positions in his current policies. He has often told his guests
in the open and privately that Syria will not be a source of concern to any of
its neighbors. This also includes Israel, concluded the guests.
- Some have heard him say that confronting Israel through traditional means has
led to the current unfolding disasters. The only choice left for Syria is to
consolidate its unity and stability, build its economy, ensure the return of the
displaced and then invest its Arab and international ties to exert diplomatic
pressure on Israel. This simply means ending the military conflict with Israel,
which is no easy task for whoever is calling the shots in Damascus.
- The visitors also sensed that Iran and Hezbollah topped Sharaa’s list of
opponents, while he believes that Russia can keep its bases in Syria because
that aligns with its interests.
- Many agree that the greatest challenge to Sharaa fulfilling the pledges he
made to the American administration is the nature of the forces that worked with
him on ousting Bashar al-Assad's regime because it would spell the end of the
time of armed factions.
- Many visitors noted the role Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played in
Trump’s rapid change in positions on Sharaa. This reflects Saudi Arabia’s
growing influence in Washington, while it continues to boast excellent ties with
China, Russia and Europe.
- The visitors expect Saudi Arabia to play a major role in resolving conflicts
raging in the region.
The other development that cast a shadow over discussions in Iraq was Trump’s
visit to the Gulf and his extraordinary stop in Riyadh.
Several participants at the Baghdad summit said the visit put an end to talk
that the US had grown tired of the Middle East and that it wanted to shed any
responsibility towards its future. Trump’s visit demonstrated that talk about
the multilateral world was premature because the US remains the world’s dominant
military and economic power and passing through the US remains mandatory for
anyone seeking solutions to difficult crises, from Gaza to the Iran nuclear
file.
The participants said it was likely Washington and Tehran would reach an
agreement because the consequences of sliding towards a confrontation will be
costly for the region and global economy and would put Baghdad in a very
difficult position.
Some believe that Tehran has no doubt that the features of some parts of the
region have changed, specifically the regions where General Qassem Soleimani was
active and had invested in militarily, politically and economically. They have
implied that Iran has started to reassess its experience in recent decades
because everything that it is happening will affect its security, and size of
its role and presence in the region.
Some participants acknowledge that Israel came out much more powerful after the
wars sparked by the Al-Aqsa Flood and that Trump is the only person capable of
reining it in or easing its hostile behavior.
Baghdad is assessing Sharaa’s experience and trying to figure out the leanings
of Trump’s shadow, especially when it comes to Iran. Baghdad’s preoccupation
with these files will not distract it from the upcoming parliamentary elections
that are set for November.
The road towards the elections is clouded by Moqtada al-Sadr's shadow if he
decides to run in them, by the shaping of a brutal battle within the
Coordination Framework and by Nouri al-Maliki's drive to deprive Prime Minister
Mohammed Shia al-Sudani from securing another term in office.
Jailbreaking
Charles Chartouni/This is Beirut/May 19/2025
The proactive diplomacy of President Donald Trump is proceeding steadily on
multiple fronts. The very fact that he is moving on multiple fronts and breaking
the taboos that have hobbled international political life is a good omen. The
sanctioning tariffs seem to open up the fray for negotiations on the outside and
for renewed investment dynamics on the inside. The resumption of the Abraham
Accords dynamic and the head-on confrontation with Iran and its fledgling
geopolitical platforms have proven effective and await further strategic and
political offensives to finish off the fallacies of the Iranian murderous
dystopia. His bold diplomatic offensive has changed the political scripts of
Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States and set the course for tackling regional
conflicts nurtured on ideological fallacies and immobilizing power politics.
The Saudi-stifled diplomacy seems to move away from the stalemated regional
conflicts feeding on ideological fallacies and terrorism. Its well-calculated
diplomatic moves are headed in the right direction at a time when the whole
regional dynamic has changed after the Israeli destruction of the operational
strategic platforms that allowed the Islamic regime to thrive on the back of
destructive power politics for almost two decades.
The shrewd and well-devised Israeli counteroffensive has set the track for
alternative strategic and political courses all along the Middle East. It’s no
coincidence that the concurring effects of both the Israeli counterstrategy and
the pioneering diplomacy of the Trump administration are creating a new
political momentum to finish off the state of institutionalized immobilism in
the greater Middle East. The Israeli military feats have opened up the path for
a new diplomacy that breaks away from a whole legacy of stifled political
dynamics, stymied political mediations and international accords that could have
buried decades of destructive power politics and ideological blinders.
It’s about time for Palestinians to move past the deadweight legacy of
ideological obstructionism and pathetic instrumentation by Arab and Muslim power
politics and opt for open-ended negotiations with Israel to find a working
solution based on mutual recognition and working statehood. The disastrous
outcomes of the Hamas strategic and political courses were aptly characterized
by President Mahmoud Abbas as criminal undertakings that inflicted appalling
suffering on the Gaza district while catering to the ideological falsehoods, the
corruption of its leaders who were literally dismissive of the intended
humanitarian disasters driven by the human shields strategy, and the
subservience to Iranian power politics. Hamas and its acolytes should be
unabashedly neutralized, let alone annihilated, if we were to oversee a new
political dynamic. Any other option partakes of the conventional falsehoods that
have created the embedding for the criminal victimization strategy and its
appalling tragedies. Otherwise, Israel has to capitalize on its successful
strategizing to curb messianic extremists and reopen the channels of diplomacy
to finalize a conclusive peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority.
The new Syrian political equation has to overcome its ideological burdens and
engage decisively with Saudi diplomacy and its openings, which led to the
dismantling of the US sanctions and to the rehabilitation of Syria’s
international status. Syria is experiencing for the first time the possibility
of dealing with the Western liberal democracies. The French, Saudi and Turkish
coordinated moves with the American diplomacy are offering Syria, for the first
time in its history, the chance of successful political and economic reforms
that put it on the road to peace and post-war reconstruction.
Ahmad al-Sharaa is offered a golden opportunity while his coalition of
international jihadists is trying to preempt the normalization course from
taking hold. His clumsy and shortsighted approach to the ethno-national question
in Syria should come to an end decisively. There is no more time for
procrastination and political waffling if Syria is to safeguard the chances of
recovery and progressive reconciliation and reconstruction. No more room for
political hindsight, ideological debilitation and double-dealing.
The case of Lebanon is tragically illustrative of the hostage-taking policies
attempted by Arab and Muslim power politics, Third World leftism and the
ravaging effects of Iranian power politics. Lebanon has no chance to oversee the
end of its enduring nightmares unless it capitalizes on the new Israeli
strategic and political dynamics to do away with the shackles of the
long-standing political prostration induced by the domination politics and the
systematic battering of its sovereignty.
The ludicrous attempt of the newly established executive to condone domination
politics and their recycled ideological frauds is hazardous. The executive
should make it explicit to Hezbollah and its Iranian mentor that political and
military extraterritoriality have no more place, and they cannot usurp the
constitutional coverage provided by the Lebanese government anymore. The
beginning of a new era cannot allow for fake political interims that betray the
ideological blinders of an inconsistent and incompetent cabinet and the lack of
resolve of an inhibited presidency.
With Assad Down and Sanctions Lifted, Are Syrian Refugees Finally Being Pressed
to Leave?
Natasha Metni Torbey/This is Beirut/May 19/2025
The startling decision by United States President Donald Trump to lift economic
sanctions on Syria, coupled with the collapse of the Assad regime, could
fundamentally reshape how the Syrian displaced population in Lebanon is managed
– unless their permanent return to Syria remains excluded from the agreement
being brokered among the key parties involved.
Context
This decision disrupts the regional balance of power. On May 13, while in Saudi
Arabia, Trump announced the complete lifting of US sanctions on Syria, ending
more than a decade of economic isolation imposed on Damascus. The move follows
the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8,
2024, toppled by a combination of popular dissent and the withdrawal of his last
remaining international supporters.
In Lebanon, this geopolitical shift carries immediate and urgent implications:
what will happen to the roughly 1.5 million displaced Syrians currently living
on its territory – an official figure, although experts estimate the number
exceeds 2 million? What will become of the humanitarian aid mechanisms that
support them? Will these programs continue, or will the new regional reality
prompt a fundamental reassessment?
Is This the End of a Diplomatic Rationale?
For years, the stance upheld by numerous NGOs, United Nations agencies and
Western diplomatic circles was unequivocal: as long as Syria remained under an
authoritarian regime and subject to sanctions, the return of displaced persons
was neither safe, dignified nor sustainable. This position served to justify the
continuation of extensive aid programs, particularly in Lebanon.
Today, however, that rationale is unraveling. “There is no longer any
justification – be it humanitarian, economic, political or legal – for keeping
these populations in host countries, including Lebanon,” a source close to the
dossier explains. “With the fall of the regime and the lifting of sanctions, the
path to return is now both technically and politically open,” they insist.
The Driving Factors
First, the political and security “risk” has been removed – even though it was
widely known that Syrians were regularly crossing between Damascus and Beirut
during the war under Assad’s regime. These movements took place in plain view of
the international community and local authorities, who, for years, deliberately
chose to stay silent – for reasons that were widely understood.
These underlying motives also help explain the billions of euros channeled in
recent years by major international humanitarian institutions – such as the
European Commission – to “support Lebanon’s socio-economic stability.” At the
time, Europe was increasingly alarmed by the rise in irregular migration,
particularly from Lebanese shores, which it came to see as a growing threat. To
avoid bearing that burden itself, the EU opted to shift it onto more
“vulnerable” countries. In return for hosting Syrian refugees, the EU pledged
“generosity” toward several states – including Turkey in 2016, and more recently
Tunisia, Egypt and Mauritania through agreements signed in March 2024. A veiled
form of inducement that proved highly effective – one that ultimately served
European interests.
A few months later, in May 2024, EU President Ursula von der Leyen was relying
on Lebanon’s “good cooperation” to stem irregular migration to Europe. That
cooperation, naturally, came with a price tag: a €1 billion package was
announced, including €736 million to address the Syrian crisis and €264 million
to support Lebanon’s security forces, particularly in controlling its borders.
While these sums fall well short of actual needs – the annual cost of hosting
Syria’s displaced population in Lebanon is estimated at $2 billion – they appear
to have been sufficient to “placate” parts of the Lebanese political class.
Though this chapter may seem far removed, its effects remain very much in force.
The May 2024 agreement between the EU and Lebanon sets aid disbursements to span
three years, with the program not scheduled to end until 2027. This timeline
effectively governs the continued presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
That is, unless the newly formed Lebanese government asserts its sovereignty –
as pledged in its ministerial declaration – and enforces the rule of law,
particularly laws affirming Lebanon as a transit country rather than a permanent
host.
This refers to the 2003 memorandum of understanding between Lebanon’s General
Security and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in
Beirut, which establishes that Lebanon is not a country of permanent asylum.
Under this protocol, the UNHCR is responsible for relocating displaced persons
to third countries within six months – renewable only once in exceptional cases.
This legal framework has been largely overlooked by both Lebanese authorities
and the international community. In a previous interview with This is Beirut, a
senior European Commission official acknowledged, “It’s true that Lebanon’s
needs exceed the aid provided, but don’t forget that the country benefits
economically from the presence of displaced Syrians, since the foreign currency
we channel to Syrians stays within Lebanon.” He added, “Not to mention the labor
they provide – many Lebanese tend to shy away from jobs that Syrians take on.”
Such remarks are sure to unsettle the few who remain committed to the principle
of sovereignty.
Lebanon at a Tipping Point
For Lebanon, grappling with its worst economic crisis in a century, the
continued presence of displaced Syrians raises fears of reaching a demographic,
economic and social tipping point. “Lebanese society has reached saturation,”
warns a local political analyst. This concern is heightened by the fall of
Assad’s regime and escalating communal tensions in Syria – particularly among
the new armed forces of Ahmad al-Chareh, the Alawites and the Druze – as Lebanon
faces new waves of displacement.
According to figures from Lebanon’s General Security Directorate, there are
2,080,000 Syrian nationals in the country – “more than half of Lebanon’s
estimated resident population of under four million,” warns Samir Daher, the
advisor to former Prime Minister Najib Mikati. He adds that this ratio continues
to rise due to thousands of Syrian births recorded each year – 40,000 in 2023
compared to 65,000 Lebanese births – bringing the total number of Syrian births
since the start of the migration wave to 280,000. In addition to Syrians, “other
foreign residents in Lebanon include 270,000 Palestinians and 250,000 Arab,
African and Asian nationals employed as domestic workers, gas station attendants
and cleaning staff,” he adds. Altogether, “6.5 million people live within
Lebanon’s 10,452 km² territory, resulting in a population density of 620
inhabitants per km² – one of the highest in the world, only exceeded by Monaco,
Singapore and Hong Kong.”Some political leaders are already calling for a swift
revision of refugee policies, while others more directly urge the UN to
coordinate a supervised return plan to Syria. How those most affected will
respond is still uncertain. Many – especially those from devastated regions or
who have faced persecution – remain cautious. The regime change in Syria does
not erase deep trauma or lingering resentment. Yet for others, the lifting of
sanctions offers a fragile but real prospect of return. The coming months will
be critical. One thing is clear: the status quo is no longer sustainable.
Pakistan’s actions should be called state-sponsored
terrorism
Jos Joseph, opinion contributor/The Hill/May 19, 2025
As a tenuous ceasefire settles after yet another outbreak of military actions
between India and Pakistan, the U.S. finds itself in a curious position as
peacemaker. Clearly, America’s leaders want (and need) to do everything to keep
the calm between two nuclear nations with a long history of animosity toward
each other and work toward a solution that ensures that violence doesn’t resume.
But there is something the U.S., and the world, need to come to terms with.
Pakistan continually engages in state sponsored terrorism.
The investigation into the Pahalgam attacks will eventually reveal how much of a
role, if any, that Pakistan had in funding, training and abetting the
terrorists. Despite this, there is an uncomfortable truth that Pakistan and its
allies (including the U.S.) fail to admit. There are many terrorist groups
inside the Pakistani borders. And they aren’t exactly hiding from the Pakistani
government. The Pakistani government has been accused by not just India but Iran
and Afghanistan of providing safe havens for terrorist groups. Also, ask any
veteran of Afghanistan, and they will confirm that Pakistan’s Northwest tribal
areas were a de facto safe haven for groups (including the Taliban) as they
crossed into Afghanistan to fight and kill Americans. When Al Qaeda fled the
U.S. assault in 2001, they fled into, you guessed it, Pakistan.
Most infamously, we all know that Osama Bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan. We
also know that the Obama administration and the U.S. military did everything
possible to not tell the Pakistani government or military about the operation to
kill Bin Laden because they could not trust them with the information. That
sentence alone should have been damning, but in this complex world of
geopolitics, the U.S. decided the embarrassment of Pakistan harboring Bin Laden
was enough. Except it wasn’t.
In the years since, the Taliban moved in and out of Afghanistan with such
regularity that Obama had to increase the number of drone strikes inside
Pakistan. Think about that for a second. We had to launch missile strikes on an
ally because they had thousands of terrorists inside their borders.
The Pakistanis were among the first to call for talks with the new Taliban
government after the U.S. exit, claiming the Taliban victory had “broken the
shackles of slavery.” There was a small problem. The Taliban’s origins in
Pakistan means there are plenty of Pakistani Taliban supporters who want that
type of government where they live.
These Pakistan Taliban militants are now carrying out terror attacks on
Pakistanis. You read that right. The terror group that the Pakistani government
supported is now killing Pakistani citizens while operating out of Pakistan.
The Inter-Service Intelligence, Pakistan’s intelligence service has long had a
comfortable relationship with the Taliban, much to the chagrin of the United
States and others. But they didn’t just help the Taliban. We know that the
Inter-Service Intelligence has funded and trained groups with the intent of
carrying out terror operations in India. Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terror group inside
Pakistan, carried out the 2001 terror attack on India’s Parliament and the 2008
Mumbai attacks.
The training, weapons, money and planning all originated in Pakistan. Here’s the
thing. They are still in Pakistan. Its founder Hafiz Saeed, has a $10 million
bounty on his head by the United States and yet he sits in a military protected
residence with a private park in Pakistan.
Iran also claims that Pakistan has funded terrorists to conduct attacks within
its borders and has itself launched attacks on terror sites in Pakistan. Iran
said that Pakistan is funding Sunni separatists movements in eastern Iran. If
that sounds familiar, it is the exact same playbook that India claims Pakistan
is doing in Indian controlled Jammu and Kashmir.
Iran accusing Pakistan of terrorism might cause American readers some
bemusement. After all, the U.S. has designated Iran a state sponsor of terrorism
because of “repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.”
Cuba, North Korea and Syria are on that list too. But if you do that math, you
might be left scratching your head. Pakistani terror groups (including the
Taliban) have killed more Americans than Iran, Cuba, North Korea and Syria
combined. Pakistan has more known terror groups within its borders than these
countries and has allowed those groups to conduct attacks on all its neighbors
as well as its own citizens. If India and Pakistan sit down to talk, President
Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio need to take a hard line on Pakistan.
It was already worrying that Pakistan is using Chinese fighters in this current
conflict, giving the Chinese valuable data on how their fighter does in combat.
They should also be worried about Pakistan’s plan to let China build a port in
Gwadar, which would be a massive threat to the U.S. and its access to the
Persian Gulf.
But even more important is the worry that Pakistan and its Inter-Service
Intelligence will continue to support and foster terrorist groups that will
attack India, allowing them to plan attacks on targets much closer to home.
*Jos Joseph is a master’s candidate at the Harvard Extension School at Harvard
University. He is a Marine veteran who served in Iraq and lives in Anaheim,
Calif.
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