English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For May 21/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
God Of mercies and all consolation, consoles
us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any
affliction
Second Letter to the Corinthians 01/03-07/:”Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all
consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to
console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we
ourselves are consoled by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant
for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. If we are being
afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled,
it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the
same sufferings that we are also suffering. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we
know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.”
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on May 20-21/2025
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
A video link to an interview with young activist Marwan al-Hindi from the "Al-Badeel"
YouTube Platform
Abbas to discuss weapons in Lebanon’s Palestinian camps during Beirut visit:
delegation member
Lebanon pushes for local elections despite Israeli attacks
Lebanon has ‘more’ to do on Hezbollah disarming: US deputy envoy
Lebanon says 9 wounded in Israeli strike
One killed in Israel's strikes Monday on south Lebanon
Palestinian official says Lebanon camps to keep light weapons
Hajjar says elections to continue in South even if Israeli attacks occur
President Aoun thanks Iraq for a $20 million aid pledge to Lebanon
Lebanon’s municipal elections cost $8 million: Could electronic voting be the
solution?
Equal rules for all banks: Lebanon's central bank seeks fast-track solution to
return billions in trapped deposits
Gunfire in Shatila: Drug dispute leaves one dead during Beirut elections
Lebanese army raids homes in Younine after fatal election-related shooting
Ex-Mustaqbal official clenches Beirut municipal seat from rival, broad coalition
Man extradited by Lebanon held in Denmark for 'seeking drones for Hamas'
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published
on May 20-21/2025
Video Link: Former US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford: This is how we
trained Ahmed al-Sharaa to move into politics!
Iran’s supreme leader rejects US stance on uranium enrichment
Strikes on Gaza kill at least 60 people, local officials say, as criticism
against Israel mounts
Israel is letting a trickle of aid into Gaza for the first time in 2 1/2 months.
Here's what to know
UK suspends free trade talks with Israel, announces sanctions over West Bank
settlers
Canada's Israel statement garners Hamas praise, condemnation from Jewish,
Israeli groups
Europe lifts all remaining sanctions on Syria
Jordan and Syria agree on roadmap to cooperate in energy, transport
Drought-hit Syrian farmers hope sanctions reprieve will restore agriculture
Kallas hopes EU ministers agree to lift Syria economic sanctions
Europe lifts all remaining sanctions on Syria
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sourceson
on May 20-21/2025
Why It’s Time for the U.S. and Canada to Merge—With Carney in
Charge/Norman Pearlstine, Jane Boon/The Daily Beast/May 20/2025
Democrats bash Netanyahu’s escalation in Gaza/Mike Lillis/The Hill./May 20, 2025
Open Letter to President Trump Urging Him to Prevent an Iranian Nuclear
Arsenal/Alan Dershowitz and Andrew Stein/Gatestone Institute/May 20, 2025
How President Trump’s Middle East tour signaled a bold reset in US foreign
policy/Jonathan Gornall/Arab News/May 20, 2025
Trump’s Gulf tour: Engineering a new regional order or managing crises?/Dr.
Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/May 20, 2025
From the ‘past’ of summits to the economy of ‘state builders’/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq
Al-Awsat/May 20, 2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on May 20-21/2025
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.
A video link to an
interview with young activist Marwan al-Hindi from the "Al-Badeel" YouTube
Platform
Mr. M. Hindi discusses his sovereign and independent stances in regards to all
of Lebanon's current problematic issues, most notably normalization with Israel,
federalism, the Taif Agreement, the hesitant practices of the new government,
the possibility of establishing a Christian state if conditions are ripe,
disarming Hezbollah, and his wish that Abu Arz would have be elected president
of the republic to lead the next phase of peace.
May 20, 2025
Abbas to discuss weapons in
Lebanon’s Palestinian camps during Beirut visit: delegation member
AFP/May 20, 2025
RAMALLAH: A member of Mahmoud Abbas’ delegation to Beirut told AFP on Tuesday
that the Palestinian president will discuss the issue of weapons in Lebanon’s
Palestinian refugee camps during his three-day visit to the country.
“The issue of Palestinian weapons in the camps will be one of the topics on the
agenda for discussion between President Abbas, the Lebanese President and the
Lebanese government,” said Ahmad Majdalani, a member of the Palestine Liberation
Organization’s executive committee who is accompanying Abbas on the visit.
Lebanon pushes for local elections despite Israeli attacks
NAJIA HOUSSARI/Arab News/May 20, 2025
BEIRUT: The Lebanese government still faces one final — and perhaps the most
security sensitive — electoral challenge: the elections in the South and
Nabatieh governorates. These elections, scheduled for their fourth phase this
coming Saturday, will be held during ongoing Israeli incursions south and north
of the Litani River.Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, in the southern city of
Sidon on Tuesday, affirmed that “the government is mindful of the potential for
Israeli violations and assaults during the municipal elections scheduled for
Saturday. However, the decision remains clear and resolute regarding the
continuation of the electoral process regardless of the circumstances.”The
minister emphasized to Mansour Daou, the governor of South Lebanon, and
representatives of the security, military, and judicial agencies in the South,
“the state’s commitment to ensuring that the elections are conducted with
integrity and safety,” underscoring their significance as part of the
reconstruction process for the people of the South. In the lead-up to the
elections, an Israeli military drone targeted a motorcycle on the road between
Mansouri and Majdalzoun in the Tyre district, resulting in reports from the
Ministry of Health indicating that “nine individuals were injured, including two
children, with three of the injured in critical condition.”Another Israeli drone
launched a bomb at fishermen off the coast of Ras Al-Naqoura. Attention in the
south is focused on two issues: observing the extent to which people will
participate in the elections, particularly those whose homes were destroyed and
displaced to other villages; and monitoring Hezbollah’s ability to maintain its
popularity in the south, where the devastation and rubble are still visible to
the public. To date, no reconstruction has occurred in any facilities either
north or south of the Litani River, because Israel has turned the border area
into a devastated and desolate zone, maintaining its occupation of five
strategic hills and daily thwarting any attempts to establish readymade rooms
for logistical purposes to assist the affected population. The latest data from
the Lebanese Ministry of Health, as of May 12, indicates that since the
ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on Nov. 27, “Israel has
killed 156 individuals and injured 376 others, with a total of 3,138 air and
maritime violations recorded.”According to the Israeli army, “by the end of
April, around 140 Hezbollah members had been eliminated, with the vast majority
of assassinations (more than 50 percent) taking place south of the Litani River.
Assassinations north of the Litani River and in the Bekaa region accounted for
48 percent of the operations; 33.3 percent north of the Litani River and 14.7
percent in the Bekaa.”The Israeli army claimed that “the majority of the
assassinated members belonged to Hezbollah’s Aziz, Nasr and Badr units.” In a
new study, the Israeli Alma Center stated: “Those individuals were involved in
the rehabilitation of infrastructure on the ground.”
Lebanon has ‘more’ to do on Hezbollah disarming: US deputy envoy
AFP/May 20, 2025
DOHA: Lebanon still has “more” to do in disarming Hezbollah following the war
between the Iran-backed group and Israel, Deputy US Envoy for the Middle East
Morgan Ortagus said Tuesday. As part of a deal agreed to end 14 months of
fighting last November, Hezbollah was to withdraw its fighters north of
Lebanon’s Litani River, while Israel was to pull all its forces from south
Lebanon. The Lebanese army has been deploying in the area as Israeli forces have
withdrawn and has been dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure there. UN
peacekeepers are also present in the area and play a role in supervising the
ceasefire. Lebanese authorities “have done more in the last six months than they
probably have in the last 15 years,” Ortagus said at the Qatar Economic Forum
referring to efforts to disarm Hezbollah. “However, there’s a lot more to go,”
she added. “We in the United States have called for the full disarmament of
Hezbollah. And so that doesn’t mean just south of the Litani. That means in the
whole country,” Ortagus said at the Qatar conference calling on Lebanese
politicians “to make a decision.” It has also continued to launch raids on its
neighbor despite the ceasefire. Last month, President Joseph Aoun said the army
was deployed in more than 85 percent of Lebanon’s south, and that the sole
obstacle to full control across the frontier area was “Israel’s occupation of
five border positions.”In defiance of the ceasefire agreement, the Israeli
military continues to occupy five positions close to the border that it has
declared to be strategic.
Lebanon says 9 wounded in Israeli strike
AFP/May 20, 2025
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli strike on Tuesday wounded nine
people in the country’s south, the latest attack despite a ceasefire between
Israel and militant group Hezbollah. The latest reported strike, which the
Israeli military did not immediately comment on, came a day after Israel said it
had killed a member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force in the border area of
Hula. The Lebanese health ministry on Tuesday said that an “Israeli enemy drone”
hit a motorcycle in the coastal Tyre district. Nine people were wounded in the
attack including three in “critical condition,” the ministry said, adding that
two children were among the victims. Israel has continued to launch strikes on
its northern neighbor despite the November truce that sought to halt more than a
year of hostilities with Iran-backed Hezbollah including two months of
full-blown war. Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, only UN peacekeepers and
the Lebanese army should be deployed in southern Lebanon, though Israel has
retained its forces in five areas it has declared strategic.Lebanon has called
on the international community to pressure Israel to end its attacks and
withdraw all its troops.
One killed in Israel's strikes Monday on south Lebanon
Agence France Presse/May 20, 2025
At least one person was killed on Monday and three others wounded by Israeli
attacks on multiple locations across southern Lebanon, authorities said, despite
a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.An Israeli drone strike on the
outskirts of the border village of Houla killed one person, the Lebanese health
ministry said in a statement. The Israeli military later said it had "struck and
eliminated a terrorist in Hezbollah's Radwan force in the area of Houla."In two
other incidents near the border, three people were wounded, the ministry
said.Israel has continued to launch strikes on Lebanon despite the November 27
truce that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah
including two months of full-blown war. On Sunday, two people, including a
Lebanese soldier, were wounded in an Israeli strike, the Lebanese Army said. The
Israeli military said it had launched a strike against a Hezbollah member and
was not operating against the Lebanese Army. Under the terms of the ceasefire
deal, the only armed bodies in southern Lebanon are meant to be U.N.
peacekeepers and Lebanon's army, though Israel has retained its forces in five
areas it has declared strategic.
Palestinian official says Lebanon camps to keep light
weapons
Naharnet/May 20, 2025
The issue of Palestinian arms in Lebanon might be the “last” topic on the agenda
of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to Lebanon this week, a
Beirut-based Palestinian official said on Tuesday. “This topic is new and is not
the priority for the Lebanese and Palestinians,” Haitham Zuaiter, a member of
the Palestinian central and national councils, told Al-Jadeed television. “There
is no proposal for removing Palestinian arms in Lebanon,” Zuaiter said,
reminding that the national dialogue sessions chaired by Speaker Nabih Berri had
called for “removing Palestinian arms outside the camps and controlling them
inside the camps” and that “President Joseph Aoun has called for the removal of
heavy-caliber arms.”“We support bringing Palestinian arms under control inside
the Palestinian camps within the framework of serious discussions and a drastic
solution,” Zuaiter went on to say.
He added: “Honestly we cannot talk about the issue of Palestinian arms without
resolving the Palestinian issue in the Lebanese arena in a comprehensive
way.”Warning that Israel might target Palestinian camps in Lebanon the same it
has targeted refugee camps in the Palestinian territories, Zuaiter said Abbas
will tell Lebanese officials that “the Lebanese Army should not enter the
Palestinian camps by force.”“Palestinian security forces are in charge of
security inside the camps and would coordinate with Lebanese authorities,” the
Palestinian officials added, noting that “arms must be under the authority of
the Lebanese state.” “What’s needed is to prevent a repetition of the (1982)
Sabra and Shatila massacre and had there been light weapons (in the hands of the
Palestinians at the time), this massacre would not have happened,” Zuaiter
added.
Hajjar says elections to continue in South even if Israeli
attacks occur
Naharnet/May 20, 2025
Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar visited Sidon on Tuesday and hoped the
municipal and mayoral elections in the South on Saturday will be an occasion for
the state to “restore its presence and stress its sovereignty in the
South.”Asked about possible Israeli attacks during the electoral process, Hajjar
said: “I reiterate that the Lebanese state’s decision is clear and that it is
not possible to bargain on its sovereignty over the land of the sacred South and
all southern villages.”“Certainly a part of the South is still occupied and
Israeli attacks and violations are continuing, but the Lebanese state and
government, starting with the president, the PM and the interior minister, are
carrying out the necessary contacts to halt the violations in general, but
specifically during the elections period in the South and during the counting of
votes and the issuance of results,” Hajjar added.Hoping contacts with the
ceasefire monitoring committee will lead to “a calm electoral day on Saturday,”
the minister said: “Anyhow, we are not awaiting guarantees, but we are
determined to hold the elections and practice our sovereignty and presence in
this dear part of our land.”Asked about the impact of any Israeli attack on the
electoral process, the minister said: “If any violation or attack happens, the
decision is clear: continuing the electoral process and dealing with the
situation on the ground.”“Of course we have our vision for the distribution of
polling stations, how to deal with the movement of voters and the deployment of
security forces. Based on thism we hope the security plan will have a positive
impact leading to a successful electoral day,” Hajjar went on to say.
President Aoun thanks Iraq
for a $20 million aid pledge to Lebanon
LBCI/May 20, 2025
President Joseph Aoun spoke by phone with the Iraqi Prime Minister and expressed
his gratitude for Iraq’s announcement during the Baghdad summit to provide $20
million in aid to Lebanon. The contribution is part of Iraq’s support for
Lebanon’s recovery efforts.Aoun said the initiative adds to similar Iraqi
efforts that highlight the deep ties between Lebanon and Iraq, as well as the
"bonds of brotherhood and solidarity" shared by the Lebanese and Iraqi peoples.
Lebanon’s municipal elections cost $8 million: Could
electronic voting be the solution?
LBCI/May 20, 2025
Lebanon’s ongoing municipal elections are costing $8 million, according to
Information International. That figure covers everything from poll worker
payments and ink supplies to transporting election materials across the country.
But the real cost goes beyond the state budget. It includes the strain on
citizens who wait in long lines, the fatigue of security forces and health
workers mobilized for the event, and even the journalists covering it. The
current election process in Lebanon involves a full day of logistics, pressure
at polling stations, and campaign workers handing out lists, causing stress and
long waits for voters. A streamlined alternative would allow voters to cast
their ballots from home, eliminating lines, reducing stress, and preventing
outside interference. That’s what electronic voting offers—already implemented
in Brazil, Estonia, India, and the Philippines. These nations have saved
millions of dollars and reduced chaos at the polls. In Lebanon, there’s at least
some movement in that direction. The National Liberal Party has developed a
prototype for a mobile voting app that costs just $85,000—about 1% of the
current municipal election budget. However, questions remain about how secure
such a system would be. Still, the project offers a glimpse of what’s possible.
But real progress depends on political will—something Lebanon’s leaders have
often lacked. Instead, the country keeps circling the same excuses:
cybersecurity concerns, unreliable electricity, weak internet infrastructure—and
perhaps most importantly, politicians uneasy with the idea of clean, transparent
elections run by technology.
Equal rules for all banks: Lebanon's central bank seeks
fast-track solution to return billions in trapped deposits
LBCI/May 20, 2025
If you’ve been benefiting from Banque du Liban’s circulars and withdrawing $500
or $250 per month, depending on your individual limit, you’re likely wondering
whether those amounts will increase soon. So far, there is no definitive
decision from the central bank on the matter. According to banking sources, the
current priority is finding a swift and comprehensive solution to the issue of
frozen deposits in Lebanese banks. “It is essential that deposits be returned to
their owners in full,” said Banque du Liban Governor Karim Souaid during his
first meeting with a delegation from the Association of Banks in Lebanon. The
governor shared his vision and ideas for restoring the central bank’s financial
balance to distribute losses and responsibilities eventually. According to
available figures, the total value of frozen deposits is estimated at around $85
billion. The governor is working on a plan to reduce that amount by addressing
irregularities that occurred both before and after the onset of the crisis.
Among the proposed ideas, according to banking sources, is the deduction of
certain amounts from specific categories of deposits. These include individuals
who benefited from high interest rates and financial engineering schemes, those
who repaid dollar-denominated loans in Lebanese lira at the official rate of
1,500 LBP or other below-market rates, and those who converted their deposits
from Lebanese lira to U.S. dollars at the 1,500 rate after the 2019 crisis.
Deductions may also apply to accounts with sources of funds deemed suspicious.
Following such deductions—or partial deductions—the total value of deposits
would be reduced, making repayment more manageable. Responsibility for repaying
depositors would be shared among the state, Banque du Liban, and the banks,
which would be required to increase their capital and liquidity. The governor
reportedly told the Association of Banks that all financial institutions will be
treated equally, with no favoritism, emphasizing his role as a regulator rather
than a stakeholder. He also underlined the importance of maintaining the central
bank’s independence from the state, in order to protect its assets from
potential lawsuits by Eurobond holders against the Lebanese government. Such
legal action could target Lebanon’s gold reserves, which are owned by the
central bank and ultimately by depositors. Sources within the Association of
Banks described the meeting as positive, especially because they were included
in the vision, ideas, and dialogue aimed at resolving the crisis—a shift from
previous approaches in which the association was excluded from discussions.
Gunfire in Shatila: Drug dispute leaves one dead during
Beirut elections
LBCI/May 20, 2025
As polling stations opened across Beirut on Sunday to elect a new municipal
council, the southern neighborhood of Shatila witnessed a violent clash between
drug traffickers that left Marwan Jumaa dead. Security sources confirmed that
Jumaa was not involved in the altercation.The dispute broke out between
Palestinians Wissam L. and his two brothers on one side, and Wasim H., his
brother, and Adi A. on the other, reportedly over drug trafficking. The Lebanese
army deployed patrols and reinforced its presence around the camp, located
behind Beirut’s Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium.
It worked to contain the situation without taking measures that would disrupt
the electoral process, which continued through the vote count. On Monday,
fighting resumed between the same parties, though no injuries were reported. The
individuals named in the incident are now wanted by security forces. It is worth
noting that neither the army nor other security agencies are stationed inside
any of Lebanon’s camps, including Shatila. Such drug-related clashes are not
new. They mirror previous incidents, as the camp has long been a hub for drug
trafficking in Beirut. Nearly a year ago, the army carried out a bold raid on
the so-called “Shatila drug hangar,” seizing large quantities of narcotics,
arresting 37 suspects, and demolishing the facility. Though such confrontations
are recurring, the latest violence comes ahead of Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas’ visit to Lebanon, where discussions are expected to focus on the
disarmament of Palestinian factions inside the country’s 11 camps. It remains to
be seen whether efforts to resolve the issue of Palestinian weapons will be
fast-tracked.
Lebanese army raids homes in Younine after fatal
election-related shooting
LBCI/May 20, 2025
As part of efforts to pursue those who opened fire during municipal and mukhtar
elections, a Lebanese army unit backed by a military intelligence patrol raided
the homes of wanted individuals in the town of Younine, Baalbek. Three
citizens—(M.Q.), (A.Q.), and (H.Q.)—were arrested for firing shots over election
results, an incident that led to the death of a civilian.
Ex-Mustaqbal official
clenches Beirut municipal seat from rival, broad coalition
Naharnet/May 20, 2025
Al-Mustaqbal Movement’s former Beirut coordinator Mahmoud al-Jamal, a retired
brigadier general, has managed to clench a seat on Beirut’s new municipal
council, preventing a list comprising most political parties from winning all 24
seats. Al-Jamal’s win came at the expense of Elie Andrea, a Greek Orthodox
member of the rival list who was backed by Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut
Elias Audi. Andrea was the subject of “dismay, especially among Greek Orthodox
voters, which led to the redaction of his name by voters due to his bad
performance as a member of the outgoing municipal council,” the Nidaa al-Watan
newspaper reported on Tuesday. Andrea had also faced a social media campaign
against him prior to the elections against the backdrop of his dispute with
outgoing municipal chief Jamal Itani, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported. This
is the first time in decades that sees Muslims outnumbering Christians in the
municipal council. The country’s rival political parties had formed an electoral
alliance in Beirut under the excuse of preserving Christian-Muslim parity.
Political rivals such as Hezbollah and the Lebanese Forces came together to form
the list, which also comprised the Amal Movement, the Kataeb Party, the Free
Patriotic Movement, al-Ahbash, the Tashnag Party, the Hunchak Party, the
Progressive Socialist Party and MP Fouad Makhzoumi. Al-Jamal’s list was backed
by MP Nabil Bader and the Jamaa Islamiya and apparently received votes from
Mustaqbal supporters. 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 only 21% in Beirut,
which has historically witnessed similar low turnout levels.
Man extradited by Lebanon
held in Denmark for 'seeking drones for Hamas'
Agence France Presse/May 20, 2025
A 28-year-old man was remanded in custody in Denmark on Monday on suspicions of
purchasing drones to be used in a Hamas "terrorist attack", Danish intelligence
said Monday. Flemming Drejer, head of operations at Denmark's PET intelligence
service, said in a statement it believed that "this individual purchased drones
intended for use by Hamas in a terrorist attack at an unknown location in
Denmark or abroad."Appearing before a court on Monday, the man was remanded in
custody until June 11. PET said the case had links to both Hamas and criminal
gangs in Denmark, and related to a number of arrests made in December 2023 as
part of an operation to prevent a suspected planned "terrorist attack".Six
people were ordered detained at the time, four in absentia, among them the
28-year-old man, who Danish media reports said was a prominent figure in
organized crime in Copenhagen. According to public broadcaster DR, the suspect
had been extradited from Lebanon over a separate double murder case. "PET and
the Prosecution Service believe that the individual is a leading figure in a
prohibited gang and has ties to Hamas," PET said.Danish intelligence has
repeatedly indicated that the conflict in the Middle East has a "spillover
effect" on the "threat landscape" in the Scandinavian country. "The conflict
holds considerable potential for mobilization that may prompt a number of
spontaneous or premeditated reactions, including terrorist attacks, from various
known and unknown threat actors," PET said.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News
published
on May 20-21/2025
Video Link: Former US Ambassador to Syria
Robert Ford: This is how we trained Ahmed al-Sharaa to move into politics!
May 20/2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c3EpWmWBxY
Zack On Twitter X May 20/2025
@zackmousou
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/05/143499/
Robert Ford, the former ambassador
to Syria, revealed during an international lecture at the invitation of the
Council on Foreign Relations in Baltimore on May 5, 2025, that he was part of a
team selected by the Metropolitan Non-Governmental Organization to explain the
rehabilitation of Abu Muhammad al-Julani and his transition from the world of
terrorism to normal politics. Ford said he met with him twice to train him on
this mission, starting in 2023 and 2024 (months before he entered Damascus). The
third time, in January 2025, he met him for ten days. This time, he met him at
the Presidential Palace. What did Robert Ford say to him, so that al-Sharaa
responded, "I will continue to surprise you, Mr. Robert?" And why did everyone
laugh? Ford commented, "He did it, with his teeth ripped out..."
Iran’s supreme leader rejects US stance on uranium enrichment
The Canadian Press/May 20, 2025
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday pushed back against U.S.
criticism of the country’s nuclear program, saying that Tehran won’t seek
permission from anyone to enrich uranium and calling American statements
“nonsense.”
“They say, ‘We won’t allow Iran to enrich uranium.’ That’s way out of line,”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said during a memorial for late President Ebrahim Raisi,
who died in a helicopter crash last year. “No one in Iran is waiting for their
permission. The Islamic Republic has its own policies and direction — and it
will stick to them.”Khamenei’s remarks came as indirect talks between Iran and
the U.S. reportedly continue, though he expressed doubt about their outcome.
“Yes, indirect negotiations were held during Raisi’s time too, just like now,”
he said. “But they didn’t go anywhere — and we don’t expect much from the
current ones either. Who knows what will happen.”His comments reflect Tehran’s
growing frustration with the stalled nuclear discussions, as well as the broader
tensions that have defined U.S.-Iran relations in recent years.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told the state-run IRNA news agency
that “no definitive decision has been made about the next round of
negotiations,” adding that “the Islamic Republic of Iran is reviewing the matter
while considering the U.S. side’s contradictory and constantly changing
positions.”IRNA also reported that Kazem Gharibabadi, the deputy foreign
minister, said that Tehran had received a proposal regarding the next round of
indirect talks with Washington and was currently reviewing it.
Strikes on Gaza kill at least 60 people, local officials
say, as criticism against Israel mounts
Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy And Tia Goldenberg/The Associated Press/May 20, 2025
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes pounded Gaza overnight and into
Tuesday, hitting a family home and a school-turned-shelter, and killing at least
60 people, Palestinian health officials said, as Israel pressed its war against
Hamas despite mounting international condemnation.
Israel launched another major offensive in the territory in recent days, saying
it aims to return dozens of hostages held by Hamas and destroy the militant
group. More than 300 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the
latest onslaught, according to local health officials.
Israel says it seeks to seize Gaza and hold on to territory there, displace
hundreds of thousands of people and secure aid distribution.
As the new offensive ramps up, Israel agreed to allow a limited amount of aid
into the war-ravaged territory of roughly 2 million people after a 2 1/2 month
blockade that prevented the entry of food, medicine and fuel, among other goods.
The blockade prompted warnings from food experts of a risk of famine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he made the decision to let in
minimal aid after pressure from allies, who he said couldn't support Israel so
long as “images of hunger” were coming out of Gaza. Criticism of Israel's
conduct intensified Monday when allies Canada, France and the United Kingdom
threatened "concrete actions” against the country, including sanctions, and
called on Israel to stop its “egregious” new military actions in Gaza. Netanyahu
rejected the criticism, saying it was “a huge prize” for Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023,
attack that would invite more such violence. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël
Barrot denounced the Israeli government’s “blind violence” in Gaza that he said
has turned the Palestinian territory into a “place of death.”“This must stop,”
Barrot told French radio France Inter on Tuesday. Jens Laerke, spokesman for the
U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA, said the world body had received approvals for
about 100 trucks to enter Gaza. But he said only five trucks have crossed into
Gaza since Monday and those do not appear to have been taken yet by aid groups
for distribution. It was not immediately clear what was causing the holdup. The
U.N. says that amount of trucks is just “drop in the ocean" of what is needed.
Some 600 trucks a day had entered during a ceasefire earlier this year.
Israeli politician criticizes killing ‘babies as a hobby’
Criticism against Israel's conduct in Gaza came also from inside the country,
with a leader of Israel's center-left politics saying on Tuesday that Israel was
becoming an “outcast among nations" because of the government's approach to the
war. “A sane country doesn’t engage in fighting against civilians, doesn’t kill
babies as a hobby and doesn’t set for itself the goals of expelling a
population,” Yair Golan, a retired general and leader of the opposition
Democrats party, told Reshet Bet radio. His comments were rare criticism from
within Israel of its wartime conduct in Gaza. Many Israelis have criticized
Netanyahu throughout the war, but that has been mostly limited to what opponents
argue are his political motives to continue the war. Criticism like Golan's,
over the war's toll on Palestinian civilians, has been almost unheard. Netanyahu
swiftly slammed Golan's remarks, calling them “wild incitement” against Israeli
soldiers and accusing Golan of echoing “disgraceful antisemitic blood libels”
against the country.Golan, who donned his uniform during Hamas' 2023 attack to
join the fight against the raiding militants, previously sparked an uproar when
as deputy military chief of staff in 2016, he likened the atmosphere in Israel
to that of Nazi-era Germany.
Strikes pound Gaza
Over recent days, strikes have pounded areas across Gaza and Israel has issued
evacuation orders for Gaza's second-largest city, Khan Younis, which endured a
previous offensive that left vast destruction. In the latest strikes, two in
northern Gaza hit a family home and a school-turned-shelter, killing at least 22
people, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health
Ministry. A strike in the central city of Deir al-Balah killed 13 people, and
another in the nearby built-up Nuseirat refugee camp killed 15, according to the
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Two strikes in the southern city of Khan Younis killed
10 people, according to Nasser Hospital. There was no immediate comment from the
Israeli military, which says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for
civilian deaths because the group operates in densely populated areas. 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 is letting a trickle of aid into Gaza for the first
time in 2 1/2 months. Here's what to know
Joseph Krauss/The Associated Press/May 20, 2025
Israel has begun allowing a trickle of food and medicine into the Gaza Strip
after sealing the territory's 2 million Palestinians off from all imports for
more than 2 1/2 months.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he eased the blockade under pressure from
unnamed allies to shore up support for Israel's latest major offensive against
Hamas. Israeli strikes have killed hundreds of Palestinians in recent days, and
the humanitarian crisis is the worst it's been in 19 months of war. United
Nations agencies and aid groups, which ran out of food to distribute weeks ago,
have welcomed the move but say the promised aid is nowhere near what's needed.
Only five trucks have entered Gaza since Monday, the U.N. says, compared to
around 600 per day during a ceasefire earlier this year. Experts have warned of
famine if the blockade is not lifted and the military operation continues.
Nearly half a million Palestinians are facing possible starvation and 1 million
others can barely get enough food, according to the Integrated Food Security
Phase Classification, a leading international authority on the severity of
hunger crises. The U.K., France and Canada, close allies of Israel, called the
aid “wholly inadequate” and threatened “concrete actions," including sanctions,
over Israel's actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Here's a closer look.
Why is Israel blocking humanitarian aid?
Israel imposed a complete ban on imports on March 2, saying it hoped to pressure
Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement that was more favorable to Israel than the
one the group had signed in January. Two weeks later, Israel shattered the truce
with a wave of airstrikes that killed hundreds. Israel accuses Hamas of
siphoning off aid and using it to fund its military activities, without
providing evidence. The U.N. says there are mechanisms in place that prevent any
significant diversion of aid. Israel is also trying to pressure Hamas to release
more of the hostages it abducted in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the
war. In that assault, militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and
took 251 people hostage. Israel’s ensuing offensive has killed over 53,000
Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which says women and children
make up most of the dead but does not specify how many were fighters or
civilians. Hamas has said it will only return the remaining 58 hostages — around
a third of whom are believed to be alive — in exchange for more Palestinian
prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from the territory.
Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Israel will continue the war until
all the hostages are returned and Hamas is either destroyed or disarmed and sent
into exile. Even then, he has vowed to maintain control over the territory and
facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its
Palestinian population. Palestinians, the Arab world and most of the
international community have rejected those plans. Human rights experts say they
would likely amount to mass expulsion in violation of international law.
What impact has the blockade had on Gaza?
Gaza's population is almost entirely reliant on international aid, as Israel's
offensive has destroyed nearly all the territory's food production capabilities
and displaced some 90% of the population. Local markets offer only small amounts
of vegetables at exorbitant prices. Most people depend on charity kitchens that
have been steadily closing as they run out of food. Thousands gather outside
such kitchens each day, jostling with pots for a few ladles of soup, rice or
lentils. Many return empty-handed. The U.N. children's agency says over 9,000
children have been treated for malnutrition so far this year. Thousands of
pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as sick, older, or disabled people who
cannot push their way through the crowds, are also at heightened risk. Up to 20%
of Gaza’s estimated 55,000 pregnant women are malnourished, and half face
high-risk pregnancies, according to the United Nations Population Fund. In
February and March, at least 20% of newborns were born prematurely or suffered
from malnutrition or other complications.
Hospitals meanwhile say they are running low on medical supplies, even as they
cope with daily mass casualties from Israeli strikes.
What is Israel's plan for taking over aid distribution?
Netanyahu said this week's easing of the blockade is aimed at bridging the gap
before the rollout of a new system for distributing aid that Israel says is
aimed at keeping it out of Hamas' hands.
A new group supported by the United States, called the Gaza Humanitarian
Foundation, made up of American security contractors, former government and
humanitarian officials and ex-military officers, plans to establish four
distribution sites guarded by private security firms. Each would serve 300,000
people, with its total reach covering only around half the population. U.N.
agencies and aid groups have refused to take part in the plan, saying it won't
meet local needs and would violate humanitarian principles by letting Israel
control who receives aid, rather than delivering it based on need. They have
also warned that it will cause new waves of displacement as people are forced to
relocate to the hubs being built in southern Gaza. Those groups say there is
plenty of aid stockpiled just outside of Gaza and that they can quickly
distribute it within the territory if Israel allows them to.
UK suspends free trade talks with Israel, announces sanctions
over West Bank settlers
Associated Press/May 20, 2025
The British government says it is suspending free trade negotiations with Israel
and has leveled new sanctions targeting West Bank settlements as it criticizes
Israel's military actions in Gaza. Tuesday's actions came a day after the U.K,
France and Canada condemned Israel's handling of the war in Gaza and its actions
in the occupied West Bank. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the U.K.'s
existing trade agreement is in effect but the government can't continue
discussions with an Israeli government pursuing what he called egregious
policies in the West Bank and Gaza. Lammy said the persistent cycle of violence
by extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank demanded action. "The Israeli
government has a responsibility to intervene and halt these aggressive actions,"
Lammy said. "Their consistent failure to act is putting Palestinian communities
and the two-state solution in peril."The announcement came after British Prime
Minister Keir Starmer ramped up his criticism of Israel on Tuesday, saying the
level of suffering by children in Gaza was "utterly intolerable" and repeated
his call for a ceasefire.
"I want to put on record today that we're horrified by the escalation from
Israel," Starmer told the U.K.'s Parliament. His brief remarks followed a
scathing joint condemnation he issued Monday with French President Emmanuel
Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that marked one of the most
significant criticisms by close allies of Israel's handling of the war in Gaza
and its actions in the West Bank. The three leaders threatened to take "concrete
actions" if the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not
cease its renewed military offensive and significantly lift restrictions on
humanitarian aid. Netanyahu said the statement was "a huge prize" for Hamas.
Starmer repeated the trio's demand for a ceasefire, saying it was the only way
to free the hostages Hamas still holds. He also called for increased shipments
of humanitarian aid into Gaza, saying the basic quantity allowed by Israel is
"utterly inadequate.""We must coordinate our response, because this war has gone
on for far too long," Starmer said. "We cannot allow the people of Gaza to
starve."
International pressure has been building on Israel following a nearly
three-month blockade of supplies into Gaza that led to famine warnings. Even the
United States, a staunch ally of Israel, has voiced concerns over the growing
hunger crisis.
While Israel allowed trucks with baby food and desperately needed supplies to
begin rolling into Gaza on Monday, U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher
described the volume of aid a "drop in the ocean of what is urgently
needed."Israel initially received widespread international support to root out
Hamas militants following the group's surprise attack that killed some 1,200
people, mostly civilians, on Oct. 7, 2023, and took 251 captives. But patience
with Israel is wearing thin after more than 53,000 Palestinian deaths, mostly
women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't
differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. Israel's latest
onslaught has killed more than 300 people in recent days, local health officials
said.
In recent weeks, Macron intensified diplomatic efforts to put pressure on
Israel, urging a ceasefire and calling for lifting the blockade of humanitarian
aid. Last month, Macron said France should move toward recognizing a Palestinian
state, possibly in June when France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting an
international conference about implementing a two-state solution. The comments
came after a visit to Egypt during which he met with injured Palestinians at El
Arish hospital. Macron, who has said that recognizing Palestine is not a "taboo"
for France, last week suggested that revisiting the EU's cooperation agreements
with Israel is on the table. Tensions between France and Israel have escalated
after Macron called for stopping arms deliveries for use in Gaza in an October
radio interview, prompting Netanyahu's strong criticism. France also sought to
impose a ban on Israeli defense companies to prevent them from exhibiting
weapons at the Euronaval trade exhibition.Sweden seeks EU sanctions targeting
'individual Israeli ministers': minister to AFP. Sweden's top diplomat meanwhile
said that the Nordic country would work within the EU to push for sanctions
against certain Israeli ministers over Israel's treatment of civilian
Palestinians in Gaza."Since we do not see a clear improvement for the civilians
in Gaza, we need to raise the tone further. We will therefore now also push for
EU sanctions against individual Israeli ministers," Foreign Minister Maria
Malmer Stenergard said in a statement, adding that the officials targeted would
be the subject of discussions within the EU.
Canada's Israel statement garners Hamas praise, condemnation from
Jewish, Israeli groups
Bryan Passifiume/Toronto Sun/May 20, 2025
OTTAWA — It’s a step in the right direction.
That’s how Palestinian terror group Hamas described Monday’s joint
Canada/U.K./France statement on Israel, praising the move and calling on Arab
and Islamic states — as well as the rest of the world — to take “decisive and
concrete action” against “savage Zionist aggression.”Monday’s joint statement
called on Israel to halt military action in Gaza and resume humanitarian aid,
condemning suggestions by Israel of a forced relocation of civilians from Gaza.
“We will not stand by while the Netanyahu government pursues these egregious
actions,” the statement read.
“If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its
restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in
response.”Response was swift. Deputy Conservative Party Leader Melissa Lantsman
pointed out this was the second time Canada’s Israel policy earned praise from
Palestinian terrorists — with senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad praising
Canada’s support of a non-binding 2023 UN ceasefire resolution. “Canada can’t
claim to support Israel’s right to fight terrorism while threatening sanctions
that would force it to stop,” Lantsman told the Toronto Sun. “That hands a win
to Iran’s proxies. Hamas just thanked Canada — again. So much for thinking Mark
Carney would be any different — he’s not.”
Canada, U.K., France warn of concrete actions against Israel over military
expansion
Canada's joint statement on Israel misses mark: Ambassador
The joint statement also attracted ire from Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
“By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas
terrorists on our border are destroyed and by demanding a Palestinian state, the
leaders in London, Ottowa (sic) and Paris are offering a huge prize for the
genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities,”
read a statement posted to social media. “The war can end tomorrow if the
remaining hostages are released, Hamas lays down its arms, its murderous leaders
are exiled and Gaza is demilitarized. No nation can be expected to accept
anything less and Israel certainly won’t.”Canadian Jewish groups likewise
reacted with alarm. “The fact that Hamas has reportedly applauded the statement
issued by Canada, the U.K., and France speaks volumes about its misguided
premise,” said Noah Shack, interim president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish
Affairs (CIJA.) “If Israel were to cease targeting Hamas, hostages would remain
chained in tunnels and Hamas would repeat the October 7 massacre — as it has
explicitly vowed. If Hamas were to release the hostages and cease targeting
Israel, this war will come to an end. That is why thousands of Gazans are in the
streets today bravely protesting Hamas rule.”Hamas routinely hijacks Israeli aid
coming into Gaza and diverts it to fund its terror campaign against Israel. As
well, the Israeli government has furnished proof that important NGOs operating
in Gaza, namely UNRWA, act as tools of the Hamas regime — using the agency as a
de facto education ministry, and using UN infrastructure and resources to
further its goals. Gerald Steinberg, founder of Jerusalem-based think tank NGO
Monitor, said billions of dollars of taxpayer-funded aid from western nations
helped build the massive terror network used to carry out the Oct. 7, 2023
attacks. “Their erasure of the heinous reality of October 7 allows Hamas and its
allies to recover and repeat the indiscriminate targeting of Israeli civilians,”
he said.
“To be taken seriously, these governments will need to provide realistic
solutions for preventing the diversion of aid to groups like Hamas.”
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume
Europe lifts all remaining sanctions on Syria
Reuters/May 20, 2025
BRUSSELS: EU foreign ministers agreed on Tuesday to lift the bloc’s last
remaining economic sanctions on the new administration in Syria. “We want to
help the Syrian people rebuild a new, inclusive and peaceful Syria,” foreign
policy chief Kaja Kallas said. “The EU has always stood by Syrians throughout
the past 14 years, and will keep doing so.”Europe had already eased some
sanctions related to energy, transport and reconstruction, as well as associated
financial transactions, but many member states felt those measures were
insufficient to support Syria’s political transition and economic recovery. US
President Donald Trump ordered the end of American sanctions on Syria during a
visit to Riyadh this month. Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani said the
moves showed “regional and international will to support Syria.”He said: “The
Syrian people today have a very important and historic opportunity to rebuild
their country. The plan today is to benefit from the lifting of sanctions.
Anyone who wants to invest in Syria, the doors are open; anyone who wants to
cooperate with Syria, there are no sanctions.”
Al-Shaibani spoke on a visit to Jordan, where the two countries signed a new
cooperation agreement on energy, water, industry, trade, transport and health.
Syria was “in a new phase, and Syria’s success requires giving it a chance to
succeed,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said.
Jordan and Syria agree on roadmap to cooperate in energy,
transport
Arab News/May 20, 2025
LONDON: Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s minister of foreign affairs, on Tuesday discussed
strengthening cooperation during a meeting in Damascus with his Syrian
counterpart, Asaad Al-Shaibani. The Jordanian delegation included the ministers
of water, industry, trade, energy, and transport, who discussed coordination
with their Syrian counterparts and signed an agreement to establish a
coordination council between the two countries. Al-Shaibani said that diplomatic
efforts resulted in the lifting of European sanctions shortly after the US
announced it would lift sanctions on the country. He added that lifting
sanctions on Syria would enhance cooperation with Jordan in transport and
energy, positively affecting the region. The minister said Syria shares borders
with Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, and aims to maintain its security while
addressing threats, as its security would affect neighboring countries. Al-Shaibani
and Safadi opposed the Israeli intervention in Syria after the change of rule in
Damascus in December 2024, the SANA agency reported. Al-Shaibani said Syrians
are tired after 14 years of war, and the country wants to focus on maintaining
security and stability while finding solutions for vital issues such as energy
and electricity. Safadi and Al-Shaibani have agreed to establish a roadmap to
enhance cooperation in energy, transport, water, and health, SANA added.Safadi
said that Jordan is Syria’s gateway to the Arabian Gulf and the Arab world,
while Syria is Jordan’s gateway to Europe, and affirmed Amman’s support for
Syria.
Drought-hit Syrian farmers hope sanctions reprieve will restore
agriculture
Kinda Makieh, Mahmoud Hassano and Firas Makdesi/Reuters/May 20, 2025
ALEPPO -Severe drought in Syria this year could lead to the failure of an
estimated 75% of local wheat crops, according to the United Nations' Food and
Agriculture Organisation, threatening the food security of millions of people.
Toni Ettel, the FAO's representative in Syria, told Reuters the agency
anticipated a "food shortage of 2.7 million tonnes of wheat for this year, which
is sufficient to feed 16.3 million people over one year." Under former President
Bashar al-Assad, Damascus depended on wheat imports from Russia to support a
bread subsidy programme during past droughts. Wheat farmers like Asaad Ezzeldin,
45, have seen their crops fail due to the drought. It has further strained
Syria's beleaguered agricultural sector that suffered from fighting and heavy
bombardment during 13 years of civil war. "Agriculture in Aleppo's northern
countryside has been hit because of the lack of irrigation. There is no
rainfall," he said. Moscow, a staunch ally of Assad, suspended wheat supplies to
Syria soon after Islamist rebels toppled him, citing uncertainties about the
country's new authorities. In a surprise announcement last week, U.S. President
Donald Trump said he would order the lifting of all sanctions on Syria.
Washington is likely to begin providing some sanctions relief in the coming
weeks. The flow of funds could revive the agriculture sector, providing
much-needed technologies for irrigation and infrastructure renewal, Ettel said.
Unable to buy wheat and fuel, Syria's new government had lobbied for a lifting
of the sanctions that for years isolated the Syrian economy and made it
dependent on Russia and Iran. Syria's agriculture ministry did not reply to a
request for comment.European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on
Tuesday she hoped ministers would reach an agreement on lifting EU economic
sanctions on Syria. The EU has already eased sanctions related to energy,
transport and reconstruction, and associated financial transactions, but some
argued this was not enough to support its political transition and economic
recovery.
Kallas hopes EU ministers agree to lift Syria economic sanctions
Reuters/May 20, 2025
BRUSSELS -European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday that
she hoped ministers gathering in Brussels would reach an agreement on lifting
economic sanctions on Syria. "On Syria, I hope that we will agree on the lifting
of economic sanctions today," Kallas told reporters ahead of the meeting,
warning that Europe either gives Syria the opportunity to stabilise or risks
ending up with a situation like in Afghanistan. Ministers are considering a
political decision to lift economic sanctions while maintaining sanctions
related to the regime of ousted president Bashar al-Assad and introducing
measures against human rights violators, officials said. Ambassadors reached a
preliminary deal early Tuesday on the political agreement to lift economic
sanctions, diplomats said, noting that the final decision is up to ministers.
"It is clear that we want there to be jobs and livelihoods for the people (in
Syria), so that it would be a more stable country," Kallas said. The EU's policy
shift comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said last week he would order the
lifting of sanctions on Syria.
The EU has already eased sanctions related to energy, transport and
reconstruction, as well as associated financial transactions, but some capitals
have argued that the measures were insufficient to help support Syria’s
political transition and economic recovery.
Europe lifts all remaining sanctions on Syria
Arab News/May 20, 2025
LONDON: US Vice President JD Vance has denied an Axios report that he skipped a
planned visit to Israel amid concerns over its new military offensive in
Gaza.Vance, according to a senior US official, was reportedly hesitant to signal
Washington’s support for the renewed onslaught, which was launched on Sunday.
The vice president labeled the Axios report as an “overstatement,” saying: “We
thought about going to Israel, we also thought about going to a couple of other
countries that the president would like me to visit some time in the next few
months. “Logistically, it was just a little bit too hard on basic things like,
who the hell is going to take care of our kids if we take another couple of days
overseas?” He also highlighted “more serious” considerations relating to the
proposed visit, “like how do we provide security, how do we make sure that we
get over all the assets that we need in order to do the right official
delegation?”The US government is believed to have informed Israel on Saturday
that Vance was considering a trip to the country after attending Pope Leo XIV’s
inauguration at the Vatican. Axios was told by a top Israeli official that Vance
had believed a hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was imminent.
Israeli media reported that he was likely to visit the country this week. But
the launching of the new offensive was viewed as having disrupted those plans.
He reportedly canceled the trip when advisers raised concerns that his presence
in Israel might be perceived in the Middle East as giving support to the Gaza
offensive. A White House official denied reports that Vance had planned to fly
from Rome to Tel Aviv. His Secret Service protection had “engaged in contingency
planning for the addition of several potential countries” to travel to, the
official said, but “no additional visits were at any point decided upon, and
logistical constraints have precluded an extension of his travel.”Vance on
Monday said he would visit Israel “some time in the future.
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on May 20-21/2025
Why It’s Time for the U.S. and Canada to Merge—With
Carney in Charge
Norman Pearlstine, Jane Boon/The Daily Beast/May 20/2025
The United States first tried to conquer Canada in 1812. Its troops were
repelled, and British and Canadian forces marched on Washington—where they set
fire to the White House. It was a clear message: Canada wasn’t interested in
becoming America, and recent Canadian elections suggest that’s still the case.
But we have, nonetheless, come to believe that Donald Trump is right. The United
States and Canada should merge, with a few variations on his theme. Instead of
annexation, we propose a polite, deliberate and ultimately healing act of
national reinvention that will help protect American democracy through the next
few years.Specifically, recently elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
would replace Donald Trump as president, each of Canada’s 10 provinces would
gain statehood, our Supreme Court would adopt some house rules and precedents
established by its Canadian counterpart, and Ottawa would replace D.C. as the
capital. We won’t bore you with what you already know. Suffice it to say,
Trump’s bio includes two impeachments, four indictments, 34 felonies, a so-so
business record in real estate and casinos—many of which filed for
bankruptcy—and copious bragging that he is a great TV personality and marketer,
especially of himself. So now consider Mark Carney. Americans may not know his
name, but they should. He embodies everything we should want in a president. He
was born in a small, hardscrabble town in the Northwest Territories, attended
Harvard on a partial scholarship where he studied economics, and then Oxford,
where he earned his doctorate. Although he was a third-string goalie at Harvard,
the toughness, decisiveness and cool under pressure learned on the ice—goalies
routinely put themselves between the net and a rocketing slapshot—served him
well when he was a top central banker in Canada and Britain: After 13 years at
Goldman Sachs, he chose to leave business for public service, joined the Bank of
Canada, and served as its governor for five years before becoming the first
non-Brit to hold the position of governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to
2020. Then he became chair of Bloomberg L.P. He reversed the sharp decline in
Liberal Party popularity during the Trudeau years by appealing to the center
against more polarized opposition. His foreign policies address domestic
concerns, but he also believes in allies and alliances.
Carney is known for his clarity, curiosity and sense of public service. He is a
leading voice addressing climate change and income inequality. As Trump offers
trickle-down fantasies and handouts to billionaires, Carney has advocated for
sustainable finance and inclusive growth. His economic leadership reflects
fundamental respect for institutions and facts—a worldview diametrically opposed
to Trumpism.
While Carney is erudite, he is far from stuffy, although he, like Trump, should
stay off the dance floor. He certainly seemed at home sitting with Trump in the
White House earlier this month, even though they failed to resolve tariff
issues, and Carney repeated that Canada would “never” be for sale, prompting
Trump to reply, “Never say never.”As the governor of the Bank of Canada during
the 2008 financial crisis, Mark Carney helped Canada’s economy emerge from the
crisis in better shape than its G7 peers. As the governor of the Bank of
England, Carney predicted the economic consequences of Brexit even as he worked
to mitigate them. / Anadolu / Anadolu via Getty Images
As the governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis, Mark
Carney helped Canada’s economy emerge from the crisis in better shape than its
G7 peers. As the governor of the Bank of England, Carney predicted the economic
consequences of Brexit even as he worked to mitigate them. / Anadolu / Anadolu
via Getty ImagesMore
Instead of Canada becoming the 51st state, granting statehood to each Canadian
province is more logical. The average population of its 10 provinces—about 3.2
million people—is greater than that of about a dozen U.S. states. Ontario’s 16
million people would make it America’s fifth most populous state.
We can learn from Canada. Canadians enjoy a public education system that
surpasses America’s, a health-care system that functions well—life expectancy is
four years longer—and sensible gun policies. Canada also offers lessons in
inclusion: French-speaking Canadians historically felt marginalized until
bilingualism became a national priority. Today, Canada’s leaders, including
Carney, operate in both English and French—some more fluently than others—but
they share a unity in principle.
The Canadian Supreme Court’s rule mandating judges’ retirement at age 75 should
be embraced, as should the country’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which
offers a uniquely Canadian vision of justice that embraces controversy, and
views pluralism and diversity as a unifying force. (In contrast, the U.S.
Supreme Court is more likely to see such factors as fragmenting.) Canada’s
Supreme Court legalized gay marriage before the U.S. Supreme Court did, and it
has approved, albeit controversially, assisted suicide.
Trump is correct in stating that the two economies are already deeply
intertwined. Canada is the United States’ largest trading partner, and the two
share tightly integrated automotive, agriculture and energy sectors. The U.S.
has long benefited from Canadian talent, especially in media and entertainment.
Lorne Michaels gave America Saturday Night Live, Graydon Carter transformed
Vanity Fair, and other notable Canadians have long shaped American culture from
behind the scenes. Trump’s push for increased tariffs on Canadian goods not only
strains that relationship; it’s economic self-sabotage. A true merger would
eliminate these artificial barriers and strengthen the prosperity both countries
have built together. Finally, placing our new capital in Ottawa might address
Elon Musk’s civil service attrition fantasies. Government employees who agree to
move to one of the world’s coldest capitals will find it preferable to Ulan
Bator or Moscow. It’s a perfectly nice place to raise a family—and skating the
Rideau Canal to work certainly beats Beltway traffic. All you will need is good
manners and long johns.
Norman Pearlstine is an American journalist who has held senior positions at The
Wall Street Journal, Time Inc., Bloomberg, Forbes, and the Los Angeles Times.
Jane Boon, who was born and raised in Ottawa, holds a Ph.D. in engineering and
is the author of the novels “Edge Play” and “Bold Strokes.” The couple splits
their time between New York and Vancouver.
Democrats bash Netanyahu’s escalation in Gaza
Mike Lillis/The Hill./May 20, 2025
Israel’s move to occupy large swaths of Gaza has sparked backlash from Democrats
on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are warning that the escalation is an
impediment — not a pathway — to the end of the Hamas war.
The Democrats are quick to endorse Israel’s right to self-defense in a hostile
region, especially in the wake of the deadly attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
Overwhelmingly, the party has voted to support billions of dollars in military
aid to Tel Aviv.
But the hard-line strategy being advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu —
not only the occupation of Gaza, but also a months-long blockade on humanitarian
aid — is acting only to destabilize the region at the expense of a lasting peace
deal, the lawmakers say. “It’s the wrong approach,” Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.),
senior Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said bluntly. “They need
to get humanitarian assistance into Gaza. And they’ve been saying for at least
15 months now that, ‘We’re going to come in, we’ll control the distribution of
that aid.’
“And they’ve never done it.”Smith said he’s been in conversations with Arab
leaders in the region, including a recent discussion with Jordan’s King Abdullah
II, who think they have good-faith Palestinian partners who could replace Hamas
and eventually lead a Palestinian state alongside Israel. He’s worried that
Netanyahu, who opposes the two-state design, is impairing those prospects with a
military campaign that’s killed more than 50,000 people in Gaza, including
thousands of children.
“They think they’ve got people they can work with who are an alternative to
Hamas. And Israel’s undermining that,” Smith said. “If you’re going to get to a
future without Hamas, you have to have something other than Hamas. So I’m very
worried about the plans, and what he’s doing and what the impact is going to
be.“It’s going to lead to greater instability in the region.”Some of Israel’s
closest congressional allies are sending a similar message.
Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), who heads the House Abraham Accords Caucus,
emphasized that eliminating Hamas is “critical” to any peace deal. But he also
warned that Netanyahu’s military strategy is putting the hostages still held by
Hamas “at great risk.” And he rejected any plan to annex the Palestinian
territories — Gaza and the West Bank — or force the permanent removal of the
Palestinians living there. “In the same way there can’t be peace with Hamas
controlling Gaza, there’s not going to be peace without the Palestinians having
a prospect in the future for self-determination and control of their own
destiny,” Schneider said. “Gaza is a Palestinian territory. I’ve been clear on
that.”
“If you want to get to a long-lasting peace, it’s got to be done with the
Palestinians eventually having a place that they govern themselves — no Hamas —
along with the other countries in the region,” echoed Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.),
senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Earlier this month, the Israeli government approved a plan to occupy parts of
the Gaza Strip as part of their ongoing fight against the Hamas operatives who
carried out the Oct. 7 attack, which left roughly 1,200 people dead and saw
hundreds more taken hostage. The move marked a reversal for Netanyahu and the
Israeli government, which had vowed for the previous 18 months not to take that
step.The turnaround came after the ascension of a new military leader, Eyal
Zamir, a former tank commander now overseeing the operations in Gaza, who is
taking a more aggressive approach that features the deployment of thousands of
Israeli reservists who will remain in Gaza after Hamas militants are rooted out.
Palestinian residents would be relocated, as part of the strategy, and Israel
would play a much greater role in the delivery of humanitarian aid.
On Monday, Netanyahu announced the occupation policy would apply to the entire
Gaza Strip. “This is part of defeating Hamas, in parallel with the tremendous
military pressure, our massive entry, to essentially take over all of Gaza and
strip Hamas of all ability to plunder humanitarian aid,” Netanyahu said,
according to Reuters.
“This is the war and victory plan.”
The occupation has been welcomed by a small minority of Democrats, who say it
represents the best chance of not only defeating, but also dismantling, Hamas.
“He’s had the wrong strategy for a counterinsurgency for a long time. And this
is actually part of a successful counter-insurgency strategy,” said one House
Democrat, who spoke anonymously to discuss a sensitive topic. “You can’t clear
land and leave. You have to actually hold and build. “It’s a lesson we learned
time and again in Iraq and Afghanistan.”A much larger number of Democrats,
however, are up in arms over Netanyahu’s handling of the conflict in Gaza, in
general, and the recent escalation, in particular. Some fear it’s part of a
larger strategy to seize the entirety of Gaza, remove the Palestinians living
there and develop it for Western consumption — a plan President Trump has
promoted on several occasions since returning to power this year.
“Though there has been some daylight between Trump and Netanyahu on general
policy issues, I think they’re united on their plan to evict Palestinians — all
Palestinians — from Gaza and redevelop it into a luxury development with
settlements,” Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) said. “They have no desire for a
Palestinian state,” he continued. “The two-state solution is dead in the eyes of
Netanyahu and MAGA.”The escalation has rekindled the focus on the long-standing
allegations of corruption facing Netanyahu — charges that are winding their way
through Israel’s courts. Some Democrats contend the prime minister’s instincts
for political survival are driving his forceful approach in Gaza even in the
face of mounting civilian casualties. “What [Hamas] did on Oct. 7 was horrendous
and not defensible, and I understand that. He’s trying to retaliate for that.
But there needs to be a point where he stops,” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) said.
“But I don’t think he can stop, politically, because his trial is still hanging
over him and he can still be removed from office. “Politically, I think he’s
[acting on] self-preservation.”
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Open Letter to President Trump Urging Him to Prevent an Iranian
Nuclear Arsenal
Alan Dershowitz and Andrew Stein/Gatestone Institute/May 20, 2025
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21634/trump-iran-nuclear-weapons
There can be no reasonable doubt that Iran's mullahs are determined to obtain
nuclear weapons, despite their assurances to the contrary. Nor can Israel, which
is the intended target of an Iranian bomb, be expected to rely on deterrence or
containment. Iran must be prevented from achieving their dangerous goal.
[U]nless your deal includes the complete and total destruction of all Iranian
nuclear facilities, there will be no guarantee that its scientists could not
surreptitiously use civilian nuclear infrastructure to build military weaponry.
The only deal that would prevent this catastrophe would be one modeled on the
agreement made with Libya made back in 2003. That deal completely dismantled
Libya's nuclear facilities and made it impossible for them to weaponize nuclear
energy infrastructure. Anything short of that will create an unacceptable risk.
We urge you to use your incredible negotiating skills to achieve the goal that
you have set out: namely a 100% certainty that Iran will never get a nuclear
bomb.
Dear Mr. President,
You are about to make a decision for which you will be remembered by history.
Your legacy will either be as a world leader who saved, or failed to save, many
lives. The decision concerns Iran's intention to develop a nuclear arsenal.
There can be no reasonable doubt that Iran's mullahs are determined to obtain
nuclear weapons, despite their assurances to the contrary. Nor can Israel, which
is the intended target of an Iranian bomb, be expected to rely on deterrence or
containment. Iran must be prevented from achieving their dangerous goal.
Obviously it would be better if the mullahs could be stopped by negotiation
rather than military action. Previous negotiations resulted in a terrible deal
under President Barack Obama. You yourself understood that under the Obama deal,
Iran would almost certainly have obtained a nuclear arsenal, and so you quite
correctly withdrew from the agreement. Now there are rumors that your
administration is working on a "better" deal – longer and stronger. But unless
your deal includes the complete and total destruction of all Iranian nuclear
facilities, there will be no guarantee that its scientists could not
surreptitiously use civilian nuclear infrastructure to build military weaponry.
The only deal that would prevent this catastrophe would be one modeled on the
agreement made with Libya made back in 2003. That deal completely dismantled
Libya's nuclear facilities and made it impossible for them to weaponize nuclear
energy infrastructure. Anything short of that will create an unacceptable risk.
We urge you to use your incredible negotiating skills to achieve the goal that
you have set out: namely a 100% certainty that Iran will never get a nuclear
bomb. You should give the mullahs a short period of time to dismantle and
destroy, subject to American inspection, their entire nuclear program. If they
refuse or fail to do so, the military option should be deployed.
Nearly a century ago, the British and French governments faced a similar
decision with Germany, and they failed, costing tens of millions of lives.
A military attack on Germany in the mid-1930s, when its war machine was still
weak, might have saved many of these lives. Here is what Reich Minister of
Propaganda Joseph Goebbels wrote in his memoir:
"In 1933 a French premier ought to have said (and if I had been the French
premier, I would have said it): 'The new Reich chancellor is the man who wrote
Mein Kampf, which says this and that. This man cannot be tolerated in our
vicinity. Either he disappears or we March!' But they didn't do it. They left us
alone and let us slip through the risky zone, and we were able to sail around
all dangerous reefs. And when we were done, and well armed, better than they,
then they started the war!"
The rest is tragic history. Germany built up its armed forces without
countermeasures by its intended enemies, conquered most of Western Europe and
killed millions of people. Most of those deaths could certainly have been
avoided had Great Britain and France engaged in preventive military action
before Germany became "well armed" and capable of inflicting so much damage on
the world.
At the moment in history when Great Britain and France could have prevented the
horrendous harm done by Nazi Germany, there was no way of knowing in advance the
extent of what Adolf Hitler would do.
Yes, Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, but many would-be conquerors do not follow through
on their threats. (Recall the threat of the Soviet Union's Premier Nikita
Khrushchev to "bury" the United States, yet he backed away from a nuclear
confrontation over Cuba.)
There was no way of predicting, with any degree of certainty that Hitler would
turn his belligerent rhetoric into military invasions of Poland, Europe and then
the Soviet Union -- and ultimately the Holocaust. It was, as it always is, a
question of cost-benefit probabilities. This was a classic case of a false
negative: implicitly predicting that Hitler would not do what, in fact, he did,
and failing to take action in an effort to prevent it. If France and Great
Britain had accurately predicted Hitler's actual harm correctly, they would
almost certainly have taken preventive military action even if the cost were
high – because it would never have been nearly as high as it turned out to be in
the absence of such action.
But history is blind to the predictive future. Had Great Britain and France
engaged in preventive military action in the 1930s that resulted in the deaths
of, say, 15,000 British and French soldiers and civilians, the leaders who
undertook such a military campaign would have been condemned as warmongers,
because no one would ever know how many deaths they prevented by the sacrifice
of those 15,000 lives. Ignorance of the hypothetical future is often the reason
for failure to act in the present. That is the dilemma of failing to take
preventive military action.
Mr. President, we are once again at a decisive decision point. And you are the
decider. We urge you to do the right thing: take the necessary actions that will
assure, with absolute certainty, that Iran will never obtain a nuclear arsenal,
even if the only way to secure that certainly ends up being through military
action.
Alan M. Dershowitz is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus at
Harvard Law School, and the author most recently of The Preventive State, and
War Against the Jews: How to End Hamas Barbarism, and Get Trump: The Threat to
Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Our Constitutional Rule of Law. He is the Jack
Roth Charitable Foundation Fellow at Gatestone Institute, and is also the host
of "The Dershow" podcast.
*Andrew Stein is an American Democratic politician who served on the New York
City Council and was its last president, and as Manhattan Borough President.
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
How President Trump’s Middle East tour signaled a bold reset in US foreign
policy
Jonathan Gornall/Arab News/May 20, 2025
LONDON: Standing ovations and scenes of jubilation are not normally witnessed at
investment forums. But there was nothing normal about the speech President
Donald Trump delivered at the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh last week.
Speaking at the beginning of a four-day tour of the region, Trump’s geopolitical
surprises came thick and fast.
“After discussing the situation in Syria with the (Saudi) crown prince,” he
said, “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to
give them a chance at greatness.”
The last few words were almost drowned out by the wave of applause, which was
followed by a standing ovation led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Although the announcement came as a big surprise to most, including seasoned
analysts and even some in Trump’s inner circle, it was not entirely unexpected.
In December, for the first time in a decade, US officials had flown to Damascus,
where they met with Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the commander of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham,
which just two weeks earlier had led the dramatic overthrow of the Bashar Assad
regime after 14 years of civil war.
As a result of that meeting, after which the US delegation said it had found Al-Sharaa
to be wholly “pragmatic,” the US removed the longstanding $10 million bounty on
his head. A month later, Al-Sharaa was appointed president of Syria.
The day after last week’s investment forum in Riyadh, Trump sat down for a
face-to-face meeting with Al-Sharaa that produced what might well prove to be
one of the most historic photographs in the region’s recent history: the Saudi
crown prince, flanked by Trump and Al-Sharaa, standing in front of the flags of
the US, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
The photograph sent a clear message: For the US, and for a region all too often
subject to the whims of its largesse and military approbation, all bets were
off.
The day before, Trump had more surprises for his delighted audience at the King
Abdulaziz International Conference Center.
“I have never believed in having permanent enemies,” the president said, and “I
am willing to end past conflicts and forge new partnerships for a better and
more stable world, even if our differences may be very profound, which obviously
they are in the case of Iran.”
He praised local leadership for “transcending the ancient conflicts and tired
divisions of the past” and criticized “Western interventionists … giving you
lectures on how to live or how to govern your own affairs.”
In a message that will have echoed loudly in Kabul, Baghdad, and even Tehran, he
added: “In the end, the so-called ‘nation-builders’ wrecked far more nations
than they built — and the interventionists were intervening in complex societies
that they did not even understand themselves.”
Responding to Trump’s announcements, Sir John Jenkins, a seasoned diplomat who
served as British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria, and as
consul-general in Jerusalem, told Arab News: “I think this could be a real
turning point.
“Post-Arab Spring demographics — lots of young people wanting a better life and
better governance but not wanting to get there through ideology or revolution —
and Mohammed bin Salman, Trump, and Syria have all come together at a singular
time.”
Trump’s speech last week in Riyadh, he said, “was extraordinary, an
intellectually coherent argument, and he means it.
“If you can form a cohesive bloc of Sunni states — the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
the rest of the GCC, Jordan, Syria and Egypt — which all aim in different ways
to increase prosperity and stability instead of the opposite, then you
potentially have a bloc that can manage regional stability and contain Iran in a
way we haven’t had for decades. And that gives the US the ability to pivot.”
But a lot could still go wrong. “Iran, which is already trying hard to undermine
Syria, will continue to play games,” said Jenkins.
“And then there’s Israel itself: Does it want strong and stable Sunni neighbors
or not? It should do, but I’m not sure Bezalel Smotrich (Israel’s far-right
finance minister, who this month vowed that Gaza would be ‘entirely destroyed’)
and Itamar Ben-Gvir (the minister of national security who is pressing for
Israel to seize and occupy Gaza) think so. That’s a headache for Israel’s Prime
Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu.
“But if you hook all this up to a possible US-Iran deal, which will give Iran
incentives not to have sanctions come crashing back down, then there’s something
there.”
For Al-Sharaa, even six months ago, the dramatic turnaround in his personal
circumstances would have seemed fantastic, and as such is symptomatic of the
tectonic upheavals presaged by Trump’s visit to the region.
Almost exactly 12 years ago, on May 16, 2013, the then-leader of the
Al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, judged responsible for “multiple suicide
attacks throughout Syria” targeting the Assad regime, had been designated as a
terrorist by the US Department of State.
Now, as the very public beneficiary of the praise and support of Trump and the
Saudi crown prince, Al-Sharaa’s metamorphosis into the symbol of hope for the
Syrian people is emblematic of America’s dramatic new approach to the region.
In Doha, the president chose the occasion of a visit to a US military base to
make nice with Iran, a country whose negotiators have been quietly meeting in
Oman with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, to discuss a nuclear deal.
“I want them to succeed,” said Trump, who in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the US
from the original deal, fashioned by President Barack Obama and European allies,
and reimposed economic sanctions. Now, he said in Doha last week, “I want them
to end up being a great country.”
Iran, he added, “cannot have a nuclear weapon.” But, in a snub to Israel, which
has reportedly not only sought US permission to attack Iranian enrichment
facilities, but has even asked America to take part, he added: “We are not going
to make any nuclear dust in Iran. I think we’re getting close to maybe doing a
deal without having to do this.”
In fact, Trump’s entire trip appeared to be designed as a snub to Israel, which
did not feature on the itinerary.
A week ahead of the trip, Trump had announced a unilateral ceasefire deal with
the Houthis in Yemen, who had sided with Hamas after Israel mounted its
retaliatory war in Gaza in October 2023.
Under the deal, brokered by Oman and with no Israeli involvement, the US said it
would halt its strikes in Yemen in exchange for the Houthis agreeing to stop
targeting vessels in the Red Sea.
On May 12, the day before Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia, Hamas released Edan
Alexander, the last surviving US citizen held hostage in Gaza, in a deal that
came out of direct talks with no Israeli involvement.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump celebrated “a step taken in good faith towards
the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an
end to this very brutal war.”
Trump, said Ahron Bregman, a former Israeli soldier and a senior teaching fellow
in King’s College London’s Institute of Middle Eastern Studies, “threw
Netanyahu, in fact Israel, under the bus.
“He totally surprised Netanyahu with a series of Middle Eastern diplomatic
initiatives, which, at least from an Israeli perspective, hurt — indeed,
humiliate — Israel,” he told Arab News.
“In the past, if one wished to get access to the White House, a good way to do
so was to turn to Israel, asking them to open doors in Washington. Not any
longer. Netanyahu, hurt and humiliated by Trump, seems to have lost his magic
touch.
“Trump despises losers, and he probably regards Netanyahu as a loser, given the
Gaza mess and Netanyahu’s failure to achieve Israel’s declared aims.”
It is, Bregman said, Trump’s famously transactional approach to politics that is
shifting the dial so dramatically in the Middle East.
“Trump looks at international relations and diplomacy through financial lenses,
as business enterprises. For Trump, money talks and the money is not to be found
in Israel, which sucks $3 billion dollars a year from the US, but in the Gulf
states.
“Trump is serious about America First, and Israel doesn’t serve this aim; the
Gulf states do. For now, at least, the center of gravity has moved to the Gulf
states, and the Israeli status in the Middle East has weakened dramatically.”
For Ibrahim Al-Marashi, associate professor at California State University, San
Marcos, the events of the past week stand in sharp contrast to those during
Trump’s first presidency.
“During the first Trump administration, World War Three almost broke out, with
aircraft carriers from my native San Diego deployed continuously to the Gulf to
deter Iran, the (Houthi) strike on Saudi Aramco, and the assassination of
Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad at the beginning of 2020,” he told Arab
News.
“Five years later, the Trump administration seems to be repeating the
Nixon-Kissinger realist doctrine: ‘America has no permanent friends or enemies,
only interests.’ In that regard, his administration might forge relations with
Iran as Nixon did with China.”
Kelly Petillo, program manager for the Middle East and North Africa at the
European Council on Foreign Relations, likewise views last week’s events as the
beginning of “a new phase of US-Gulf relations.”
Among the remarkable developments is “Israel’s relative sidelining and the fact
that Israel does not have the privileged relationship with Trump it thought it
had,” she told Arab News. “The US agenda now is wider than unconditional support
to Israel, and alignment with GCC partners is also key.
“Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE have clearly become of key strategic
importance to the US, with new deals on the horizon and the promise of expanding
these relations. The announcements of more commercial ties have been accompanied
with political declarations too, which overall represented positive developments
for the region.”
Ultimately, said Caroline Rose, a director at the New Lines Institute, “Trump’s
visit to the GCC highlighted two of his foreign policy priorities in the Middle
East.
“Firstly, he sought to obtain a series of transactional, bilateral cooperation
agreements in sectors such as defense, investment and trade,” she told Arab
News.
“The second objective was to use the trip as a mechanism that could change
conditions for ongoing diplomatic negotiations directly with Iran, between Hamas
and Israel, and even Ukraine and Russia.”
It was, of course, no accident that Trump chose the Middle East as the
destination for the first formal overseas trip of his second presidency.
“The Trump administration sought to court Gulf states closely to signal to other
partners in the region, such as Israel, as well as the EU, that it can develop
alternative partnerships to achieve what it wants in peace negotiations.”
Although a strategy to move forward with specific peace negotiations was
“notably absent during his trip,” it was clear that “this trip was designed to
lay the groundwork for potential momentum and to change some of the power
dynamics with traditional US partners abroad, sowing the seeds of goodwill that
could alter negotiations in the Trump administration’s favor.”
Trump’s Gulf tour: Engineering a new regional order or
managing crises?
Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy/Arab News/May 20, 2025
President Donald Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar last week
marked a pivotal moment in US Middle East policy and signaled a profound shift
in the region’s emerging political landscape. As his first foreign tour during
his second term in office, the trip aimed to secure massive investment and
defense deals, while proposing new approaches to the long-standing crises in
Syria, Gaza and Yemen — anchored in a pragmatic vision in which influence and
transactional gains are seen as pathways to stability, rather than regime
change.
For the US, the visit yielded major gains: more than $3.2 trillion in investment
commitments from Gulf states, including one of the largest civilian aviation
deals in history with Qatar, the expansion of Al Udeid Air Base and the
solidification of the US’ military presence in the Gulf. Trump’s administration
emphasized a deal-oriented approach, focusing on deterring Iran, enforcing
ceasefires and engaging with emerging regional players — even controversial
ones, such as Syria’s new leadership under Ahmad Al-Sharaa.
Saudi Arabia emerged as the central Arab powerbroker, orchestrating the historic
meeting between Trump and Al-Sharaa that led to Washington lifting sanctions on
Syria. Riyadh also secured record-breaking economic and defense deals and
welcomed a de-escalation in Yemen that aligned with its goal of ending the
prolonged conflict. The Kingdom asserted itself as the engine of a new regional
order, capitalizing on Iran’s declining influence. The US took a deal-oriented
approach, focusing on deterring Iran, enforcing ceasefires and engaging with
emerging regional players
The UAE reinforced its status as a technological and financial hub, pledging
$1.4 trillion in US investments and benefiting from relaxed export restrictions
on advanced artificial intelligence technologies. Abu Dhabi supported
Washington’s regional agenda while promoting its image as a beacon of tolerance
and modernization. Qatar leveraged the visit to reaffirm its role as a strategic
ally. It played a key role in Gaza ceasefire efforts and hostage mediation,
sealed a massive aviation deal with Boeing and modernized Al Udeid Air Base.
Politically, Qatar positioned itself as a trusted mediator among all parties,
maintaining autonomy while aligning with the broader Gulf consensus.
On the front of regional issues, Syria took center stage. The unanticipated
meeting between Trump and Al-Sharaa marked a turning point: the US announced the
lifting of sanctions on Damascus, signaling the end of the Assad era. Al-Sharaa,
a former militant turned political leader, pledged to expel foreign fighters,
unify Syria and pursue eventual normalization with Israel. This US-backed
endorsement, facilitated by Saudi and Turkish support, redefined the Syrian file
and sent shock waves through traditional alliances.
In Gaza, no political breakthrough was achieved. Instead, the focus remained on
a humanitarian ceasefire, prisoner swaps and rebuilding efforts, led by Qatar
and Egypt. Trump’s controversial proposals for “resettling” Gaza’s population in
wealthy Arab countries were flatly rejected by the Gulf states, which instead
advocated for reconstruction within Gaza and under Palestinian Authority
oversight — though without a clear political horizon.
Trump’s overtures to Arab capitals sent a clear message: US interests in the
region may no longer be tied solely to Israel’s preferences
The Iran file reflected a delicate balance: Trump publicly reinforced sanctions
while quietly reopening diplomatic channels, notably through Oman, to explore a
potential nuclear agreement. A “shadow ceasefire” was reached in Yemen, with the
US pausing airstrikes on the Houthis in exchange for an end to Red Sea attacks.
This convergence of Yemen and Iran strategies underscored a mutual desire to
avoid full-scale conflict without conceding strategic ground. Meanwhile, the
visit accelerated the formation of a new regional order, anchored by Saudi
Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Turkiye, with US backing. This emerging coalition has
effectively sidelined Iran and — more surprisingly — Israel. Tel Aviv was
notably absent from all meetings and Trump’s overtures to Arab capitals without
coordinating with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a clear message: US
interests in the region may no longer be tied solely to Israel’s preferences.
Iran, on the other hand, is facing strategic retreat, having lost ground in
Syria, Yemen and Gaza. While engaging in backchannel diplomacy, Tehran remains
under pressure to show flexibility on its nuclear and regional policies —
without yet receiving guarantees on sanctions relief. Trump’s Gulf tour
delivered immediate economic and diplomatic dividends but fell short of
resolving deep-rooted conflicts. Syria may be on a new path under Al-Sharaa and
Yemen has a fragile ceasefire, but the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains
politically stagnant. What has emerged is a recalibrated Middle East
architecture shaped by Gulf assertiveness, strategic realignments and American
deal-making. However, the broader question remains: Are these arrangements the
foundation of lasting peace or merely a sophisticated exercise in crisis
management?
*Dr. Abdellatif El-Menawy has covered conflicts worldwide. X: @ALMenawy
From the ‘past’ of summits to the economy of ‘state builders’
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Al-Awsat/May 20, 2025
Let us forget, for a moment, that the president of the US is the most powerful
political leader in the world and that he can annihilate humanity at the press
of a button or obliterate the global economy with an executive order. For a
moment, let us put that to one side and focus, instead, on two undeniable truths
that we must address as Arabs during these extraordinary times in our
contemporary history. First, we have the truth of Arab affairs as they currently
are, not as we would like them to be. Second, economic, technological, strategic
and ideological shifts are sweeping the globe at astonishing speed. The Arab
states met on Saturday at a summit hosted by Baghdad, a city that had once been
the capital of the greatest empire in history. Sadly, it hosted the 34th Arab
League Summit under unfavorable circumstances that underlined the inertia of our
Arab nation more than they showcased a capacity for overcoming existential
challenges.
To begin with, state representation was modest. Several Arab capitals have
reached the conviction that betting on joint Arab action is futile, with some
even rejecting the very idea of a single shared Arab identity. Still, no one is
willing to admit it explicitly and bear the consequences.It is painfully clear
that the Arab states have no shared strategy for alleviating the pain of
Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank
Indeed, the deep-seated distrust brewing “beneath the ashes” has become apparent
to anyone keenly following regional issues and impending decisions. Having
practiced obfuscation, denial, disregard and willful neglect, we have become
adept at papering over these truths, undermining most initiatives and political
approaches that have any real substance or impact.
The Arab failure to address chronic flashpoints and crises reflects this.
Although some signs of a breakthrough have emerged, tentatively and timidly, in
Syria and Lebanon, it is painfully clear that the Arab states have no shared
strategy for alleviating the pain of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. No
practical approach for curbing Iranian influence has been developed either, be
it Iran’s more recent foothold in Yemen or its long-standing hegemony in Iraq,
where Tehran-backed militias still have the final say on the ground. And
certainly, there are no signs of an imminent end to the chaos in Libya, the
escalating crisis in Sudan or the chronic conflict between Algeria and Morocco.
For all these reasons and others, Arab officials have concluded that there is no
longer a need to burden the institution of the Arab League with tasks it can no
longer undertake — that is, anything beyond the usual generous expressions of
fraternity and solidarity and ritualized performative indignation. As for the
second truth — the astonishing pace of economic, technological, strategic and
ideological global change — it will affect us. In fact, it has already begun to
shape our lives in the Arab world and beyond. I began this piece by stating that
the US president is the most powerful “political” leader in the world to set the
stage for developments we must be prepared for and learn to live with. In my
humble opinion, there are some people who are far more important than the
“politician” Trump, despite the success of his Gulf tour.
They are the architects of America’s future, its global influence and its
political establishment: the executives and investors of technology companies
and the industries of the future, particularly artificial intelligence. Among
them are Elon Musk, who has now become bigger than a “kingmaker,” and executives
from major corporations, such as Nvidia, Alphabet, OpenAI, BlackRock, Uber,
Blackstone and others that dominate the Fortune 500 list.
These are the people leading the charge in America’s war against future
challengers, chief among them China. The tech executives are the people leading
the charge in America’s war against future challengers, chief among them China
Whereas China synergizes the efforts of the public and private sectors in
building its techno-economic arsenal, Trump’s Washington seems to be armed
solely with the power of the private sector, gradually eliminating every
nonconsumerist role for human beings. To put it plainly: Washington seeks
neither obstacles, restraints nor regulatory standards on investment. It has no
legal or organizational framework for investment and regulation, firmly opposing
any regime or legislative framework that could slow the pace of liberalization
and economic openness. This is a crucial dimension of its struggle for the
future, particularly with China, and it has major political implications for an
era in which interests trump ideology. The very concept of the state itself is
now in doubt. The logic of accountability has become a burden on efficiency. The
principle of civil liberties has become just a matter of opinion. The idea of a
democracy safeguarded by a constitutional political system has become a
contentious issue. At best, it is now debatable and applied with discretion.
How could things be otherwise? Indeed, the budgets of the giant corporations
waging this global battle far exceed those of sovereign states. This brings me
back to an American saying I first heard during my freshman year at university:
“If ideology was the weapon of 20th-century wars, then technology is the weapon
of 21st-century wars.”It is no coincidence, then, that the phrase “the chief
business of the American people is business” (though it was said in a different
context) is associated with Republican President Calvin Coolidge, who served
from 1923 to 1929 and was a staunch believer in minimizing the role of the state
in the economy. It sees noninterference in market mechanisms as the criteria for
assessing government efficiency.
In the world of the future, which is rushing toward us faster than we ever
prepared for, we fear that our societies, unless our cultural awareness and
patterns of thinking change, might not succeed in avoiding the pain and enormous
costs that these transformations threaten.We could pay a very high price for
maturity.
**Eyad Abu Shakra is managing editor of Asharq Al-Awsat, where this article was
originally published. X: @eyad1949