English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For  October 01/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news

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Bible Quotations For today
I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Book of Revelation 03/14-22: “‘To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God’s creation: ‘I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. For you say, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.” You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 30-October 01/2025
The Targeting of Sheikh Abbas Yazbek by the Politicized Judiciary Subjugated to the Terrorist Hezbollah Militia Is Rejected and Condemned/Elias Bejjani/September 30/2025
The corrupt and treacherous Gebran Bassil is an enemy of the Lebanese diaspora./Elias Bejjani/September 27, 2025
Hassan Nasrallah Was a Gang Leader Serving a Foreign Agenda — Not a Lebanese Martyr/Elias Bejjani/September 28/ 2025
Video, Text, and Commentary by Nadim Koteich/What is called “resistance” brought destruction and ruin to Lebanon, Gaza, and all the countries of the region.
The Assassination of the terrorist Hassan Nasrallah was a gift to the patriotic Lebanese/Elias Bejjani/September 27/2025
Aoun and Salam: Clearing the Air and Backing Trump's Gaza Plan... Berri No Longer Holds the Key to Parliament
Parliament session called off as more MPs demanding expats right to vote boycott
Report: Army and ISF chiefs avoided force in Raouche, coordinated with Aoun
Salam meets with Aoun amid reports of rift
Aoun and Salam welcome Trump's Gaza plan
Interior and foreign ministries announce dates of expat voter registration
UK-funded Behavioral Detection Training completed at Beirut airport
Roland Khoury: A homecoming after two months in detention
New regulations: Lebanon clamps down on noncompliant power generator owners
New UAE Ambassador Arrives in Beirut
Saudi Envoy Honors May Chidiac with Embassy Medal
Contours of Sanctification and Demonization/Johnny Kortbawi/This Is Beirut/30 September/2025
Hezbollah's Raoucheh Message: Overthrowing Salam, Overturning the State/Philippe Abi-Akl/This is Beirut/30 September/2025
Can another Israeli war on Lebanon be avoided?/Nadim Koteich/Arab News/September 30, 2025
A year after Nasrallah: Hezbollah stands exposed/Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya English/September 30/2025
Geagea accuses Berri of 'blatant breach' of parliamentary rules after cancelled session

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 30-October 01/2025
Trump gives Hamas ultimatum on Gaza deal
Italy to end support for Gaza flotilla as Israeli action looms
Axios: Qatar, Egypt and Turkey urge Hamas to accept Trump’s Gaza plan
Netanyahu says no Palestinian state in Trump talks, army to remain in 'most of Gaza'
UN chief urges ‘all parties’ to commit to Trump’s Gaza plan
Pope Leo XIV holds a general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican,
Saudi Arabia, several Arab and Muslim nations welcome Trump’s Gaza plan
Gaza civil defense says 41 killed in Israeli attacks
Israeli government approves appointment of new head of Shin Bet
Tony Blair: former UK premier central to Trump’s Gaza plan
Tony Blair’s seat on post-war Gaza has been decades in the making
Turkiye’s Erdogan hails Trump’s efforts to end Gaza war after deal
Saudi cabinet reaffirms Kingdom’s readiness to cooperate with US to achieve Gaza ceasefire
Yemen’s Houthis claim responsibility for attack on Dutch-flagged ship ...This is the first confirmed Houthi attack on a commercial ship since September 1.
Yemen’s Houthis say they will target US oil firms with sanctions
Zelenskyy warns situation ‘critical’ as nuclear plant off grid for a week
Russia doesn’t believe US has taken decision on supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles
OPEC slams ‘misleading’ reports about plans to increase oil production

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 30-October 01/2025
China and Russia: The Axis of War/Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/September 30, 2025
Snapback sanctions mark turning point for Iran/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/September 30/2025
Munir, Islamabad and the path between China and the US/James A. Marks/Al Arabiya English/September 30/2025
What could derail Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan?/Jonathan Gornall/Arab News/September 30, 2025
Selected X tweets For September 30/2024

The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on September 30-October 01/2025
The Targeting of Sheikh Abbas Yazbek by the Politicized Judiciary Subjugated to the Terrorist Hezbollah Militia Is Rejected and Condemned
Elias Bejjani/September 30/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147777/
The arbitrary and degrading detention of Sheikh Abbas Yazbek — a Shiite cleric opposed to the terrorist Hezbollah — is categorically rejected and condemned in the strongest terms.
On September 26, 2025, at Beirut International Airport, Sheikh Yazbek was banned from travel, and his passport, identification papers, and phone were confiscated — a blatant violation of the law and of the most basic human rights.
This incident is yet another chapter in the systematic campaign of intimidation targeting anyone within the Shiite community who dares to raise their voice against Hezbollah. It once again proves that the Lebanese judiciary, particularly the Military Court, remains nothing more than a tool in Hezbollah’s hands, deployed to silence opponents and fabricate charges against them, while the militia continues to control vital state institutions.
What happened to Sheikh Abbas Yazbek is not merely a personal assault but a deliberate warning to every free Shiite: opposing Hezbollah comes at the cost of humiliation, assassination, or judicial persecution. Although his personal documents were returned to him today after a superficial investigation, the political and moral damage was already inflicted. That was the real objective — to tarnish the image of dissenters and break their resolve.
There must be no illusions or appeals to the so-called Lebanese state to restore Sheikh Yazbek’s rights, for there is no state in Lebanon today. What exists is nothing more than a system entirely occupied and subjugated to the will of the Hezbollah terrorist militia.
Patriotic Lebanese — at home under occupation and in the Diaspora — have a national duty to rally around Shiite opponents of Hezbollah, supporting them by every available means. They must not be left as easy prey for Hezbollah’s security and judicial machinery of intimidation. Equally, Lebanese patriots must call upon international human rights organizations and all defenders of freedom to expose these practices and denounce the weaponization of the judiciary and security agencies for political oppression.
Today, the Shiite community in occupied Lebanon is fully hijacked by Hezbollah. Its people live as hostages in a suffocating environment where dissent is met with humiliation, fabricated charges, or outright assassination. Yet it is abundantly clear: these repressive policies will never silence the free voices, nor will they break the will of honorable men and women who resist Hezbollah’s tyranny.
Freedom for Sheikh Abbas Yazbek and for every free Lebanese voice.
Shame and disgrace to those who turned the Lebanese judiciary into Hezbollah’s weapon.

The corrupt and treacherous Gebran Bassil is an enemy of the Lebanese diaspora.
Elias Bejjani/September 27, 2025
What a wretched time it is when this petty,  opportunist & treacherous Gebran Bassil the enemy of the Lebanese diaspora represents the Maronites! Actually it is A time of decline and moral decay.
 Criticizing Bassil does not excuse the other party leaders for their narcissism and corruption, but he is the most blatant, the most corrupt, and the most closely aligned with Hezbollah and its Iranian project. Today, he is with Hezbollah and Speaker Berri to prevent amending the electoral law, the law that was a crime in 2017, a law tailored to Hezbollah's needs, including the provision for electing six MPs from the diaspora. To be fair, the Lebanese Forces Party did oppose that law at the time.

Hassan Nasrallah Was a Gang Leader Serving a Foreign Agenda — Not a Lebanese Martyr
Elias Bejjani/September 28/ 2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147724/
The rally held yesterday in Beirut to mark the first anniversary of Hassan Nasrallah’s death turned truth upside down. It attempted to transform a man responsible for wars, assassinations, and foreign subservience into a “martyr of Lebanon.” Such a description is not only propaganda — it is a distortion of national memory and a violation of both Lebanese law and political reality.
The Meaning of National Martyrdom
In Lebanon, national martyrdom has a clear definition: it is the sacrifice of one’s life in defense of the homeland under the authority of its legitimate state institutions. It implies loyalty to the constitution, sovereignty, and the people of Lebanon. Anything outside this framework — no matter how loudly glorified — cannot truthfully be called Lebanese martyrdom.
Nasrallah Never Fought Under Lebanon’s Flag
Hassan Nasrallah never acted on behalf of the Lebanese state. He commanded Hezbollah, an illegal militia directly tied to Iran’s Supreme Leader and the project of Wilayat al-Faqih. His loyalty was to Tehran, not to Beirut.
A Regional Project, Not a National Mission
All of Nasrallah’s decisions and operations served Iran’s expansionist strategy: from Syria to Iraq, from Yemen to Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. His wars were never for Lebanon’s sovereignty — they were for Iran’s geopolitical reach.
Crimes Against His Own People
Within Lebanon, he oversaw campaigns of assassinations and intimidation targeting political leaders who opposed Iran’s occupation project. The blood of fellow Lebanese stains his record.
Responsible for Atrocities Abroad
Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria under Nasrallah’s command propped up Bashar al-Assad’s criminal regime and contributed to the mass killing of innocent civilians. His organization’s fingerprints are visible across regional conflicts.
A Record Steeped in International Terrorism
Under his leadership, Hezbollah carried out deadly attacks that killed hundreds of American and French soldiers in Lebanon, conspired against Saudi Arabia, attempted to overthrow the government in Bahrain, plotted to assassinate the Emir of Kuwait, and orchestrated terrorist operations across the globe. This is not the legacy of a national martyr, but of an international criminal.
Why the Title “Martyr” Is a Fraud
To equate Nasrallah with Lebanon’s true martyrs — those who died defending the nation within its lawful institutions — is both a moral betrayal and a legal distortion. Martyrdom cannot be claimed by those who died carrying out foreign orders, serving sectarian projects, and violating the sovereignty of their own country.
Conclusion
Hassan Nasrallah was never a martyr of Lebanon. He was the leader of a gang serving a foreign theocracy, a man whose choices destroyed Lebanon’s sovereignty and brought untold suffering to its people. His assassination does not elevate him; it exposes the hollowness of the false titles his party tries to impose. To honor him as a martyr is to insult Lebanon’s true martyrs — and to surrender truth itself to the machinery of propaganda.

Video, Text, and Commentary by Nadim Koteich/What is called “resistance” brought destruction and ruin to Lebanon, Gaza, and all the countries of the region.
September 30/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147805/
After May 7, we can no longer ask what peace has done for us…
After May 7, Gaza was destroyed, Lebanon was ruined, and Syria was fragmented.
The Oslo Accord, although not perfect, but for the first time since 1948 it created the foundation of a Palestinian state.
The Oslo Accord failed because the alliance of the Israeli right and the jihadi camp sabotaged it: Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Iran with suicide operations, and the Jews with the assassination of Rabin.
In 2005, Israel completely withdrew from Gaza, and billions flowed in… What did Hamas do? It kept firing rockets, staged a coup and an internal civil war, kidnapped the soldier Gilad Shalit, and dragged Gaza back into a cycle of wars.
In 2000, Israel completely withdrew from South Lebanon and there was hope. But Hezbollah, Iran, and Assad said: No, we want weapons for the resistance. The result: two wars in 2006 and 2024, and in between them the devastation you all know.
Peace returned the land to Egypt, protected its stability, and helped Jordan.
A political agreement drew Lebanon’s maritime borders with Israel without a single shot being fired.
As for the so-called resistance, it displaced, destroyed, and suffocated people’s dreams.
We can no longer ask what peace has done for us…
The real question is: What has resistance done for us?
If peace has its problems—and certainly it does—
resistance has become a crime against its own people before even its enemies.

The Assassination of the terrorist Hassan Nasrallah was a gift to the patriotic Lebanese
Elias Bejjani/September 27/2025
Hassan Nasrallah is a terrorist who headed a criminal network that dragged Lebanon into the jihadist project of Iran’s clerical regime. His assassination and the dismantling of his organization would be a divine blessing and the start of the country’s deliverance.

Aoun and Salam: Clearing the Air and Backing Trump's Gaza Plan... Berri No Longer Holds the Key to Parliament
Nidaa Al-Watan/October 1, 2025
A qualified parliamentary majority successfully denied the quorum for the parliamentary session called by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for two days, challenging the will of this majority which has demanded, and continues to demand, the electoral law be placed on the General Assembly's agenda. It has become clear that the era of Speaker Berri having a lock on the key to Parliament, which he grew accustomed to during the days of Syrian tutelage and leading up to the Iranian hegemony represented by Hezbollah, has gone for good.
How did prominent parliamentary sources read the new scene in Nejmeh Square for Nidaa Al-Watan?
The sources state that what happened last Monday and Tuesday is one of the few times Speaker Berri has received a slap from the parliamentary blocs that insist on holding elections on time under the current law with expatriate voting, and from MPs who reject the current management of Parliament. They described the matter as a "double slap, electoral and procedural." They added: "Berri cannot prevent the presentation of urgent draft laws to the General Assembly under the pretext that he does not want elections." They said: "The slap Berri received includes a clear message to him that the parliamentary key is no longer in his hands. This is a warning to Berri that things have moved to another place and are headed for further development at this level."
The same sources went on to say: "The Hezbollah-Amal duo rejects expatriate voting and completing the entitlement on time. Therefore, the electoral issue has become heated, and we have entered the deadlines phase. The 'Duo' is working to exceed the deadlines to nullify the expatriate vote, which would make it comfortable regarding this vote, planning to later work on torpedoing the elections and moving towards extension. Hence, the battle revolves around holding the elections on time according to the current law with expatriate voting."
In contrast, the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs took the first steps towards expatriate voting yesterday, by setting October 2 (tomorrow) as the starting date for the registration of Lebanese non-residents to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, with the deadline ending on November 20, 2025.
Concurrently, the Head of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Geagea, stated in a communiqué that "the disruption of the legislative session today (yesterday) is the responsibility of Speaker Nabih Berri. How is it permissible that 67 MPs submitted an urgent, repeated draft law months ago, not just yesterday, to introduce amendments to the current electoral law in preparation for holding the entitlement on time, yet the Speaker ignored this proposal?"
On the other hand, no sooner did the head of the Administration and Justice Committee, Georges Adwan, hear what Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab said—that the laws approved in Monday's session would remain preserved pending a second session to close the minutes after the quorum was broken—than he clarified from Nejmeh Square that "The laws that were approved yesterday are approved and effective laws, unless we want to resort to a new interpretation."
According to information, the Lebanese Forces are not considering returning to the meetings of the joint committees discussing the electoral law projects in the near future.
Contacting Aoun and Salam to Send an Electoral Law Draft
In this context, Nidaa Al-Watan learned that the Lebanese Forces have initiated contact with the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam, for the government to play its role in sending an electoral law draft to Parliament after initial refusal. Nidaa Al-Watan learned that the communication with the two presidents emphasized "the necessity for the government to assume its responsibilities to ensure the elections take place." It also stressed "closing any loophole for disrupting the elections and leading Lebanon to an extension."
In this regard, a visit was made yesterday by MP Melhem Riachy, a member of the "Strong Republic" bloc, to Baabda Palace, who said: "After our meeting with the President of the Republic, we are more optimistic about holding the parliamentary elections on time, with the President's insistence on that."
Gaza Plan Reconnects Aoun and Salam
On another note, President of the Republic Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced their welcome of US President Donald Trump's plan to stop the war in Gaza, at a time when Hezbollah launched a media campaign against this plan. The President of the Republic held talks with US Chargé d'Affaires Keith Hanigan regarding the latest developments and President Trump's initiative on Gaza.
In this context, the US Chargé d'Affaires reiterated his country's support for Lebanon in general and for the Lebanese Army in particular.
President Aoun received a message from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, delivered by the Qatari Ambassador to Beirut, Sheikh Saud bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, in which he expressed his appreciation for "the national role played by the Lebanese Army in maintaining security and stability." He stated, "We assure you that we attach special importance to supporting the Army."
Informed sources mentioned that if the Hamas movement agrees to the Trump plan, the focus will shift to Lebanon. If it does not agree, there is an American green light for more violence with the Palestinians pending what happens in Lebanon. Western data revealed that Lebanon is no longer relied upon to take the required steps.
In Washington, US Senator Lindsey Graham announced that normalization in the Middle East would not be possible with the presence of Hezbollah, saying: "Normalization in the Middle East is only possible by keeping Hezbollah away from the negotiating table." He said: "If you want normalization, disarm Hezbollah one way or another."
A Frank Discussion
Nidaa Al-Watan learned that the meeting between Aoun and Salam yesterday was characterized by sincerity and frankness. It began by discussing the New York visit and then moved to the Raouche issue. In this regard, Aoun re-emphasized that any mistake committed by the security agencies is dealt with according to established mechanisms, and one cannot attack the agencies which are suffering harsh conditions in this delicate circumstance. For his part, Salam stressed that adherence to the law is fundamental to maintaining order and preventing transgressions and breaches of security. Nidaa Al-Watan learned that comfort prevailed on both sides because the meeting was based on frankness and direct talk, and a kind of "clearing the air" occurred without any veiled evasions. They agreed to continue coordination and communication to foil the opportunities of those who benefit from sowing discord between the First and Third Presidencies and to complete the journey despite the obstacles because important issues and entitlements await them. They agreed to be cautious about holding a cabinet session to further discuss several files that will be announced soon.
Conference to Support the Army in Riyadh
Informed diplomatic sources told Nidaa Al-Watan that Paris is witnessing intensive activity to hold a conference to support the Army in Riyadh. So far, things are good, but there are some obstacles that are emerging and being worked on to overcome them so that they do not negatively affect the conference.
In this context, the Commander of the Lebanese Army, General Rodolphe Haykal, inspected the command of the 6th Infantry Brigade in Muhammad Makki barracks – Baalbek, yesterday, saying: "The security of the nation is a trust around our necks, and the Army command is committed to the sanctity of its mission, keen on the national interest and the security of all Lebanese. The Army continues to bear its responsibilities in the current exceptional phase, amidst the conditions the country is going through, especially the continuous aggressions by the Israeli enemy and the major security challenges."
For its part, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced its support for the Lebanese Army in carrying out its tasks and redeploying to its positions in south Lebanon.
It also clarified in a post via the "X" platform that "the partnership with the Lebanese Army helps it respond effectively to challenges and keep south Lebanon safer."
Mensa in Saudi Arabia
Meanwhile, Minister of National Defense, Major General Michel Mensa, arrived in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia, at the head of a delegation to participate in the "Munich Leaders Meeting."
On the sidelines of the conference, Major General Mensa and the accompanying delegation will hold a series of meetings with a number of participating officials, with the aim of discussing bilateral relations and continuing the discussion on the issues of implementing Resolution 1701, confining arms to the state, controlling the Lebanese-Syrian borders, combating drugs, and the ongoing preparations for the conference to support the Lebanese Army.
New UAE Ambassador
The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, Salem Fahad Al Kaabi, arrived in Beirut yesterday evening. Al Kaabi had taken the legal oath on the eighth of this month before the UAE President, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Parliament session called off as more MPs demanding expats right to vote boycott
Naharnet/30 September/2025
A legislative session scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled for lack of quorum, as several lawmakers including the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb MPs boycotted the session over clashes on the electoral law. The session was adjourned from Monday to Tuesday after clashes on the electoral law led the Kataeb and LF MPs to walk out of the session, as Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri refused to put the law on the session's agenda. Other change and independent MPs also boycotted Tuesday's session. The current electoral law allows the Lebanese abroad to vote for six new seats but some MPs want to amend it so expatriates can vote for all 128 seats. Hezbollah argues that it cannot stage proper electoral campaigns abroad while its rivals can and prefers, with its ally Amal, to stick to the six seats. Both parties are accusing each other of trying to delay the parliamentary elections scheduled for next spring. Lebanese Forces MP Georges Adwan said the majority of the MPs want to amend the law and want the elections to be held on time. Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab said before the session that MPs have the right to boycott but warned against obstructing the parliament's role. "If the legislative session is not held today, we don't know when the next one will be and all the reform laws that Parliament is discussing would be obstructed."Adwan said "we are not boycotting to obstruct, we are boycotting to press parliament to discuss the electoral law in the session."Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil said for his part that the session is being boycotted to pressure for an amendment to the current electoral law, and warned against postponing the parliamentary elections. He urged the government to begin taking practical steps for registering the expatriates so that they can vote in the upcoming 2026 elections.

Report: Army and ISF chiefs avoided force in Raouche, coordinated with Aoun
Naharnet/30 September/2025
Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal and Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Raed Abdallah refused to prevent Hezbollah’s supporters from illuminating the Raouche Rock with images of slain leaders Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, opting instead to face criticism in the press, the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Tuesday. “The two security officials coordinated with President Joseph Aoun, who welcomed their decision not to use force, considering that the violation by Hezbollah’s supporters, no matter how grave, did not deserve opening fire at the crowd and did not require bloodshed,” the daily added. The newspaper also noted that “those who violate the laws are put on trial” and that the government and the relevant ministers are following up on the issue to hold the violators accountable.

Salam meets with Aoun amid reports of rift
Naharnet/30 September/2025
President Joseph Aoun met Tuesday in Baabda with PM Nawaf Salam and discussed with him the general situations in the country and the outcome of the talks he held in New York during his participation in the U.N. General Assembly meetings, the Presidency said. “The discussions also tackled the domestic situations and means to address what happened in Raouche,” the Presidency added, in reference to the controversy over Hezbollah’s illumination of the Raouche Rock with the images of its slain leaders in defiance of Salam and Lebanese authorities. Salam also met Tuesday in parliament with Speaker Nabih Berri. According to the pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper, the controversy over Hezbollah’s illumination of the Raouche Rock with its slain leaders’ images and security forces’ inability to prevent the activity has caused a rift between Salam and Aoun, who has thrown his support behind the army and security forces. The daily also said that Berri called for pacification during his meeting with Aoun on Monday.

Aoun and Salam welcome Trump's Gaza plan
Naharnet/30 September/2025
President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, lauding “the efforts exerted to end the suffering of civilians and innocents in the Strip, to halt the bloodshed and to jointly work for a stable and prosperous Middle East, based on the principles of humanitarian justice and human dignity.”Hoping the plan will win the approval of the relevant parties as soon as possible, Aoun praised “the realistic approach that it adopted in addressing the controversial and contentious issues.”Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also welcomed the plan, saying “it stipulates an immediate ceasefire, the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to residents, and the prevention of the displacement of the Palestinian people.”“The plan enshrines the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and to the establishment of their independent state on their land. We also welcome President Trump’s declaration that he rejects Israel’s annexation of the West Bank,” Salam added. Key nations from the Arab and Muslim world have welcomed Trump’s plan while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a cautious approval. Hamas is yet to officially respond to the proposal, although U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff has said that the Palestinian movement has voiced “a very positive initial response” in its talks with mediators. The Islamic Jihad group, which is allied to both Hamas and Iran, has meanwhile voiced strong opposition to the proposed plan.

Interior and foreign ministries announce dates of expat voter registration
Naharnet/30 September/2025
The interior and foreign ministries announced Tuesday in a joint statement that registration for expat voting in the 2026 parliamentary elections would begin on October 2 and end on November 20, amid controversy over the expat voting method and fears that the polls might be postponed. “This declaration is the fruit of continuous cooperation and coordination between the two ministries, with Interior and Municipalities Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar and Foreign and Expats Minister Youssef Rajji working in a near-daily manner on following up on all details related to this national juncture, in order to secure the best administrative and technical conditions for guaranteeing the participation of Lebanese expats in this constitutional juncture,” the statement said. MP Melhem Riachi of the Lebanese Forces meanwhile visited President Joseph Aoun at the Baabda Palace and said he became more optimistic that the elections will be held on time and that the president is “insisting on that.”“We and the president are normally and certainly against extension (of parliament’s term) and there is a firm commitment to holding the election on time,” he added.

UK-funded Behavioral Detection Training completed at Beirut airport
Naharnet/30 September/2025
British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell attended the closing ceremony for Lebanese airport security personnel who successfully completed the UK-funded Behavioral Detection Training course at the Beirut international airport. The training took place over a three-week period, delivered in partnership with the Lebanese Army, General Security and Internal Security Forces. It aimed to enhance airport safety for all passengers and counter threats such as terrorism, smuggling, and criminal activity. The training also included 18 female officers from General Security and Internal Security Forces. Ambassador Cowell said: "We are proud to support Lebanon’s efforts to strengthen airport security. The skills learned throughout the three-week training will help ensure the safety of all passengers, including the growing number of British tourists, business travelers, and British-Lebanese families.""I commend the Lebanese security officers’ dedication especially during challenging times. The training has already shown results, with techniques reportedly used in a recent arrest related to a shooting incident. The UK continues to work closely with Lebanon to promote stability and security across key infrastructure ports of access," he added. Since its inception in 2018, the UK-funded Behavioral Detection Training program has provided airport security teams with tactical skills to identify and disrupt potential terrorist threats. "The initiative builds on the UK’s longstanding support to Lebanon’s border and airport security institutions. Through this collaboration, the program has strengthened the capabilities of Lebanese immigration and security personnel in detecting terrorist activity at both border crossings," a British embassy statement said.

Roland Khoury: A homecoming after two months in detention
LBCI/30 September/2025
After more than two months in detention, Roland Khoury returned home to his family, sharing his first embrace with his daughter, who had been waiting with her mother since early morning. The reunion took place at a café in Ain Al Mraiseh after Khoury was transferred Tuesday morning from the State Security headquarters in Dekwaneh to Ain Al Mraiseh. He was released away from the media in the presence of his legal counsel and Jad Gharios, chairman of Betarabia, alongside the simultaneous release of two other agents, Dany Abboud and Ricardo Bachir. Khoury, the general manager of Casino Lebanon, declined to engage in political debates or discuss the details of the case. He emphasized that he was returning to his work at the casino. His release, along with others, followed a decision by the Indictment Chamber in Mount Lebanon, presided over by Judge Fadi Aridi, which approved their release while reserving the right to issue later rulings on the charges against the defendants. The investigating judge had previously dismissed the felonies against Khoury, noting that the casino is not a public facility and the funds are not public money, ruling out any waste of public funds. Three misdemeanors remained: violations of provisions under the anti-money-laundering law, tax evasion, and mismanagement of funds in which the state holds shares. The Free Patriotic Movement, which has long considered Khoury’s detention a political targeting, viewed his release as a victory.
Outside of politics, the law remains the ultimate authority and is expected to settle all disputes in due course.

New regulations: Lebanon clamps down on noncompliant power generator owners
LBCI/30 September/2025
Lebanese authorities launched a nationwide crackdown on private generator owners on Tuesday, the final day of a 45-day deadline to comply with new environmental and consumer-protection regulations. Consumer protection inspectors from the Ministry of Economy and Trade, backed by State Security forces, swept through several neighborhoods in Beirut, targeting generator operators who failed to install mandatory noise filters, pollution-reduction equipment, and individual meters for subscribers. The crackdown targeted operators who failed to install mandatory electricity meters and noise-reducing filters, a move meant to ensure transparent pricing and reduce environmental harm. The inspections deliberately covered generator owners from all religious communities to avoid accusations of favoritism in a country long sensitive to sectarian tensions. While most operators had fitted soundproofing and anti-pollution filters, many resisted installing meters, claiming that some customers preferred paying flat monthly fees rather than usage-based rates. Economy Minister Amer Bisat dismissed those excuses in a press conference following the raids, stressing that meters are no longer optional. He reaffirmed that standardized tariffs and environmental filters are now compulsory, warning that violators will face legal action. The ministry's message was clear: Lebanon's power generators—long a lifeline amid chronic electricity shortages—must finally submit to the rule of law, bringing an era of unregulated billing and unchecked pollution closer to an end.

New UAE Ambassador Arrives in Beirut
This is Beirut/30 September/2025
The United Arab Emirates ambassador, Salem Fahd al-Kaabi, arrived in Beirut on Tuesday evening. He was greeted upon arrival by Consul Rodrigue Khoury, representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His presence in Beirut marks the restoration of relations between Lebanon and the UAE, announced by Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan during the official visit of his Lebanese counterpart, Joseph Aoun, to Abu Dhabi last April. Relations between Lebanon and the UAE had deteriorated in 2021 following critical remarks made by former Minister of Information George Kordahi regarding Gulf countries, in the context of commentary on the Yemen war. Following the discussions between Al-Nahyan and Aoun, the UAE lifted its travel ban on Lebanon for its citizens starting May 7, a restriction that had been in place since 2021.On September 6, Sheikh Al-Nahyan appointed Salem Fahd al-Kaabi as head of the UAE diplomatic mission in Lebanon and received the credentials of Lebanon’s ambassador to the UAE, Tarek Mneimneh.

Saudi Envoy Honors May Chidiac with Embassy Medal
This is Beirut/30 September/2025
Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari awarded former Minister of State for Administrative Reform May Chidiac the Medal of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Lebanon on Tuesday. The distinction was presented at her residence in Dekwaneh, in recognition of her patriotic stances, steadfast commitment to national unity, and tireless efforts in defending Lebanon’s sovereignty and promoting its stability. The honor was conferred at the conclusion of a cordial meeting between Ambassador Bukhari and Chidiac. The two engaged in an open exchange of views, addressing the latest political developments in Lebanon and the wider region, as well as a number of issues of mutual concern. Their discussion reflected the depth of Lebanese-Saudi relations and reaffirmed the importance of dialogue in fostering regional stability. Chidiac, a prominent journalist and political figure who has long been admired for her resilience and outspoken views, expressed her gratitude for the recognition. She emphasized that the medal represents not only a personal honor but also the shared values binding Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, particularly their joint commitment to freedom, unity and democratic principles.

Contours of Sanctification and Demonization
Johnny Kortbawi/This Is Beirut/30 September/2025
There is no doubt that emotions among Hezbollah’s supporters remain raw on the first anniversary of the assassination of the militia’s Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah. He was regarded as both an inspiration and a leader, and it’s not surprising that many in the movement’s base approached him in ways that verge on sanctification or even divinity. Such phenomena are observed among many cultures, and they are even more pronounced in the emotionally expressive societies of the Middle East. Moreover, Hezbollah’s supporters continue to grapple with denial, perceiving something illogical in what happened, as though Nasrallah were immortal. Many still believe he has not truly died. Some expected him to appear at his own funeral, but he didn’t. Eventually, they began to accept his departure, until his son appeared in an interview recounting a dream in which his father told him he would return to manage affairs personally. This reignited denial and doubt within the Shia community, delaying any process of healing. On the other hand, certain remarks—such as those recently made by MP Marwan Hamadeh—have stirred strong reactions. Hamadeh did not intend offense: he is a respected figure with a journalistic, academic, and ethical background that speaks against such intent, and he is also a living martyr who has himself endured deep suffering. Yet his words ignited passions on both sides. Hezbollah’s supporters regarded them as an insult to their symbol, while others countered with sharp reactions of their own, especially in light of the Raoucheh spectacle and the rhetoric emanating from Hezbollah’s base and its newly minted figures, who promote ideas and discourse with little restraint. Respect for death and martyrdom is a duty. Yet many began to ask why Hezbollah’s feelings should be treated with such caution, particularly when the group itself showed no respect for the martyrdom of Gebran Tueni, celebrating with sweets in the streets, not to mention Hezbollah’s own involvement in the assassination, as it was convicted by the international tribunal for the killing of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Forty-three years after the assassination and martyrdom of elected President Bashir Gemayel, Hezbollah continues to show no regard, dismissing him as a traitor, justifying his killing, and even glorifying his assassin. If Bashir’s sacrifice is treated with such disdain, is it any wonder that disrespect toward Hezbollah and its symbols continues to grow?

Hezbollah's Raoucheh Message: Overthrowing Salam, Overturning the State
Philippe Abi-Akl/This is Beirut/30 September/2025
The uprising of Hezbollah’s “parallel state” against the rule of law dominated Lebanese discussions over the weekend, with sovereigntist forces seeing it as another May 7-style move against Prime Minister Nawaf Salam: a potential coup and a shift from coexistence to confrontation.
As local appeasements failed to contain the fallout from Thursday night’s lighting of Raoucheh rock, questions arose about Hezbollah’s ministers in the government—would they boycott cabinet sessions to paralyze decision-making, or resume business as usual after the message had reached Salam?
It is feared that Hezbollah’s recent actions might draw an Israeli military strike, as the group continues to insist that it will not disarm, claiming its arsenal serves a regional mission guided by Iran’s agenda. The group operates as if it were the Supreme Leader, deciding and acting independently of the government. The events in Raoucheh violated the agreement which stipulated a demonstration limited to 500 participants and prohibited the lighting of the rock to mark the first anniversary of Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination.
In a direct challenge to the government, Hezbollah mobilized thousands for the demonstration and ultimately lit the rock—aiming to topple Salam’s cabinet and overturn the state’s decision regarding the monopoly on arms. The group is unlikely to forgive Salam for his disarmament move, which, according to one of its MPs, breached an agreement reached with the then-Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, just before his election as president.
A delegation from the Shia duo (Amal and Hezbollah)—MPs Mohammad Raad and Ali Hassan Khalil—agreed with Aoun on several key principles: limiting Shia ministerial and administrative representation to the duo, confining the application of Resolution 1701 south of the Litani and initiating a national dialogue on a strategy for national security. The MP added, “The discussion focused on principles, because our priority is the resistance. That’s when we cast our votes for Aoun, and he secured 99 votes.”
After the assassination of Hezbollah’s leaders on September 27, 2024, and amid a shifting political landscape at home and in the region, Hezbollah moved toward escalation to assert its influence—transcending laws, customs and regional boundaries. Its actions reinforced statements by Tom Barrack and Lindsey Graham that “the faction will not surrender its weapons, and Israel must be given free rein.” They also echoed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, “The resistance is not an institution that can be dismantled through political or security operations; it is an identity, a mindset and a living culture deeply rooted in the convictions of the people.” As one of Iran’s military proxies, Hezbollah was joined by Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in marking the first anniversary of Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination.
The message sent from Raoucheh echoed far beyond Lebanon’s borders. Domestically, it sought to undermine the government and unseat the prime minister from the Grand Serail, overturning the state’s monopoly on arms. Speculation arose that the events constituted a “conspiracy” against the government. Sources close to Salam indicate that the intent was to replace him with a more flexible prime minister—one willing to soften positions and navigate sensitive issues.
Against this backdrop, Salam told visitors that “he will remain in office, will not resign, withdraw or retire, and will continue his project to build a state of institutions, where the law is above all.” He expressed concern over the performance of certain officials and instructed the Ministers of Justice, Interior and Defense to launch investigations—including into Hezbollah figures such as Wafiq Safa—and to revoke the licenses of organizations and associations that participated in the commemoration in violation of the law. Salam’s resolute stance has rallied political forces around him, with many urging him to hold firm.
On the international front, diplomatic sources framed Hezbollah’s escalation within broader tensions over Iran’s nuclear program. The move followed the failure of talks with the European troika and a Russian-Chinese effort at the UN Security Council to postpone the renewal of international sanctions on Iran for six months. As such, the United Nations reinstated sanctions over Iran’s nuclear activities. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the decision as a clear message that the world will not bow to Iranian threats and that Tehran will be held accountable, while urging Iran to enter direct negotiations with Washington. The Raoucheh events confirm that Hezbollah continues to dominate state decision-making, acting from a position of excessive power. Meanwhile, the government remains stalled, awaiting the outcome of a White House meeting between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement a Gaza ceasefire and outline a regional peace roadmap.Diplomatic sources indicate that Lindsey Graham’s so-called “Plan B” has now emerged as a contingency. They fear Israel could launch a “mini-war” against Hezbollah, targeting its leadership and arsenal in the Beqaa Valley with a decisive strike aimed at achieving strategic objectives and dismantling Iran’s remaining regional proxies after Syria, Iraq, Gaza and Yemen.
Political forces are currently awaiting the army’s first monthly report, due on October 6, on the implementation of the state’s monopoly on arms. In this context, the international conference scheduled in Riyadh in mid-October to support the Lebanese army has been postponed, and all related activities aimed at assisting Lebanon have been suspended until the state’s monopoly on arms is fully enforced.
In light of these developments, the questions loom large: Will Salam back down or continue the confrontation? How will relations among the presidency, the prime minister’s office and the speaker of parliament evolve in the coming period? Will “Plan B” be implemented, or can Lebanon withstand the full force of this crisis? The answers will unfold in the days ahead.

Can another Israeli war on Lebanon be avoided?
Nadim Koteich/Arab News/September 30, 2025
An Israeli operation against Hezbollah that finishes what it began in the 2024 war is only a matter of time. The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which was signed on Nov. 27, 2024, was not a mere truce that ended a round of escalation between the two sides. It was a turning point that effectively paralyzed Hezbollah. The group suffered heavy human and structural losses: its leadership was smashed, two of its secretaries-general were killed, its missiles and equipment were damaged and, most importantly, its self-image and reassurance regarding its secrecy were undermined by Israel’s extensive intelligence breaches.
The ceasefire froze hostilities on only one side. Attacks stopped being waged from Lebanon, while Israel has continued its near-daily strikes on Hezbollah targets, leaders, positions and logistical structures. The militia has completely avoided retaliation. For its part, the Lebanese state has failed to turn the “postwar equation” into a binding public policy that ends the pervasive presence of the group over its territory. Hezbollah fills that vacuum with symbolic maneuvers that compensate, to some degree, for its bleeding. After losing its deterrence and its combat capabilities, these gestures aim to rebuild its narrative at costs it can handle, unlike the price that returning to the field or reestablishing security and military control would entail.Aware that Hezbollah stands on shaky political ground, Israel is preparing to deliver a decisive strike. The party’s theatrics began with its ministers walking out of a Cabinet session to discuss the army’s plan to restrict armament in the country. In doing so, they deprived the plan of the political consensus needed to be more than a political manifesto, rendering implementation untenable in terms of the sectarian balance. These displays will not end with the breaking of the prime minister’s ban on Hezbollah using public urban spaces for political mobilization, nor with the projection of an image of the party’s two assassinated secretaries-general on to the Rock of Raouche.
Aware that Hezbollah stands on shaky political ground, Israel is preparing to deliver a decisive strike to reshape the operational environment in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa and Baalbek. Its campaign will not merely push Hezbollah away from the border; it will finish the job that it began in last year’s war.
This resumption of the conflict will entail massive aerial strikes on logistical and leadership nodes and swift ground operations across Lebanon. There is no reason to believe that Lebanese infrastructure would be spared, raising the cost of recovery to levels Lebanon cannot bear.
Hezbollah’s insistence on retaining its arms is the quickest recipe for either an Israeli war or domestic strife
Indeed, Israel is relatively confident that there will be no regional expansion of the war, with other Iranian proxies joining the conflict, in light of the blows Iran sustained during the 12-day war in June.
The next war, whatever rules may govern it, will strike what remains of Lebanon’s fragile infrastructure: electricity, telecommunications and public services. That means import disruptions, sharp increases in the price of commodities and further deterioration of services that are already in decay. As for the banking sector, which is still confined to the intensive care ward, it will be incapable of absorbing the shocks of war, while mass displacement will fuel civil strife, given the climate fostered by Hezbollah’s recent shows of force. For its part, Washington is evidently losing patience. The statements of US envoy Tom Barrack send a direct message to Beirut: adopt disarmament as an explicit goal in a government-approved plan, with a clear timeline and an independent, rigorous monitoring mechanism to assess progress, or Israel will act unilaterally.The most concrete indication of its uncompromising stance is the final deadline it has set for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon’s mandate in southern Lebanon, which signals that the US administration is seeking a definitive resolution to the Israeli-Lebanese conflict. In Washington’s eyes, there is no rationale for this conflict beyond the residues of the Iranian project. The shifting US position coincides with other considerations raised by next year’s midterm elections. President Donald Trump is pushing to end the Gaza war and remove this question from the electoral arena — a move that could raise Benjamin Netanyahu’s appetite to open the southern Lebanon front sooner than many expect. Hezbollah’s options seem bleak. Negotiations over a political settlement that would increase its share of power are not on the table. It is being offered equality with the other factions and sects, no more and no less, as per the 1989 Taif Accord. Indeed, the party is not fighting for domestic political gains but for a regional ideological project. As for its insistence on retaining its arms, whether in whole or in part — as it is currently doing — that is the quickest recipe for either an Israeli war or domestic strife. Either scenario would ultimately lead to the same outcome as surrendering its weapons, which no longer have a future, through a peaceful settlement. Hezbollah’s own base, like the Lebanese public at large, is in dire need of political options that open the door to rebuilding the devastated country. Getting there demands closing the chapter on its arms once and for all.
*Nadim Koteich is the general manager of Sky News Arabia. X: @NadimKoteich

A year after Nasrallah: Hezbollah stands exposed
Makram Rabah/Al Arabiya English/September 30/2025
The killing of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s long-time secretary-general, was more than the death of a man. It was the collapse of a myth that had dominated Lebanese politics for decades. For years, Nasrallah’s speeches – delivered with the cadence of a preacher and the authority of a warlord – sought to convince his followers that Hezbollah was invincible, indispensable, and eternal. One year after his assassination, those speeches have been reduced to echoes. What remains of Hezbollah is an organization scrambling to project relevance, relying on commemorations and theatrics instead of strategy, its military and political claims ringing hollow. Hezbollah built its reputation as the “resistance” against Israel, but resistance cannot sustain itself on rhetoric alone. When tested, Hezbollah’s much-touted arsenal has consistently failed to deliver. During Iran’s twelve-day confrontation with Israel, the so-called “axis of resistance” was conspicuously absent. The rockets and drones Hezbollah claims as its deterrent remained silent. Far from a regional powerhouse, the party has been reduced to a domestic militia, one that points its weapons inward at Lebanese rivals rather than outward in defense of the nation.
This military hollowness is paired with political bankruptcy. Hezbollah has long tied the survival of Lebanon’s Shia community to its weapons, peddling the dangerous notion that without the militia, the community itself would be annihilated. This narrative has left Lebanon’s Shia more isolated than ever, trapped in an economy in freefall and a society estranged from its Arab neighbors. Instead of empowerment, Hezbollah has delivered poverty and isolation. Instead of offering a vision for governance, it clings to sectarian fearmongering and imported cash.
The greatest betrayal, however, is moral. Hezbollah fell ethically long before its military aura faded. From the assassination of Rafic Hariri to the obstruction of justice after the Beirut port explosion, the party has consistently chosen violence and impunity over accountability. Its entanglement in the drug trade and smuggling networks has further stripped away any claim to legitimacy. Once hailed by supporters as disciplined and incorruptible, Hezbollah today looks indistinguishable from the corrupt order it claims to resist.
This was on full display in the anniversary speech of Naim Qassem, Nasrallah’s successor, who delivered hours of ritual pledges and cosmic rhetoric but little substance. He portrayed Nasrallah as the “leader of the martyrs” and insisted that a supposed “era of victories” continues, even as Hezbollah reels from its most serious losses in decades. He dismissed disarmament as treason and invoked a selective reading of the Taif Agreement to justify permanent militancy. Yet beyond repeated chants of loyalty and the exaltation of martyrdom, there was no roadmap for Lebanon’s survival – only pageantry masking fragility. Qassem’s words confirmed the party’s predicament: Victory is now defined as either triumph or death, a definition that leaves no space for governance, sovereignty, or citizenship.
And here is the uncomfortable truth: Hezbollah did not achieve this dominance on its own. Lebanon’s ruling class, eager to preserve their privileges, handed it the space to grow. Presidents and ministers waved away the militia’s arsenal as a “regional issue” beyond Lebanon’s control. Judges looked the other way as impunity reigned. In reality, Hezbollah’s strength has always been amplified by the weakness – and complicity – of Lebanon’s political elite. Michel Aoun, Nabih Berri, and Saad al-Hariri who ultimately ruined his own career and countless others enabled Nasrallah not out of conviction, but out of convenience.
The result is a hollowed-out state. Its institutions are paralyzed, its economy is in ruins, and its youth are fleeing in droves. Hezbollah’s answer is not reform or vision but pageantry. Commemorations of Nasrallah, slogans projected onto rocks at Raouche, endless tributes to “martyrs” – all of these are designed to mask fragility with spectacle. But spectacle is not strategy, and commemoration is not governance.
Lebanon deserves more than survival under a militia’s shadow. The Lebanese, Shia included, are citizens before they are sectarian subjects. Their future does not lie in suitcases of Iranian cash or the empty promises of a militia that cannot even deliver on its own threats. Their future lies in a sovereign state, protected by the only institution capable of unifying the country: the Lebanese Army. That will not be easy. It requires dismantling the bargain that has sustained Lebanon’s decay – where Hezbollah keeps its weapons, and the rest of the political class keeps its corruption. It requires acknowledging that sovereignty cannot be subcontracted, and that the cost of evasion is national collapse. Above all, it requires the Lebanese themselves to refuse the false choice between militia rule and sectarian fear.
Nasrallah’s death stripped away the veneer. Hezbollah is not a divine force or an unstoppable resistance. It is a militia that has lost its leader, its credibility, and its purpose. What remains is an organization dangerous not because it can protect Lebanon, but because it prevents Lebanon from protecting itself.
One year later, the choice is stark. Lebanon can cling to the myth of Hezbollah’s weapons as a guarantee of survival, or it can face the reality that those same weapons are the anchor dragging the country deeper into isolation and despair. The man is gone, and the myth is gone with him. What remains is the opportunity – fragile but real – to build a Lebanon free from the shadow of a party that has nothing left to offer but decay.

Geagea accuses Berri of 'blatant breach' of parliamentary rules after cancelled session
Naharnet/30 September/2025
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea accused Tuesday Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri of obstructing a legislative session that was cancelled this morning due to a lack of quorum. Geagea said that Berri is responsible for refusing to discuss in Monday and Tuesday's sessions an urgent draft law presented by 67 MPs demanding an amendment to the current electoral law. The current electoral law allows the Lebanese abroad to vote for six new seats but some MPs -including the 67 MPs- want to amend it so expatriates can vote for all 128 seats. These lawmakers and other MPs including change and independent MPs refused to attend the session Tuesday, forcing Berri to call it off due to lack of quorum. The session was adjourned from Monday to Tuesday after Kataeb and LF MPs walked out of the session because Berri refused to put the law on the session's agenda. "How can the speaker ignore an urgent draft law submitted by 67 lawmakers months ago?" Geagea asked, accusing Berri of "breaching" the parliamentary rules and disrespecting 67 deputies elected by the Lebanese. Geagea urged Berri to call for a legislative session as soon as possible, with the proposed law on the agenda. "The solution is in the hands of Speaker Berri," he said. If Berri doesn't call for a session with the law on its agenda, he'd be obstructing without any justification the parliamentary elections by preventing a parliamentary majority from making amendments to the current law, Geagea said.

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on September 30-October 01/2025
Trump gives Hamas ultimatum on Gaza deal
AFP/September 30, 2025
JERUSALEM: US President Donald Trump gave Hamas an ultimatum of “three or four days” on Tuesday to respond to his plan for Gaza, as the militant group reviewed the proposal backed by Israel. The plan calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself. World powers, including Arab and Muslim nations, welcomed the proposal, but Hamas had yet to issue its response. “We’re going to do about three or four days,” Trump told reporters when asked about any timeframe. “We’re just waiting for Hamas, and Hamas is either going to be doing it or not. And if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end.” Trump announced the deal at the White House on Monday after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Tuesday, a Palestinian source said on condition of anonymity that Hamas had begun consultations on the plan “within its political and military leaderships, both inside Palestine and abroad.” “The discussions could take several days due to the complexities,” the source said. Qatar, which hosts Hamas’s exiled leadership, said the group had promised to study the proposal “responsibly,” and also said it would hold a meeting with Hamas and Turkiye later on Tuesday. “It is still too early to speak about responses, but we are truly optimistic that this plan, as we said, is a comprehensive one,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said.The deal demands that Hamas militants fully disarm and be excluded from future roles in the government, but those who agreed to “peaceful co-existence” would be given amnesty. It would also see a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, after nearly two years of war sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. But in a video statement posted after the joint press conference with Trump, Netanyahu said the military would stay in most of Gaza, and also that he did not agree to a Palestinian state during his talks in Washington. “We will recover all our hostages, alive and well, while the (Israeli military) will remain in most of the Gaza Strip,” he said.Still, Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a member of Netanyahu’s coalition government, blasted the plan as a “resounding diplomatic failure.”“In my estimation, it will also end in tears. Our children will be forced to fight in Gaza again,” he said.
“Full backing”
Trump’s plan includes deployment of a “temporary international stabilization force” — and the creation of a transitional authority headed by Trump himself and including former British premier Tony Blair. During his press conference with Trump, Netanyahu cast doubt on whether the Palestinian Authority, which nominally runs Palestinian population centers in the occupied West Bank, would be allowed a role in Gaza’s governance. Trump noted that during their meeting Netanyahu had strongly opposed any Palestinian statehood — something that the US plan leaves room for.
“I support your plan to end the war in Gaza which achieves our war aims,” Netanyahu said. “If Hamas rejects your plan, Mr.President, or if they supposedly accept it and then basically do everything to counter it, then Israel will finish the job by itself.”Trump said that Israel would have his “full backing” to do so if Hamas did not accept the deal.Reaction was global, and swift. Key Arab and Muslim nations, including mediators Egypt and Qatar, hailed the agreement’s “sincere efforts” in the wake of their own talks with Trump last week. Washington’s European allies promptly voiced support, with the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy sharing strong expressions of support for the plan, while China and Russia also declared their backing.
“Unrealistic”
But in Gaza, people were skeptical. “It’s clear that this plan is unrealistic,” 39-year-old Ibrahim Joudeh told AFP from his shelter in the so-called humanitarian zone of Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza. “It’s drafted with conditions that the US and Israel know Hamas will never accept. For us, that means the war and the suffering will continue,” said the computer programmer, originally from the southern city of Rafah, devastated by a military offensive that began in May. Israeli air strikes and shelling continued across Gaza on Tuesday, according to the territory’s civil defense agency and witnesses.
The Israeli military said its forces were carrying out operations across the territory, particularly in Gaza City, where they have mounted a major offensive in recent weeks. The Palestinian Authority welcomed Trump’s “sincere and determined efforts.” Hamas ally Islamic Jihad, on the other hand, said the plan would fuel further aggression against Palestinians. “Through this, Israel is attempting — via the United States — to impose what it could not achieve through war,” the group said in a statement. The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel’s offensive has reduced much of Gaza to rubble and killed 66,055 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

Italy to end support for Gaza flotilla as Israeli action looms
Reuters/30 September/2025
Italy said on Tuesday it would stop tracking an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza with a military vessel, leaving activists vulnerable to Israeli forces. The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of more than 40 civilian boats with over 500 people including parliamentarians, lawyers and Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aims to break Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian enclave. Once the convoy gets within 150 nautical miles (278 km) of Gaza’s shoreline, the Italian frigate accompanying it will stop, the Italian defense ministry said in a statement, adding that it expected it to happen at around 0000 GMT. Italy has urged flotilla members to accept a compromise proposal to drop aid in a Cyprus port and avoid a confrontation with Israeli forces. Flotilla representatives have repeatedly refused the offer. “We say again: the flotilla sails onwards. The Italian navy will not derail this mission. The humanitarian demand to break the blockade cannot be walked back to port,” the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement. Italy and Spain deployed navy vessels last week to assist the flotilla, after it was hit by drones armed with stun grenades and irritants in international waters off Greece, but without any intention to engage militarily. Israel did not respond to flotilla accusations that it was behind last week’s attacks, but it has vowed to use any means to prevent the boats from reaching Gaza, arguing that its blockade is legal as part of its war against Hamas militants. An Italian spokeswoman for the flotilla, Maria Elena Delia, said activists were bracing for another strike in the coming hours. “Israel will probably attack us tonight, because all the signals point to this happening,” she said in a video on Instagram. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has said he expects flotilla boats to be intercepted in the open sea and activists to face arrest. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged the flotilla to stop, saying that the aid mission could undermine hopes for peace based on US President Donald Trump’s 20-point proposal. Pope Leo also expressed concern for the safety of flotilla members. “From all sides, people are saying, ‘let’s hope that there will not be violence, that people are respected’. That’s very important,” the pope told reporters as he left a Vatican residence outside Rome.Israel began its Gaza offensive after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The offensive has since killed over 66,000 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities say.

Axios: Qatar, Egypt and Turkey urge Hamas to accept Trump’s Gaza plan
LBCI/30 September/2025
Axios reported Tuesday, citing two sources familiar with the matter, that Qatar, Egypt and Turkey have urged Hamas to give a positive response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu says no Palestinian state in Trump talks, army to remain in 'most of Gaza'
Agence France Presse/30 September/2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he did not agree to a Palestinian state during his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House the previous day. "Not at all, and it is not written in the agreement. One thing was made clear: We will strongly oppose a Palestinian state," Netanyahu said in a video posted overnight Monday to Tuesday on his Telegram channel. He added in the video that the Israeli military would stay in most of Gaza. "We will recover all our hostages, alive and well, while the (Israeli military) will remain in most of the Gaza Strip".

UN chief urges ‘all parties’ to commit to Trump’s Gaza plan
Al Arabiya English/30 September/2025
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Tuesday for “all parties” to commit to the peace plan for Gaza presented by US President Donald Trump, a spokesman said. “It is now crucial that all parties commit to an agreement and its implementation... He once again reiterates his call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire,” Farhan Haq, a spokesman for Guterres, said in a statement. Trump’s plan calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself. World powers, including Arab and Muslim nations, welcomed the proposal, but Hamas had yet to issue its response. Trump announced the deal at the White House on Monday after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. On Tuesday, a Palestinian source said on condition of anonymity that Hamas had begun consultations on the plan “within its political and military leaderships, both inside Palestine and abroad.”“The discussions could take several days due to the complexities,” the source said. With AFP

Pope Leo XIV holds a general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican,
Reuters/01 October/2025
Pope Leo on Tuesday praised US President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, and expressed hope that the Palestinian militant group Hamas would endorse it. “There are very interesting elements” in the plan, the pope was quoted as saying by Italy’s ANSA news agency. “I hope Hamas will accept it within the established timeframe.”Hamas was not part of the talks that led to the proposal, which calls on the group to disarm, a demand it has previously rejected. It has said it will review the plan in good faith and provide a response. Leo spoke to reporters as he was leaving his Castel Gandolfo summer residence, which he has taken to visiting regularly. He also commented on the international aid flotilla that is trying to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, and which risks being attacked by Israel in the coming hours. Israel has vowed to take all necessary measures to defend the naval blockade it has imposed on Gaza while it conducts its war against Hamas. “From all sides, people are saying, ‘Let’s hope that there will not be violence, that people are respected.’ That’s very important,” the pope said.

Saudi Arabia, several Arab and Muslim nations welcome Trump’s Gaza plan
Al Arabiya English/30 September/2025
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar and Egypt welcomed in a joint statement on Monday US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the Gaza war. According to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the foreign ministers welcome “Trump’s leadership and his sincere efforts to end the war in Gaza, and assert their confidence in his ability to find a path to peace.”The ministers “welcome the announcement by President Trump regarding his proposal to end the war, rebuild Gaza, prevent the displacement of the Palestinian people and advance a comprehensive peace, as well as his announcement that he will not allow the annexation of the West Bank,” SPA said. Trump’s plan calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Other key points include deployment of a “temporary international stabilization force” – and the creation of a transitional authority headed by Trump himself and including former British premier Tony Blair. In their joint statement, the top Arab and Muslim diplomats also emphasized “the importance of the partnership with the United States in securing peace in the region.”“The ministers affirm their readiness to engage positively and constructively with the United States and the parties toward finalizing the agreement and ensuring its implementation, in a manner that ensures peace, security, and stability for the peoples of the region,” SPA said. “They reaffirm their joint commitment to work with the United States to end the war in Gaza through a comprehensive deal that ensures unrestricted delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid to Gaza, no displacement of the Palestinians, the release of hostages, a security mechanism that guarantees the security of all sides, full Israeli withdrawal, rebuilds Gaza and creates a path for a just peace on the basis of the two state solution, under which Gaza is fully integrated with the West Bank in a Palestinian state in accordance with international law as key to achieving regional stability and security,” it added.

Gaza civil defense says 41 killed in Israeli attacks
AFP/September 30, 2025
NUSEIRAT: Gaza’s civil defense agency and hospitals said Tuesday that Israeli forces killed at least 41 people across the territory, including 17 near an aid distribution center. The Israeli military has pressed on with its offensive even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support for US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war. Officials from Gaza’s civil defense agency — a rescue force operating under Hamas authority — said 17 people were shot dead by Israeli forces near an aid distribution site near the Wadi Gaza bridge in central Gaza. Al-Awda hospital confirmed receiving 17 bodies and said 33 people were wounded. “We received 17 martyrs and 33 injured as a result of Israeli forces targeting gatherings of citizens near the humanitarian aid distribution area near Wadi Gaza Bridge in the central Gaza Strip,” the hospital said in a statement. Thousands of Palestinians congregate daily near food distribution points in Gaza, including those managed by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Since launching in late May, its operations have been marred by regular reports of Israeli forces firing on those waiting to collect aid.
An AFP journalist saw hundreds of children crowding a food distribution center in Gaza’s central Nuseirat area, where volunteers were handing out rice and other supplies.When asked about Tuesday’s incident near Wadi Gaza Bridge, the military said it was looking into it. Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid supplies into Gaza since the start of the war nearly two years ago have led to shortages of food and essential items, including medicine and fuel, which hospitals require to power their generators. The civil defense added that 15 more people were killed in several strikes in Gaza City, from where hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee due to Israeli air and ground assaults. Nine others were killed elsewhere in the territory, it said. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense and the Israeli military. On Monday, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan for an immediate halt to the war in Gaza, which Netanyahu backed. Hamas has yet to respond, and on Tuesday Trump issued an ultimatum to the group. “We’re going to do about three or four days,” Trump told reporters when asked about a timeframe. “We’re just waiting for Hamas, and Hamas is either going to be doing it or not. And if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end.”

Israeli government approves appointment of new head of Shin Bet
Reuters/01 October/2025
The Israeli government on Tuesday unanimously approved the appointment of Major General David Zini as the new head of the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said. Netanyahu announced Zini’s appointment in May. Zini, who was appointed for a five-year term, will assume duties on October 5. Zini replaces Ronen Bar, who stepped down in June, announcing his resignation in April after Netanyahu had said that he was sacking him. Israel’s Supreme Court later ruled that decision as “illegal and contrary to law,” according to Israeli media. The Shin Bet, which handles counterterrorism investigations, has been at the center of a growing political battle pitting Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition government against an array of critics ranging from members of the security establishment to families of hostages in Gaza.

Tony Blair: former UK premier central to Trump’s Gaza plan
AFP/September 30, 2025
LONDON: Tony Blair, Britain’s former prime minister whose legacy was heavily tarnished by the 2003 war in Iraq, has long been a contentious figure in the Middle East and beyond. His potentially leading role in Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza will likely do little to change that. Blair, 72, who is set to sit on the board of a proposed international transitional authority in the Palestinian territory, is credited with crafting the US leader’s plan alongside Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner. Blair brings a wealth of experience after spending eight years as the envoy for the Middle East Quartet of the European Union, United Nations, United States and Russia.Savvy and confident, he will be seen as bringing heft to any leadership role in Gaza. Critics argue he achieved little as envoy and that he is ill-suited to play peacemaker, as he is reviled by many Arabs and discredited in Britain for joining the US-led invasion of Iraq. “His reputation, of course, is mired by his involvement in the Iraq war,” Sanam Vakil, Middle East program director at the Chatham House think tank, told AFP. But “he is trusted by leaders in the Gulf ... (who) see him as a potential bridge-builder candidate,” she added. In Gaza, Hani Saad, 41, who lives in a tent at a school for displaced people in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, told AFP the main thing was to “end the fighting.”“You know Blair is known for lying and only serving Israel and his own interests,” he said, but added he was “welcome” if he can end the conflict.
Hiam Wafi, 30, who lives
near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, said the UK politician would be “acceptable to Israel, the US and the international community.”“He has relationships with other countries and can mobilize political and financial support.”Blair, a skilled communicator, has maintained an informal regional role through his institute and consultancy roles. He contributed to the 2020 historic Abraham Accords brokered during the first Trump presidency, which normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, according to his office.Israel appears to welcome his possible new role, with Blair said to enjoy a good rapport with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “He has always had a corner of his heart devoted to the unfinished project of calming down this conflict,” Ehud Barak, former Israeli premier, told the Washington Post. The Palestinians seem less enthusiastic. “That is the most horrible idea,” Mustafa Barghuti, head of the Palestinian National Initiative, told CNN. “To bring a foreign person to run the Palestinian affairs in Gaza is absolutely unacceptable, especially with the reputation that Mr. Blair has.”Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on rights in the Palestinian territories, was equally blunt. “Tony Blair? Hell no,” she posted on X. “Shall we meet in The Hague perhaps?” she added, referring to the International Criminal Court. Blair has remained unapologetic about joining the 2003 invasion, which triggered accusations he was “a poodle” of then US president George W. Bush. But he has expressed regret about intelligence failures and lack of post-war planning.“At least you could say we were removing a despot and trying to introduce democracy,” he told AFP in a 2023 interview.
‘Protests’
A youthful Blair first became a lawmaker for center-left Labour in 1983. Within 11 years he was spearheading reform as leader. He became prime minister in 1997 — the first of three general election wins, an unprecedented feat for Labour — and, at 43, Britain’s youngest premier since 1812. During his 10-year tenure, Blair oversaw a period of prosperity, enacted key constitutional changes and expanded gay rights. He also secured a historic peace accord in Northern Ireland. But his political fortunes shifted in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. One million people protested in London against invading Iraq, and his domestic reputation eroded further after the evidence for the war proved flawed. He was ousted from office in 2007 after an internal power battle. But Blair, a committed Christian, remained a globe-trotting statesman. He set up a foundation to support inter-faith dialogue and counter extremism. He has also worked with governments in developing nations, although his lucrative consultancy work has drawn criticism.

Tony Blair’s seat on post-war Gaza has been decades in the making
Abeer Khan - Al Arabiya English/30 September/2025
The White House has announced a proposal to end Israel’s offensive in Gaza that would see former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair take part in the temporary administration of the Gaza Strip – initially without the direct involvement of the Palestinian Authority. The transitional body, which will be headed and chaired by US President Donald Trump, has been coined the “Board of Peace.”Ironically, Blair was forced to resign from office as a combined result of the Iraq War, his failure to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Lebanon conflict, and the Blair-Brown pact. Blair’s role in the “Board of Peace” is under suspicion because of the ways in which he has directed policy toward Palestinians during his time in office between 1997 and 2007. Later he was a representative for the Quartet on the Middle East. The Quartet, which was created in response to the Second Intifada, was largely ineffective and consistently criticized for reinforcing colonial equations of power. During his tenure as Quartet representative in 2012, Palestinian officials said: “Tony Blair shouldn’t take it personally, but he should pack up his desk at the Office of the Quartet Representative in Jerusalem and go home.”They called his work on the Quartet “useless, useless, useless.”More recently his role on Trump’s plans for Gaza has been slammed by Palestinians and advocates for Palestinian rights across the world. Mustafa Barghouti, general-secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, told the Washington Post: “We’ve been under British colonialism already. He has a negative reputation here. If you mention Tony Blair, the first thing people mention is the Iraq war.”According to the outline of the plans released by White House, the “Board of Peace” will set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza until such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including President Trump’s peace plan in 2020 and the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza. However, Blair’s seat on the international transitional body is under scrutiny given his decades-long history of policy approach on Palestine and the liberation of its people.Earlier this year, the Tony Blair Institute backed a post-war plan for Gaza that included reviving the besieged enclave’s economy with a “Trump Riviera” and an “Elon Musk Smart Manufacturing Zone.”The plan had also proposed paying half a million Palestinians to leave their homelands and attracting private investors to develop Gaza as a money-making tourist destination.

Turkiye’s Erdogan hails Trump’s efforts to end Gaza war after deal
Reuters/September 30, 2025
ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday praised Donald Trump’s “efforts and leadership” to end the war in Gaza, after the US leader secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s support for a US-sponsored peace proposal. After talks between Trump and Netanyahu in Washington, the White House released a 20-point plan that would see an immediate ceasefire, an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, a staged Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas disarmament and a transitional government led by an international body.It was unclear whether Hamas would accept the deal. “I commend US President Donald Trump’s efforts and leadership aimed at halting the bloodshed in Gaza and achieving a ceasefire,” said Erdogan, who met Trump at the White House for the first time in six years last week.Turkiye would continue to contribute to the process “with a view to establishing a just and lasting peace acceptable to all parties,” he added on X. Turkiye has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s two-year assault on Gaza, which it calls a “genocide.” It has halted all trade with Israel, urged international action against Netanyahu and his government, and repeatedly called for a two-state solution. A Turkish Foreign Ministry source said late on Monday that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had discussed Trump’s proposal with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan in a phone call.

Saudi cabinet reaffirms Kingdom’s readiness to cooperate with US to achieve Gaza ceasefire
Al Arabiya English/30 September/2025
Saudi Arabia’s cabinet on Tuesday reaffirmed the Kingdom’s readiness to cooperate with the US to achieve a comprehensive agreement to stop the war in Gaza. In a session chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the cabinet said Saudi Arabia is ready to work with the United States to reach a Gaza ceasefire and support efforts to achieve complete Israeli withdrawal from the Strip, “and to deliver sufficient unrestricted humanitarian aid, thereby contributing to enhancing efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution, guaranteeing the establishment of a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The cabinet also welcomed US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Gaza and his announcement that the West Bank will not be annexed. Trump’s plan, which was revealed on Monday, calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a post-war transitional authority headed by Trump himself. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who held a news conference with Trump on Monday, backed the plan if Hamas commits to it. Trump last week said that he was not going to let Israel annex the West Bank despite calls from some far-right politicians in Israel who want to extend sovereignty over the area and snuff out hopes for a Palestinian state.
These calls were vehemently rejected by Arab and world leaders.

Yemen’s Houthis claim responsibility for attack on Dutch-flagged ship ...This is the first confirmed Houthi attack on a commercial ship since September 1.
Reuters/30 September/2025
Yemen’s Houthi militants claimed on Wednesday responsibility for an attack on the Dutch-flagged general cargo ship Minervagracht. In a statement, the Houthis’ military spokesperson said Monday’s attack was carried out by a cruise missile. Dutch-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht was ablaze and adrift in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, a day after being hit by an explosive device that injured two seafarers and forced the crew’s evacuation, its operator and the EU maritime mission Aspides said. This is the first confirmed Houthi attack on a commercial ship since September 1.Minervagracht was sailing off Djibouti, with 19 crew members and without cargo, when the explosion occurred, the vessel’s Amsterdam-based operator Spliethoff said. “Minervagracht has sustained considerable damage,” the company said in a statement, adding that all the crew had been safely evacuated and that it was working with international authorities and experts to salvage the vessel. Most of the crew, including one of the injured seafarers who is in a stable condition, were transferred to a Greek and a French frigate, naval mission Aspides said on Tuesday. Another crew member, who was seriously wounded, was evacuated by helicopter and they have all arrived in Djibouti.

Yemen’s Houthis say they will target US oil firms with sanctions
Reuters/30 September/2025
Yemen’s Houthis will target US oil majors including ExxonMobil and Chevron with sanctions, a body affiliated with the Iran-backed militia said on Tuesday. The Sanaa-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC), a body set up last year to liaise between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators, sanctioned 13 US companies, nine executives and two vessels, HOCC said. The sanctions are in retaliation for US sanctions imposed on the Houthis this year despite a truce agreement with the Trump administration in which the Yemeni group agreed to stop attacking US-linked ships in the Red Sea and the wider Gulf of Aden, HOCC said. “It remains unclear whether these sanctions signal that the Houthis will begin targeting vessels linked to the sanctioned organizations, companies, and individuals — a move that would risk violating the ceasefire agreement with the Trump administration, facilitated by Oman,” independent Middle East analyst Mohammed Albasha said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday. The Houthis since 2023 have launched numerous assaults on vessels in the Red Sea that they deem to be linked with Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war on Gaza.
That campaign has had little effect on vital oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which is located between Oman and Iran and connects the Arabian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, according to the US Energy Information Administration. The Houthis have occasionally attacked ships in the Gulf of Aden, which flows into the Arabian Sea. This week, a Houthi-style attack on a Dutch cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden injured two crew and left the vessel ablaze and adrift. The rebels have not claimed responsibility. Last year, the US imported about 500,000 barrels per day of crude and condensate from Gulf countries through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the EIA. That represents about 7 percent of total US crude oil and condensate imports - the lowest level in nearly 40 years due to increased domestic production and Canadian imports, the agency said. “Why now? The Houthis say this action is taken under the principle of reciprocity, a response to US sanctions — despite Oman’s May 6, 2025, announcement of a de-escalation and ceasefire between the US and them,” analyst Albasha wrote. The Houthi statement, Albasha added, also said “the ultimate goal of these sanctions is not punishment for its own sake, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.”

Zelenskyy warns situation ‘critical’ as nuclear plant off grid for a week
AFP/30 September/2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday said the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been off the grid for seven straight days, warning of the potential threat of a “critical” situation. He said one of the backup diesel generators used to maintain operations had “malfunctioned” and the blackout posed “a threat to everyone.”It is the longest outage at Zaporizhzhia since Russia invaded and seized the nuclear plant, Europe’s largest. “It has been seven days now. There has never been anything like this before,” Zelenskyy said in his daily address, adding: “The situation is critical.”Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of risking a potentially devastating nuclear disaster by attacking the site and traded blame over the latest blackout. “Due to Russian attacks, the plant has been cut off from its power supply and the electricity grid. It is being supplied with electricity from diesel generators,” Zelenskyy said. Russia said last week the power plant – which it took control of in the first weeks of the war in 2022 – has been receiving backup power supply since an attack it attributed to Ukraine. Zelenskyy accused Moscow of “obstructing the repair” of power lines through airstrikes, saying “this is a threat to absolutely everyone.”The plant’s six reactors, which before the war produced around a fifth of Ukraine’s electricity, were shut down after Moscow took over. But the plant needs power to maintain cooling and safety systems, which prevent reactors from melting – a danger that could set off a nuclear incident. Since the start of the war, Zaporizhzhia has seen multiple safety threats, including frequent nearby shelling, repeated power cuts and staff shortages. Located near the city of Energodar along the Dnieper river, the power plant is close to the front line.

Russia doesn’t believe US has taken decision on supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles
Reuters/30 September/2025
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow did not believe that Washington had taken a final decision on supplying Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. US Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that Washington was considering a Ukrainian request for Tomahawks. Lavrov said that US talk about the matter looked like it was the result of pressure from Europe and that Washington wanted to show it was taking its allies’ opinions into account. Russia said on Monday that its military was analyzing whether the United States would supply Tomahawks to Ukraine for strikes deep into Russia, a step that Russian officials say could trigger a steep escalation.

OPEC slams ‘misleading’ reports about plans to increase oil production
Al Arabiya English/30 September/2025
OPEC on Tuesday hit out at recent media reports claiming that the Group of Eight (G8) countries were planning to increase production by 500,000 barrels per day.
“These claims are wholly inaccurate and misleading,” the OPEC Secretariat said in a statement posted to X. Discussions about the upcoming meeting have not yet begun, according to the statement. “Consequently, the OPEC Secretariat strongly urges media outlets to exercise accuracy and responsibility in their reporting in order to avoid fueling unnecessary speculation in the oil market,” OPEC said.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources on September 30-October 01/2025
China and Russia: The Axis of War
Gordon G. Chang/Gatestone Institute/September 30, 2025
The [Washington Post] report, based on a study issued by the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute, notes that China is undoubtedly planning an airborne assault on Taiwan.
Trump's plan is not working. Russia's forces are making progress in Ukraine, and, viewing the response of the great democracies to his invasion as feeble, Putin is already taking on other neighbors.
On July 2, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, that Beijing does not want to see Russia lose in Ukraine because then the U.S. would focus on China in East Asia. China, by implication, also wants to see the war drag on to tie down the United States.
The West and friends are finally realizing how close they are to catastrophe.
Russia is providing equipment, technology, and training to China for an airborne invasion, the Washington Post reported on September 26. The report, based on a study issued by the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute, notes that China is planning an airborne assault on Taiwan. Pictured: Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing on September 2, 2025. (Photo by Sergey Bobylev/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Russia is providing equipment, technology, and training to China for an airborne invasion, the Washington Post reported on September 26. The report, based on a study issued by the U.K.-based Royal United Services Institute, notes that China is planning an airborne assault on Taiwan.
The day before the Washington Post article, Reuters revealed that Chinese experts had traveled to Russia to help that country develop drones. According to the wire service, Sichuan AEE, a Chinese company, sold attack and surveillance drones to Russian company IEMZ Kupol through an intermediary sanctioned by the U.S. and the EU.
The two reports highlight the close cooperation between Russia and China in military theaters around the world. These two aggressive states, from all appearances, have effectively formed a military alliance.
Many in the American policy community, clinging to a post-Cold War world that no longer exists, had been confident that Beijing and Moscow could be managed and perhaps separated. Now, it is clear those expectations were unrealistic, and it is time to recognize that the free world faces implacable enemies who have formed an enduring bond.
Beijing and Moscow, after the Cold War, wasted little time in taking down the international system. The Chinese and Russian militaries conducted their first large-scale joint military exercise in 2005 and since then have participated in regular exercises across the Eurasian landmass and in nearby waters.
Yet they are doing more than just preparing for conflict. In North Africa, both have been fueling insurgencies and have almost certainly been coordinating efforts. China has been providing all-in support, including sending soldiers, for Russia's war against Ukraine. Both Beijing and Moscow have aided Iran's rearmament and assault on Israel. In the Western Hemisphere, the Chinese and Russians together back the Cuban and Venezuelan regimes.
How did China and Russia, so weak after the Cold War, become such threats? America tried to integrate both into the international system with trade and investment and paved their way into the institutions of the rules-based order. Beijing and Moscow, however, rejected that order and are using newfound strength to challenge it. Worse, after the Cold War, American presidents were more worried about the stability of the Chinese and Russian ruling groups than the fundamental challenges they posed. As a result, Washington imposed few costs on their disruptive conduct.
American efforts went too far, especially with regard to China. For instance, President George H.W. Bush surreptitiously worked to bolster the Chinese Communist Party in the immediate wake of the horrific slaughter in Beijing in June 1989. He even sent National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft on a secret mission just a month after the massacre to assure Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping that the U.S. supported his murderous regime.
Moreover, U.S. presidents tried to keep Russian autocrats in power. This is from Ambassador Douglas Lute, then America's permanent representative to NATO, at the Aspen Security Forum Global in London on April 22, 2016:
"So essentially there's a sense that, yes, there's a new more assertive, maybe even more aggressive Russia, but fundamentally Russia is a state in decline. And we have conversations in NATO headquarters about states in decline and arrive at two fundamental models: States in rapid decline, which typically lead to chaos and break-down, and states in gradual decline. And we ask ourselves which of these two models would we have our nearest, most militarily capable neighbor with thousands of nuclear weapons move along. Obviously trying to manage Russia's decline seems more attractive than a failed state of that size and magnitude on NATO's border...
"And if you accept the premises that we've heard here about Russia's internal weakness and perhaps steady decline and so forth, it may not make sense to push further now, and maybe even — and maybe accelerate or destabilize that decline."
This approach, questionable even then, still guides American policy. "When it comes to Russia, the Trump administration, like most European governments, has two mutually incompatible goals," Air Force General Blaine Holt, who served as America's deputy military representative to NATO, told Gatestone.
"American policymakers want to make sure that Ukraine does not lose and at the same time that the government of Vladimir Putin remains intact and stable. It is unlikely Washington can have both. Soon, it will have to choose one or the other."
Holt, now retired, is correct. Trump's plan is not working. Russia's forces are making progress in Ukraine, and, viewing the response of the great democracies to his invasion as feeble, Putin is already taking on other neighbors. September, for instance, has been a big month for incursions in the skies above NATO members. On the 9th, at least 19 Russian drones intruded into Polish airspace. On the 19th, three Mig-31s flew over Estonia for 12 minutes. Both Romania and Latvia charge that Russian drones entered their airspace in recent weeks.
In response to Russia's provocations, Defense Minister Pal Jonson of NATO's newest member, Sweden, told the newspaper Aftonbladet that his country would shoot down intruding aircraft "with or without warning."
The Chinese are in war mode too. On July 2, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, that Beijing does not want to see Russia lose in Ukraine because then the U.S. would focus on China in East Asia. China, by implication, also wants to see the war drag on to tie down the United States.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in December said that the organization's members needed to "shift to a wartime mindset." With China and Russia in fact waging war, Trump has already started the process by renaming the Pentagon the "Department of War." The West and friends are finally realizing how close they are to catastrophe.
**Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America, a Gatestone Institute distinguished senior fellow, and a member of its Advisory Board.
**Follow Gordon G. Chang on X (formerly Twitter)
© 2025 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Snapback sanctions mark turning point for Iran
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Al Arabiya English/September 30/2025
One of the critical geopolitical developments is the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions on Iran, a move that marks a sharp turn in the international community’s approach to Tehran. After years of painstaking negotiations, temporary compromises, and a fragile balancing act, the so-called “snapback” mechanism has been triggered, and Iran now finds itself once again under the weight of legally binding sanctions authorized by the UN Security Council. This decision is not just another round of pressure – it is the revival of a sanctions regime that once isolated Iran from much of the global financial and trading system. The reinstatement of these measures underscores the seriousness with which world powers view Iran’s nuclear advances, and it signals the beginning of a new chapter of economic and diplomatic isolation for the regime. The lifting of sanctions after the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was intended to reward Iran for curbing its nuclear program and to create space for a new era of engagement. Under the JCPOA, Tehran agreed to cap uranium enrichment, reduce stockpiles of fissile material, and allow international inspectors significant access to nuclear sites in exchange for sanctions relief. That relief included lifting UN sanctions that had been in place since 2006, when the Security Council first began acting against Iran over its nuclear activities.
At the time, lifting the sanctions was seen as a breakthrough, offering Iran’s struggling economy a path to reconnect with global markets and signaling a willingness by world powers to build trust if Tehran adhered to its commitments. However, over the years, Iran gradually eroded those commitments, breaching enrichment limits and restricting inspections, while the United States’ withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 dealt a heavy blow to the deal. With confidence in Tehran’s compliance collapsing, the E3 powers – Britain, France, and Germany – eventually decided to trigger the snapback process, leading us to today’s development. The snapback mechanism itself is one of the most important features of the JCPOA and UN Resolution 2231, which enshrined the nuclear deal in international law. It was designed as a safeguard, ensuring that if Iran ever violated its commitments, the painstakingly negotiated sanctions could be reinstated without the need for new negotiations or a Security Council vote that could be vetoed by Russia or China.
What makes this moment particularly critical is the nature of the sanctions being reinstated. These are not new restrictions hastily crafted in response to immediate events; they are the product of nearly a decade of effort, negotiations, and Security Council resolutions that gradually built one of the most comprehensive multilateral sanctions regimes in modern history. The measures include a ban on conventional arms transfers, missile-related restrictions, asset freezes and travel bans on key individuals and entities, as well as prohibitions on nuclear-related materials and technologies. They represent the accumulated leverage of years of diplomacy – hard-won tools that now return into force precisely as they were designed to if Iran crossed the line. For years, Tehran had been betting that these sanctions would simply expire with time. The Iranian leadership believed that global fatigue, geopolitical divisions, and the natural sunset clauses built into the JCPOA would allow them to outlast international pressure. Iran’s calculation was likely that, despite periodic tensions, world powers would ultimately prefer to avoid confrontation and let the sanctions lapse, enabling Tehran to consolidate its nuclear program while regaining access to international markets. This expectation seemed especially plausible after Washington’s withdrawal from the deal fractured the unity of the original parties, and Russia and China consistently backed Tehran’s claims. Yet this calculation has now failed. Iran’s hopes that the mechanism would never be used or would fade into irrelevance have now been dashed, leaving Tehran facing the exact scenario it had long sought to avoid. The economic and political consequences for Iran are profound. On the economic front, these sanctions will significantly tighten the already limited space Iran has to operate in global markets. The reinstatement of UN sanctions will discourage international banks from doing business with Tehran, complicate insurance and shipping for its exports, and block access to critical technologies needed to modernize its industrie. While Iran has already endured years of crushing US sanctions, the return of UN measures carries an added layer of legitimacy and universality. Even companies and countries that might have been willing to take the risk of trading with Iran under unilateral sanctions will think twice when confronted with mandatory UN restrictions. For Tehran, this means reduced foreign investment, higher transaction costs, and greater difficulty in accessing global financial systems – all of which deepen the strain on an economy already grappling with inflation, unemployment, and currency depreciation.
Politically, the reinstatement of sanctions strikes at Iran’s international legitimacy. The return of UN measures is a clear signal that the global community, acting through the most authoritative multilateral institution, has judged Iran to be in violation of its commitments. This further isolates Tehran, damages its ability to negotiate on equal terms with other states, and empowers its adversaries who have long warned about the dangers of its nuclear ambitions. Moreover, it places Iran in a defensive diplomatic posture: instead of being able to argue that it is the victim of unilateral US actions, it must now contend with the reality that the sanctions have been reimposed multilaterally, under the very mechanism built into the deal Iran signed.
That said, the impact will not be absolute. Iran has proven resourceful in finding buyers for its oil, particularly in China, which remains Tehran’s largest energy customer despite sanctions. Through covert shipping methods, the use of intermediaries, and reliance on what has been dubbed the “dark fleet” of tankers, Iran has managed to sustain a flow of oil sales. This means that while UN sanctions will sharply raise the costs of doing business and discourage many international actors, Iran may still find limited avenues to keep its oil revenues alive. However, these revenues will come with heavier discounts, higher risks, and fewer stable partners, leaving Iran with less income and greater vulnerability. In conclusion, the reinstatement of UN sanctions is a turning point with significant consequences for Iran’s already fragile economy and its standing in the international community. These measures were never meant to be symbolic – they were carefully built over years to have real bite, and now that they are back in force, Tehran will feel their weight. Although Iran may still find ways to sell some oil to China or pursue limited trade through unofficial channels, the overall effect will be one of deeper isolation, diminished legitimacy, and greater economic hardship. For a government already facing domestic discontent, financial strain, and geopolitical challenges, the snapback sanctions represent a major setback that will reverberate across its economy, diplomacy, and long-term strategic outlook.

Munir, Islamabad and the path between China and the US
James A. Marks/Al Arabiya English/September 30/2025
In his remarks at the United Nations General Assembly, US President Donald Trump took his usual swipes at China. One of them, though, lumped in India and Russia, in the context of purchasing oil that facilitates the ongoing aggression against Ukraine. Trump’s rebuke follows the tight embrace between Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. Modi’s eastward pivot highlights a broader reshaping of American policy in South Asia, particularly a reevaluation of the roles of India and its nuclear-armed rival, Pakistan. Conventional Beltway wisdom views Pakistan negatively, especially with the specter of Osama Bin Laden’s years-long presence in Abbottabad, and President Donald Trump conformed to this view in his first term. But he now appears to be setting aside long-standing biases to see Pakistan as a potential strategic asset, which suggests a possible realignment of US policy in South Asia, driven less by nostalgia and more by present-day imperatives.
Pakistan has navigated this opening skillfully. For starters, it extradited a suspect involved in the Kabul airport bombing that killed 13 US troops. Washington responded by designating the Mageed Brigade, a wing of the Balochistan Liberation Army, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. But the real turning point came in May, when skirmishes between Pakistan and India renewed fears of nuclear escalation.
Amid this backdrop, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (now Field Marshal) Asim Munir caught Trump’s attention. With US plans underway for a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump saw value in Munir’s regional insight, famously stating that Pakistan “knows a lot about Iran.”
A June 18 White House luncheon between Trump and Munir was unprecedented. Critics questioned the unusual protocol, but the meeting signaled a deliberate shift. Trump, ever transactional, seemed ready to move past diplomatic orthodoxy and explore mutual benefit.
The results came quickly. Pakistan, long advocating “trade, not aid,” secured a US trade deal that lowered tariffs on its exports to 19 percent, down from a proposed 29 percent, giving it an edge over regional competitors. In return, Pakistan agreed to purchase US oil and agriculture products and granted US firms access to critical minerals, including copper.
American companies will now participate in oil exploration and mining ventures in Pakistan. Fluor Corporation will establish operations, while the US Development Finance Corporation and EXIM Bank will co-finance the Reko Diq mine – valued at over $70 billion. Pakistan’s finance ministry called this “the beginning of a new era of economic collaboration,” spanning energy, IT, cryptocurrency and more. India, having assumed US backing in any regional dispute, has bristled at the thaw in US-Pakistan ties. But Modi’s continued support for Russia, despite the invasion of Ukraine, puts it at odds with US strategic priorities. Trump has made clear that while India remains a key partner, Pakistan offers a counterweight, particularly when New Delhi appears unwilling to adjust course, as shown by doubled down on the pivot to China and Russia a the SCO.
To capitalize on this opening, Pakistan must deliver. Counterterrorism cooperation must be consistent and credible. Commitments to US goods, trade access and protection of US companies, especially in volatile regions like Balochistan, must be honored. Critics argue that engaging Pakistan’s military leadership legitimizes nondemocratic governance, a valid concern. But in practice, meaningful change in Pakistan’s strategic orientation requires military buy-in. The Trump-Munir dynamic, though unconventional, could be an effective, interest-driven approach to a region in flux. Pakistan is often dismissed, but doing so misses the point. It remains too strategically important for the US to ignore. The reasons are longstanding: Pakistan has the world’s fifth-largest population – two thirds under 30 – abundant natural resources, including critical minerals and agriculture, entrepreneurial talent, a strong diplomatic corps with GCC ties, influence in the Muslim world, strategic proximity and insight into Iran, a strong military with historic US connections, nuclear capabilities and a diaspora with growing clout. For the US, engaging Pakistan offers access, to territory and minerals, as well as geopolitical intelligence, cultural insight and diplomatic influence. But perhaps Pakistan’s greatest strategic value lies in its position as a bridge to China. The Trump administration understands that every major global issue, whether trade, climate, tech or security, must be viewed through the US-China lens.
The reality echoes Richard Nixon’s Cold War breakthrough with Chairman Mao in 1972, enabled by Pakistan’s President Yahya Khan. The context may have changed tremendously – China is now America’s third-largest trading partner and chief geopolitical rival – yet today, as Trump seeks a second détente, this time centered on trade, industrial self-reliance and avoiding military conflict, Pakistan could again be the intermediary. Pakistan appeared at the SCO, reflecting its historic alignment with Beijing, but without the provocative fanfare shown by India. Islamabad, heavily invested in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is uniquely placed to offer insight into Beijing’s regional ambitions. Munir, well-versed in both Western and Chinese strategic thinking, is a logical conduit for this engagement.

What could derail Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan?
Jonathan Gornall/Arab News/September 30, 2025
LONDON: Within hours of Monday’s press conference at the White House, it seemed the whole world was ready to enthusiastically embrace the 20-point peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump and — with a certain degree of arm-twisted reluctance — accepted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But with the best will of the world, say observers, the survivability of the peace plan depends on neither Trump nor Netanyahu, but on two factions not consulted in its creation: Hamas and the right-wing members of Netanyahu’s government, who see any form of peace with Hamas as a betrayal and capitulation.According to Qatar, the Hamas delegation in Doha has agreed to study the peace proposal “responsibly.” Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority said it welcomed “the sincere and determined efforts of President Donald J Trump to end the war on Gaza and affirms its confidence in his ability to find a path toward peace.”But if they so choose, the right-wing members of Netanyahu’s cabinet could force the collapse of his government, triggering an election in the new year and imperiling the peace process. As part of Monday’s unfolding drama in Washington, Netanyahu picked up the phone while sitting in the Oval Office with Trump and apologized to Mohammed Al-Thani, Qatar’s prime minister, for Israel’s attack on Hamas delegates in Doha on Sept. 9.
It was patently obvious that Trump had insisted on the call, during which, according to a White House release, Netanyahu “expressed his deep regret that Israel’s missile strike against Hamas targets in Qatar unintentionally killed a Qatari serviceman.”
He “further expressed regret that, in targeting Hamas leadership during hostage negotiations, Israel violated Qatari sovereignty and affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future.”
The call was made just before Trump and Netanyahu emerged to present the peace plan to the world. The fury with which Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet members, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, greeted the Qatar apology was a sign of the trouble ahead for both the Israeli PM and the peace plan.
Smotrich said “a groveling apology to a state that supports and funds terror” was “a disgrace,” comparing it to former British prime minister Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of the Nazis in 1938.
By Tuesday, at least one of the threads of the peace plan was already showing signs of unravelling. Back home and now facing his domestic audience, Netanyahu was quick to make clear that he had not agreed to a Palestinian state and that “it is not written in the agreement either.” He added: “We are firmly opposed to a Palestinian state. President Trump also said this; he said he understands our position.”
But this is not entirely true — a juggling with the truth that will not have escaped the notice of those pressing for Palestinian statehood, from Hamas to the 159 of the 193 UN member states that now recognize a State of Palestine, and which bodes ill for the long-term health of the peace plan.
Point 9 of the plan envisages that “Gaza will be governed under the temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee … with oversight and supervision by a new international transitional body, the Board of Peace.”
This, it adds, would remain in place until “such time as the Palestinian Authority has completed its reform program, as outlined in various proposals, including … the Saudi-French proposal, and can securely and effectively take back control of Gaza.”
The Saudi-French proposal, of course, envisages all such steps as leading ultimately to Palestinian statehood. Indeed, Clause 19 of the Trump plan itself identifies statehood as the ultimate goal.
“While Gaza re-development advances and when the (Palestinian Authority) reform program is faithfully carried out,” it reads, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, which we recognize as the aspiration of the Palestinian people.”
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Qatar and Egypt backed the peace plan, declaring their “readiness to engage positively and constructively with the US and the parties toward finalizing the agreement and ensuring its implementation, in a manner that ensures peace, security and stability for the peoples of the region.”
But, in the wake of a series of recent international recognitions of Palestinian statehood, the sticking point for the peace deal may yet be found in the unflinching demand by the eight countries in the same statement for “a just peace on the basis of the two-state solution, under which Gaza is fully integrated with the West Bank in a Palestinian state in accordance with international law as key to achieving regional stability and security.”
Others are treading diplomatically around this central issue of such importance to the people of Palestine and the wider region.
Clause 9 of the plan proposes a role in the Trump-led “Board of Peace” for former British prime minister Tony Blair — a curious choice in a region in which many have not forgotten his government’s support for and role in the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
On Monday, Blair praised “a bold and intelligent plan which, if agreed, can end the war, bring immediate relief to Gaza, the chance of a brighter and better future for its people, whilst ensuring Israel’s absolute and enduring security and the release of all hostages.”But he made no mention of his own proposed role, nor of the Palestinian ambition for statehood. Kelly Petillo, program manager for the Middle East and North Africa at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told Arab News the peace plan “reflects the most the international community can get from the US and Israel given where they are at this stage.”
She said: “It reflects an attempt to balance different considerations, such as appeasing the Israeli public and the army, who want an end to the war, to see hostages return, and the Israeli far-right components of the government, as well as Netanyahu himself, who want to continue it.
“It also reflects pressure on the US, both when it comes to voters who support an end of the war, and by Arab states, which were able to prevent annexation, replace (Trump’s initial) ‘Gaza Riviera’ plan with one that at least does not entail the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and factors in some kind of Palestinian-led entity.”Right now, there is a determination among leaders globally and regionally not to undermine the plan’s potential by quibbling over details at this stage.
“The plan has been welcomed by the EU, including France and Italy, and the UK, and of course by Arab and Muslim countries, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia and others, who were directly invested in these conversations,” said Petillo.
“There is a clear emphasis among all these actors to make the overall plan work, without focusing too much on the details or single aspects. When asked about specific aspects, so far these actors have been deflecting journalists’ questions.
“The idea is that if you stay vague and do not attach any timeline or specific focus on single aspects or conditions, and rather focus on the big picture, you can at least end the war in the immediate period and secure some kind of breakthrough.
“But of course the problems will likely emerge soon after that.”
Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the non-partisan Middle East Institute specializing in US foreign policy and national security, agrees.
“Like the Holy Roman Empire, which wasn’t very holy or Roman, this is not much of a plan and won’t likely lead to much of a peace,” he told Arab News.
“It’s a fig leaf for the current Israeli government to avoid where the consensus in the Middle East is — in favor of a two-state solution. “It also lacks a principle of getting a commitment from the Israeli right and violent settlers for peaceful coexistence.”
For Burcu Ozcelik, a senior research fellow for Middle East security at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute, the plan constitutes the most comprehensive peace initiative yet, pulling together several ideas that have been floated in recent months. “The main hope for success lies in the support this plan seems to have from regional Arab countries and Turkiye,” she told Arab News. “It is not precisely what they may have wanted, but not all sides will get exactly what they want in such a complex and traumatic situation.”Importantly, she added: “Any post-conflict plan for Gaza requires regional backing to be representative and effective. This cannot be seen as a US-Israel plan that is dictated from the top at the expense of Arab buy-in.
“The main sticking point is what Hamas will do now. Any rejection will be a failure of the Hamas leadership and a failure by Arab negotiators to sufficiently pressure Hamas to comply through a mix of incentives and sticks.
“Make no mistake: While this is an important milestone, it is by no means the end of the road. There is a great deal that needs to happen to disarm Hamas, build a fair and inclusive governance structure that speaks for the Palestinian people, and to ensure Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. But this is a start, and it looks like the best and last option Hamas may have.”
The problem with the plan, said Sir John Jenkins, the former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Syria and Libya, “is that it’s a technocratic answer to a prior and more fundamental political question: Is a Palestinian state desirable?
“That has always had two very different answers from Israelis and from Palestinians,” he told Arab News. “Why is it going to be different this time, especially since opinion on both sides is so polarized and both Hamas and the Israeli religious right have every incentive to block it? So how does a non-Palestinian international authority make it so?” Technocracy, he added, “tries to take the politics out of policy.”
He added: “But that age is over. This plan is effectively the 2002 Road Map rebooted and re-engineered for Gaza. The Road Map foundered on politics. My guess is that this will too.”Arab leaders, said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House, “have cautiously supported the Trump-Blair plan because it promises a ceasefire, a hostages-for-prisoners exchange, and a pathway to stabilize Gaza — all important steps seen as preferable to endless war and humanitarian collapse.”“Yet while the war must end, the plan faces a number of challenges,” she told Arab News. “It excludes Hamas and gives only a vague role to the Palestinian Authority, leaving key Palestinian actors sidelined.”
Furthermore, “it grants Israel broad security leeway without binding obligations, reinforcing power asymmetries; it risks being viewed as foreign trusteeship that undermines Palestinian sovereignty; and it underestimates the immense humanitarian and reconstruction needs.”Ultimately, she believes, “its lack of clear timelines, enforcement mechanisms, and integration with the broader Palestinian question makes its implementation fragile.”Hasan Al-Hhasan, senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Bahrain, expects that “the Arab and Muslim-majority countries who have so far lent their support for Trump’s effort will begin to temper their enthusiasm as Netanyahu’s and Trump’s true intentions — which take little stock of these countries’ interests and preferences — become more apparent.”The reality, he told Arab News, was that “Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza is a poisoned chalice. While appearing to offer hope for a ceasefire and surge in aid, it surreptitiously provides Israel with a blank check for waging forever war in Gaza with US and Arab approval.
“It includes no timebound commitment on Israel to halt military operations, allows Israel to maintain a permanent military presence in Gaza, and enshrines the separation of Gaza from the West Bank and Palestinian Authority.”
It was, he added, “not difficult to see why Arab and Muslim-majority countries are backing what they might consider to be their best shot at obtaining a ceasefire, given their desire to put an end to the bloodshed in Gaza and secure a surge in aid.”
But the risk is that “they’re signing on to a plan whose provisions are so vague that it is already being interpreted by Netanyahu as allowing for open-ended Israeli military presence in Gaza with the freedom to wage a forever war under the pretext of fighting Hamas. “For instance, while the Arab-Muslim statement mentions a ‘full Israeli withdrawal,’ the plan allows Israel to maintain a permanent military presence in a ‘security perimeter’ in Gaza. Netanyahu has since clearly stated, moreover, that he has no intention of withdrawing the Israeli military from Gaza.”
Furthermore, “the plan, which offers Hamas a safe exit in exchange for surrendering, disarming, and immediately turning over the hostages, is designed to be rejected by the group. “Netanyahu is hoping to depict Hamas as the obstructionist party and defuse mounting international pressure on Israel through a plan that imposes no real constraint on his ability to continue waging war in Gaza unabated.”
Yossi Mekelberg, senior consulting fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, is likewise skeptical.
“The plan requires the consent of both sides,” told Arab News. “Trump assumes that Israel accepted it as it is, and I am not so sure Netanyahu, under immense pressure from his coalition partners, won’t try to derail it. “If Hamas refuses it, it won’t be the only one to face the consequences, but ordinary Gazan people too, and this surely can’t be right. “Moreover, some of the 20 points are actionable and could be implemented immediately, but others are more aspirational, lack details and would require the world’s attention for years. Is this possible?”

Selected X tweets For September 30/2024
Fouad Makhzoumi
"Saudi Arabia, UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Qatar support the dismantling of Hamas weapon that destroyed Gaza. Only here do we have those who want to leave Hezbollah weapons that bring destruction to Lebanon. We must not give up this opportunity. For Lebanon, for the future. Enough with talking, move forward."

Fouad Makhzoumi
President Donald Trump once again proves his leadership on the global stage with the announcement of a bold and comprehensive plan to end the war in Gaza. His clear call for an immediate ceasefire, the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid, and the rejection of forced displacement reflects not only political courage, but a deep sense of justice and humanity. By reaffirming the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and an independent state, President Trump positions himself as a true statesman and a serious advocate for lasting peace. His principled rejection of the annexation of the West Bank is a testament to his strategic vision and his commitment to a balanced, fair, and sustainable solution for the region.

Alexander Duncan
https://x.com/i/status/1972761389270991159
We need more of this! “I proclaim the name of our Lord Jesus Christ over the Capitol of Texas. I stand against Islam and the false prophet Mohammad. Islam will never dominate the United States and by the grace of God it will not dominate Texas!”

Youssef Raggi
In coordination with the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Ahmad Hajjar, and in line with Article 113 of Electoral Law No. 44/2017 and its prescribed deadlines, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior issued a joint statement announcing that registration for Lebanese citizens residing abroad to take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections will open on October 2 and close on November 20, 2025.

Pope Leo XIV
O Lord, “your works praise you, that we may love you; may we love you, that your works may praise you” (St. Augustine). May we share this harmony with the world. #SeasonOfCreation

Dr Walid Phares
https://x.com/i/status/1973073229087387867
My segment on
@NEWSMAX
: the administration wants a ceasefire to release the hostages and imposes a US solution, start reconstruction. Israel wants the release of the hostages and dismantling Hamas. The latter doesn't want to be disarmed, and is asking Qatar to find a solution where Arabs (and maybe internationals) would separate the jihadists from Israeli forces.