English LCCC Newsbulletin For
Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For September 16/2025
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
#elias_bejjani_news
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Bible Quotations For today
Jesus said, I do nothing on my own, but I speak
these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he
has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John
08/21-30/:”Again he said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will search for me,
but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.’Then the Jews
said, ‘Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, “Where I am
going, you cannot come”?’He said to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above;
you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in
your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.’ They
said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Why do I speak to you at all? I
have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true,
and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.’ They did not understand
that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, ‘When you have
lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do
nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the
one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is
pleasing to him.’As he was saying these things, many believed in him.”
Titles For The
Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published
on September 15-16/2025
The plight of Boutros Khawand will never be forgotten/Elias Bejjani/September
15/2024
The day the treacherous and hateful hand reached out to assassinate Bachir the
man, yet it failed to kill the dream and the cause he embodied/Elias Bejjani/September
14/2025
The Arab panic fit against Israel is a demagogue and a media hype./Elias Bejjani/September
14/2025
History of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross/Elias Bejjani/September
14/2025
Link to a video commentary by the distinguished Egyptian media Writer Ibrahim
Issa from his YouTube Platform titled: “The surprise of Emir Tamim’s attendance
at the summit in Doha”
Qatari emir says Israel wants 'civil war' in Lebanon to halt its attacks
Aoun meets Qatari ruler ahead of Arab-Islamic summit
At Doha summit, Aoun urges Arabs to press Israel to accept just peace
LBCI sources: Aoun, Syrian President hold talks, agree to FMs’ meeting to shape
bilateral relations
After boycotting him in Beirut, Rajji meets Iranian FM in Doha
1 killed in Israeli drone strike on car in Burj Qalaway
Israel Reveals Identity of Hezbollah Operative Killed in Nabatiyeh
Israeli airstrike targets city of Nabatieh in South Lebanon
Israeli Strike Targets ‘Hezbollah Command Center’ in Nabatieh
Lebanon Pushes for Point 7 with Cyprus, Concessions May Benefit Syria/Bassam
Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/September 15/2025
Rhosus owner arrested in Bulgaria at Lebanon's request
Lebanon busts international drug network, seizes hashish, captagon
Mikati faces fraud inquiry in France
Lebanon sees $1 million daily from TikTok live streams, but some struggle to
access earnings
Inside the Hawk lll scandal: Forged fuel documents, millions in profits, and an
attempted escape at sea
Say goodbye to cash: Lebanon to allow card payments for taxes and fees
Hezbollah vs. the Quest for a ‘Normal’ Life/Michel Touma/This Is
Beirut/September 15/2025
on September 15-16/2025
Titles For
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on September 15-16/2025
Palestinian Circumlocutions/Charles Chartouni/This Is Beirut/September
15/2025
Destroying Gaza’s high-rise and the ‘rebuilding’ of Gaza/SETH J. FRANTZMAN/Face
Book/September 15/2025
Australia's Fantasy of Social Cohesion/Nils A. Haug/Gatestone
Institute./September 15, 2025
Israel is reshaping West Bank while no one is watching/Ghassan Khatib/Arab
News/September 15, 2025
Why digital innovation is the new blueprint for resilience and peace/Lord Ed
Vaizey/Arab News/September 15, 2025
From poison in Amman to missiles in Doha/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat
newspaper/September 15, 2025
European leaders must call time on Israel’s aggression/Chris Doyle/Arab
News/September 15, 2025
The Repercussions of the Israeli Assault on Qatar/Mamoun Fandy/Asharq Al Awsat/September
15/2025
Trump says the US military again targeted a boat allegedly carrying drugs from
Venezuela/AAMER MADHANI and REGINA GARCIA CANO/Associated Press/September 15,
2025
Slected X tweets For September 15/2025
The Latest English LCCC
Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on
September 15-16/2025
The plight of Boutros Khawand
will never be forgotten.
Elias Bejjani/September 15/2024
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/134486/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhJj88KC4u8&t=2s
Use your bodies for the glory of God
The First Epistle of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians /06/18-19): ”
Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he
who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or don’t you know that
your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God?
You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God
in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
On September 15, 1992, Boutros Khawand, a senior official in the Lebanese Kataeb
Party, bid farewell to his wife, Janet, and left his home in Hourj Thabet. It
was an ordinary morning, but little did he know it would be the last time his
family saw him. At 8:30 AM, as Khawand approached his car, a group of eight
armed, unmasked men ambushed him. Despite his attempts to resist, they forcibly
abducted him and drove off in a van. Since that fateful moment, Khawand’s fate
has remained a mystery.
Boutros Khawand’s abduction is not an isolated incident; it is emblematic of a
broader human tragedy that has haunted Lebanon for decades because of the
Syrian, Palestinian and Iranian evil occupations. Thousands of Lebanese citizens
were kidnapped by the Syrian occupation during its presence in Lebanon and
imprisoned in Syria’s notorious jails. These individuals were forcibly
disappeared, with no official acknowledgment from the Syrian regime regarding
their whereabouts. Furthermore, the regime has consistently denied human rights
organizations access to investigate their fates. Under both Hafez al-Assad and
his son Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian regime has maintained this cruel policy of
denial, deepening the wounds inflicted on Lebanon.
Thousands of Lebanese—clergymen, soldiers, political activists, journalists, and
ordinary citizens—were abducted by Syrian forces without trial or charges. These
victims remain at the mercy of a regime that targeted anyone suspected of
opposition or disloyalty. Numerous local, regional, and international human
rights organizations have tried to gain access to Syria’s prisons to uncover the
truth about these detainees. Yet, the criminal Assad regime has consistently
blocked all efforts to shine a light on this dark chapter.
The Assad regime, in the eras of both father and son, late Hafez and the current
Bashar, has shown itself to be devoid of humanity. For decades, it has
perpetrated acts of repression, terror, torture, and disappearance against
thousands of innocent people—both Lebanese and Syrians. What makes this tragedy
even more heartbreaking is the regime’s ongoing refusal to acknowledge the
existence and fate of these prisoners, as though attempting to erase their
memory and silence the calls for justice.
The fate of Boutros Khawand, along with many other Lebanese held in Assad’s
prisons, remains unknown. Are they alive? Have they perished under torture? No
one knows—except their captors. The Syrian regime, which has ruled with an iron
fist for decades, refuses to provide any information about these disappeared
individuals, ignoring the desperate pleas of families who have spent years
searching for their loved ones.
While the Syrian regime bears much of the blame, the responsibility for the
kidnapping and disappearance of Lebanese citizens does not rest solely with
them. Many Lebanese political forces, especially those in power during the
Syrian occupation, were complicit in these crimes. Numerous parties and figures
collaborated with the Syrian regime, handing over Lebanese citizens to Syrian
intelligence, betraying Lebanon’s sovereignty and its people’s rights. Some of
these collaborators remain in positions of power today, having not only shielded
the truth but also exploited the suffering of the families of the disappeared
for personal or political gain.
It is tragic that the issue of Lebanon’s disappeared risks fading into
obscurity, especially with the lack of political will to pursue justice.
However, there is no doubt that this wound will remain etched in the collective
memory of the Lebanese people. They will continue to seek the truth and hold
those responsible accountable—chief among them the Assad regime’s symbols and
every Lebanese figure who played a role in this crime.
Boutros Khawand is one of the most poignant examples of this humanitarian
tragedy. More than three decades have passed since his disappearance, yet the
question remains: Where is Boutros Khawand? Will he ever return to his family?
One undeniable truth is that the Assad regime knows the fate of Boutros Khawand,
just as it knows the fates of the thousands of Lebanese who vanished in its
prisons.
In conclusion, the Lebanese people will not stop demanding the truth, nor will
they forgive those Lebanese Trojans who participated in the abduction of their
citizens or in covering up the Assad regime’s crimes. The Assad regime and its
local Trojan allies will forever be remembered by the free people of Lebanon as
symbols of betrayal and injustice. Meanwhile, the plight of Boutros Khawand and
Lebanon’s missing will never be forgotten.
The day the treacherous and hateful hand reached out to assassinate
Bachir the man, yet it failed to kill the dream and the cause he embodied
Elias Bejjani/September 14/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147262/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTL_sVeE4kE&t=260s
On the Feast of the Exaltation of
the Holy Cross in 1982, Lebanon witnessed a tragic day that will never fade from
its memory nor from the conscience of the Lebanese who believe in their unique
identity. That day became a defining milestone in the history of the Lebanese
Resistance — a torch still held high with unwavering faith and the steadfast
determination of saints by Bashir’s faithful followers.
On that day, the treacherous hand of hatred struck and killed Bashir’s body, yet
it utterly failed to kill Bashir’s cause, his ambition, his thought, his
patriotism, and his spirit of resistance. On that day, the Cross of Lebanon was
lifted to heaven bearing upon it the Martyr of Lebanon, President Sheikh Bashir
Gemayel, surrounded by his twenty-three righteous companions who had walked with
him on his earthly journey — a journey he dedicated wholly to Lebanon and its
sacred cause — and who were granted to accompany him as well on his return to
the Paradise of the righteous and the saints.
Bashir was raised upon the Cross of Lebanon after he and his companions had
watered the blessed soil of the Land of the Cedars with their pure and sacred
blood. He was lifted up surrounded by his martyred comrades to stand with them
before his Lord, with a clear conscience, abundant faith, and sacred purity. He
rose to heaven after fulfilling his earthly mission, after having drawn the
clear contours of the Lebanese Cause, planted within the hearts of the Lebanese
the spirit of resistance and sacrifice, and instilled in their souls the
unshakable belief in the inevitable victory of the Land of the Message — the
land where the Lord Jesus performed His first miracle and which the Virgin Mary
blessed, making it a sanctuary for the faithful.
God Almighty willed to distinguish Bashir in his death just as He had
distinguished him in his life, lifting him up to His Paradise on the Feast of
the Exaltation of the Cross — the same Cross on which the Only Begotten Son was
nailed for the salvation of all humanity. And as the Apostle Paul said:
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God.”(1 Corinthians 1:18)
Bashir embraced the Cross and made it a beacon, a path, and a way of life in
spreading his Lebanese message — a message of coexistence, love, brotherhood,
loyalty, civilization, culture, dignity, and honor. He ascended to heaven
leaving behind his values, his teachings, his spirit, and his love for the
homeland in the hearts and consciences of his people whom he loved, having
offered himself as a sacrifice for their salvation and freedom. And as Jesus
Christ said:
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his
friends.”(John 15:13)
Whoever is protected by the Cross cannot be overcome by demons, nor can the
holiness of his cause be defiled by the heresies of the Pharisees, the scribes,
and their ilk. And just as Jesus Christ conquered death, shattered its sting,
and rose from the tomb on the third day, Bashir’s national and spiritual message
shall remain alive until the Day of Judgment. It is this very message that will
one day raise Lebanon from the grave of subjugation, dependency, servitude,
selfishness, and occupation.
Bashir’s Lebanon will never die, for it lives on in the struggle, resistance,
and pride of every Lebanese who truly believes in Bashir’s dream — the dream of
the Cause — and who wishes to live with head held high, in dignity and pride, in
a free, sovereign, independent, and democratic homeland. A homeland overshadowed
by justice, equality, and decent living; a homeland liberated from foreign
armies, mercenaries, Trojan traitors, and subversive agents; a homeland governed
by its own people, where human rights are respected and human dignity is
preserved.
Bashir struggled to restore unity to the Lebanese land, sovereignty to the Land
of the Cedars, freedom and dignity to the Lebanese person, authority to the
state, and effectiveness to its institutions. He was the one who declared
loudly: “We want to live with our heads held high, and what must be changed is
the mentality — to renew the person in order to renew Lebanon.”
And as the prophet Malachi said in the Holy Bible: “The law of truth was in his
mouth.”(Malachi 2:6)
Bashir, as he offered himself as a living sacrifice upon the altar of the
homeland, was following in the footsteps of Christ, who offered Himself out of
love for the world. He freely chose the path of Golgotha, believing that there
can be no resurrection without the Cross, and no freedom without laying down
one’s life. His blood and the blood of his companions were not shed in vain, for
they mingled with the soil of Lebanon to sanctify it and give it life — just as
the blood of Christ mingled with the wood of the Cross to grant the world
salvation and eternal life.
Thus, Bashir’s martyrdom remains a sign of hope and faith: hope in Lebanon’s
resurrection from the death of bondage, and faith that whoever lays down his
life for his beloved will surely rise with Christ in glory — and with him,
Lebanon shall also rise.
The Arab panic fit
against Israel is a demagogue and a media hype.
Elias Bejjani/September 14/2025
The Arab uproar and tribal panic fit against Israel after its attack on Muslim
Brotherhood-affiliated Qatar is a hymn of empty rhetoric and a foolish return to
the era of the demagoguery of Ahmed Saeed, Al-Sahhaf, Abdel Nasser, Gaddafi, and
Saddam Hussein, the kings of defeat and illusion.
History of the Feast of
the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Elias Bejjani/September 14/2025
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and
follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147225/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVKhx9YRw-A
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to
us who are being saved it is the power of God.” ( Corinthians 1:18–25)
Historical Background of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Every year on September 14, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of
the Holy Cross, one of the most important liturgical feasts in the universal
Church, both East and West. This feast is rooted in pivotal events in Christian
history:
1-The Vision of the Cross to Emperor Constantine the Great
In the early fourth century, Emperor Constantine the Great was preparing for a
decisive battle against his rival Maxentius. Before the battle, he prayed to the
God of the Christians — the God of his mother, Saint Helena — asking for
victory. Then he beheld in the clear sky a radiant cross surrounded by the
words: “In this sign you shall conquer” (Latin: In hoc signo vinces.). Trusting
in the power of the Cross, Constantine marched to battle and achieved a stunning
victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 AD. Following this triumph,
he embraced the Christian faith, placed the sign of the Cross on his soldiers’
banners, and issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD, granting Christians religious
freedom after three centuries of bloody persecution. He also began reviving the
Church from the darkness of the catacombs, destroying pagan temples and building
churches in their place.
2-The Discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena
The Cross of Christ had remained buried under rubble in Jerusalem since the
Crucifixion. In 326 AD, Saint Helena, Constantine’s mother, embarked on a sacred
mission to the Holy Land to find it. She was accompanied by about 3,000 soldiers
who agreed to light great bonfires on hilltops as a signal if they found it—an
act that inspired the tradition of lighting “the bonfire of the Cross” (Abbouleh)
on the feast day. After much effort, an elderly Jewish man guided her to the
site. They found three crosses and the title inscription that read “Jesus of
Nazareth, King of the Jews.” To discern which was the True Cross, they laid the
crosses on the body of a dead man. When he touched the third cross, he
immediately rose back to life. Great rejoicing followed. Helena wrapped the
Cross in costly silk and placed it in a silver reliquary inside the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre, which was built on the very site of the Crucifixion and
Resurrection.
3-The Captivity of the Cross in Persia and Its Triumphant Return
In 614 AD, the Persian king Khosrow II invaded Jerusalem, slaughtered thousands,
and took Patriarch Zacharias captive along with many Christians. He also seized
the relic of the Holy Cross as war plunder and carried it off to Persia, where
it remained for fourteen years.
In 628 AD, the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius defeated the Persians and signed a
peace treaty that included the return of the Holy Cross. Heraclius carried it
back to Jerusalem in a solemn procession. Dressed in simple garments and
barefoot in humility, he carried the Cross on his shoulders and placed it once
again in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on September 14, 628 AD. This is the
historical moment when the Church established September 14 as the annual Feast
of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
4-Theological and Spiritual Meaning of the Feast
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross does not glorify the Cross as an
instrument of torture, but as an instrument of salvation. What once symbolized
shame became, through Christ’s blood, the symbol of glory, resurrection, and
victory over death and sin. The Church teaches us to carry our daily crosses and
follow Christ, knowing that the path of Calvary leads to the Resurrection. The
Cross is the power of God for salvation and the sign that divides death from
life. On this day, churches decorate the Cross with red flowers, and the priest
lifts it high, blessing the four directions — a symbol of the universal scope of
salvation through Christ.
The Feast and the Maronites of Lebanon
For the Maronite Church of Lebanon, this feast carries profound spiritual,
historical, and national meaning.
During centuries of persecution, the Maronites took refuge in the high mountains
of Lebanon and chose the Cross as their sacred emblem and shield of identity.
The fires of the Cross that once signaled Helena’s discovery became a living
symbol of their Christian steadfastness.
To this day, on the eve of September 14, Maronite villages across Mount Lebanon
light great bonfires on hilltops. These flames link all the mountain summits
together, proclaiming that the Maronites are the people of the Cross — witnesses
to Christ’s victory even in the darkest times.
This custom expresses their enduring covenant to preserve the Christian presence
in the East and to keep Lebanon a sanctuary of faith and freedom.
What Fouad Afram al-Bustani Wrote About This Feast
The renowned Lebanese historian and philosopher Fouad Afram al-Bustani
(1904–1994) described this feast as a cornerstone of Maronite spiritual identity
and Lebanese national consciousness. In his writings on Lebanese heritage, he
stated:
“The Feast of the Cross is not merely a liturgical commemoration but a
proclamation of destiny. The Maronites planted the Cross upon the peaks of
Lebanon as a banner of liberty and a shield of faith. The flames that rise each
year from their mountain villages are not just fires of memory — they are
beacons of vigilance, declaring that this land was chosen to be a fortress of
Christianity in the East. ”His words capture the deep meaning the Cross holds
for the Lebanese Maronites: a sign of redemption, resilience, and rootedness in
their mountain homeland.
The feast glorifies not the Cross as an instrument of death, but as the throne
of Christ’s victory. What once symbolized shame became the very symbol of
salvation, redemption, and resurrection. On this day, churches decorate the
Cross with red flowers and incense, and the priest raises it high, blessing the
four directions — symbolizing that Christ’s salvation extends to the ends of the
earth. The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is a commemoration of
victory, a testimony of faith, and a covenant of hope. For the Maronites of
Lebanon, it is not just a memory of the past, but a living declaration: that
they are the People of the Cross, guardians of a sacred trust, and witnesses of
Christ’s light rising from the mountains of Lebanon to the whole world.
Conclusion
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is not merely a commemoration of
past events, but a celebration of God’s love conquering hatred, light conquering
darkness, and life conquering death. Whoever contemplates the mystery of the
Cross and embraces it with faith will experience in his own life the power of
the Resurrection and the blessings of redemption and salvation.
Link to a video commentary by the
distinguished Egyptian media Writer Ibrahim Issa from his YouTube Platform
titled: “The surprise of Emir Tamim’s attendance at the summit in Doha”
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147298/
A description of the heresy of the Arab-Islamic conference held in Qatar,
mocking its strange and bizarre Arab-Islamic mixture, and revealing the futility
of such conferences. It also uncovers the role of the Emir of Qatar, who has
never completed his attendance at an Arab summit conference.
Qatari emir says Israel wants 'civil war' in
Lebanon to halt its attacks
Naharnet/September 15/2025
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Monday criticized Israel’s
continued attacks in Lebanon despite its ceasefire with Hezbollah. “In Lebanon,
the Lebanese government’s acceptance of a U.S. paper is being met with
bombardment and assassinations, and Israel is seeking to push it into civil war
in order for it to halt its attacks on it,” Sheikh Tamim lamented during an
emergency Arab-Islamic summit responding to Israel’s unprecedented airstrike
against Hamas officials in Doha. Under pressure from the United States and
fearing an escalation of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese government is now moving
to disarm Hezbollah. The group, which previously dominated Lebanese politics and
was thought to be better armed than the military, was severely weakened by the
war with Israel.
According to Lebanese government, the Lebanese Army must complete its
disarmament of Hezbollah in areas near the Israeli border within three months
before continuing the disarmament plan in other areas of the country. Hezbollah
is pushing back against the disarmament drive and has warned that it should not
take place before Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory and halts its attacks
and before a national security strategy is approved.
Aoun meets Qatari ruler ahead of Arab-Islamic summit
Naharnet/September 15/2025
President Joseph Aoun met Monday in Doha with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad
Al-Thani on the sidelines of an emergency Arab-Islamic summit that will be held
in Qatar to discuss Israel’s latest attack on Hamas members in the Qatari
capital. During the meeting, Aoun reiterated his condemnation of the Israeli
attack and stressed Lebanon’s “solidarity with Qatar and the brotherly Qatari
people,” thanking Doha for “the support it has offered to Lebanon during the
various circumstances.”Sheikh Tamim for his part lauded Lebanon’s solidarity and
emphasized that “Qatar will always support the Lebanese people and vigorously
seek to achieve security and stability in Lebanon.”
At Doha summit, Aoun urges Arabs to press Israel to accept just peace
Naharnet/September 15/2025
President Joseph Aoun on Monday announced that “the picture after the (Israeli)
aggression against Doha has become clear and the response to it must be equally
clear.”“We did not come here to express our solidarity with a sisterly country.
We are here, in the name of Lebanon, all of Lebanon, to express our true and
profound solidarity with ourselves,” Aoun said at an emergency Arab-Islamic
summit in Doha responding to Israel’s latest attack on Hamas officials in Qatar.
He added: "The real target of the recent aggression against beloved Doha was not
a group of individuals, but rather the concept of mediation and the principle of
solutions through dialogue. The goal of the attack was not to assassinate
negotiators, but rather to eliminate the very idea of negotiation.”He continued:
"We all know that we experience signs of this behavior every day, with the
shelling of hungry children in Gaza, the bombing of defenseless civilians in
Syria, and the targeting of innocents in Lebanon. But the message conveyed
through the attack on Qatar was clearer and more blatant.”“In a few days, we
will go to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the entire
world seeking peace will meet. Let us go there with a unified position, embodied
by one question: Does the government of Israel want a just and lasting peace in
our region? If the answer is yes, then we are ready in accordance with the Arab
Peace Initiative proposed by the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the Beirut
Summit in 2002 and unanimously adopted by our Arab League,” Aoun added. “Let us
sit immediately under the auspices of the United Nations and all those seeking
peace, to discuss the requirements of that answer. If the answer is no, or half
an answer or no answer, we will also be satisfied. Then we will realize the
reality of the situation and act accordingly, so that we may at least stop the
chain of disappointments," the president went on to say.
LBCI sources: Aoun, Syrian President hold talks, agree to
FMs’ meeting to shape bilateral relations
LBCI/September 15/2025
Sources told LBCI that talks between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Syrian
President Ahmed al-Sharaa were positive. According to the network, the
discussions led to an agreement to hold a meeting of the two countries’ foreign
ministers to outline a framework for relations and reactivate joint committees.
The leaders also addressed the issues of border demarcation, the return of
displaced persons, and economic cooperation. Additionally, they discussed
existing collaboration on border security and agreed to review the issue of
detainees, noting that it requires legal processing.
After boycotting him in Beirut, Rajji meets Iranian FM in
Doha
Naharnet/September 15/2025
Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji met Sunday in Qatar with his Iranian counterpart
Abbas Araghchi, on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting that prepared for
Monday’s emergency Arab-Islamic summit. The talks extensively tackled the
situations in Lebanon and the region, with Rajji emphasizing upon the Lebanese
government’s decision to monopolize arms and extend the state’s sovereignty
across the country. Araghchi for his part renewed his country’s stance on
respecting Lebanon’s sovereignty and non-interference in its affairs. Rajji had
boycotted Araghchi’s latest visit to Beirut.
1 killed in Israeli drone strike on car in Burj Qalaway
Agence France Presse/September 15/2025
The Lebanese health ministry said one person was killed on Sunday in an Israeli
strike in the south of the country, where Israel frequently says it is targeting
Hezbollah members or assets. "A raid by the Israeli enemy on a car in the town
of Burj Qalaway killed one person," the ministry said in a statement. On Friday,
the ministry said one person was killed in an Israeli strike in the town of
Aitaroun, also in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military has continued to strike
Iran-backed Hezbollah despite a ceasefire last November that ended more than a
year of hostilities between them. Under pressure from the United States and
fearing an escalation of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese government is now moving
to disarm Hezbollah. The group, which previously dominated Lebanese politics and
was thought to be better armed than the army, was severely weakened by the war
with Israel. According to Lebanese government, the Lebanese Army must complete
its disarmament of Hezbollah in areas near the Israeli border within three
months.
Israel Reveals Identity of Hezbollah Operative Killed in
Nabatiyeh
This is Beirut/September 15/2025
Israeli army Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced Monday that
the Hezbollah member killed in Sunday’s Israeli airstrike in the Nabatiyeh area
of southern Lebanon was Mohammed Ali Yassine.In a post on X, Adraee said Yassine
had been involved in weapons production and development during the war. He added
that the operative’s activities “constituted a violation of the understandings
between Israel and Lebanon,” stressing that the army would continue acting to
eliminate “any threat to the State of Israel.”In parallel, Israeli forces
advanced several meters into the eastern neighborhood of Hula at dawn Monday,
bypassing a newly established position in the area and detonating a building
inside the town. Overnight, Israeli troops also fired flares above Shebaa and
sprayed its outskirts with gunfire.
Israeli airstrike targets city of Nabatieh in South Lebanon
LBCI/September 15/2025
An Israeli airstrike targeted the city of Nabatieh in southern Lebanon on
Monday. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said eight people were wounded in an initial
toll from the Israeli airstrike on Ksar Zaatar area in the city of Nabatieh.
Israeli Strike Targets ‘Hezbollah Command Center’ in Nabatieh
This is Beirut/September 15/2025
At least eight people were wounded on Monday evening in an Israeli airstrike
that targeted an apartment in a residential building in the Ksar Zaatar
neighborhood of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon. The casualty toll is preliminary, as
rescue operations remain ongoing. The injured have been taken to hospitals
across the region. Ksar Zaatar is known to be a densely populated area. During
the war between Israel and Hezbollah, an Israeli strike on the same neighborhood
claimed the lives of 15 people. On X, the Arabic-language spokesperson for the
Israeli military, Avichay Adraee, stated that the strike targeted “a Hezbollah
command center,” and claimed that the presence of such a facility in Nabatieh
constitutes “a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and
Lebanon.”He went on to accuse Hezbollah of “continuing its efforts to rebuild
terrorist infrastructure throughout Lebanon, thereby endangering Lebanese
civilians and using them as human shields.”Adraee reiterated that the Israeli
army “will continue to act to eliminate any threat to the state of
Israel.”Earlier in the afternoon, another Israeli strike targeted a Renault
Rapid at the entrance of the village of Yater, killing the driver instantly.
Lebanon Pushes for Point 7 with Cyprus, Concessions May Benefit Syria
Bassam Abou Zeid/This Is Beirut/September 15/2025
On Tuesday, September 16, Lebanese and Cypriot officials are scheduled to hold a
negotiation session to continue discussions on the maritime border demarcation
between the two countries. According to available information, Lebanon will seek
to extend the maritime boundary line northward to Point 7, a position it
submitted to the United Nations in 2007. However, the Cypriots have not accepted
this proposal, recognizing only Point 6 to the north, located roughly 10 to 12
kilometers south of Point 7. Lebanese sources have expressed hope that the
Cypriots would respond favorably to Beirut’s request, noting that accepting
Point 6 to the north could, in the future, enable Syria to press Lebanon for
concessions in the northern maritime boundary. However, even if Lebanon and
Cyprus reach an agreement on Point 7, the issue would not be fully resolved, as
a three-way understanding—including Syria—would still be required. The sources
indicated that a trilateral agreement between Lebanon, Cyprus and Israel on
Point 23 to the south has been reached. They added that, under international
law—particularly given the relative lengths of the Lebanese and Cypriot
coastlines—Lebanon sees no grounds for altering the median line of its maritime
boundary with Cyprus in its favor. Accordingly, claims that Lebanon could push
the line westward to gain some 5,000 square kilometers are unfounded. Lebanese
sources view the finalization of the maritime border demarcation with Cyprus as
a step that could boost prospects for launching negotiations on Lebanon’s
maritime border with Syria, particularly given the growing demand for regional
energy resources, from which Europe stands to benefit.
Rhosus owner arrested in Bulgaria at Lebanon's request
Naharnet/September 15/2025
The owner of the ship Rhosus that delivered the ammonium nitrate that exploded
at Beirut’s port, Igor Grechushkin, has been arrested in Bulgaria based on a red
Interpol notice issued by the Lebanese judiciary in 2020, Al-Jadeed TV reported
on Monday. Grechushkin is a citizen of both Russia and Cyprus. According to Al-Jadeed,
the Lebanese judiciary, through the Public Prosecution Office, was informed of
the arrest and is preparing an extradition file, given the lack of a prisoner
exchange agreement between Lebanon and Bulgaria. The extradition file will also
include legal information confirming to Bulgarian authorities “the importance of
handing over the ship's owner and the need for cooperation in questioning him as
part of the port investigations.”“This will enable the discovery of basic and
important facts about the cargo, its owner, and its destination. The information
indicates that the extradition request will proceed through legal frameworks,
from the Public Prosecution Office via the Ministry of Justice to the Bulgarian
authorities, who will decide whether to extradite the detainee to Lebanon, leave
him in Bulgaria, or return him to his home country, Russia,” the TV network
said. "If Bulgaria refuses to cooperate with Lebanon, there is no legal obstacle
that prevents the judicial investigator, Judge Tarek Bitar, from traveling to
Bulgaria or Russia to conduct interrogation after coordination with the judicial
authorities there, despite the current legal obstacles (in Lebanon) that include
a (Lebanese) travel ban on Bitar," Al-Jadeed added.
Lebanon busts international drug network, seizes hashish,
captagon
Agence France Presse/September 15/2025
Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar said Monday that authorities dismantled a
network that was preparing to smuggle hashish and the illicit stimulant captagon
to Saudi Arabia. Lebanon has faced pressure from Gulf states to counter the
production and trafficking of drugs, particularly the amphetamine-like narcotic
captagon, for which the conservative monarchies are a major market.Hajjar said
authorities dismantled the network, which mainly sought to smuggle captagon and
hashish, and arrested its head and a number of other people. "This network had
foreign links, with people in Turkey, people in Australia" and was preparing to
connect with operatives in Jordan, he said. Lebanese authorities "seized 6.5
million captagon pills and 720 kilograms (1,500 pounds) of hashish which were
being prepared... for shipment towards the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Hajjar
said. The operation was thwarted before it reached Beirut port for shipment, he
said, adding that fighting the drug trade "is one of the main priorities" of the
Lebanese state. Last week, Hajjar said authorities had seized some eight million
captagon pills worth more than $90 million from a warehouse in northern Lebanon
and arrested several suspects. Captagon became neighboring Syria's largest
export following the eruption of the civil war in 2011, and a key source of
illicit funding for former president Bashar al-Assad's government. In Lebanon,
Assad's ally Hezbollah faced accusations of using the captagon trade for
financing. The drug has flooded the region, with neighboring countries
occasionally announcing captagon seizures and asking Lebanon and Syria to ramp
up efforts to combat the trade.
Mikati faces fraud inquiry in France
Agence France Presse/September 15/2025
French investigators have opened a corruption inquiry into former Lebanese prime
minister Najib Mikati, lawyers who made the formal complaint said. Mikati, a
69-year-old billionaire telecoms tycoon, was prime minister until January this
year. The Collective of Victims of Fraudulent and Criminal Practices in Lebanon
and the anti-corruption group Sherpa, which announced the inquiry, first made a
complaint against Mikati in 2024. The groups accused Mikati and his brother,
Taha Mikati, of fraudulently building up their fortune.The National Financial
Prosecutor's office did not immediately comment on the claim of a formal
inquiry. But the Mikati family indirectly confirmed the investigation in a
statement that rejected the charges."The origin of the Mikati family patrimony
is clear, legal and transparent," said the statement. "We have full trust in the
independence and rigor of French justice and are ready to provide any
complementary information requested."The lawyers' groups had already sought
action against the former head of the Lebanon's central bank, Riad Salameh.
Salameh is now wanted on fraud and corruption charges by French authorities
while his brother, Raja Salameh, has been formally charged in France.
Lebanon sees $1 million daily from TikTok live streams, but some struggle to
access earnings
LBCI/September 15/2025
About $1 million flows into Lebanon daily from TikTok live streams. A single
live streamer can earn anywhere from $100 to $100,000 per day, depending on the
support they receive. But what’s the reality behind people no longer being able
to withdraw their money? In most countries, TikTok users can transfer their
earnings directly through banks. In Lebanon, however, this is prohibited due to
anti-money-laundering laws. Each TikTok account has a wallet, and any money sent
by supporters is stored there. Withdrawals must go through TikTok itself,
meaning banks cannot verify the source of the funds. This makes auditing or
reviewing accounts very difficult. As a result, Lebanese TikTok users rely on
contacts or relatives abroad to withdraw funds and transfer them back to
Lebanon. Some also use Lebanese companies with foreign intermediaries to handle
the transfers.This way, banks outside Lebanon bear the legal responsibility if
money laundering occurs, while Lebanon carries no direct liability.
Inside the Hawk lll scandal: Forged fuel documents,
millions in profits, and an attempted escape at sea
LBCI/September 15/2025
Lebanese courts, customs authorities, and investigators are examining a case of
document forgery and falsification of origin in fuel shipments that generated
profits for oil companies at the expense of public funds.The vessel Hawk lll,
seized on orders from the judiciary, is an example of how 38,000 tons of Russian
fuel oil were shipped from Russia to Lebanon with documents falsely listing
Turkey as the origin. The supplier company bought Russian fuel oil at a price
lower than global rates because of sanctions, then sold it to Lebanon at the
international market price. This raised suspicions of about $7 million in
irregular profits from the shipment, according to a complaint filed with the
judiciary by engineer Fawzi Mechleb. According to complaints, since 2023 the
same practice has been used in 23 fuel oil shipments imported by two supplier
companies. Documents were altered either in Port Said in Egypt, in Mersin in
Turkey, or at Greek ports. Massive forged birth certificate scandal rocks
northern Lebanon — who’s pulling the strings? Inside the struggle to disarm
Palestinian camps in Lebanon: Leadership shake-up and divided loyalties The
vessel Hawk lll and its crew now face not only charges of document forgery and
illicit enrichment with the supplier company, but also attempted escape from
Lebanon. Although the ship was barred from leaving by judicial order, the Energy
Ministry requested the offloading of its cargo without objection from the
judiciary. The ship docked in Jiyeh and unloaded, but instead of returning to
Zouk to be held again, its crew fled, shutting off the GPS system while at sea.
The Lebanese army later intercepted and returned the vessel after a chase and
boarding operation. Customs authorities, continuing their work, said they may
impose a fine on the company equal to the value of the vessel, estimated at
millions of dollars. The judiciary is pursuing further investigations into the
escape attempt, the violation of the detention order, and the forgery and
manipulation of oil shipment documents. The case poses challenges for the
ministry, the government, and the judiciary. Among them: Will supplier companies
found to have falsified documents, origins, and prices be allowed to participate
again in tenders? Will all officials responsible for violations since 2023 be
exposed, and what legal consequences will they face? And to prevent further
waste of millions in public funds, will Lebanon adopt a global tracking system
for ships and maritime cargo to combat fraud and corruption?
Say goodbye to cash: Lebanon to allow card payments for taxes and fees
LBCI/September 15/2025
Lebanon’s taxpayers will soon be able to pay their taxes and fees using bank
cards issued by banks and money transfer companies through the widely used POS
system. Sources at the country's Ministry of Finance said the method is expected
to reduce reliance on the cash economy and help limit corruption and bribery.
The ministry will contract with banks and money transfer companies to implement
the system. In a letter to the Public Procurement Authority, the Finance
Ministry said the contracts will not impose any costs or financial burdens on
the ministry. It also noted that a fixed fee of 0.9% will apply to all payments,
with a maximum of $50 per transaction, regardless of the tax amount. The
ministry added that competition is not applicable for this process, and the
Public Procurement Authority has approved proceeding without a tender. Payments
via bank cards are expected to be made in Lebanese lira, although some services
may allow payment in foreign currencies at the official exchange rate set by the
Central Bank of Lebanon. The current rate is LBP 89,500 per U.S. dollar.
Hezbollah vs. the Quest for a ‘Normal’ Life
Michel Touma/This Is Beirut/September 15/2025
“The American way of life – as we want it – remains disarmingly simple: I want
to be able to marry, buy a home, raise children, let them ride their bikes until
sundown, send them to a good school, and live in a peaceful neighborhood.” These
words came from Charlie Kirk, delivered during one of his well-known public
debates, often hosted on university campuses across the United States in a
climate of civility and uncompromising free expression. On the surface, Kirk’s
remarks may strike some as simplistic, even naïve. Yet, they tap into a social
undercurrent gaining traction across the Western world.
Far beyond the “far-right” label—hastily applied and, many would argue,
misused—this message, with its resounding impact, embodies a growing spirit of
resistance against the perceived collapse brought about by wokism. It channels a
passionate yearning for the reinstatement of the family unit, for a return to
enduring humanist values (Christian values, some would insist), a yearning felt
most keenly among the younger generations. How else to explain the extraordinary
wave of transnational solidarity and the massive rallies held in Charlie Kirk’s
honor in recent days, not only in the United States, but also in the United
Kingdom, Poland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and even South Korea…Without
indulging in misplaced self-absorption, Charlie Kirk’s remarks – quoted above –
echo, to some extent and with all due qualifications, the sentiment now shared
by an overwhelming majority of Lebanese: the yearning for nothing more than a
simply “normal” life, for a Western way of living as it was before the wave of
wokism, far from the endless cycle of conflict. In practical terms, the Lebanese
aspire to marry, secure decent housing, and enjoy time with family (a real
family, consisting of a father, a mother, and their children). They seek to
provide a dignified life and a solid education for their children, to “send them
to a good school,” to let them engage in healthy outdoor activities, and to live
“in a peaceful neighborhood” – safe, calm, and free from the pressures and
threats of militias…
The Lebanese population is fully entitled to such a way of life after enduring
for more than fifty-five years, in a completely unnecessary and sterile manner,
the consequences of “other people’s wars on Lebanese soil,” as President Joseph
Aoun aptly emphasized to an official Iranian delegation on the sidelines of
Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral. It is, in fact, precisely this slightly Westernized
lifestyle that Hezbollah’s leadership criticized (excluding its own supporters)
when Hassan Nasrallah categorized the Lebanese into four groups, singling out
those who “only think about spending Sundays with their families.” Similarly, MP
Mohammed Raad, in one of his fiery and belligerent speeches, sarcastically
denounced those whose main concern is going to seaside resorts, leisure spots,
and restaurants.
Today, the acute attachment to such a way of life in Lebanon reflects the fact
that it stands in direct opposition to one of Hezbollah’s stated objectives. The
Pasdaran’s stronghold on Lebanese soil openly reveals its ambition to forge a
warlike society centered on the perpetuation of a so-called permanent
“resistance,” whose sole purpose is to serve the geopolitical ambitions of its
regional backer, disregarding national sovereignty and the most basic interests
of the Lebanese population.
Hezbollah’s steadfast insistence on retaining its military arsenal, against all
opposition, threatens both the Republic and the Lebanese people’s desire for a
normal life. It is therefore unsurprising that, on this tragic September 14,
President Joseph Aoun chose to commemorate in an official statement the memory
of President Bachir Gemayel – a first for a sitting head of state. “The martyred
president,” he emphasized, “embodied the determination to build a strong and
united Lebanon (…). Even today, the principles for which he gave his life remain
enduring national constants: a free, sovereign, and independent Lebanon, where
its children can live with dignity and security.” Ultimately, this vision stands
in complete opposition to the Khomeinist project championed by Hezbollah.
The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous
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September 15-16/2025
FULL PRESSER: Netanyahu & Marco Rubio on Hamas, Qatar Strikes & Palestine
Recognition | AC1G
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147291/
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Rubio vows ‘unwavering support’ to Israel in achieving its goals
in Gaza
Al-Arabiya/September 15/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147291/
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday, during a visit to Israel, that
Washington would give its ally “unwavering support” in the Gaza war and called
for Hamas’s eradication. “The people of Gaza deserve a better future, but that
better future cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated,” Rubio told reporters next
to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “You can count on our unwavering support
and commitment to see come to fruition.”Netanyahu said Rubio’s visit was a
“clear message” the United States stood with Israel and praised President Donald
Trump for his backing, calling him the “greatest friend that Israel has ever
had.”Rubio criticized plans by Western nations to recognize a Palestinian state,
saying they “emboldened” Hamas. “They’re largely symbolic… the only impact they
actually have is it makes Hamas feel more emboldened,” he said. Rubio had said
he would discuss with Netanyahu Israeli plans to seize Gaza City, the
territory’s largest urban center, as well as the government’s talk of annexing
parts of the occupied West Bank in hopes of precluding a Palestinian state. The
secretary of state had also said Trump wanted the Gaza war to be “finished with”
— which would mean the release of hostages and ensuring Hamas is “no longer a
threat.”But talks were made more difficult last week when the Trump
administration was caught off guard by an Israeli attack in Qatar against Hamas
leaders who were meeting to discuss a new US ceasefire proposal for Gaza.
“We sent a message to terrorists: you can run but you cannot hide,” Netanyahu
said Monday. The “raid didn’t fail. It had one central message.”Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed another 17 people on Monday, all but one in
Gaza City, said Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the Gaza civil defense agency.
‘Eternal capital’
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the Israelis were pushing more
residents into the already overcrowded Al-Mawasi, which lacks basics such as
food and water and where disease is spreading. The war was sparked by Hamas’s
October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people,
most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 64,871 people, also
mostly civilians, according to figures from the health ministry that the United
Nations considers reliable.
Trump, for years a fervent defender of Netanyahu, has voiced support for Qatar,
which is home to the largest US air base in the region and has assiduously
courted the US president, including by gifting a luxury jet.
“Qatar has been a very great ally. Israel and everyone else, we have to be
careful. When we attack people we have to be careful,” he said on Sunday.
Qatar has, along with Egypt and the United States, led mediation efforts between
Israel and Hamas. But the United States has not joined European powers in
pressing Israel to end the offensive, who fear it will aggravate the already
severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where most of its 2.4 million
people have been displaced at least once since the outbreak of the war. Despite
the objections over the Qatar strike, Rubio opened the visit on Sunday with a
highly symbolic show of support as he joined Netanyahu at the Western Wall, the
holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray. With Rubio at his side, Netanyahu
said the Israel-US alliance has “never been stronger.”
Controversial tunnel
Rubio, a devout Catholic, later posted that his visit showed his belief that
Jerusalem is the “eternal capital” of Israel.
Until Trump’s first term, US leaders had shied away from such overt statements
backing Israeli sovereignty over contested Jerusalem, which is also holy to
Muslims and Christians.
Trump moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, in a sharp break with most of the
world.
Rubio is expected Monday to attend the inauguration of a tunnel for religious
tourists that goes underneath the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan to the holy
sites.
The project has stirred fears among Palestinian residents that it could further
dilute their presence, allowing Israelis to bypass Palestinians and possibly
putting at risk the physical foundations of their homes. Fakhri Abu Diab, 63, a
community spokesman in Silwan, said Rubio should instead come to see homes, such
as his own, that have been demolished by Israel in what Palestinians charge is a
targeted campaign to erase them.
“Instead of siding with international law, the United States is going the way of
extremists and the far right and ignoring our history,” he said. Rubio played
down the political implications, calling it “one of the most important
archaeological sites in the world.
Rubio promises
‘unwavering support’ for Israel in Gaza goals
AFP/September 15, 2025
JERUSALEM: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday, during a visit to
Israel, that Washington would give its ally “unwavering support” in the Gaza war
and called for Hamas’s eradication. “The people of Gaza deserve a better future,
but that better future cannot begin until Hamas is eliminated,” Rubio told
reporters next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “You can count on our
unwavering support and commitment to see come to fruition.”Netanyahu said
Rubio’s visit was a “clear message” the United States stood with Israel and
praised President Donald Trump for his backing, calling him the “greatest friend
that Israel has ever had.”Rubio criticized plans by Western nations to recognize
a Palestinian state, saying they “emboldened” Hamas. “They’re largely
symbolic... the only impact they actually have is it makes Hamas feel more
emboldened,” he said. Rubio had said he would discuss with Netanyahu Israeli
plans to seize Gaza City, the territory’s largest urban center, as well as the
government’s talk of annexing parts of the occupied West Bank in hopes of
precluding a Palestinian state. The secretary of state had also said Trump
wanted the Gaza war to be “finished with” — which would mean the release of
hostages and ensuring Hamas is “no longer a threat.”But talks were made more
difficult last week when the Trump administration was caught off guard by an
Israeli attack in Qatar against Hamas leaders who were meeting to discuss a new
US ceasefire proposal for Gaza. “We sent a message to terrorists: you can run
but you cannot hide,” Netanyahu said Monday. The “raid didn’t fail. It had one
central message.”Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed another 17 people on Monday,
all but one in Gaza City, said Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the Gaza civil
defense agency. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many
areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the details provided by the
civil defense agency or the Israeli military.
‘Eternal capital’ -
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the Israelis were pushing more
residents into the already overcrowded Al-Mawasi, which lacks basics such as
food and water and where disease is spreading. The war was sparked by Hamas’s
October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people,
most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. Israel’s
retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed at least 64,871 people, also mostly
civilians, according to figures from the health ministry that the United Nations
considers reliable. Trump, for years a fervent defender of Netanyahu, has voiced
support for Qatar, which is home to the largest US air base in the region and
has assiduously courted the US president, including by gifting a luxury jet.
“Qatar has been a very great ally. Israel and everyone else, we have to be
careful. When we attack people we have to be careful,” he said on Sunday.
Qatar has, along with Egypt and the United States, led mediation efforts between
Israel and Hamas. But the United States has not joined European powers in
pressing Israel to end the offensive, who fear it will aggravate the already
severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where most of its 2.4 million
people have been displaced at least once since the outbreak of the war. Despite
the objections over the Qatar strike, Rubio opened the visit on Sunday with a
highly symbolic show of support as he joined Netanyahu at the Western Wall, the
holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray. With Rubio at his side, Netanyahu
said the Israel-US alliance has “never been stronger.”
Controversial tunnel
Rubio, a devout Catholic, later posted that his visit showed his belief that
Jerusalem is the “eternal capital” of Israel. Until Trump’s first term, US
leaders had shied away from such overt statements backing Israeli sovereignty
over contested Jerusalem, which is also holy to Muslims and Christians. Trump
moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, in a sharp break with most of the world.
Rubio is expected Monday to attend the inauguration of a tunnel for religious
tourists that goes underneath the Palestinian neighourhood of Silwan to the holy
sites. The project has stirred fears among Palestinian residents that it could
further dilute their presence, allowing Israelis to bypass Palestinians and
possibly putting at risk the physical foundations of their homes. Fakhri Abu
Diab, 63, a community spokesman in Silwan, said Rubio should instead come to see
homes, such as his own, that have been demolished by Israel in what Palestinians
charge is a targeted campaign to erase them. “Instead of siding with
international law, the United States is going the way of extremists and the far
right and ignoring our history,” he said. Rubio played down the political
implications, calling it “one of the most important archaeological sites in the
world.”
Little daylight
between US and Israel evident as Rubio and Netanyahu meet
AP/September 15, 2025 23:05
JERUSALEM: Israel and the United States showed a unified front on Monday in the
face of growing international anger over Israel’s airstrikes on Hamas leaders in
Qatar and its intensifying bombardment of Gaza City. As Arab and Muslim leaders
met in Doha to condemn Israel’s attack last week in Qatar and new rounds of
criticism were aired over Israeli plans to occupy Gaza City, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood
shoulder-to-shoulder in Jerusalem and downplayed the furor that had, at least
for a short time, taken the Trump administration aback. Rubio plans to pay a
quick visit to Qatar on Tuesday, as the administration appears keen to ease
tensions between its two close allies, before flying on to London to join
President Donald Trump on his state visit to Britain. “We understand they’re not
happy about what happened,” Rubio told Fox News. But “we still have Hamas, we
still have hostages, and we still have a war. And all those things still have to
be dealt with, and we are hopeful that Qatar and all of our Gulf partners will
continue to add something constructive.”There were no signs of US frustration
with Israel’s latest actions, although Trump had made clear his displeasure with
Israel’s unilateral strike on Hamas in Qatar.
US and Israel agree on destroying Hamas
Both Netanyahu and Rubio said the only way to end the conflict in Gaza is
through the elimination of Hamas and the release of the remaining 48 hostages —
around 20 of them believed to be alive — setting aside calls for an interim
ceasefire in favor of an immediate end to the conflict. Hamas has said it will
only free the remaining hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting
ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Rubio had come to Israel seeking
answers from Netanyahu about how Israel intended to proceed in Gaza and assess
its interest in Qatar retaining a mediating role. “Your presence here in Israel
today is a clear message that America stands with Israel. You stand with us in
the face of terror,” said Netanyahu. The Doha attack, which killed at least five
lower-ranking Hamas members and a member of the Qatari security forces, appears
to have paused mediation efforts. Rubio later met with families of the hostages,
who aired concerns that Israel’s latest offensive could doom their loved ones
and called on the Trump administration to swiftly resume negotiations, according
to a statement from the main group representing relatives of the captives.
Footage shows strike on Gaza high-rise
Israel destroyed another high-rise building in Gaza City as it moved ahead with
its offensive. Video footage showed the explosion and the tower’s collapse.
Later, people could be seen scrambling up a mound of gray ruins. In recent days,
Israel has destroyed multiple high-rises after evacuation warnings. It accused
Hamas of putting surveillance equipment in them, without providing evidence.
Airstrikes overnight and into Monday killed at least 18 people, including
children, according to local hospitals. One strike hit a tent housing a family,
killing seven, and another hit a tent on the roof of a building, killing a local
journalist, Mohammed Al-Kuifi, and another person, according to Shifa Hospital
in Gaza City. A strike in central Gaza killed four people, according to Al-Awda
Hospital. Israel says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on
Hamas because it is entrenched in populated areas. “It was another night of
horror. ... The situation is tragic and getting worse day by day,” said Mohammed
Saber, a resident in Gaza City. Rubio downplayed US concerns about Israel’s
latest operations in Gaza City, and Netanyahu gave no indication that Israel
would let up on its offensive.
US and Israel reject calls for Palestinian state
One of Rubio’s reasons for visiting was to show support for Israel as it expects
to face growing international condemnation of the war at the upcoming United
Nations General Assembly session. A number of European countries and Canada have
said they intend to recognize a Palestinian state over fervent US and Israeli
objections. Some Israeli politicians have hinted that Israel may respond by
annexing part of the West Bank. Rubio said statehood recognition is
counterproductive to creating a state through negotiations and suggested that
such proclamations are self-serving. “The only impact they actually have is it
makes Hamas feel more emboldened,” he said. “It’s actually served as an
impediment to peace.”Israel and the Palestinians have not held serious or
substantive peace talks since Netanyahu returned to office in 2009. Netanyahu,
who strongly opposes Palestinian statehood, said “it is clear that if unilateral
actions are taken against us, it simply invites unilateral actions on our part.”
Palestinians flee to the south
Israel has been urging Palestinians in Gaza City to head south. But there is
little space for people to shelter in Muwasi, a sprawling, crowded tent camp
that Israel has designated as a humanitarian zone and where it has regularly
carried out strikes on what it says are militant targets. COGAT, the Israeli
military body in charge of civilian affairs in Gaza, said it has increased the
amount of food, medical equipment and shelter supplies it allows into Gaza,
including 20,000 tents brought in since May. It said it has also repaired water
lines and power lines for desalination plants. On Monday, images showed a steady
stream of Palestinians walking and driving along the narrow road by the sea that
Israel designated a safe corridor. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led
militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200
people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have since
been released in ceasefires brokered in part by Qatar or other deals. Israel’s
retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,871 Palestinians, according to
Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t say how many were civilians or combatants.
The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical
professionals, says women and children make up around half the dead.
Arab, Muslim
leaders urge review of Israel ties after Qatar attack
AFP/September 15, 2025 18:49
DOHA: Arab and Muslim leaders called for a review of ties with Israel after
emergency talks in Doha on Monday following last week’s deadly strike on Hamas
members in the Qatari capital. The Arab League and Organization of Islamic
Cooperation joint session, which brought together nearly 60 countries, sought to
take firm action after Israel’s attack on Qatar-hosted Hamas officials as they
discussed a Gaza ceasefire proposal. A joint statement from the summit urged
“all States to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel
from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people,” including
“reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it, and initiating legal
proceedings against it.”Qatar’s fellow Gulf nations the United Arab Emirates and
Bahrain, along with Egypt, Jordan and Morocco, were among those present that
recognize Israel. The leaders of the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, which signed the
Abraham Accords recognizing Israel five years ago to the day, did not attend
Monday’s talks, sending senior representatives instead. The statement also urged
member states to “coordinate efforts aimed at suspending Israel’s membership in
the United Nations.”US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in Qatar on
Tuesday, after pledging “unwavering support” for Israel’s goal of eradicating
Hamas during a visit to the country. The attack strained ties between Washington
and key allies in the Gulf, raising concerns over US security guarantees in a
region housing major US assets including a major military base in Qatar. The
State Department said Rubio would “reaffirm America’s full support for Qatar’s
security and sovereignty” after last week’s strike.
Mounting pressure over Gaza
Qatar had called for a coordinated regional response after the Israeli attack,
which stunned the usually peaceful, wealthy peninsula. The summit aimed to pile
pressure on Israel, which is facing mounting calls to end the war and
humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The host country’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al
Thani, accused Israel of trying to scupper ceasefire talks by firing on Hamas
negotiators in Qatar, a key mediator. Hamas says top officials survived last
week’s air strike in Doha, which killed six people and triggered a wave of
criticism. “Whoever works diligently and systematically to assassinate the party
with whom he is negotiating, intends to thwart the negotiations,” the emir told
the summit. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was among those present on Monday,
as were Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia
Al-Sudani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Palestinian president
Mahmud Abbas. “Tomorrow, it could be the turn of any Arab or Islamic capital,”
said Pezeshkian, whose country fought a 12-day war with Israel in June, at one
point attacking a US base in Qatar in retaliation for strikes on its nuclear
facilities.
“The choice is clear. We must unite.”President Abdelfattah El-Sisi of Egypt, the
first Arab country to recognize Israel, warned its attack in Qatar “places
obstacles in the way of any opportunities for new peace agreements and even
aborts the existing peace agreements with countries in the region.” Israel and
its main backer Washington have been trying to expand the Abraham Accords,
signed during US President Donald Trump’s first term, notably courting Saudi
Arabia. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of adopting a
“terrorist mentality,” as countries took turns slamming it over Gaza. The rich
Gulf countries also met on the sidelines of the summit, urging the US to use its
“leverage and influence” to rein in Israel, Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary
General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi told a press conference.
GCC Leaders Call Defense Meeting in Doha After Israeli
Strike
Asharq Al Awsat/September 15/2025
Gulf Coordination Council (GCC) Supreme Council said on Monday that the GCC’s
joint defense body will meet in Doha following Israel's attack on Hamas leaders
in the Qatari capital last week. In a statement, the GCC leaders called for
measures to activate the bloc's “joint defense mechanism.” They held an
emergency meeting in Doha to address the Israeli attack. The statement slammed
the attack as a “flagrant assault on the efforts of the international community
aimed at achieving a ceasefire and the release of hostages and detainees.”“This
act of aggression represents a dangerous and unacceptable escalation, and a
grave breach of the principles of international law and the Charter of the
United Nations,” it added, stressing the GCC states’ solidarity with Qatar in
all measures it takes to confront the attack. “The security of the GCC states is
indivisible,” it stressed, saying that “any attack on one of them is an attack
on all, in accordance with the Basic Statute of the GCC and the Joint Defense
Agreement.”The statement underlined the “readiness of the member states to
harness all capabilities to support Qatar and protect its security, stability,
and sovereignty against any threats.”Proceeding from the principle emphasized by
the Basic Statute of the GCC, “the leaders have directed the GCC Joint Defense
Council to hold an urgent meeting in Doha, to be preceded by a meeting of the
Higher Military Committee.”“The purpose is to assess the defense posture of the
member states and the sources of threat in light of the Israeli attack and
direct the Unified Military Command to take the necessary executive measures to
activate joint defense mechanisms and Gulf deterrence capabilities,” said the
statement. The Israeli attack “is a direct threat to joint Gulf security and to
regional peace and stability,” warned the statement. “The continuation of these
aggressive policies undermines efforts to achieve peace and the future of
existing understandings and agreements with Israel,” it went on to say.
Moreover, it added that “Israel's persistence in its criminal practices and its
flagrant disregard for all international norms, laws and the Charter of the
United Nations, will lead to serious repercussions that threaten regional and
international peace and security.”The Supreme Council called on the Security
Council, the international community, and influential nations to assume their
full responsibilities and take “firm and deterrent measures to stop these
violations,” which are a “dangerous precedent that should not be overlooked or
allowed to pass without deterrent international sanctions.”The Supreme Council
stressed “the need for the international community to fulfill its moral and
legal responsibilities and to act urgently to deter Israel and put an end to its
repeated violations of international law and international humanitarian law,”
continued the statement. Furthermore, it said the attack “obstructs the tireless
efforts by Qatar and its role in mediating a ceasefire in Gaza.” It underlined
that the repeated Israeli attacks against several countries in the region are “a
serious obstacle to international and regional efforts aimed at establishing
security, peace and stability.” “The Supreme Council called on the peace-loving
nations of the world to condemn the brutal Israeli aggression against Qatar and
its attempts to obstruct international efforts and diplomatic solutions aimed at
stopping Israel’s attacks and the crimes of genocide in Gaza,” it said.
Arab and Muslim leaders urge review of Israel ties, Qatar
emir says Doha attack aimed to derail Gaza talks
AFP/September 15, 2025 13:15
DUBAI: Qatar’s emir said Monday that Israel had sought to derail Gaza talks by
striking Hamas negotiators in his country last week, and that its premier dreamt
of an Arab world under Israeli influence. “Whoever works diligently and
systematically to assassinate the party with whom he is negotiating, intends to
thwart the negotiations... Negotiations, for them, are merely part of the war,”
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani told Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Doha to
discuss the attack. He also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“dreams of turning the Arab region into an Israeli sphere of influence, and this
is a dangerous illusion.”Sheikh Tamim said Israel’s government was exploiting
the ongoing war in Gaza to expand settlements and change the status quo, adding
the negotiations were just a pretext to Israel’s military operations in the
besieged territory. “If Israel aims to assassinate Hamas leaders, why is it
negotiating with them?” the Qatari ruler said in his opening statement at the
summit. He accused Israel of not caring about its hostages held in Gaza and
instead only working to “ensure Gaza is no longer livable.” “If you wish to
insist on the liberation of hostages, why then do they assassinate all
negotiators?” Sheikh Tamim asked. “There is no room to deal with such a party
that’s cowardly and treacherous,” he added. “Those who work consistently to
assassinate the party in these negotiations will certainly do everything to
ensure the failure of these negotiations. When they claim that they seek the
liberation of hostages, that’s a mere lie.”Sheikh Tamim also denounced Israel
over what he called the “genocide” it is committing in Gaza. The joint Arab
League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit called by Qatar seeks to
pile pressure on Israel, which has been facing mounting calls to end the war and
humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Hamas says top officials survived last week’s air strike in Doha that killed six
people and triggered a wave of criticism, including from US President Donald
Trump. A joint statement from the summit urged “all states to take all possible
legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions
against the Palestinian people,” including “reviewing diplomatic and economic
relations with it, and initiating legal proceedings against it.”The statement
also urged member states to “coordinate efforts aimed at suspending Israel’s
membership in the United Nations.”
The communique reiterated collective backing for the Palestinian cause,
rejecting forced displacement, settlement expansion, and any attempts to impose
a new fait accompli in the Occupied Territories.
It called for urgent humanitarian aid, the reconstruction of Gaza, and
accountability for what it described as war crimes, including siege and
starvation tactics against civilians.
Leaders also reaffirmed that a just and lasting peace can only be achieved
through adherence to the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant UN resolutions.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE,
held its own meeting on the sidelines of the summit. Its members decided to take
steps “to activate the mechanisms of joint defense and the Gulf deterrence
capabilities,” they said in a statement.
The Gulf states also called on their close ally Washington to use its leverage
to rein in Israel following the unprecedented Israeli strikes. “We also expect
our strategic partners in the United States to use their influence on Israel in
order for it to stop this behavior... They have leverage and influence on
Israel, and it’s about time that this leverage and influence be used,” Gulf
Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi said in a press
conference following the summit. Alongside Egypt and the United States, Qatar
has led mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas in the war in Gaza. Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Monday that Israel’s current actions
hindered any chances of new peace treaties in the Middle East. In remarks aimed
at Israel, he told the Arab-Islamic summit in Doha: “What is happening right now
hinders the future of peace, threatens your security and the security of the
peoples in the region and adds obstacles to chances for any new peace agreements
and even aborts existing ones.” Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
participated in the summit and leaders of the nearly 60-country grouping in Doha
included Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani,
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
After the summit concluded, Prince Mohammed sent a cable of thanks to the Emir
of Qatar. “We would like to commend the outcomes of the extraordinary session of
the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the emergency
Arab-Islamic Summit,” the cable said. “These summits affirmed the support of all
participating countries for the position of Qatar in confronting the brutal
aggression against it, and our absolute rejection of any violation of the
principles of international law and norms,” it added. The United Nations Human
Rights Council said it would host an urgent debate on Tuesday on Israel’s air
strike targeting Hamas in Qatar. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive
in Qatar on Tuesday, after pledging “unwavering support” for Israel’s goal of
eradicating Hamas during a visit to the country. The State Department said Rubio
would “reaffirm America’s full support for Qatar’s security and sovereignty”
after last week’s strike.
Emir of Qatar: Israel's Ambition to Impose its Influence on the Region Is a
Dangerous Delusion
Asharq Al Awsat/September 15/2025
Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani stressed on Monday that his
country is determined to do everything in its power to protect its sovereignty,
slamming the Israeli attack on Doha last week that targeted Hamas leaders.
Sheikh Tamim inaugurated the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha that was
attended by several Arab and Islamic leaders, including Prince Mohammed bin
Salman, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. In his opening speech, he slammed
Israel’s “treacherous attack.”“The citizens and residents of this safe country
were taken unawares, and the entire world was shocked along with them, not only
because this aggression is a gross and grave violation of State's sovereignty
and a trampling upon international conventions and norms, but also due to the
special circumstances surrounding this cowardly terrorist act,” he added. He
said Qatar, a mediation State, “which lies thousands of miles away from the
place where the attacking aircraft took off, has been exerting strenuous efforts
for two years to reach a settlement that would stop the deadly and destructive
war – being waged against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, which has
long since turned into a genocidal war – and to secure the release of the
Israeli hostages.”“Doha has hosted, during these negotiations, delegations from
Hamas and Israel. The mediation has already achieved, through cooperation with
Egypt and the United States, the release of 135 hostages in exchange for two
truces in 2023 and 2025, and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Yet Israel has continued its war,” remarked Sheikh Tamim.
He revealed that when the attack occurred on September 9, the political
leadership of Hamas was studying an American proposal that it had received from
us and the Egyptians. “It is obvious that Israel, which was supposed to be the
other negotiating party, at least in the context of this mediation, was aware of
this meeting being held in a well-known location frequented by diplomats,
journalists, and others. Thus, decided to assassinate negotiators engaged in
studying an American paper and preparing their response to it,” he noted.
“Have you ever heard of anything like this before? A country that systematically
and doggedly working to assassinate the very politicians it is negotiating with,
and attacking the mediating country where the negotiations are taking place,” he
stated.
“If Israel wants to assassinate the political leadership of Hamas, then why does
it negotiate with it? And if it wants to negotiate the release of the hostages,
then why assassinate all those who could conduct negotiations with it? And how
can we welcome Israeli delegations to our country for negotiations, when those
who sent these delegations are plotting to bomb this country?” he asked. “These
questions await no answer, but rather clarify why we say, unequivocally, that
this aggression is in reality blatant, treacherous, and cowardly. It is
impossible to deal with such a degree of malice and treachery,” he said. “For
there are simple, basic principles in human interaction, which even those
provided with wisdom and courage necessary to engage in, can't expect that there
are some who pay them no heed and to whom they mean nothing.”
“Whoever works doggedly and systematically to assassinate the party he is
negotiating with intends to sabotage the negotiations. When he claims that their
goal behind the negotiations is to free their detainees, his acts belie their
claim,” he said of Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu.
“Releasing his soldiers and citizens is not among his priorities, and
negotiations are merely part of the war, a political tactic coupled with the
war, and a means to mislead Israeli public opinion. When public opinion
pressures him, he sends a delegation to negotiate. He does so with one hand,
while sabotaging the negotiations with the other," he added.
“If stopping the war is the price for freeing his hostages, he doesn't want
them. What he really wants is to make Gaza uninhabitable in order to displace
its population. He believes in the so-called ‘Greater Israel,’ and he is
exploiting the opportunity of war to expand settlements, change the status quo
in the Holy Haram al-Sharif, tighten restrictions on the population in the West
Bank, and plan to annex parts of it,” continued Sheikh Tamim. “The government of
Israel believes it places the Arabs before a fait accompli each time, then
follows them with new ones, so they drop the old and negotiate over the new,” he
noted.
“The Israeli Prime Minister, who boasts that he has changed the face of the
Middle East in the last two years, truly intends that Israel intervene wherever
and whenever it wishes. He dreams that the Arab region becomes an Israeli sphere
of influence. This is a dangerous delusion,” warned the Qatari ruler.
“The government of extremist settlers wants the dispatch of Israeli air power
for bombing in the countries of the region to become a routine matter. In
Lebanon, the acceptance by the Lebanese government of an American paper is met
with bombings and assassinations, and Israel seeks to drag it into a civil war
to stop its aggressions against it,” he said.
“As for Syria, that same Prime Minister openly declares there is no negotiation
over the occupied Golan. He speaks and acts as though the areas south of
Damascus are practically influence zones for Israel which works towards the
partition of Syria. We are confident that these schemes will not pass,” he
added.
“Israel claims it is a democracy surrounded by enemies, while in reality it is
building a regime of occupation and apartheid hostile to its surroundings, and
waging a genocidal war during which crimes, that know no red flags, have been
committed,” he stressed.
“Its Prime Minister has declared, days ago, that he prevented the establishment
of a Palestinian State, and that such a state will not be established in the
future. He is hostile to the Palestinian Authority, and opposes the agreements
by which this Authority was incepted.”
“Two neighboring States signed peace agreements with Israel and abided thereof,
and two other states remain committed to the Arab Peace Initiative and seek a
settlement through which their occupied lands may be restored. If Israel had
accepted the Arab Peace Initiative, it would have spared the region and itself
countless tragedies,” said Sheikh Tamim. “Israel is not only rejecting peace
with its surroundings, but rather wants to impose its will upon them. And
whoever objects to that, will be portrayed in its false propaganda, which no one
believes anymore, as either a terrorist or antisemitic, while at the same time
the far-right government in Israel practices terrorist and racist policies,” he
declared. “We shouldn't be contended with merely holding an emergency Summit,
but that we take concrete steps to address the state of madness of power,
arrogance, and bloodthirstiness obsession that has befallen the government of
Israel, and what resulted and continues to result from it: First, the insistence
on continuing a genocidal war, displacement, and settlement expansion in
Palestine. Second, the blatant intervention in the sovereignty of Arab states;
and third and finally, the treacherous aggression against my safe country - a
peace broker that has dedicated its diplomacy to resolving conflicts by peaceful
means, and which for that receives appreciation and respect everywhere,” he
stated. “For our part, we are determined to do everything necessary and
permissible to us by international law, to preserve our sovereignty and confront
this Israeli aggression,” he stressed.
Saudi crown prince meets with leaders on sidelines of Doha
summit
Arab News/September 15, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday met with
several leaders on the sidelines of the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit to
discuss the Israeli attack on Hamas in Doha last week. The attack killed six
people and triggered a wave of criticism, including from US President Donald
Trump. Hamas says top officials survived the Israeli air strike. Prince Mohammed
met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani,
Syrian Arab Republic President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, Iranian President Masoud
Pezeshkian, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The crown prince also headed the Kingdom’s delegation to an extraordinary
session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council held on Monday.
After the summit concluded, Prince Mohammed sent a cable of thanks to the Emir
of Qatar. “We would like to commend the outcomes of the extraordinary session of
the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the emergency
Arab-Islamic Summit,” the cable said. “These summits affirmed the support of all
participating countries for the position of Qatar in confronting the brutal
aggression against it, and our absolute rejection of any violation of the
principles of international law and norms,” it added.
Israel must end financial stranglehold on Occupied
Territories: UN experts
Ephrem Kossaify/Arab News/September 15, 2025
NEW YORK: Israel’s attacks on Gaza and its broader financial control across the
Occupied Territories have triggered a severe economic emergency, UN independent
experts warned on Monday, calling for an immediate end to measures that are
causing “catastrophic harm” to human rights. “Economic life in Gaza has been
decimated by sheer physical destruction, blockade and siege, and repeated forced
displacement,” they said in a statement, citing widespread damage to commercial,
agricultural and industrial infrastructure in the Palestinian enclave, with
unemployment surging above 80 percent, a sharp contraction in gross domestic
product, halted trade and endemic poverty. Famine has already been declared.
They said a liquidity crisis across Gaza has been exacerbated by the destruction
of banks and ATMs, and Israel’s blocking of new currency inflows. The scarcity
of cash has triggered hyperinflation, with the price of cooking oil increasing
by 1,200 percent and flour by 5,000 percent by mid-2025. Humanitarian workers
are losing nearly 40 percent of their salaries just to access cash, while
digital payments are frequently disrupted by electricity and telecommunications
outages.
“The disproportionate civilian harm caused by Israel’s blockade and siege
violates international humanitarian law and the economic and social rights of
Palestinians,” the experts said. They also highlighted how Israeli legislation
restricting the UN Relief and Works Agency, and the US suspension of its
funding, have jeopardized thousands of jobs and undermined humanitarian efforts
amid Gaza’s economic collapse. The financial pressure, they said, extends beyond
Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, Israel has allegedly withheld and diverted tax
revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority in violation of the Oslo Accords,
disrupting salary payments and weakening liquidity. “Israel has threatened not
to renew the annual waiver of terrorist financing laws that allows Israeli banks
to process transactions with Palestinian banks in November 2025,” the experts
warned. “This would cut Palestinians off from the global financial system.”
They also noted the suspension of work permits for 100,000 Palestinian workers,
eliminating a vital source of cash inflow that had accounted for nearly a
quarter of gross national income.
“These measures exacerbate heavy economic losses from the illegal taking of land
and the illegal exploitation of natural resources by Israeli settlers in the
occupied West Bank,” the experts said. They added that since 2023, purported
counterterrorism measures have led to “unjustified de-risking” by international
banks, resulting in account closures and blocked humanitarian transfers.
“Cumulatively, these measures seriously violate Israel’s obligations to
guarantee the human rights to an adequate standard of living, work, food, water,
sanitation, health, life, and freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment,” the experts said. They added that Israel, as an occupying
power, is obligated under international law to sustain Palestinian economic
life, not expropriate property or exploit natural resources. The experts further
emphasized that Israel’s economic restrictions impede the Palestinian people’s
collective rights to economic self-determination, sovereignty over natural
resources, and development. The economic rights of Palestinians have been
affirmed by multiple international bodies, including the International Court of
Justice and the UN General Assembly, most recently at the High-Level
International Conference on Palestine in July, which was co-chaired by Saudi
Arabia and France. The experts called on Israel to immediately lift the blockade
and siege of civilians in Gaza, end violations of international humanitarian
law, remove currency restrictions, restore cash flows, establish secure cash
distribution systems and facilitate digital payments.They added that Israel must
also commit to the permanent renewal of the banking waiver in the West Bank and
stop holding Palestinian tax revenues to ransom. They also referred to the ICJ’s
2024 advisory opinion demanding an end to Israel’s “illegal occupation,” and
noted that the UNGA has set a deadline of September, 17, 2025, for Israel to
comply. “The international community must act urgently to compel Israel to stop
violating fundamental rules of international law, respect the economic rights of
the Palestinian people, alleviate the humanitarian crisis and prevent financial
collapse,” the experts said. They include Ben Saul, special rapporteur on the
promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while
countering terrorism; Attiya Waris, independent expert on the effects of foreign
debt and other related international financial obligations of states on the full
enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural
rights; George Katrougalos, independent expert on the promotion of a democratic
and equitable international order; and Carlos Arturo Duarte Torres of the
working group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas.
They are part of the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures, the largest
body of independent experts in the organization’s human rights system. They work
on a voluntary basis and are not paid for their work.
Spain cancels major Israel arms deal amid Gaza backlash
AFP/September 15, 2025
MADRID: The Spanish government has canceled a contract worth nearly 700 million
euros ($825 million) for Israeli-designed rocket launchers, according to an
official document seen Monday by AFP. The move comes after Prime Minister Pedro
Sanchez announced last week that his government would “consolidate in law” a ban
on military equipment sales or purchases with Israel over its offensive in Gaza.
The contract, awarded to a consortium of Spanish companies, involved the
purchase of 12 SILAM rocket launcher systems derived from the PULS platform made
by Israeli firm Elbit Systems, according to the International Institute for
Strategic Studies’ Military Balance. First reported by local media and the
Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the cancelation was formalized on Spain’s official
public contracts platform on September 9. The following day, Sanchez unveiled
measures aimed at stopping what his leftist government called “the genocide in
Gaza.”It includes the approval of a decree imposing a ban on military equipment
sales or purchases with Israel due to its military offensive in Gaza, launched
after the Hamas attacks in October 2023. Spain applied the ban as Israel stepped
up its military onslaught. Spain has also formalized the cancelation of another
contract for 168 anti-tank missile launchers, which were to be manufactured
under license from an Israeli company. That contract, valued at 287 million
euros, had been first reported by the press in June. According to Spanish daily
La Vanguardia, the government is undertaking a broader review to phase out
Israeli weapons and technology from its armed forces. Sanchez has emerged as one
of Europe’s most outspoken critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s Gaza policy. Relations between the two countries have been tense for
months. Israel has not had an ambassador in Spain since Madrid recognized the
state of Palestine in 2024. Last week, Spain recalled its ambassador to Israel
after heated exchanges over Sánchez’s new measures. The Barcelona-based Delas
Center, a security research institute, estimated in April that since the start
of the Gaza war, Spain had awarded 46 contracts worth $1.044 billion to Israeli
companies, based on public tender data.
Jordanian army chief, foreign diplomats discuss military
ties in Amman
Arab News/September 15, 2025 20:28
LONDON: The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Jordanian Armed Forces
on Monday held meetings with the ambassadors of Australia, Sweden and France to
review security cooperation. Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti met the envoys separately
at the General Command in Amman. The talks, which were attended by several other
officers from the JAF, focused on enhancing military and security cooperation
and exchanging expertise, the Petra news agency reported. The diplomats praised
Jordan’s role, under King Abdullah II, in promoting peace and recognized the
JAF’s humanitarian and medical contributions.
Huneiti and Swedish Ambassador Maria Sargren discussed security cooperation and
mutual regional as well as international issues, the report said. The army chief
emphasized the strong Franco-Jordanian relations and military partnership in his
talks with French Ambassador Franck Gellet, while his meeting with Australian
Ambassador Bernard Lynch focused on enhancing cooperation in training and
expertise exchange.
UN rights council to debate Israel attack on Qatar Tuesday
AFP/September 15, 2025 08:36
GENEVA: The United Nations Human Rights Council said it will host an urgent
debate Tuesday on Israel’s airstrike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar. The
council said Monday the debate would “discuss the recent military aggression
carried out by the State of Israel against the State of Qatar on 9 September
2025’.”Israel attacked Qatar on Sept. 9 targeted the residences of several Hamas
officials in Doha. The airstrikes were widely condemned across the Arab and
Islamic world as a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and international law.
Palestinians warn of Israeli seizure of Ibrahimi Mosque’s roof in Hebron
Arab News/September 15, 2025
LONDON: Israeli authorities have issued an order to seize the roof of the inner
courtyard of the Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of Hebron, in the south of the
occupied West Bank, a Palestinian settlements watchdog revealed. The Wall and
Settlement Resistance Commission reported that an Israeli expropriation order,
issued on Monday, mandates the seizure of 288 sq. meters of the designated roof
area. Muayyad Shaaban, the head of the commission, said that the order follows a
decision made last February to transfer authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque from
the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments to the Israeli Civil Planning Authority.
In July, the supervisory authority over parts of the Ibrahimi Mosque was
officially transferred from the Hebron Municipality to the Religious Council in
Kiryat Arba for management and structural changes. The Palestinian Authority’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has said that Israel’s decision to
transfer the management of the mosque, known to Jews as the Cave of the
Patriarchs, to a settlement council is “an unprecedented move to impose control
over it, Judaize it, alter its identity, and a blatant violation of
international law and UN resolutions.”Shaaban said that the latest Israeli
measures “isolate the Mosque from its Palestinian surroundings and link it
administratively and security-wise to colonial councils,” according to the Wafa
news agency. He called on UNESCO, which had designated the Ibrahimi Mosque as a
World Heritage site in 2017, to urgently intervene and protect the site.
“Defending the Ibrahimi Mosque is a defense of Hebron’s identity and heritage,
and of the Palestinian people’s right to administer their holy sites and protect
their religious and cultural sovereignty,” he said. The Ibrahimi Mosque is in
Hebron’s Old City, where about 400 settlers are protected by about 1,500 Israeli
soldiers and surrounded by numerous military checkpoints. Since 1994, Israel has
spatially divided the Ibrahimi Mosque into 63 percent for Jews and 37 percent
for Muslims, after an extremist settler massacred 29 Palestinian worshippers at
the site.
UN expert Albanese: Israel seeks to make Gaza City
unlivable
Reuters/September 15, 2025 13:58
GENEVA: Israel is trying to make Gaza City unliveable in its assault on the
enclave’s largest urban area and is endangering the lives of Israeli hostages,
the top UN expert on Palestinian rights Francesca Albanese said on Monday.
“Israel is bombing using unconventional weapons ... it is trying to forcibly
evacuate Palestinians. Why? This is the last piece of Gaza that needs to be
rendered unlivable before advancing the ethnic cleansing of that piece of land,”
Albanese told reporters in Geneva. The Israeli mission in Geneva was not
immediately available for comment. Israel says the offensive to take control of
Gaza City is part of a plan to defeat Palestinian militant group Hamas for good
and that it has warned civilians to head south to a designated humanitarian
zone. However, the UN and numerous countries say its tactics amount to forced
mass displacement and that conditions in the humanitarian zone are dire, with
food in short supply. Italian lawyer Albanese serves as a special rapporteur on
human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts
appointed by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to report on specific global
issues. “The ongoing assault to take the last remnant of Gaza will not only
devastate the Palestinians but endanger also the remaining Israeli hostages,”
Albanese said. She accused Israel of genocide and said the international
community was complicit. The nearly two-year campaign in the Palestinian enclave
has killed more than 64,000 people, according to local authorities. Some rights
groups like Amnesty International have also accused Israel of committing
genocide, but not the United Nations itself. UN officials have in the past said
it is up to international courts to determine genocide. Israel rejects the
accusation, citing its right to self-defense following the October 7, 2023,
attack by Hamas militants that killed 1,200 people and resulted in the capture
of 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. In July, the US Secretary of
State Marco Rubio announced that Albanese would be added to the US sanctions
list for her actions, which he described as prompting illegitimate prosecutions
of Israelis at the International Criminal Court. Albanese said her attempts to
travel to New York for the UN General Assembly in September to deliver a report
do not look promising.
Kuwait sends ninth relief aircraft to assist Palestinians
in Gaza
Arab News/September 15, 2025 17:10
LONDON: Kuwait dispatched its ninth relief aircraft on Monday to assist
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as part of the country’s humanitarian Kuwait is
by Your Side campaign. The Kuwait Red Crescent Society, in collaboration with
charities and relevant ministries, loaded 40 tonnes of food and aid relief onto
an aircraft which took off from Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base heading to Al-Arish
Airport in Egypt. Latifa Al-Meer, a board member of the KRCS, told the Kuwait
News Agency that the charity was continuing to send humanitarian convoys to Gaza
following directives from the leadership to address urgent needs in the
Palestinian coastal enclave. She stressed the need for an immediate response and
increased efforts from humanitarian organizations to address the critical needs
in Gaza. Al-Meer added that the KRCS prepared the shipment of essential food aid
for families in Gaza, aided by the Al-Salam Humanitarian Society. She
acknowledged the efforts of Kuwait’s Embassy in Egypt and the Egyptian Red
Crescent in facilitating the delivery of aid to Palestinians in Gaza. The second
phase of Kuwaiti air support has transported about 150 tonnes of essential
humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, demonstrating Kuwait’s commitment to
international relief and solidarity, KUNA added.
Israel police say Palestinian killed while trying to climb
over barrier
AFP/September 15, 2025
JERUSALEM: Israeli police said border officers shot dead a Palestinian man on
Monday as he tried to enter Jerusalem by climbing over the barrier separating
the city from the occupied West Bank.The Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah
identified the man as Sanad Najeh Mohammed Hantouli, 25, saying he was killed by
Israeli gunfire near the West Bank town of Al-Ram, north of Jerusalem. An
Israeli police spokesperson reported that border police officers “foiled an
infiltration attempt through the security barrier in Jerusalem.”“The suspect was
shot and neutralized,” the spokesperson said in a statement, adding he was later
pronounced dead by medical teams. Hantouli’s body was transferred to the
Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah before being taken to his hometown, Silat
Al-Dhahr. Many Palestinians have attempted to cross the separation barrier
illegally in recent months, seeking work inside Israel after authorities there
revoked thousands of work permits following the outbreak of the Gaza war. Many
have died fleeing from Israeli forces, Palestinian officials say. Israel began
building the barrier at the height of the second Palestinian intifada, which
began in 2002, saying it was needed to maintain security amid Palestinian
suicide bombings in Jerusalem and Israeli cities. The barrier cuts into many
parts of the West Bank, and Palestinians see it as a land grab and a de facto
border, illegal under international law. Palestinians say the barrier has
further deepened the economic crisis in the West Bank. Israel maintains tight
restrictions on the movement of the West Bank’s roughly three million residents,
who require special permits to cross checkpoints into East Jerusalem or Israel.
Al-Ram, located near the Qalandiya checkpoint, is separated from Jerusalem by a
section of the barrier reinforced with barbed wire. A joint World Bank, EU and
UN report released in February 2025 said just 27,000 Palestinians were working
in Israel and West Bank settlements, down from 177,000 before the Gaza war broke
out in October 2023. Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem, since 1967. Violence has sharply escalated in the Palestinian
territory since the Gaza war began. At least 977 Palestinians — both militants
and civilians — have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank
since October 2023, according to AFP figures based on Palestinian Authority
data. In the same period, at least 42 Israelis, including soldiers and
civilians, have been killed in attacks or military operations in the West Bank,
Israeli official figures show.
Syrian organization launches virtual museum on prison
experiences
AFP/September 15, 2025 18:02
DAMASCUS: A Syrian organization launched a virtual museum in Damascus on Monday
documenting the experiences of detainees in the country’s prisons, used for
decades to hold opponents to Assad family rule. The Syria Prisons Museum offers
3D virtual tours of prisons, documented testimonies from former prisoners about
their experiences, and studies, research, and investigative reports related to
prisons and detention centers. “The museum seeks to preserve the dark Syrian
memory associated with violence, murder, and prisons,” project founder Amer
Matar told AFP on the sidelines of a launch ceremony at Damascus’ national
museum. According to estimates from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
monitor, more than two million Syrians have experienced imprisonment under the
Assad family, who ruled Syria for over 50 years until the fall of Bashar Assad
in December. Half were detained in the years after the peaceful protests of 2011
whose violent suppression by the authorities sparked the country’s 14-year civil
war. More than 200,000 people have died in Syria’s prisons, including by
execution and under torture, according to the Observatory. One prison, Saydnaya,
was called a “human slaughterhouse” by Amnesty International. The Prisons Museum
Foundation, the organization behind the new project, based their methodology on
their previous work in 2017, which documented the experiences of people in
Islamic State (IS) prisons. Following the toppling of Assad by Islamist-led
rebels, the group worked with Syrian and international organizations
specializing in missing persons and criminal justice to create the virtual
museum.
‘Living digital archive’
The museum involves field documentation, testimonies from survivors and families
of missing persons, and a digital archive that reconstructs scenes from inside
prisons. “We were afraid that these prisons would be destroyed before we could
document them, but to date we have been able to enter 70 prisons,” Matar
said.According to the organizers, the museum aims to “honor the victims, amplify
the voices of survivors, and prepare evidence files to hold perpetrators
accountable and achieve justice.”Matar said the museum was “trying to build a
living digital archive.”
The Assads often used their prisons as a tool to intimidate opponents and
silence dissent. Many people who entered the facilities over the years were
never heard from again, their fates uncertain even after the prisons were
liberated with the ouster of Assad. In May, Syria’s new Islamist authorities
announced the creation of a national commission for missing persons and another
for transitional justice. While rights groups and activists welcomed the
announcements, they believe the road to justice remains long, insisting all
parties in the Syrian conflict be held accountable for their violations and that
investigations must be independent.
Israel Insists on Holding Syrian Mount Hermon Peaks, Damascus Rejects their
Occupation
Tel Aviv: Nazir Magally/Asharq Al Awsat/September 15/2025
Israeli political sources revealed that Israel has told Syria, during their
ongoing talks, that it intends to maintain control over the Syrian peaks of
Mount Hermon, at the junction of the Lebanese border, describing the positions
as “an indispensable strategic asset” that overlooks the Golan Heights and
supply routes into Lebanon. Damascus rejected the demand, calling Israel’s
presence on Syrian land an “occupation that must end.”According to an Israeli
official quoted by Israel’s Channel 12, the army views the positions it seized
early this year as a “strategic treasure.” From these peaks, Israeli forces
claim to monitor movements of hostile groups allegedly plotting attacks
resembling Hamas’ October 7, 2023 assault on southern Israel. The official said
troops have seized “tons of weapons” over the past eight months from vantage
points on Mount Hermon, including during a raid last week 38 kilometers inside
Syria near Damascus, where they captured large stockpiles of arms.Officers told
Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth on Sunday that the peaks allow direct observation of
sensitive Syrian military sites. Despite modern surveillance technologies such
as drones and satellites, the army insists the mountain ridges provide unique
oversight of smuggling routes into South Lebanon, which Israel calls Hezbollah’s
“logistical lifeline.”The army has since established eight military outposts
five to ten kilometers inside Syrian territory. A recent raid, dubbed Operation
Green-White, penetrated 38 kilometers deep and lasted 14 hours, involving
reserve units from the 210th Division and the Druze battalion Herev 299. Israeli
officers said the raid targeted two large unmanned Syrian bases that were filled
with heavy weapons and munitions. Reserves from the 210th Division reportedly
hauled back 3.5 tons of explosives and arms, part of more than seven tons
collected by the Israeli “Mountain Brigade” from Syrian territory in recent
months. Planning has already begun for a follow-up raid expected to face higher
risks, with goals extending beyond arms seizures to disrupting Hezbollah’s
supply chain. Israeli media reports also emphasized contacts with Druze
villagers near Damascus during the latest operation. The army claimed locals in
Rakhla welcomed Israeli troops, requested protection from armed factions, and
provided intelligence on weapons caches in exchange for humanitarian aid.
Officers said such encounters reinforce Israel’s narrative of “protecting Druze
communities” in southern Syria. The Israeli military argues that its presence
hampers hostile groups from exploiting the collapse of Syrian government control
in the area. Officers say the captured peaks also offer surveillance over the
Damascus-Beirut highway and Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, described as Hezbollah’s
“logistical rear base.”
Iran's Uranium-Enrichment Program Must Be Dismantled, US’s
Wright Says
Asharq Al Awsat/September 15/2025
Iran's uranium-enrichment program must be "completely dismantled", US Energy
Secretary Chris Wright said in a speech at the UN nuclear watchdog's annual
General Conference on Monday. "If it wasn't already clear enough, I will restate
the United States' position on Iran," he said. "Iran's nuclear weapons pathway,
including all (uranium) enrichment and (plutonium) reprocessing capabilities,
must be completely dismantled."
The Latest English LCCC analysis &
editorials from miscellaneous sources
on
September 15-16/2025
Palestinian Circumlocutions
Charles Chartouni/This Is
Beirut/September 15/2025
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2025/09/147296/
The unending Palestinian saga seems to thrive on power politics entanglements,
unwinding political patronages and the externalization of blame without any
critical retrospection to figure out the rationale behind the unending cycles of
political entrapment and outright instrumentation. We are faced with a
behavioral pattern that never belied throughout the various sequences of the
centennial conflict and its different stages. It’s no hazard that Palestinians
were never adept at seizing the different historical episodes to address their
unfinished political travails, however numerous the opportunities offered to
them.
Their compulsive denial state of mind made it unlikely for them to acknowledge
the Israeli-established fact at various historical stages that could have made
conflict resolution much easier than it has become after a century of open-ended
wars, Israeli military victories, heightened mutual distrust and egregious
grievances building up over time. There is no need to parse through the tangled
factors to come to terms with the ever-repeating stalemates that made this
conflict immeasurably intractable.
The latest vote at the UN in favor of Palestinian statehood adds nothing to the
legitimacy of the Palestinian authority, nor to its worldwide diplomatic
accreditation, nor does it help address its problematic relationship with the
State of Israel. How opportune and effective is this policy line at a time when
the cycles of open conflicts have restarted after the pogrom of October 7th,
2023, and its diffuse fallouts?
Rather than addressing the dramatic plot of the Gaza war and its cynical
instrumentalizations by Iran, Qatar and Turkey, and stemming the absurd
bloodshed over two years, none of the so-called diplomatic mediations proved
effective and dissuasive enough to sway Hamas and make it put an end to the
perverse manipulation of the hostage issue, the human shield strategy and the
usage of the urban ecology to extend the horrors of war in a densely populated
area and erase the interfaces between the war and civil zones. This cruelty was
condoned while Arab, Muslim and international diplomacies were busying
themselves with the fake narratives of Palestinian statehood.
Aside from the fact that they overlooked the horrors of the pogrom in South
Israel and its manifold consequences. Is it political clumsiness, misguided
diplomacy, hypocrisy and political obfuscations laced with anti-Semitic
intonations? The systemic problems of the Palestinian Authority and its corrupt
leadership, added to the criminality of Hamas and its ilk, have ill-prepared the
Palestinians to take over the responsibilities of a working statehood and
overcome endemic instrumentalization.
These were the unconditional prerequisites of a new era of peace and national
and moral autonomy that put an end to a pattern of convoluted dependencies
cultivated throughout decades of alternate political patronage and inability to
work toward self-determination. It is no hazard that Palestinians were not able
to achieve their political aspirations. The blaming of Israel is more of a
diversion mechanism than a true account of the underlying obstacles. The
accommodation with Israel is feasible over time if the Islamic blinders and
strategic dependencies are put aside.
The inanity of the ongoing diplomatic process and its marginality have already
hit the wall, while none of the effective political issues are addressed. The
Ariane’s thread is not far-fetched, and there is no need to engage the
labyrinthine power politics at their multiple intersections. The only diplomacy
worth attempting is the unconditional cessation of hostilities, the liberation
of Israeli hostages, the withdrawal of the Hamas combatants and the formation of
an interim government to tackle the issues of deconfliction, humanitarian
affairs and the post-war reconstruction, and cater to the overall political
solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The idle Palestinian state simulation is inopportune and counterproductive at
this very stage, and adds to the impasse of an already backlogged political
legacy of botched wars and failed diplomacies. Israel after October 7th, 2023,
is no longer in the business of accommodating its nemeses or managing the
hazardous borders of a failed Arab state system, nor is it fooled by the whims
of negotiating peace with dictators and regimes that already have trouble
addressing their civil conflicts.
The Israeli October 7th counterattack unraveled the “integrated operational
platforms” established by the Iranian regime, reshuffled the whole geostrategic
landscape and redefined the coordinates of an imploded geopolitical order.
Unless diplomacies reckon with the emerging geopolitical facts and their
geostrategic pendants, they will err in their search for sustainable political
solutions. The systematic military offensive extending between the Near East and
the larger Middle East and its leveraging effects cannot be bracketed out if we
are to work on peacemaking scenarios.
The latest episode of the Hamas leaders' assassination in Doha is a blunt
expression of Israel’s unwillingness to put up with the duplicity and cynicism
of the Qatar satrap and the indolent maneuvering of Arab and European
diplomacies, demonstrating either their incompetence, deceptiveness,
interlocking problems or systemic ineptitude. This head-on confrontation with
the blind spots of failed diplomacies and their clinical picture is a timely
warning that the time has come to break through the thick walls of blackmailing,
double-dealing and unjustified war extension. Otherwise, Israel will find its
way into a new strategic landscape and its conditionalities.
Destroying Gaza’s high-rise and the ‘rebuilding’ of Gaza
SETH J. FRANTZMAN/Face
Book/September 15/2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took questions from reporters before he flew
to Israel. He spoke with the reporters at Joint Base Andrews on September 13.
Rubio spoke about Israel’s war in Gaza, as well the recent Israeli strike on
Qatar and other issues. It is clear that one of the key issues on his plate in
Israel this week is discussing what comes next in Gaza.
Rubio spoke often about the need to bring the hostages home. He also spoke about
rebuilding Gaza. For instance he said it was the US President’s policy that 48
hostages will be “released all at once, Hamas no longer a threat so we can move
on to the next phase, which is how do you rebuild Gaza, how do you provide
security, how do you make sure Hamas or anything like it never comes back again.
That’s the President’s priority.”
He also said, in response to further questions that “there are still 48 hostages
that deserve to be released immediately, all at once; and there is still the
hard work ahead of, once this ends, of rebuilding Gaza in a way that provides
people a quality of life that they all want. And who’s going to do that? And
who’s going to pay for it? And who’s going to be in charge of it?”
In answer to yet another question about what the US policy was advocating, he
noted “we still have to deal with Hamas, which nobody in the region wants to see
stay in place. And we still have to deal with, when that is settled and done,
how do you rebuild Gaza so that this – in a way that this never happens
again.”The key doctrine of the White House is clear here. Forty-eight hostages
need to be released by Hamas. Then there is supposed to be a next phase which
will focus on rebuilding Gaza. In addition the rebuilding will focus on quality
of life. It will also have to examine who will pay for the rebuilding and who is
going to actually build things and be in charge.
These acre complex questions. With the war still ongoing and no strategy for a
day after, the issue of rebuilding is even more complex. The war in Gaza has
lasted more than 700 days. The IDF has spent between March and August re-taking
areas in Gaza it already took in late 2023 and 2024. For instance, northern Gaza
was supposed to have already seen its Hamas battalions defeated in December and
January 2024. However, the IDF insists that Hamas continues to have a presence
there. The IDF has been demolishing high-rise buildings, blowing them
completely, to remove what it says are Hamas threats. This is a shift from when
the IDF operated in other areas and was more precise in targeting. In some areas
such as Hamad City in southern Gaza, the IDF was initially more careful in 2024
not to destroy all the civilian buildings.
On September 14 the IDF said “a short while ago, the IDF struck a high-rise
building that was used by the Hamas terrorist organization in the area of Gaza
City. Hamas terrorists planted intelligence gathering means and positioned
observation posts to monitor the location of IDF troops in the area, and to
advance terrorist attacks against the State of Israel and IDF troops.”On
September 13 the IDF also said “a short while ago, the IDF, guided by the
Southern Command, struck a high-rise building that was used by the Hamas
terrorist organization in the area of Gaza City. Within the building, Hamas
established military infrastructure used to advance and execute terrorist
attacks against IDF troops in the area.” The IDF also said “prior to the strike,
steps were taken in order to mitigate harm to civilians, including warnings to
the population, the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and
additional intelligence.”
Numerous large buildings have now been levelled. Often it sees that one or two
of these towering high-rises is destroyed a day. This comes in the wake of the
IDF approving plans for Gideon’s Chariots II to take Gaza City in August. The
IDF claimed in early September that it already controlled around 40 percent of
Gaza City. Israel’s Defense Minister said in August that if Hamas didn’t agree
to a deal then Gaza City would become like Beit Hanoun or parts of Rafah. This
appears to be a reference to the total destruction in those areas. This leaves
questions about the destruction of the high-rises. Is it because they are used
by Hamas. Or is part of the policy of turning Gaza into Beit Hanoun. Both of
these questions come in contrast with the US plan to rebuild the city. All of
these high-rises will likely have to be rebuilt. Some 2 million Gazans live in
the area, most of them displaced by 23 months of fighting. When Rubio asks who
will pay foor the next phase of rebuilding in Gaza it is an important question.
The longer the war drags on the more neighborhoods are destroyed. Without a
clear strategy to get to the next phase and replace Hamas it is unclear how to
get to rebuilding Gaza.
Australia's Fantasy of Social Cohesion
Nils A. Haug/Gatestone Institute./September 15, 2025
As early as 1974, the Islamist agenda to dominate Western nations was disclosed
by Algeria's Houari Boumedienne in his speech to the United Nations: "One day,
millions of men will leave the Southern Hemisphere to go to the Northern
Hemisphere. And they will not go there as friends. Because they will go there to
conquer it. And they will conquer it with their sons. The wombs of our women
will give us victory."
Australia's decision to recognize a fictitious Palestinian state, along with
France, Britain and Canada, totally contravenes the current requirements of
international law for nations.
The Australian government apparently believes that Islamophobia adversely
affects social cohesion. What it has yet to comprehend is that the concept of
Islamophobia is a two-edged sword, sometimes employed to suppress genuine
criticism of some of the tenets of Islam, but also to neutralize any criticism
of the religion before it can even begin.
"Hamas is not just at war with Israel. It is at war with Jews, Christians, and
the very foundations of civilization itself.... This is not politics, this is a
religious war. Its purpose is to replace Judaism and Christianity with radical
Islam. If the world does not understand this, everyone will pay the price."—
Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef.
"The hardest decision any leader has to make is to thwart a danger before it
fully materializes." — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Europe's weak leaders have failed in this regard, resulting in a catastrophic
social crisis for their nations. The question is whether or not Australia will
follow a similar course of submission, a recipe for losing the West.
In accordance with a policy of purported social cohesion and ostensibly to
prevent "Islamophobia," Australia's Labor Party government, primarily
represented by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke,
and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, perturbingly appear to be minimizing the
malignant, often violent Jew-hatred now occurring in the major cities of
Australia.
While many acts of terror are being perpetrated against the Jewish community
(here and here), the Australian government has been fast-tracking hundreds of
potentially dangerous Palestinians into the country as refugees without proper
vetting.
The only country really suited to properly vetting Palestinians and potential
jihadist radicals would be Israel. Israeli representatives however, are regarded
almost as "personae non gratae" in Australian these days. Some have actually
been barred entry.
Meanwhile, Muslim-majority countries, particularly Israel's neighbours Egypt and
Jordan, have refused to accept their Palestinian "brothers" as refugees. Would
anyone care to ask why?
Jordan's King Abdullah II was reported saying, "No refugees in Jordan, no
refugees in Egypt." According to the Associated Press:
"[Egypt's President Abdel Fattah] El-Sissi also said a mass exodus would risk
bringing militants into Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, from where they might launch
attacks on Israel, endangering the two countries' 40-year-old peace treaty."
Could Muslim countries possibly be concerned about importing jihadists into
their countries? Western nations, including Australia, for some reason seem not
share these concerns. At the same time, of course by sheer coincidence,
widespread anti-Semitic acts are being abundantly well-documented.
Australia's government has also been accused of executing a surreptitious plan
to accept radical Islamic "ISIS brides" into the country. Influencer Scott
Driscoll wrote:
"It's absolutely treacherous that any Australian government claiming to have the
interests of Australians, our values or our national security would ever let
these 'ISIS brides' anywhere near Australia ever again! Our country needs to
stop being used as some sort of sick looney-left social experiment."
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott apparently agreed, explaining that ISIS brides
who abandoned Australia have "no moral right to come back."
There were early warning signs of the Australian government's casual attitude
towards growing Jew-hate, despite the horrendous events on October 7, 2023. On
that day, Hamas and Palestinians invaded peaceful communities in Israel and
slaughtered nearly everyone they came across – men, women, children, babies –
torturing, raping, burning and beheading, while dragging hostages off to the
dungeon tunnels of Gaza as booty for further leverage and abuse.
A few weeks thereafter, the Biden administration produced a document condemning
Jew-hatred, and signed by 36 countries. The November 2023 statement referred to
Hamas's assault as "barbaric." When the US State Department's special envoy on
anti-Semitism, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, urged the Australian government to
sign the statement, it refused to so.
This August, in the Trump administration, spokesman Tammy Bruce commented:
"It was a huge sign that even though the United States pushed them to sign onto
this statement—it's not like we are committing them to anything - they refused.
It's like the top country that should be on there, is not on there."
It was a sorry indictment of Australia's leftist government.
It is quite understandable, therefore, that at a conference on antisemitism this
month in Gold Coast, child Holocaust survivor Suzi Smeed scathingly described
the Albanese government as an "enemy of the Jews".
Subsequent to the arrival in Australia of countless Muslim migrants and the
October 7th massacre, vocal pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel demonstrations have
escalated. This is no coincidence, says David May of the Foundation for the
Defense of Democracies; Australia's government is busy "reversing decades of
balanced policy on Israel."
Co-opting iconic public settings, such as Sydney's Opera House , Harbour Bridge
and Bondi Beach, tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, supported
by masses of "far-leftists," brought attention to Australia's escalating
Jew-hate.
Unsurprisingly, at a July 2025 demonstration outside Parliament in Canberra,
some radical leftist Green party Senators "gathered alongside anti-Israel
activists in a wild protest, with demonstrators displaying Hitler posters."
Israel's Foreign Ministry responded to this condemnation of Israel by issuing a
statement which read:
"All statements and all claims should be directed at the only party responsible
for the lack of a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire: Hamas, which
started this war and is prolonging it."
The Australian government did not comment on the protest, nor on the public
display of Nazi-themed posters there.
Iranian-born commentator Pouria Mehrani stated that the protests against Israel,
and in favour of Hamas and other murderous jihadists, "thrive on blind
emotion... and Left-leaning groups capitalize on such emotions to advance their
agendas." The upshot, he said, is that their "moral bankruptcy is on parade."
The silent majority of Australians, seeming finally to have had enough of this
nonsense, organized in major cities well-attended demonstrations supporting
Australia and its traditional Western values.
Australia's government did manage to criticize the event in Sydney by claiming
it was run by neo-Nazis. Labor Minister Murray Watt said:
"We absolutely condemn the March for Australia rally that's going on today. It
is not about increasing social harmony... We don't support rallies like this
that are about spreading hate and that are about dividing our community."
Yet the same government permitted an anti-Israel n march across Sydney Harbour
Bridge attended by 90,000 people, many indicating support for terror and, by
deduction, endorsing Jew-hatred.
On September 7, anti-Israel demonstrators clashed with supporters of Israel at
Sydney's Bondi Beach, with the police intervening several times. Rabbi Yossi
Friedman, who posted footage of a brawl in which police can be seen separating
protesters, commented:
"They have come to Bondi Beach where there's a lot of Jewish people,
specifically they've come here to bring their hate."
Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Association, elaborated:
"Bondi is home to many synagogues, Kosher restaurants and Jewish businesses,
some of which have been targeted in recent antisemitic incidents. With more than
100 beaches across Sydney, the decision to choose Bondi was calculated to cause
division and disturbance."
However, these type of acts should not surprise anyone. After all, it was
inevitable that Jew-hate would filter down, despite the country's supposed
emphasis on social cohesion. Islamism is a hate-driven ideology, and the more
members of an extremist Islamic group that are imported into a country, the more
attacks on Jews will occur.
As early as 1974, the Islamist agenda to dominate Western nations was disclosed
by Algeria's Houari Boumedienne in his speech to the United Nations:
"One day, millions of men will leave the Southern Hemisphere to go to the
Northern Hemisphere. And they will not go there as friends. Because they will go
there to conquer it. And they will conquer it with their sons. The wombs of our
women will give us victory."
That strategy also applies to Australia, whose naïve policies allow significant
immigration from Islamist war zones. Despite what the government believes, most
of these immigrants do not intend to integrate, assimilate or contribute to
social cohesion – as the well-attended marches against Israel and Jews reveal.
Many newcomers are ideological enemies of the Western democratic tradition.
Their plan, called a hijrah (migration), is to share their gift of Islam with
open societies through imposition of Sharia law, to export Islam worldwide.
It was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who pointed out: "When enemies
vow to destroy you, believe them." Australia's Labor government has yet to grasp
this statement.
As a result, Australia's emphasis on social cohesion is clearly detached from
reality. It is a fantasy. It might have been attainable to some degree prior to
the mass arrival of foreigners hostile to the values of the West. Australia's
decision to recognize a fictitious Palestinian state, along with France, Britain
and Canada, totally contravenes the current requirements of international law
for nations.
The Australian government apparently believes that Islamophobia adversely
affects social cohesion. What it has yet to comprehend is that the concept of
Islamophobia is a two-edged sword, sometimes employed to suppress genuine
criticism of some of the tenets of Islam, but also to neutralize any criticism
of the religion before it can even begin. That is likely why some instances of
Jew-hate are conveniently overlooked or minimized. With its nuanced definition,
and the idea of Islamophobia has been highly successful in preventing pushback
against Islamism in the West.
According to US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, Australia appeared
more concerned about appointing a special envoy to counter Islamophobia than
against anti-Semitism, despite the fact that Jews are far more likely to
experience prejudice than Muslims. The fact is that no incidents have been
recorded in Australia of Muslims facing attacks on the scale that Jews have
experienced -- no firebomb attacks against mosques and no mass demonstrations
against Muslims for being Muslim.
Given the present circumstances, the conclusion is that the Australian
government's utopian social cohesion policy is simply cowardly and unrealistic.
The policy innocently assumes that most residents in Australia wish to adhere to
Western values as derived from a classic liberal democratic tradition -- an open
society with entrenched freedoms -- when at present that clearly does not seem
to be what is taking place before their eyes.
Many Muslims seem to prefer not to assimilate or abide by Western social norms;
rather they appear to expect that their new countries, which they have come to
by choice, should conform to them, evidently based on a doctrinal assumption
that Islam is the only true religion (as here and here) and should therefore
have supremacy over all others.
Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, explains:
"Hamas is not just at war with Israel. It is at war with Jews, Christians, and
the very foundations of civilization itself... This is not politics, this is a
religious war. Its purpose is to replace Judaism and Christianity with radical
Islam. If the world does not understand this, everyone will pay the price."
It is past time that Australia's government wake up to the reality of Jew-hating
Islamists and their supporters in their midst, and apply appropriate remedial
action. Failing that, peaceful Australia will soon experience the increasing
social turmoil occurring in Europe and Britain. Australians will unfortunately
pay a heavy price for their leftist-socialist government's feckless and
destructive policies.
Netanyahu has said, "The hardest decision any leader has to make is to thwart a
danger before it fully materializes."
Europe's weak leaders have failed in this regard, resulting in a catastrophic
social crisis for their nations. The question is whether or not Australia will
follow a similar course of submission, a recipe for losing the West.
Nils A. Haug is an author and columnist. A lawyer by profession, is a member of
the International Bar Association, the National Association of Scholars, the
Academy of Philosophy and Letters. Dr. Haug holds a Ph.D. in Apologetical
Theology and is author of 'Politics, Law, and Disorder in the Garden of Eden –
the Quest for Identity'; and 'Enemies of the Innocent – Life, Truth, and Meaning
in a Dark Age.' His work has been published by First Things Journal, The
American Mind, Quadrant, Minding the Campus, Gatestone Institute, National
Association of Scholars, Jewish Journal, James Wilson Institute (Anchoring
Truths), Jewish News Syndicate, Tribune Juive, Document Danmark, Zwiedzaj Polske,
Schlaglicht Israel, and many others.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21906/australia-social-cohesion
© 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.
Israel is reshaping West Bank while no one is watching
Ghassan Khatib/Arab News/September
15, 2025
Since Oct. 7, 2023, international attention has understandably centered on
Israel’s devastating war on Gaza. The details of the genocide are horrific and
call for intervention. But away from the cameras and headlines, Israel has
launched a parallel offensive — less visible but still transformative — across
the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Under the cover of war, Israel is
accelerating a long-standing agenda of de facto annexation, systematically
reshaping Palestinian life and geography without international consequences.As
it is bombing Gaza, Israel has permitted settler violence and land seizures,
while intensifying its movement restrictions and economic suffocation in the
West Bank. This is not coincidental or reactive. Rather, it appears to be a
calculated effort to exploit the global focus on Gaza to advance long-standing
maximalist objectives.
This became even more clear at the end of August with the approval of the E1
settlement plan. This is a key bloc of construction that will fill the last open
areas of the West Bank, foreclosing contiguity between northern and southern
Palestinian communities and sealing the fate of the failed Palestinian state. In
the months following the start of the war, Israel approved the largest land
confiscation in the West Bank since the Oslo Accords. Moreover, according to
Peace Now, more than 60 Palestinian communities were displaced between 2022 and
2025, with settlers taking over 14 percent of the West Bank — more than 780 sq.
km. Settlers establish outposts, funded with millions in state and other funds,
which then become bases for attacks and harassment that make the lives of
Palestinians — isolated in rural areas — impossible. Violent settler attacks,
often backed or ignored by the army, have grown more brazen. Activists describe
and document how settlers now burn tents, steal livestock and expel residents in
broad daylight. It appears to be a calculated effort to exploit the global focus
on Gaza to advance long-standing maximalist objectives
Israeli ministers are not hiding their intentions. Orit Strock, minister of
settlements and a settler herself, called this period a “miracle” for settlement
expansion. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the goal is to remove the
“danger” of a Palestinian state by extending Israeli sovereignty over all of
“Judea and Samaria,” the Israeli name for the West Bank. The language is no
longer about negotiation, it is about permanent control.
Alongside land grabs, Israel has sharply intensified the restrictions on
Palestinian movement. The number of Israeli military checkpoints in the West
Bank had reached 849 by early 2025, according to the UN. These barriers not only
fragment Palestinian territories into isolated cantons, but also obstruct access
to hospitals, schools and workplaces. The World Health Organization documented
791 attacks on Palestinian health infrastructure in the West Bank between
October 2023 and May 2025.
Beyond humanitarian harm, these restrictions have a political aim: the
cantonization of the West Bank. By isolating Palestinian cities and towns from
one another, Israel is laying the groundwork for five disconnected “regional
councils” for Palestinians — echoing Smotrich’s vision of a fragmented,
self-administered Palestinian entity under overarching Israeli control.
Meanwhile, settlers move freely under a separate legal and administrative
system.
Israel’s post-Oct. 7 campaign includes a three-pronged economic assault:
blocking Palestinian laborers from entering Israel, withholding Palestinian tax
revenues, and cutting off West Bank markets from Palestinian citizens of Israel.
These measures have brought the Palestinian economy to its knees. Palestinian
gross domestic product dropped 22 percent in the first year of war. More than
200,000 jobs vanished in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel’s withholding of tax
revenues — amounting to more than $1.8 billion — has crippled the Palestinian
Authority’s ability to pay salaries. The result is a hollowing out of
Palestinian institutions without directly dismantling them, sidestepping any
diplomatic backlash. While Israel advances a one-state reality, the
international community continues to echo slogans about a two-state solution
More recently, attacks on humanitarian organizations and civil society have been
unfolding, with legislation coming into effect that allows Tel Aviv to
“de-register” groups that are “hostile” to Israel (a description so general as
to be meaningless), while requiring them to provide the personal details of all
their Palestinian staff. The move has put at risk the operations of more than
two dozen international organizations, which are another source of funding and
support for Palestinian civil society.
Even Palestinian citizens of Israel, whose annual spending in the West Bank once
exceeded $800 million, have been barred from shopping or studying there. The aim
of this is not just economic. A leading Palestinian business figure put it
bluntly: “The clearest objective is to indirectly destroy Palestinian
institutions, particularly the Palestinian Authority.”While Israel advances a
one-state reality of control and domination, the international community
continues to echo slogans about a two-state solution. Belgium, France, the UK,
Canada, Australia and Malta have all said they will join 147 other countries in
recognizing the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly this month. This
recognition is politically significant, but if it remains merely rhetorical
without accountability, it could make that vision merely a statement. A February
poll in Israel showed that 68 percent of Israelis support annexing the West Bank
and 71 percent oppose a Palestinian state. These are not fringe views — they are
mainstream.
If the current trajectory continues, Israel’s long-standing policy of “creating
facts on the ground” will solidify into permanent apartheid. Just as the
genocide in Gaza will have long-term regional and international implications,
the quieter, bureaucratic and structural war on the West Bank is entrenching
irreversible realities. Israel seems to be taking advantage of the horrific
offensive in Gaza to pursue its agenda of liquidating the Palestinian cause. The
longer this goes on without international consequences, the greater its chances
of success.
*Ghassan Khatib is a lecturer in international studies at Birzeit University and
has held several positions in the Palestinian Authority. He also founded and
directed the Jerusalem Media and Communications Centre.
Why digital innovation is the new blueprint for resilience
and peace
Lord Ed Vaizey/Arab News/September 15, 2025
When nations emerge from conflict, the first images we see are bulldozers
clearing rubble and cranes lifting steel. Rebuilding homes, schools and
hospitals is essential, but peace cannot rest on bricks alone. Recovery must
also strengthen trust, resilience and opportunity. That is why digital
innovation must now be seen as part of the blueprint for peace.At last week’s
Diplomatic Connect in Riyadh, hosted by the Digital Cooperation Organization and
the Embassy of the State of Kuwait, ambassadors, policymakers and innovators
gathered to ask a vital question: How can digital tools help societies endure
crises and recover stronger? The answers, drawn from real-world cases, point to
a new foundation for stability. When war struck Ukraine, officials raced to
protect the state itself. Within weeks, 161 critical registers, from tax records
to healthcare systems, were migrated to secure cloud environments abroad.
Universities continued teaching, banks stayed open and more than 20 million
citizens used the Diia smartphone app to access identity, payments and emergency
benefits. Even amid bombardment, the digital backbone of the nation endured.
In Jordan, blockchain-based wallets now deliver aid transparently to more than
100,000 Syrian refugees. With no cash to steal or divert, assistance flows
directly to families, preserving dignity as well as security. In Rwanda and
Pakistan, secure digital identities underpin access to healthcare, welfare and
education, enabling millions to rebuild their lives with confidence. These
examples prove that digital resilience can make recovery faster, fairer and more
inclusive.
The lessons are clear. Continuity of government and society must come first
because, when core services remain available in crisis, confidence endures.
Collaboration across borders is also essential, since no nation can build
resilience alone. Preparation matters too, because systems must be tested before
they are needed. And proven frameworks already exist, from Estonia’s data
embassy to Pakistan’s universal ID system, which countries should adapt rather
than improvising in a moment of crisis. Yet technology alone is not enough.
Systems must be designed for trust and inclusion. Privacy by design protects the
vulnerable, universal and secure identities widen access, auditability reduces
corruption and transparency ensures accountability. If digital tools are built
on these foundations, they reinforce the social contract rather than weaken it.
If digital resilience is embedded in reconstruction, societies can emerge
stronger, more inclusive and more secure. This is why international cooperation
is vital. The Digital Cooperation Organization, representing 16 member states
and more than 600 million citizens, is uniquely placed to harmonize standards,
promote shared platforms and pool resources. Inclusive digital connectivity
across its members could unlock trillions in additional output by the end of
this decade. More importantly, it can provide stability, allowing institutions
to remain credible, services to continue to function and citizens to feel seen
by their state even in the hardest of times. Today, more than 122 million people
are displaced worldwide. Wars, disasters and economic shocks continue to disrupt
lives. If recovery only replaces what was lost, past vulnerabilities will
return. But if digital resilience is embedded in reconstruction, societies can
emerge stronger, more inclusive and more secure. Picture a refugee mother who
can prove her identity on a basic phone, redeem a payment nearby and book a
clinic appointment without queuing all day. Picture a mine clearance team guided
by artificial intelligence maps that help families return to their fields faster
and safer. These are not abstract images, they already exist. Our task is to
make them the norm rather than the exception.Digital technologies cannot prevent
war but they can ensure that when crisis comes, society does not collapse. They
can preserve records, sustain services, protect dignity and accelerate recovery.
To achieve this, we must plan together, build together and hold ourselves to the
standards we set. The lesson is simple. Digital innovation, backed by
international cooperation, must be at the heart of recovery. That is how we can
build resilience that lasts and peace that endures.
**Lord Ed Vaizey is a former UK Minister for Culture and Digital Economy.
From poison in Amman to missiles in Doha
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/September 15, 2025
The Middle East has never been short of strongmen but it has outdone itself this
time. It has delivered the most dangerous man we have ever encountered and whom
we can no longer tolerate. No one from his own country or beyond can compete
with him. He has amassed records: no one has killed more Palestinians than him.
He has created an endless stream of corpses, widows and orphans. His military
arsenal is impressive: the best US jets, rockets that never miss their target,
and a modern killing machine that uses artificial intelligence to produce the
most horrific forms of starvation. No one has violated maps and international
laws as much as he has. No one has assassinated as many Palestinian leaders as
he has. He has pursued them everywhere. He has violated skies, laws and norms to
get them. They are not allowed to live. To him, Palestinians have either been
killed or should be killed. He sees no reason for their existence on their land.
A terrified warrior shows no mercy; not to innocent children or the keffiyeh-wearing
elderly. They are all dead to him. He burns tents and demolishes buildings. He
has forced their displacement numerous times. He dreams of a Gaza that is devoid
of its residents.
He is the most dangerous man. More dangerous than David Ben-Gurion, the
mastermind and founder of Israel. He has already defeated him by being Israel’s
longest-serving prime minister. He is more dangerous than Levi Eshkol, whose
term witnessed the eruption of the 1967 war. He hates the Palestinians more than
Golda Meir. He is more dangerous than Menachem Begin, whose army invaded Beirut
to expel the victory sign-wielding Yasser Arafat. He is more dangerous than
Ariel Sharon, who destroyed the Oslo Accords. He makes Yitzhak Rabin look like
an amateur. His list of assassinations outshines Ehud Barak’s. He also
undoubtedly scorns Shimon Peres, who was a master at hiding his malign
intentions behind his charming demeanor.
He does not care about the tears of Palestinians or the endless stream of small
corpses. He rejoices at the destruction of houses and hospitals. He is paranoid
about finding the Hamas tunnels and sees in every keffiyeh a dream of a
Palestinian state. He is a wounded and reckless warrior. He orders
assassinations, airstrikes and drone attacks every day.
He does not pause at the statements of the Arab League or Antonio Guterres’
tears. He scorns the UN and its charter. He does not care that his drones
violate the sovereignty of other countries or that the Europeans are upset and
the US is reprimanding him. He believes that the key to victory lies in changing
facts on the ground. Later comes the process of cleaning up his image and
addressing media and diplomatic losses.
His lethal savagery knows no limits. He is wiping out Gaza, punishing the West
Bank, carrying out daily assassinations in Lebanon, destabilizing Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s
Syria after Bashar Assad’s ouster, striking Yemen, and controlling Iran’s
airspace, assassinating its generals and scientists, and taking out its radars.
Netanyahu has become the greatest danger to the region. His policies are a form
of weapon of mass destruction that the region and the whole world need to
confront.
One should not be surprised at the current state of affairs after taking a look
at this intolerant warrior’s history. The man is, after all, a product of his
own history. During his first meeting with Arafat in 1996, he was blunt and
rude. He said: "Mr. Arafat, you know where I stand on the Oslo Accords that you
signed with Rabin and Peres. I was against these agreements. This is a new
Israeli government. I am informing you that these agreements are over for us."
He could not stand the idea of Arafat existing on Palestinian soil and
addressing Israel from there. Since then, he has viewed the Palestinian
Authority as more dangerous than Hamas because it enjoys legitimacy and uses the
language of peace adopted by the Arab world and the international community.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s peak recklessness in Doha last week, when he ordered
strikes against Hamas leaders, was preceded years ago by a failed attack, whose
lessons he did not learn. On Sept. 25, 1997, Hamas politburo chief Khaled
Meshaal was about to enter his Amman office when he was attacked by two Mossad
agents who had entered Jordan under the guise of being Canadian tourists. They
poisoned Meshaal and fled the scene. They were caught after a chase. After some
two hours, the effects of the poison began to appear and the only way to save
Meshaal was through an antidote.
King Hussein was livid. His country, a US ally, had signed a peace treaty with
Israel in 1994. He sent the US a clear and firm message that forced Netanyahu to
order that the antidote be delivered. He was also forced to release Hamas
founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, whom Israel would later assassinate. Israel’s peace
deal with Jordan and Amman’s close ties with Washington did not deter Netanyahu
from going ahead with his reckless behavior.
as greater and more dangerous than the one in Amman. Netanyahu did not consider
Qatar’s role as mediator or its strategic relations with the US. So, the
emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha has the responsibility to deter the
excessive Israeli aggression. The situation today is different to the one at the
time of the Amman attack. Arab Gulf countries have more economic and political
weight and their ties with the US affect the global economy. This played out
clearly with the wide diplomatic attack launched by Saudi Arabia and France that
led to the adoption of the New York Declaration on the two-state solution.
The best punishment for Netanyahu’s adventure is the effective and rational use
by the Doha summit of the several pressure cards at its disposal to convince the
West, especially Donald Trump’s America, that the establishment of a Palestinian
state is necessary to preserve stability in the Middle East and Western
interests there. The summit must be realistic and recognize that this can only
be achieved through US support. Only the two-state solution will return Israel
to Israel and return its soldiers from the territories of its neighbors and its
planes from the airspace of regional countries.
From the poison in Amman to missiles in Doha, Netanyahu has become the greatest
danger to the region. His policies are a form of weapon of mass destruction that
the region and the whole world need to confront.
European leaders must call time on Israel’s aggression
Chris Doyle/Arab News/September 15, 2025
What does “sovereignty” mean in 2025? If you go back 25 years, to the turn of
the century, the norm of respecting the sovereignty of other states, at least
from invasion or bombing, was, if not cast iron, pretty robust. The world had
united to ensure the liberation of Kuwait in 1991.
The last five years have offered an entirely different vista, with attacks on
sovereign states increasing. Think of the Russian invasion of Ukraine back in
2014, including the occupation of Crimea, and then the crescendo of the invasion
of the rest of Ukraine in February 2022.
This is the backdrop to the failed Israeli bombing of the Hamas negotiating team
in Doha last week. It was not a one-off. There was no imminent threat to Israel.
This has become a trend. Israel has bombed seven states in two years —
Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Tunisia and Qatar. It has hit five
regional capitals. Many wonder who is next in line. Israel has historical form,
having carried out assassinations all over the world, not least after the 1972
attack on Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games. But Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu has ratcheted up the brazen aggression, contemptuously
ignoring global protestations. His ministers have not ruled out strikes
elsewhere. Qatar has every right to be furious, but also to expect solid backing
from its partners. It hosted the Hamas leadership after it left Syria at the
request of the US and with the agreement of the Israeli government, not least to
prevent the group falling even further into the arms of Iran. Netanyahu used
Qatari finance to help keep the Gazan economy afloat and a few steps away from a
catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Qatar has played a vital role in trying to
broker a ceasefire deal, which Netanyahu has now bombed into oblivion.
Netanyahu has ratcheted up the brazen aggression, contemptuously ignoring global
protestations
The US is in a pickle, caught between the conflicting positions of two of its
Middle Eastern partners. It is the major sponsor of the Israeli government but
is embarrassed at its aggression on a state that the US sees as an ally — and
which hosts the largest American military base in the region. It is not just
Qatar but every nation that feels it is part of the US security umbrella that
will be watching how the Trump administration handles this.
But what about Europe? Much will be expected from the major European powers.
Yes, the UK, France and Germany condemned the attacks, albeit they called for
“restraint” from the parties, as if that was all Israel had to do. They have
been more critical of Israel than in the past, but will they step up and take
genuine action? The UK has a historic relationship with Qatar, which achieved
its independence from London in 1971. Yes, the British government was pretty
quick to criticize the Israeli attack, but was the language of the same ilk as
that used following the Russian drone incursion on Poland the same week? At the
UN Security Council, the permanent British representative spoke of “an egregious
violation of Polish and NATO airspace by Russian drones.” Prime Minister Keir
Starmer called the Israeli strike a violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and risked
“further escalation across the region.” Where was the commitment, as with
Ukraine, to protect Qatar’s borders? He spoke to the Qatari emir but did not,
for example, see fit to cancel his ill-judged meeting with Israeli President
Isaac Herzog in Downing Street.
States like Qatar, along with others in the region such as Saudi Arabia and the
UAE, will not be impressed with security guarantees from the US or Europe if
Israel gets the exclusive right to be an aggressor. Europe must harden its
posture. Otherwise, it will be viewed as unwilling to make the tough,
responsible calls. Note how many leaders from other areas of the world, such as
Pakistan, Indonesia and Rwanda, are going to Doha in solidarity. European
leaders should be showing similar levels of solidarity. Imagine if Qatar decided
to respond in kind against Israel. How would the European leaders respond if
Qatar struck Israeli military targets? Would they say it was an understandable
response to Israeli aggression? European actors have to call time on Israel’s
aggression and introduce effective sanctions. This also means toughening its
position toward Washington. It means showing allies that security guarantees
count.
All this should have happened even before the genocide in Gaza. The Israeli
leadership has been pampered as it engages in state terrorism. If Europe is to
be taken seriously in the Middle East, it must harden its posture. Otherwise, it
will be viewed as a continent in political decline, unwilling to make the tough,
responsible calls. It expected the rest of the world to push back against
Russia’s aggression against Europe via Ukraine. The rest of the world is now
expecting Europe to push back hard against Israeli aggression in the Middle
East. The attack on Qatar should be the tipping point.
*Chris Doyle is director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding in
London. X: @Doylech
The Repercussions
of the Israeli Assault on Qatar
Mamoun Fandy/Asharq Al Awsat/September 15/2025
On September 11, 2025, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New
York to discuss Israel’s strike on the Qatari capital, Doha, issuing a statement
that condemned the assault on Qatar’s sovereignty without naming the
perpetrator.
The attack raises grave questions around international relations. Is a statement
issued in New York enough to deter future attacks by Tel Aviv? This question is
at the crux of the diplomatic crisis precipitated by the Israeli assault on
Qatar, which has been a crucial back channel for many parties, including
Washington and Tel Aviv, and has been playing a vital role in the effort to
resolve sensitive crises such as a Gaza ceasefire, ending famine, and the
exchange of prisoners.
It was a grave moment because not only were people or buildings targeted, the
infrastructure of mediation - the framework of resolving international conflicts
through dialogue - was the ultimate target. In its statement on September 12,
the Security Council condemned the attack, affirmed support for Qatar’s
sovereignty, and raised the alarm against escalation.
That statement reflects international recognition that a member state’s
sovereignty had been violated. While it does apply some political pressure, it
also highlights the limits of conventional statements’ capacity to deter a
powerful state that enjoys full US support. Real deterrence requires tools:
economic sanctions, direct political intervention, and international monitoring
arrangements. Statements are not enough.
Today, the Arab-Islamic Doha Summit will begin. This summit is a practical step
that will support Qatar and reinforce the ability of mediating states to
safeguard back channels of diplomacy, raising the response from the Security
Council to the level required.
Synergizing the Security Council’s stance with the steps of the regional summit
creates a dual deterrent, as it combines international legitimacy and material
regional support, which would make future attacks extremely politically and
diplomatically risky, forcing Israel to think twice before undertaking a similar
rogue act.History offers important lessons for those of us developing frameworks
to reinforce deterrence and safeguard mediation. During the 1990s, multinational
monitoring arrangements were made to safeguard talks between the armed forces
and local militias in Colombia. This effort helped protect peace negotiations
between the government and FARC, as any attempt to target negotiators would lead
to immediate financial and political sanctions, forcing both parties to think
twice before perpetrating such a crime.
In Europe, during the negotiations of the late 1990s in Bosnia, the deployment
of multinational monitoring forces and the proactive role played by the UN
contributed to securing secret meetings, allowing dialogue to resume despite the
ongoing threats.
In the Middle East, the Oslo process between Israel and the Palestinians showed
that underpinning back channels with swift sanctions or the threat of diplomatic
repercussions reinforced compliance and made the resumption of armed conflict
less likely.
Applying these lessons to Qatar entails the development of multipronged
mechanisms. First, international and regional monitoring arrangements must be
reached to ensure that any attempt to target mediating offices is detected
immediately. Second, security guarantees must be made to personnel and
infrastructure; this would entail, among other steps, ensuring the presence of
international monitors or neutral forces during sensitive meetings. Third, a
rapid and effective sanctions multilateral program must be developed, so that
financial and diplomatic measures are swiftly applied against any party that
violates this norm, rendering such attacks extremely costly at both
international and regional levels.With these frameworks, Qatari mediation can be
protected, and any future attack on Doha would entail consequences. Balancing
international legitimacy with practical regional support, this approach shows
that deterrence cannot come from statements alone. Allowing mediators to keep
diplomatic channels open also requires concrete tools, swift sanctions, and
effective monitoring mechanisms. We are confronting a rogue regional state;
without serious deterrence, the genocide will continue and Israel will remain
immune to consequences.
Trump says the US
military again targeted a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela
AAMER MADHANI and REGINA GARCIA CANO/Associated Press/September 15, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said the U.S. military on Monday again
targeted a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela, killing three aboard
the vessel, and hinted that the military targeting of cartels could be further
expanded.
“The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were
in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics (A DEADLY WEAPON
POISONING AMERICANS!) headed to the U.S.,” Donald Trump said in a Truth Social
post announcing the strike. “These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels
POSE A THREAT to U.S. National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital U.S.
Interests.”The strike was carried out nearly two weeks after another military
strike on what the Trump administration said was a drug-carrying speedboat from
Venezuela that killed 11.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office later on Monday, Trump said he had been
shown footage of the latest strike by Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff.
Asked what proof the U.S. has that the vessel was carrying drugs, Trump replied,
“We have proof. All you have to do is look at the cargo that was spattered all
over the ocean — big bags of cocaine and and fentanyl all over the place.”
Trump also hinted that U.S. military strikes targeting alleged drug smugglers at
sea could be expanded to land. He said the U.S. military is seeing fewer vessels
in the Caribbean since carrying out the first strike early this month. But he
said the cartels are still smuggling drugs by land. “We’re telling the cartels
right now we’re going to be stopping them, too,” Trump said. “When they come by
land we’re going to be stopping them the same way we stopped the boats. ... But
maybe by talking about it a little bit, it won’t happen. If it doesn’t happen
that’s good.”Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later took to X to warn cartels the
U.S. would “track them, kill them, and dismantle their networks throughout our
hemisphere — at the times and places of our choosing,” echoing muscular language
used by past administrations during the Global War on Terror. The White House
also posted a short unclassified video clip on social media of the strike.The
Trump administration has justified the military action as a necessary escalation
to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. But several senators,
Democrats and some Republicans, have indicated their dissatisfaction with the
administration’s rationale and questioned the legality of the action. They view
it as a potential overreach of executive authority in part because the military
was used for law enforcement purposes.
The Trump administration has claimed self-defense as a legal justification for
the first strike, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio arguing the drug cartels
“pose an immediate threat” to the nation. U.S. officials said the strike early
this month targeted Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang designated by the U.S. as
a terrorist organization. And they indicated more military strikes on drug
targets would be coming as the U.S. looks to “wage war” on cartels.Trump did not
specify whether Tren de Aragua was also the target of Monday's strike.
The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment
on the reported strike. The Trump administration has railed specifically against
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for the scourge of illegal drugs in U.S.
communities.
Maduro during a press conference earlier on Monday lashed out at the U.S.
government, accusing the Trump administration of using drug trafficking
accusations as an excuse for a military operation whose intentions are “to
intimidate and seek regime change” in the South American country. Maduro also
repudiated what he described as a weekend operation in which 18 Marines raided a
Venezuelan fishing boat in the Caribbean.
“What were they looking for? Tuna? What were they looking for? A kilo of
snapper? Who gave the order in Washington for a missile destroyer to send 18
armed Marines to raid a tuna fishing vessel?” he said. “They were looking for a
military incident. If the tuna fishing boys had any kind of weapons and used
weapons while in Venezuelan jurisdiction, it would have been the military
incident that the warmongers, extremists who want a war in the Caribbean, are
seeking.”Speaking to Fox News earlier Monday, Rubio reiterated that the U.S.
doesn’t see Maduro as the rightful leader of Venezuela but as head of a drug
cartel. Rubio has consistently depicted Venezuela as a vestige of communist
ideology in the Western Hemisphere. “We’re not going to have a cartel, operating
or masquerading as a government, operating in our own hemisphere,” Rubio said.
Following the first military strike on a boat allegedly carrying drugs from
Venezuela, America's chief diplomat said Trump was "going to use the U.S.
military and all the elements of American power to target cartels who are
targeting America.”AP and others have reported that the boat had turned around
and was heading back to shore when it was struck. But Rubio on Monday said he
didn’t know if that’s accurate. “What needs to start happening is some of these
boats need to get blown up,” Rubio said. “We can’t live in a world where all of
a sudden they do a U-turn and so we can’t touch them anymore.”
AP writer Matthew Lee in Jerusalem contributed reporting.
Slected X
tweets
For September 15/2025
Zéna Mansour
Lebanon, established as a state in 1920/43, was forced to change its historical
and civilizational identity to serve regional and religious conflicts, leading
to the denial of its cultural and historical roots.
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
https://www.facebook.com/61553631413159/videos/806243635413094
America’s ally Emir of Qatar Tamim bashes America for demanding disarmament of
Hezbollah in Lebanon saying such a move causes civil war.
So Qatar is holding a summit to denounce Israeli infringement on its sovereignty
but sits there and meddles in sovereignty of other countries.
And Qatar doesn’t see the irony!