English LCCC Newsbulletin For Lebanese, Lebanese Related, Global News & Editorials
For November 10/2026
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
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Bible Quotations For today
I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them
John 10/07-10: “Again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Titles For The English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 09-10/2026
A crime against freedom and human dignity… We call on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release citizen Said Mansour Abdel Razek and stop his trial because of his faith in Christ and his conversion to Christianity./Elias Bejjani/November 09 2026
Machiavellian and Nietzschean Thinking in Politics and Among Politicians/Elias Bejjani/November 07/ 2026
Ballot Jihad: How Political Islam Uses Elections in Europe and America as a Weapon to Infiltrate the West and Achieve Empowerment and Islamization/Elias Bejjani/November 04/2026
An appeal from the Christian border villages to the Council of Catholic Patriarchs: Help us
Patriarch Al-Rahi opens the work of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops: On the necessity of preserving coexistence and building a state of justice
Hezbollah Openly Boasts of Restoring Its Capabilities: Rhetoric Inviting a New War Regardless of Developments
They had him crucified’: Christian convert faces torture, execution in Egypt for leaving Islam
New US sanctions... Who are the targeted names?
Lebanon's consul in Detroit at Beirut airport: I had the pride and honor of serving the Lebanese community
Washington preempted Beirut's warning and expelled Consul Sharara... Who will succeed him?
UNIFIL: Supporting the Lebanese Navy to enhance its capabilities and assume maritime security responsibilities independently
The post-UNIFIL phase between the Army Commander and the French Ambassador
Lebanon Rushes to Avert Security Vacuum as UNIFIL Mandate Nears End
How Lebanon Lost the Arab World While Iran Gained Hezbollah/Makram Rabah/Now Lebanon/November 09/2026
A Letter to My Future Self/Edmond El-Chidiac/November 10/2026

Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 09-10/2026
Trump Says His Deportation Policy 'Might Have Been too Tough' for Voters in the Election
Trump on Iran: Military action is not necessary at this stage... "I think it will end very soon"
Trump: Qatar and Saudi Arabia want a peaceful solution with Iran but we are ready to strike... "Positive momentum toward ending this conflict"
Qatari Foreign Minister: I discussed with the US President and his deputy ways to advance negotiations with Iran... He valued the positive discussions on reaching an agreement to bring about peace
After meeting the Qatari Prime Minister... Trump speaks of "positive momentum" to end the conflict with Iran
Al Arabiya sources: Qatari-Pakistani proposal revives negotiations between Washington and Tehran... The proposed framework will open the Strait of Hormuz and lift the naval blockade immediately
Iran... Trump postpones the fire and ignites the blockade
Rubio: Talks with Iran are unproductive and its demands are unacceptable
Baqaei responds to Rubio: Is it not Iran's right to demand the lifting of sanctions?
French suspicions: Iran behind hacking of cooling systems
Erdogan Says He Conveyed Türkiye's Concerns on Potential Attacks on Iran to Trump
Iran Defends Two-day Proposal for Peace Talks after US Rejects Conditions
China Says It Is Talking with Relevant Parties on China-Russia-US Leaders’ Meeting
China Urges Return to Stability in Middle East
World Entering ‘Age of Climate Extremes’, Warns UN Chief
Production Suspended at Iraq’s Khor Mor Gas Field After Drone Attack
Iraq’s Badr Organization Demands Reopening of Border Crossings with Iran
Syrian Foreign Ministry Appointments Mark a Break with Diplomatic Tradition
Krakow Mass Shooting Assailant Dies in Hospital, Polish Police Say
Ukrainian Drone Attack Sets Russia’s Major Kirishi Oil Refinery on Fire, Governor Says
Kremlin Denies that Europeans Will Participate in Abu Dhabi Peace Talks
G7 Ministers Meet on Efforts to End Ukraine Conflict, Halt New Iran War
Le Pen and Melenchon Ahead in 2027 French Presidential Race, Poll Shows
The Egyptian Public Prosecution demands the execution of Said Mansour Rizk Abdel Razek for the crime of converting to Christianity

Titles For The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 09-10/2026
Is It Too Late to Save France?/Guy Millière/Gatestone Institute./November 09/2026
What Really Lost the US Mid-Term Election? President Trump's Failure to Win Iran's 47-Year War/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/November 09/2026
Iran… The Whole Picture/Sawsan al-Shaer/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
American Democracy Corrects Its Own Faults/Sam Menassa/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
Eisenkot and Netanyahu’s Heavy Shadow/Nabil Amr/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
The Petty Thief and the Master Thief/Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Yemen/Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
What After the Election Results in Israel and the United States?/Colonel Charbel Barakat/November 09/2026
Selected Face Book & X tweets on November 09/2026

Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on November 09-10/2026 (Some of the News reports below are translated from Arabic by AI)
Elias Bejjani: A crime against freedom and human dignity… We call on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release citizen Said Mansour Abdel Razek and stop his trial because of his faith in Christ and his conversion to Christianity.
Elias Bejjani/November 09 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/159029/
What Egyptian citizen Said Mansour Abdelrazek is enduring, after freely choosing to convert from Islam to Christianity, constitutes a shocking human rights, moral, and legal scandal, as well as a flagrant violation of the most basic human rights and fundamental freedoms, foremost among them freedom of conscience, freedom of belief, and the right to practice religious rituals.
In my own name, and in the name of every free person around the world, I strongly condemn his continued detention since July 2025, as well as the reports published by the press and human rights organizations concerning his alleged torture, humiliation, and exposure to religious and psychological pressure. These developments have led to his prosecution, with potential penalties ranging from execution to 25 years in prison, according to his lawyer, as reported by The Jerusalem Post on November 9, 2026.
As the published accounts indicate, Said’s real offense is not committing a terrorist act, assaulting anyone, or threatening public security. Rather, it is his decision to believe in Christ, declare his new faith, and exercise his natural and legal right to correct the religious affiliation recorded on his official identification documents. Has changing one’s religious belief become a crime in Egypt punishable by imprisonment, torture, and execution?
First: Freedom of Belief Is Not a Favor Granted by the Authorities or a Privilege That the Majority Grants to the Minority
Freedom of religion and belief is an inherent human right, not a privilege that governments grant their citizens or withdraw from them whenever they please. It is a personal and spiritual relationship between a human being and his Creator. No state, institution, or religious group has the right to dictate the nature of this relationship or punish anyone for choosing a different path of faith.
It is absolutely unacceptable that a citizen who converts to Islam from Christianity is treated as someone exercising a personal freedom and choice, and may even be celebrated, while a citizen who converts to Christianity from Islam is treated as an apostate and a criminal, facing security and judicial proceedings that could end in execution.
This is neither equality, nor justice, nor religious freedom. It is a blatant double standard and flagrant religious discrimination that contradicts the very essence of human rights and the most basic principles of citizenship.
Second: What Constitution, What Justice, and What Kind of State Allows a Citizen to Be Punished for His Faith?
Article 64 of the Egyptian Constitution stipulates that freedom of belief is absolute. Accordingly, we demand that the Egyptian authorities apply this constitutional principle to all citizens without exception or discrimination, and refrain from turning religious differences into criminal charges or grounds for security persecution.
Charges of contempt of religion, spreading false information, or joining terrorist organizations must not be used selectively or arbitrarily to punish a person for his religious choice or force him to abandon his faith.
If the Egyptian authorities possess genuine evidence that Said Mansour Abdelrazek committed criminal offenses independent of his religious beliefs, they must present that evidence transparently before a fair court, while fully guaranteeing his right to a defense and a fair trial. However, if his conversion to Christianity is the actual reason for his prosecution, this is entirely unacceptable and condemnable.
Third: Torture and Religious Coercion Are Crimes That Cannot Be Justified
What his fiancée, Sophia, reported, according to The Jerusalem Post, regarding his alleged torture, attempts to remove the cross tattoo from his body, and the pressure exerted on him to force him to return to Islam, constitutes extremely serious allegations requiring an independent and transparent international investigation.
No authority has the right to force anyone to change his beliefs or punish him for wearing a cross, reading the Bible, or declaring his faith in Christ.
The body, conscience, and faith do not belong to the state. Prison is not a means of reshaping citizens’ consciences according to the wishes of the authorities or extremist groups.
Fourth: Egypt Must Choose Between the Rule of Law and the Logic of Religious Extremism
We strongly condemn leaving an Egyptian citizen at the mercy of judicial proceedings that could end in his execution simply because he converted to Christianity, while the Egyptian state speaks of tolerance, coexistence, interfaith dialogue, and the renewal of religious discourse.
A modern state cannot be built on double standards. Citizenship cannot be meaningfully discussed while a citizen is deprived of the right to choose his religion. Nor can a state claim to respect pluralism while persecuting those who exercise it.
Respect for Christians is not demonstrated through speeches, celebrations, or official occasions. It is demonstrated by protecting their rights and freedoms and guaranteeing full equality between them and all other citizens, including those who choose to convert from one religion to another.
Fifth: Our Clear and Urgent Demands
We call upon Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the Egyptian government, and the judicial and security authorities to take the following measures:
Immediately release citizen Said Mansour Abdelrazek and halt all proceedings targeting him because of his conversion to Christianity or his exercise of his right to freedom of belief.
Drop any charges based exclusively on his change of religion or the peaceful expression of his beliefs, and do not allow terrorism or contempt-of-religion charges to be used to criminalize freedom of conscience.
Absolutely reject any death sentence or life imprisonment on the basis of his religious beliefs, and guarantee that he will not be subjected to torture, coercion, or retaliation.
Open an independent and transparent investigation into all allegations of torture and mistreatment, and guarantee his right to communicate with his lawyer and family and receive the necessary care and basic necessities.
Allow him to correct his official records and religious affiliation in accordance with his beliefs and free choice, without penalties or retaliatory measures.
Call upon the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, international organizations concerned with religious freedoms, and democratic governments to intervene urgently, follow up on his case, and exert the necessary pressure to protect his life and freedom.
Sixth: A Message to the Free World
The case of Said Mansour Abdelrazek is not merely the case of one Egyptian citizen. It is a genuine test of Egypt’s respect for human freedom and dignity, and a test of the international community’s seriousness in defending freedom of belief without selectivity or double standards.
It is unacceptable under every standard of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for religions to become instruments of oppression, or for a religious majority to assume authority over the consciences of minorities and individuals.
Faith cannot be imposed by force. Christianity cannot be erased through torture, and Islam cannot be protected by imprisoning someone who chooses another religion. Any belief system that requires prisons and gallows to protect its followers places itself in direct conflict with the most basic principles of human freedom.
Said has the right to believe in Christ, just as every person has the right to choose Islam, Judaism, any other belief, or no religion whatsoever. These are personal rights that no state may confiscate or apply discriminatorily.
In conclusion, we say clearly and firmly to the Egyptian authorities: Release Said Mansour Abdelrazek, stop prosecuting him because of his faith, protect his life and dignity, and respect his right to be a Christian, as he himself has chosen, not as you want him to be.
Attempting to execute a human being because of his faith is not a victory for religion. It is a devastating defeat for justice and a stain of shame on the record of any state that allows it to happen.
Freedom for Said Mansour Abdelrazek. No to religious coercion. No to torture. No to persecution. No to execution because of religious beliefs. Yes to freedom of conscience, freedom of belief, and full equality before the law.
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website: https://eliasbejjaninews.com

Machiavellian and Nietzschean Thinking in Politics and Among Politicians
Elias Bejjani/November 07/ 2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/158942/
Introduction
In politics, there are two different ways of thinking about power, human nature, morality, and government. The first is Machiavellian thinking, associated with the Italian philosopher and political thinker Niccolò Machiavelli. The second is Nietzschean thinking, associated with the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.Although both are sometimes associated with power and the rejection of traditional moral rules, there is a major difference between them. Machiavelli focuses on the realities of politics and the balance of power. He asks how a ruler can protect the state, remain in power, and deal with threats and political challenges.
Nietzsche, on the other hand, focuses on human nature, freedom, and values. He asks how individuals can free themselves from blind obedience, common thinking, and social pressure, and develop their own independent personalities. In simple terms, Machiavelli is concerned with how to manage and maintain power, while Nietzsche is concerned with changing human thinking and overcoming the ideas and values that limit individual freedom. To understand how these two ways of thinking influence politics and politicians, we need to examine their main principles and how they appear in political behaviour and leadership.
Machiavellian Thinking: The Art of Managing and Maintaining Power
Machiavellian thinking is associated with the Italian thinker Niccolò Machiavelli, who presented his political ideas in his famous book The Prince, written in 1513. This way of thinking is based on a simple idea: politics is a world of competing interests, power struggles, and risks. A ruler cannot govern a country by relying only on good intentions and moral principles. From this point of view, the ruler’s first responsibility is to protect the state, prevent its collapse, maintain stability, and preserve its independence and ability to make its own decisions.
The main principles of Machiavellian thinking
1. Results and interests come before slogans
A Machiavellian politician measures success by results, not by speeches or political slogans. He is prepared to use political manoeuvres, alliances, pressure, and force when he believes they are necessary to achieve his goals.
This is why Machiavellian thinking is often associated with the famous expression, “The ends justify the means,” although these words are not a direct quotation from Machiavelli.
2. Political realism
A politician must deal with people as they really are, not as he wishes them to be. People have their own interests, fears, ambitions, and contradictions.
For this reason, a realistic politician does not base decisions on emotions alone. He studies the situation carefully and makes decisions according to the realities on the ground.
3. The importance of public image
Machiavelli believed that a ruler should appear to the public as kind, honest, loyal, and religious. A ruler’s public image can strongly influence his popularity and ability to remain in power.
However, this does not necessarily mean that his actual behaviour will always match the image he presents to the public.
4. Fear and love
Machiavelli believed that it is best for a ruler to be both loved and respected or feared by his people.
However, if he must choose between the two, fear is more reliable than love when it comes to maintaining obedience. But the ruler must avoid becoming hated by the people, because public hatred can eventually threaten his rule.
5. The ability to deal with changing circumstances
Political success depends not only on a leader’s abilities or on circumstances, but also on his ability to recognize opportunities, respond to unexpected events, and adapt to changing situations.
Machiavelli described these two elements through the concepts of political skill and ability (Virtù) and luck or changing circumstances (Fortuna).
What is a Machiavellian politician like?
A Machiavellian politician is practical, realistic, and careful in his calculations. He knows when to form an alliance, when to negotiate, when to step back, and when to confront his opponents.
He does not see politics as a field governed only by ideals and principles. He sees it as a struggle over interests, influence, power, and decision-making. He may change his alliances and political positions when circumstances change, even if this means abandoning previous promises or positions. In short, a Machiavellian politician is mainly concerned with protecting his political position, achieving his objectives, and managing the balance of power.
Nietzschean Thinking: Breaking Free from the Crowd and Developing a Strong Individual
Nietzschean thinking is associated with the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, whose famous books include Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil, and On the Genealogy of Morality.
Unlike Machiavelli, Nietzsche was not a political theorist who developed plans for governing states or managing political power. He was a philosopher concerned with human beings, their values, and their beliefs. He criticized blind obedience, intellectual dependence, and the habit of following others without independent thought.
He encouraged people to think for themselves, question inherited beliefs, and refuse to live as prisoners of what society expects or what others repeatedly tell them.
The main principles of Nietzschean thinking
1. The Will to Power
Nietzsche believed that life is not simply about survival and staying alive. It is also about growth, development, overcoming one’s limitations, and expressing one’s ability to create and achieve.
For Nietzsche, the Will to Power is a broad philosophical idea. It means much more than simply wanting to control other people.
2. Questioning established values
One of Nietzsche’s most famous expressions is “God is dead.”
In the context of his philosophy, this does not simply mean denying God’s existence. It refers to the decline of traditional religious and moral beliefs that had provided European society with meaning and established rules for life.
Nietzsche therefore called for people to question accepted values instead of following them blindly, and to take responsibility for creating new values.
3. Master morality and slave morality
Nietzsche distinguished between two types of morality.
Master morality is associated with self-confidence, strength, initiative, creativity, and pride in one’s achievements.
Slave morality, as Nietzsche described it, is associated with submission, resentment, feelings of weakness, and a desire for moral revenge against those seen as stronger.
This distinction was part of his philosophical criticism of traditional morality. It was not a direct call to enslave or mistreat other people.
4. The Übermensch, or the Higher Human Being
Nietzsche’s idea of the Übermensch does not refer to a superhero or a person who holds political power.
It refers to someone who rises above blind obedience and imitation, refuses to follow the crowd without thinking, develops his own abilities, creates his own values, and accepts responsibility for his choices.
5. Eternal Recurrence
This concept invites people to think about their lives and actions as if they would have to live the same life over and over again forever.
The central question is simple: Would you be able to accept your life and your decisions exactly as they are, without wishing you had lived differently?
What is a politician influenced by Nietzschean thinking like?
Such a politician has a vision for change. He refuses to surrender to common beliefs and outdated political traditions. Instead, he calls for society to question established ideas and move beyond inherited practices that stand in the way of progress.
His main concern is not simply keeping his position or remaining in office. He wants to change the way society thinks and help build a different future.
He may use bold and confrontational language and challenge traditional institutions and political parties.
However, not every revolutionary or rebellious leader should be described as Nietzschean in the true philosophical sense.
What Is the Difference Between a Machiavellian Politician and a Politician Influenced by Nietzsche?
The main difference lies in what each politician wants to achieve and how each one views power, people, and political change.
A Machiavellian politician sees politics as a struggle for power, interests, and influence. His main concern is reaching government, staying in power, protecting his political position, and maintaining control over the state he leads.
He therefore approaches political events through careful calculations and a realistic understanding of the situation. He uses alliances, negotiations, and political manoeuvres, and may change his positions when circumstances or interests require it.
He does not measure success by principles and political slogans alone. He measures it by his ability to achieve his goals and maintain his power.
A politician influenced by Nietzschean thinking, on the other hand, does not see gaining and maintaining political office as his main purpose. His goal is to bring about deep changes in society and in the way people think.
He does not simply manage the existing system or adapt to the reality around him. Instead, he challenges established ideas and outdated political traditions and encourages people to free themselves from blind obedience and imitation.
He wants to help develop individuals who think independently, believe in their abilities, overcome their limitations, and contribute to building a new future.
The two approaches also differ in their attitude toward principles and morality.
A Machiavellian politician may place political interests and the continuation of his rule above certain moral considerations if he believes this is necessary to protect the state or achieve his objectives.
A politician influenced by Nietzsche, however, tends to question inherited values and established beliefs. He encourages people to examine these ideas instead of accepting them simply because society has followed them for generations.
Their leadership styles are also different.
A Machiavellian politician relies on careful calculations, negotiations, political alliances, and knowing when to confront opponents or when to step back.
A politician influenced by Nietzsche relies more on the strength of his ideas, the courage to express them, and his willingness to challenge traditional thinking and open the way for change.
In simple terms, a Machiavellian politician wants to succeed within the existing political system. He wants to know how to reach power and how to maintain it.
A politician influenced by Nietzsche wants to go beyond the existing political and intellectual system. He wants to change the way society thinks and move it toward a new reality.
The first asks: How can I govern and remain in power?
The second asks: How can I change reality instead of remaining a prisoner of inherited ideas and practices?
This is the essential difference between the mindset of managing political power and the mindset of intellectual and social change.
Which Approach Is Better in Politics?
Neither approach can be considered absolutely better than the other, because each addresses a different aspect of political and intellectual life.
When can Machiavellian thinking be useful?
When a country faces war, a political crisis, internal division, or a serious threat to its stability, it needs realistic leadership. Such leadership must know how to deal with dangers, balance competing interests, and prevent the collapse of state institutions. However, the danger begins when Machiavellian thinking becomes a permanent method of governing. A politician may then become willing to sacrifice principles, promises, and people’s rights simply to remain in power. When this happens, politics becomes a network of manipulation and deception, and citizens lose their trust in government and public institutions.
When can Nietzschean thinking be useful?
When a society suffers from intellectual stagnation, blind obedience, and fear of change, independent thinking becomes especially important. There is a need for people who have the courage to question inherited political ideas and challenge outdated beliefs and practices. However, the danger lies in misunderstanding Nietzsche’s philosophy and using it to justify authoritarian rule, contempt for others, or the worship of a leader who claims to be the only person with the truth and the vision for the future. Real change does not mean destroying institutions or denying other people’s rights. It means building a society that is more aware, free, and capable of development.
The practical conclusion
A successful politician needs realism and political skill to govern a country. But he also needs a clear vision, principles, and intellectual courage so that he does not become merely a trader in political interests and positions. Realism without moral limits can turn into opportunism. Change without responsibility and strong institutions can lead to chaos and dictatorship.
Conclusion
Machiavellian thinking teaches politicians how to deal with power and the balance of political forces. Nietzschean thinking encourages them to examine human nature, values, and the need to free people from intellectual dependence. If Machiavellian thinking becomes a way of governing without moral limits, it produces politicians guided only by their own interests and turns the state into an arena of political manoeuvres and backroom deals. If Nietzschean thinking is misunderstood, it can become an excuse for glorifying individual power and showing contempt for institutions and political pluralism, instead of encouraging creativity and personal development.
The real challenge for any politician is not to become entirely Machiavellian or Nietzschean. It is to be realistic without becoming opportunistic, strong without becoming authoritarian, courageous without becoming reckless, and visionary without losing touch with reality. Politics is not simply the art of staying in power, nor is it merely a revolution against everything that already exists. Politics is the responsibility of governing the state, protecting society, safeguarding citizens’ rights, and having the courage to change reality for the better.
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website: https://eliasbejjaninews.com

Ballot Jihad: How Political Islam Uses Elections in Europe and America as a Weapon to Infiltrate the West and Achieve Empowerment and Islamization
Elias Bejjani/November 04/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/158819/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gZ7S6KAn0o
Introduction: America Votes, and Political Islam Seeks an Opportunity for Empowerment
The US elections held yesterday, Tuesday November 03, 2026, were not just a normal election or a traditional democratic transfer of power. The results, which led to the Democratic Party taking control of both houses of Congress after Republicans lost many seats, raise a very dangerous question about the future of the West, and about the ability of Western democracies to protect themselves from ideological movements that use the freedoms available to reach power and expand influence.
What deserves attention is not only the victory of Democrats and the defeat of Republicans, but the nature of the electoral alliances formed inside American society, and how different political forces used population, religious, and cultural blocs, including organized Muslim voting blocs, to reach decision-making centers. Americans and Westerners in general must understand that political Islam, both Sunni and Shia, especially Muslim Brotherhood currents, does not look at elections the way liberal democracies do. All these movements treat elections as a means to reach power, build institutions and influence, and achieve their ideological, political, and religious projects.
Ballot Jihad.
After armed jihad, coups, assassinations, and terrorism, the ballot box has become in the calculations of all jihadist Islamic movements a very important political and organizational weapon. The goal is not just to win a parliamentary or local seat, but to use the win to build power and influence that opponents will find hard to confront later.
US Election Results and Their Political Message
Yesterday's results showed a big shift in the American balance of power, as Democrats (left, gay groups, political Islam) regained the majority in the House and Senate, and won in states considered Republican strongholds. One notable event was the win of Dr. Abdul Salam Al-Sayed for a Senate seat in Michigan, known for his ideological affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood groups and his family, becoming the first Muslim elected to this chamber in US history. This event has political, demographic, and electoral importance, but by itself it does not mean political Islam has taken over American institutions, nor does it prove that all Muslim voters vote according to one organizational directive.
The problem we discuss is much deeper.
Organized voting blocs, whatever their identity, can become influential in close races, and turn into a bargaining force that imposes conditions on major parties. When ideological organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood invest in this fact, it becomes necessary to monitor their programs, connections, and political goals. American democracy allows a Muslim citizen and a non-Muslim citizen to vote, run for office, and reach the highest positions, and this is a constitutional right that must not be touched. But it does not give any Islamic or non-Islamic organization the right to use these freedoms to cancel the freedoms of others or to impose an ideological rule on them.
Ballot Jihad... The New Weapon of Political Islam
We must be clear about the plans, tricks, and taqiyya of political Islam, which does not always need a rifle, a suicide bombing, or an armed militia to achieve its goals. It can use elections, party alliances, associations, educational institutions, media, municipalities, and unions as multiple fronts for one political battle, and this is the essence of what we call ballot jihad. In democratic societies, political Islamic movements have wide space for freedom, organization, and expression, and can benefit from laws that protect religious and political pluralism. But the danger begins when these freedoms turn into tools to build a jihadist and religious authoritarian project that does not really believe in the right of others to exercise the same freedoms.
The electoral empowerment strategy of these jihadist and terrorist Islamic organizations is based on:
Mobilizing voters on the basis of religious, ideological, and organizational loyalty.
Using demographic weight in close electoral districts.
Pressuring major parties to get political concessions.
Building temporary electoral alliances with forces that differ ideologically.
Organizational control or wide influence over civil society institutions.
Placing their cadres in municipal councils, legislative institutions, and centers of influence.
Turning electoral gains into long-term political, legislative, and media influence.
Thus the ballot box becomes, in the calculations of these movements, a front of political jihad... It is a battle not necessarily fought with weapons and all kinds of terrorist operations, but with votes, organization, money, alliances, and exploiting legal and political loopholes. The question the West must ask is: Do these organizations accept democracy as a permanent principle, or do they accept it only when it is a path to power?
The Muslim Brotherhood and the Empowerment Project
It is impossible to understand a basic aspect of contemporary political Islam, both Sunni and Shia, without studying the concepts, doctrines, plans, and projects of the Muslim Brotherhood, founded by Hassan al-Banna in Egypt in 1928. The Brotherhood is not just a charity or traditional religious movement, but an ideological movement with a transnational political and organizational project, based on making Islam the reference for governance, society, and the state. Over decades, the group's methods and branches evolved, some entered elections and parliaments, formed political alliances, and some reached power. But electoral participation does not automatically mean abandoning the jihadist ideological project or accepting all foundations of a civil state and liberal democracy. The concept of empowerment (tamkeen) in the literature of all jihadist Islamic currents refers to moving from the stage of building the organization and social base to the stage of expanding influence and reaching centers of power. Here lies the importance of monitoring what these movements announce in their electoral programs, what they say in their internal literature, and what they do when they hold power. Therefore the West should not be satisfied with hearing democratic slogans, but should ask about the real position on freedom of belief, women's rights, rights of Christians and Jews, freedom of expression, independence of judiciary, and peaceful transfer of power.
Taqiyya, Gradualism, Abrogation... The Problem of Temporary Discourse
One of the issues to stop at when studying the political religious discourse of Muslim Brotherhood groups in all their organizations and branches is the issue of gradualism in action, the gap between public discourse and political practice, and how religious texts are used to serve ideological goals. These movements present themselves in Western societies as moderate, defending freedoms, pluralism, and minority rights, while in their other literature or positions they adopt different views about state, society, and source of legislation. We should not consider every moderate discourse as deception, or attribute taqiyya to every Muslim, but we have the right, indeed the duty, to ask about the extent to which public discourse matches the actual political program. Here the importance of studying the concepts of taqiyya, gradualism, and empowerment in their jurisprudential and organizational contexts appears, and not allowing them to be used to justify hiding political goals or evading accountability. As for dividing Quranic verses into peaceful verses in the phase of weakness and fighting verses in the phase of strength, it is a complex interpretive and jurisprudential subject, and it should not be reduced to one equation that applies to all Muslims. But what the West must understand is that religious and electoral slogans are not enough to judge any movement. The criterion is its real program and its behavior when it has power.
The Opportunistic Alliance Between the Left, Political Islam, and Gays
One of the paradoxes worthy of criticism and study in Western politics is the emergence of electoral and interest-based alliances between currents of the radical left and groups of political Islam and gay groups. This alliance is not based on unity of doctrine or values, but on intersection of immediate electoral and political interests. The left needs Muslim voters' votes in some districts, political Islam needs doors to institutions where the left has influence, and alliances that help it expand its political presence... and gays need forces that support their demands... Here a stark paradox appears. Political Islamic groups adopt very conservative positions, reject homosexuality, and oppose basic aspects of individual freedoms defended by leftist groups. Yet, we find electoral and political intersections between the three parties when their interests meet against a common opponent. The left raises slogans of diversity and pluralism, while Islamic movements allied with it adopt religious and political views that do not accept pluralism in the liberal sense... The same opportunistic equation applies to the alliance of gays with those who stay silent or support their life and rights demands.. What kind of alliance is this? And what intellectual harmony is there between projects, aspirations, concepts, values, and lifestyles that are contradictory? It is an alliance of interests and votes, not an alliance of principles. And the danger is that some Western parties may discover too late that the votes they invested in do not necessarily adopt the social and cultural project they defend.
Example of Hamas and Gaza... What Does Political Islam Do After Winning?
The experience of Palestinian Hamas provides a model that must not be ignored when discussing political Islam's relationship with elections. In January 2006, jihadist and terrorist Hamas won the majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council, in elections in which Fatah and other political forces participated. But in June 2007, after bloody armed confrontations with Fatah, Hamas took control of Gaza by force, expelled the Palestinian Authority from it, and established a unilateral rule under which no new general elections were held. These facts are not just historical details, but raise a fundamental question about the difference between electoral victory and respect for democracy. Elections give the winner the right to govern within the constitution and law, and do not give him the right to abolish opposition or use weapons against opponents or monopolize power indefinitely. Here the difference appears between democracy as a fixed political value, and democracy as a tactical means to reach power.
Hitler and the Historical Lesson That Must Not Be Forgotten
European history itself provides a stark example of the danger of totalitarian movements reaching power through political and constitutional paths. Adolf Hitler reached the position of Chancellor on January 30, 1933 by presidential appointment, after the Nazi party became a large electoral force and benefited from alliances and political maneuvers.
After reaching power, he used state institutions and exceptional laws to dismantle democracy, ban opposition parties, and establish a dictatorial regime. Here the historical lesson is clear: Reaching power through elections or constitutional procedures alone does not prove that the movement is committed to democracy. Peoples have the right to know in advance whether whoever reaches power will preserve the rights of his opponents, or will use his authority to eliminate their political existence.
Role of Qatar, Turkey, and Iran... Money, Organization, and Weapons
Sunni and Shia political Islam based on the ideological concepts of terrorist Muslim Brotherhood groups cannot be studied apart from the regional and international influence network that supports it and invests in its expansion, and here three countries with different roles stand out:
Qatar: Has wide financial, media, and diplomatic tools, and has a history of relations with movements and figures linked to political Islam, in addition to influential international media influence.
Turkey: Under Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it became a political ally of a number of Islamic currents, and uses its political, media, and economic tools to enhance its regional influence.
Iran: Leads a Shiite political and military Islamic project under the authority of Wilayat al-Faqih, and uses its affiliated armed organizations in the region to expand its influence at the expense of state sovereignty.
Sunni and Shia political Islam are not one organization, but they intersect in many cases in putting ideological and organizational reference above the concept of an independent nation-state. The Sunni side includes multiple currents and organizations, including the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram, with big differences in structure, goals, and means among them.
As for the Shia side, arms of the Iranian regime stand out, foremost Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and armed Iraqi factions linked to Tehran. These organizations are not all identical in their goals or methods, but their existence forces Western countries to deal with external financing, cross-border organizations, and political and military interventions seriously and transparently.
The Eastern Message to the West
We in the Middle East do not read these issues from books alone. We have lived long experiences with religious and political regimes, with armed organizations, and with countries where pluralism collapsed before the authority of doctrine and weapons. In Lebanon, we know well what it means for an armed organization to have the decision of war and peace outside state institutions, and for loyalty to an external reference to come before loyalty to the constitution and homeland, and we also know how religious slogans, resistance, and jihad can turn into tools to justify monopolizing power and decision. Therefore the warning we direct to the West is not a warning against Muslims, but against political Islam that wants to turn religion into political authority above constitution and law. A Muslim who lives in America or Canada or Europe, respects the constitution, believes in equality, and accepts the right of others to exercise their freedoms, is a citizen with full rights and duties. As for the organization that wants to exploit democracy to establish a system that does not recognize the rights of those who are not its followers, it is an opponent of democratic principles, regardless of the religion it uses as a cover for its project.
Conclusion: From Jihad by Sword to Jihad by Ballot
The recent American elections should be an occasion for a deeper reading of the future of Western democracy, and to notice that political conflict in modern societies does not always happen with weapons, but may happen through ballot boxes, party alliances, institutions, money, and media. Ballot jihad is the political expression of using elections as a means for empowerment, when the goal of democratic participation becomes reaching power, not respecting its rules, values, and principles, and political Islam, both Sunni and Shia, deserves serious critical study that does not flatter or compromise, and does not confuse it with Islam as a religion or Muslims as citizens. Hence the West must not deal naively with organizations that raise slogans of democracy in opposition, then reject pluralism when they reach power. Also the left must not ignore ideological and political contradictions with its electoral allies just to get extra votes... In the same context, gays should not ally with those who criminalize, prohibit, and betray their social lifestyle... And most importantly, Western institutions must not overlook any external financing or organizational connection or attempt to impose religious authority on civil society. The ballot box is not a weapon against democracy, but it can be turned into a political weapon against it when used by movements that do not accept peaceful transfer of power nor equality among citizens. Jihad by sword destroyed countries and societies, and ballot jihad may turn into another path to empowerment if accountability, transparency, and protection of institutions are absent. Beware that the ballot box turns into a Trojan horse through which enemies of pluralism and groups of terrorism and barbarism enter democratic institutions!
Democracy does not protect itself just by opening ballot boxes, but by protecting the constitution, law, freedoms, and the right of every citizen to live free, whatever his religion, origin, or belief. The West is not required to abandon its democracy, but is required to understand that everyone has the right to participate in elections, and no party has the right to use this participation to abolish democracy itself.
Finally, it is very important that the world, with all its countries and systems, understands the reality of the contradictions in the Muslim Brotherhood's discourse:
In the phase of weakness in the West and in any country in the world (Dar al-Harb / House of War), the Muslim Brotherhood raises the Meccan verses - the verses of patience and peacefulness:
"O you who have believed, persevere and endure and remain stationed" [Al-Imran: 200]
"And be patient, and your patience is not but through Allah" [An-Nahl: 127]
"Indeed, Allah is with the patient" [Al-Baqarah: 153]
"And if they incline to peace, then incline to it and rely upon Allah" [Al-Anfal: 61]
"There shall be no compulsion in religion, the right path has become clear from the wrong" [Al-Baqarah: 256]
"For you is your religion, and for me is my religion" [Al-Kafirun: 6]
With these verses they address the West: We are moderate, democratic, we believe in coexistence.
And at the time of empowerment and strength (Dar al-Islam/House of Islam) in any country, the Muslim Brotherhood applies the Medinan verses - the verses of the sword and empowerment which abrogate what came before them:
"And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush" [At-Tawbah: 5]
"Fight those who do not believe in Allah nor in the Last Day" [At-Tawbah: 29]
"And fight them until there is no fitnah and the religion, all of it, is for Allah" [Al-Anfal: 39]
"And He brought down those who supported them among the People of the Scripture from their fortresses
*The author, Elias Bejjani, is a Lebanese expatriate activist
Author’s Email: Phoenicia@hotmail.com
Author’s Website: https://eliasbejjaninews.com

An appeal from the Christian border villages to the Council of Catholic Patriarchs: Help us
Markazia/November 09/2026 (Translated by AI from Arabic)
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/159053/
The five Christian border villages in the south addressed to the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops meeting in Bkerke an urgent cry and appeal for steadfastness and for a safe and dignified return, which read:
"Your Beatitudes the Most Blessed Patriarchs, Your Excellencies the Bishops most worthy of respect, the Reverend General and Regional Fathers most worthy of respect, the Reverend General and Regional Mothers Superior most worthy of respect, after seeking your blessing and prayers, from the farthest south of Lebanon, from Rmeish and Ain Ebel and Debel and Al-Qouzah and Alma Al-Shaab, we raise to you the cry of a people rooted in their land, holding fast to their faith and identity, despite what they are living through of fear, siege, displacement, destruction and harsh humanitarian and living conditions, carrying in their hearts the hope that their villages will remain alive with their people, and that displacement will not turn into permanent uprooting."
The appeal added: "We write to you from villages that no longer ask only what the future holds, but whether they have a future. For in this land whose churches and bells bear witness to centuries of faith and rootedness, our people live between anxiety about staying and fear of leaving, after steadfastness has become a daily challenge to secure the simplest necessities of life, from food and medicine to education, work, treatment and freedom of movement. Our villages have paid heavy prices as a result of successive wars and aggressions, and have offered martyrs and victims from among their people, particularly in Alma Al-Shaab and Debel and Ain Ebel, and Al-Qlayaa, and other villages, in addition to the wounded and injured and families who have lost their loved ones, their homes and their sources of livelihood. And as we bow in reverence before the memory of those who fell, and stand in solidarity with their families and with all those affected, we affirm that their sacrifices and the suffering of our people must not go in vain, and that loyalty to them must be through working to protect the living, preserve their dignity, and guarantee a safe future for their children. Preserving the historic Christian presence in the villages of the south is not an issue that concerns Christians alone, but a national responsibility connected to preserving Lebanon's diversity, unity and identity, and to the right of all its people to live in freedom, dignity and safety in their land. And we affirm, based on our Christian faith and our humanitarian mission, that we are advocates of peace and not people of war, and that the people of the south, who have long suffered the horrors of conflicts, aggressions and displacement, can no longer bear more fear, destruction and loss of life. And it is their right, as it is the right of all Lebanese, to live in a just and lasting peace, under a state that protects its people, preserves its sovereignty and guarantees their security and rights."
It continued: "Our people who remained in their villages do not ask for privileges, but their natural right to life and safety, and that their attachment to their land does not turn into a punishment. As for those who were forced to flee, they ask only for a safe and dignified return to their homes, with the provision of the necessities of dignified living for them until conditions for their return are available. Based on our trust in the mission of the Church and its presence alongside its people, we turn to you, with what you represent as a spiritual, ecclesial and humanitarian authority, appealing to you to continue your efforts and contacts with the Lebanese State and the Holy See and the international bodies and humanitarian institutions concerned, in order to achieve the following demands:
1. Guaranteeing freedom of safe movement for the residents of the border villages
Working with the competent Lebanese authorities and the relevant international bodies to secure safe roads and passages for the residents of the border villages, particularly Rmeish and Ain Ebel and Debel, allowing them to move to and from their villages, and to reach hospitals, educational institutions and markets, and to meet their basic needs and return to their homes safely. It is not permissible for leaving the village to receive treatment or to secure a livelihood to turn into a dangerous journey, nor for the road home to become a road of no return.
2. Reactivating weekly visits for the residents of Alma Al-Shaab
Working to reorganize safe weekly visits for the residents of Alma Al-Shaab to their town, in coordination with the Lebanese authorities and the competent international bodies, and in cooperation with Caritas Lebanon and the humanitarian institutions concerned. These visits, when security conditions allow, aim to enable residents to check on their homes, properties and lands, take their personal needs, and maintain their connection to their town, even for two or three hours weekly, pending the availability of conditions suitable for their permanent return.
3. Securing a safe and dignified return for the displaced
Continuing efforts with the competent Lebanese and international bodies to secure a safe, voluntary and dignified return for the residents of Alma Al-Shaab and Al-Qouzah and other border villages whose inhabitants were forced to leave their homes. In this context, we appeal to you to pay special attention to the people of Yaroun and Al-Qouzah and Alma Al-Shaab, who have been scattered across different Lebanese regions, while a section of them reside in Rmeish and Ain Ebel and Debel. We also hope for contribution to securing decent housing or rent allowances and living assistance for displaced families until their return, so that temporary displacement does not turn into a permanent reality that deprives villages of their people and their future.
4. Securing the necessities of steadfastness and continuation of life
Supporting residents in their villages through contributing to securing basic services, particularly water, electricity, fuel, food, medicines and communications. We also appeal to you to support schools and educational institutions and ensure their continuity, and to contribute to paying school and university tuition for struggling families, and to help those who lost their jobs and sources of livelihood as a result of security and economic conditions. We hope for special attention to farmers and owners of small enterprises and craftsmen, through economic and developmental support programs that help them resume their activity, and secure for families the means of dignified living. For steadfastness is not achieved by emergency aid alone, but by providing the conditions that allow a person to work, raise his children and build his future in his land.
5. Securing fair compensation for those affected
Working with the Lebanese State and the concerned bodies and donor institutions to conduct a comprehensive and documented survey of damages, and to establish a fair and transparent mechanism for compensation for the families of martyrs and civilian victims and the wounded, and owners of damaged or destroyed homes and institutions, as well as tobacco farmers and owners of agricultural lands, olive groves and commercial interests affected by destruction. We also hope for support for reconstruction efforts and restoration of homes and rehabilitation of infrastructure, to help residents regain their lives and sources of livelihood. And we stress the necessity that the families of martyrs, victims and wounded not be left alone in facing the humanitarian, social and economic burdens resulting from the war, but that they receive proper care and support.
6. Supporting the activation of Ain Ebel Hospital and strengthening health services
We welcome the cooperation agreement signed by the Ministry of Public Health and the Lebanese Army, represented by the Military Medical Service, and Caritas Lebanon, on 30 October 2026, to include the existing primary health care center in Ain Ebel Hospital in the National Primary Health Care Network. And we appreciate this step which contributes to providing medicines, vaccines and medical supplies and strengthening health care for the residents of the region. And we appeal to you to support the concerned bodies in implementing the agreement, and to mobilize support from ecclesial institutions and donor bodies to put in place a phased plan to activate Ain Ebel Hospital, particularly operating the emergency department around the clock, completing the equipping of operating rooms and the intensive care unit and medical laboratory, and securing the necessary medical, nursing and technical staff. We also hope for contribution to securing hospital coverage for the people of the border villages and displaced families residing in them, and supporting ambulance services and emergency medical transport. For the life of a sick or critically injured person must not remain dependent on the opening of a road or the dispatching of a convoy.
7. Strengthening emergency, ambulance and civil defense services in the town of Rmeish
Supporting the Civil-Military Medical Center 'Martyr Major General Francois Hajj Center' in the town of Rmeish, by providing medical equipment, medicines and necessary supplies to strengthen its capacity to meet the health needs of residents. We also appeal to you to contribute to equipping the Civil Defense Center in Rmeish with the vehicles and equipment necessary for rapid response to emergencies, fires and rescue operations, to ensure service to the residents of the three villages: Rmeish and Ain Ebel and Debel.
8. Protecting churches and religious and heritage sites
Working to protect churches and religious and heritage sites in the border villages, and to preserve them from destruction and encroachments, as they are an authentic part of the spiritual and historical memory of the region, and a witness to the faith of its people and their rootedness in their land. And we draw attention in particular to the importance of protecting the Church of Al-Qouzah, for what it represents as a symbol of the faith of the town's people and the history of their presence in it. In this context, the people of Al-Qouzah express thanks and appreciation to the Jesuit Fathers who contributed to rebuilding their town between the wars, and appeal to them to continue caring for this spiritual and historical heritage after their return, in cooperation with the concerned ecclesial authorities.
9. Strengthening ecclesial and humanitarian coordination to accompany the situation of the border villages
We appeal to the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon to work to establish an effective committee emanating from the Council, in cooperation and coordination with the Papal Ambassador in Lebanon, and including representatives of dioceses, religious orders and concerned ecclesial institutions and Caritas Lebanon, to follow up on the situation of the border villages and the needs of their people, and to ensure the implementation of the demands contained in this appeal. This committee would be concerned with identifying humanitarian, health, educational, social and developmental priorities, coordinating initiatives and aid, and following up on projects in cooperation with the Lebanese authorities and donor bodies, to ensure continuity and effectiveness of work and to avoid duplication of efforts. In this context, we appreciate the humanitarian and diplomatic efforts exerted by the Papal Ambassador in Lebanon, His Excellency Bishop Paolo Borgia, and the pastoral and humanitarian efforts exerted by Their Excellencies Bishop Charbel Abdallah and Bishop Georges Iskandar, and other bishops of Lebanon and the diaspora, alongside local and international relief organizations, in support of the people of the south and standing by them in their ordeal.
10. Confronting the repercussions of the end of the UNIFIL mission and guaranteeing the security of the border villages
In light of the decision concerning ending the mission of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), and what may result from its withdrawal in terms of security, humanitarian, economic and social repercussions, we express our deep concern about the future of the border villages and the safety of their residents, particularly since these forces have, over decades, played an important role in monitoring security conditions, contributing to reducing tensions, facilitating some humanitarian initiatives, in addition to their contributions to the social and economic life of the region. And the end of this mission, in light of continued tensions, aggressions and security risks, raises serious fears of a vacuum that may negatively reflect on the security of residents and their freedom of movement and daily life, and increase the fragility of economic and social conditions in the border villages. Therefore, we appeal to you to intensify efforts with the Lebanese State and the Holy See and the United Nations and the international community, to ensure that no security or humanitarian vacuum arises as a result of the end of the UNIFIL mission, and to work to establish clear and effective arrangements and guarantees to protect civilians and their properties, and to secure the continuity of services and humanitarian aid. And we stress the importance of addressing the potential economic and social repercussions of the withdrawal of international forces, particularly with regard to job opportunities, commercial movement, services and initiatives from which the border villages have benefited throughout the years of these forces' presence. Our people who have stood firm in their land amid wars and dangers must not find themselves facing a new phase of anxiety and the unknown. And it is their right to obtain effective guarantees that protect their lives, security and future."
It concluded: "Steadfastness is not measured by the number of houses that remained inhabited, but by the ability of their people to live in them with dignity, educate their children, secure their livelihood and treatment, and look forward to a safe future. We do not fear only losing the house and the stone, but losing the villages that preserved the names and memory of our grandfathers, the churches that baptized our children, and the fields that witnessed the toil and labor of our people over generations. We fear that a day will come when the churches remain standing without worshippers, and the houses remain standing without people, and our villages turn into names on the map after having been a land pulsing with life, faith and hope. The Christian people of the south have never been passers-by in this land, but are of its fabric, its history and its future, and their staying in it is not a challenge to anyone, but a testimony that Lebanon stands only with all its people, and that its diversity is the source of its richness and its message. Our people have stood firm for a long time, but it is unjust for steadfastness to become a fate of isolation and oblivion, or for people to be asked to remain rooted in their land and then left alone to face fear, need and the unknown. We do not ask the Church to replace the State, but to continue its mission as we have known it: a voice for those whose voice has become faint, a support for those who fear being left alone, and a bridge carrying hope to suffering hearts. From here, and with the convening of the fifty-ninth ordinary session of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon, we hope that you will give special attention to the situation of the border villages, adopt this appeal and its demands, and work to establish an effective ecclesial mechanism to follow up on their implementation, and to include in the closing statement of the session a clear position affirming the right of residents to safe staying in their land, and the right of the displaced to a dignified return to their villages and homes. We do not want our villages to become a memory, nor their people to become strangers to their land. Help us so that the bells continue to ring, the churches remain full of believers, the houses remain lit by their people, and the land remains alive with its people. Help us so that steadfastness is not merely waiting for the unknown, but a choice of life, based on security, dignity, work and hope. We place this cry in your hands, trusting that the Church that accompanied its people in times of trial will remain alongside them, and appreciating the spiritual, humanitarian and national efforts you exert. We ask God, through the intercession of Our Lady the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, to preserve our people, our villages and our homeland, and to grant Lebanon a just and lasting peace, and to turn fear into reassurance, displacement into return, and pain into hope, and that the land of the south remains a land of meeting, life and peace for all its people. Please accept our highest expressions of respect, appreciation and gratitude."
Mayors signing the appeal: Mayor of Rmeish Hanna Al-Amil, Mayor of Debel Akl Naddaf, Mayor of Ain Ebel Ayoub Khraish, Mayor of Alma Al-Shaab Shadi Sabah and Mayor of Al-Qouzah Charbel Rizk.

Patriarch Al-Rahi opens the work of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops: On the necessity of preserving coexistence and building a state of justice
Al-Markazia / 09 November 2026
This morning, at the Patriarchal Edifice in Bkerke, the work of the fifty-ninth ordinary session of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon was opened, which continues until the thirteenth of this November, under the title "Towards a renewed Church in a time of crises," with the participation of the President of the Council, Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi, the Papal Ambassador Monsignor Paolo Borgia representing Pope Leo XIV, Greek Melkite Catholic Patriarch Youssef I Al-Absi, Syriac Catholic Patriarch Mar Ignatius Joseph III Younan, Armenian Catholic Patriarch Raphael Bedros XXI Minassian, and the bishops members of the Council, and the General Superiors and General Mothers Superior from the various Catholic denominations, and heads of episcopal committees.
The session began with a prayer presided over by Patriarch Al-Rahi, followed by the announcement by the President of the Executive Body of the Council, Bishop Michel Aoun, of the opening of the session's work, placing its deliberations under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Hezbollah Openly Boasts of Restoring Its Capabilities: Rhetoric Inviting a New War Regardless of Developments
Lara Yazbek / Al-Markazia / 09 November 2026
Hezbollah does not hide its adherence to the military option to "liberate the land," as it puts it, nor does it hide that it continues to stockpile weapons to confront Israel. In this context falls its confirmation that the shipment of explosives seized in Dahr al-Baidar belongs to it, and its officials' assertion that it was intended for use against the Israeli enemy. This was stated, by way of example and not limitation, by the two MPs of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, Hassan Fadlallah and Ibrahim al-Moussawi, who asked: "With what do we fight Israel if not with explosives? Shall we use potatoes or eggplants?"
For his part, Hezbollah's official in the Bekaa region, Hussein Nimr, said on Sunday: "We believe in political action and tactics in order to serve the cause, and we are in a phase of preparing anew in order to restore what can be restored of the Resistance's capabilities, and in order to restore what can be restored of the pain and suffering of our people who were displaced from their homes, and at the same time, we are seriously seeking to restore all of our formations, and you should know that we are very strong, and the basic commandment will remain the preservation of the Resistance"...
This rhetoric comes at an extremely delicate stage, both Lebanese and regional, according to what sovereign political sources told "Al-Markazia," as the region is on a hot plate and fears are growing of some military action that the American and Israeli sides may undertake against Iran, whose flames could extend to Lebanon, if Hezbollah decides to support the Islamic Republic. But according to the sources, Hezbollah's rhetoric about restoring its capabilities doubles the likelihood that Israel will resume its war against Hezbollah, regardless of the war on Iran, and regardless of whether Hezbollah supports it or not. Indeed, Hezbollah's positions openly boasting of rebuilding its capabilities constitute "fat on a pie" for the Israelis and provide Tel Aviv with a precious service, as they give it the pretext it needs to resume war against it and against Lebanon. Most likely, it will enjoy American cover for this decision, since Hezbollah's rearmament is an American and Israeli red line, violates all of Lebanon's international commitments, and goes in the opposite direction of the 27 October 2024 agreement and the Framework Agreement... Does Hezbollah realize the risks of what it is saying? And is it capable of bearing a new war? It remains that if matters go in this dangerous direction, official Lebanon will also bear part of the responsibility, as a result of its failure to confine weapons to the hands of the state...

They had him crucified’: Christian convert faces torture, execution in Egypt for leaving Islam
“He was tortured. They attempted to remove his cross tattoo and brought him Islamic religious figures. They had him crucified the whole time he was there," his fiancee, Sophia told the 'Post.'
ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
NOVEMBER 9, 2026 10:42
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-914303
“They tried to remove his cross tattoo. They tortured him. They had him crucified the whole time that he was there,” the fiancée of Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, an Egyptian convert to Christianity who faces the possibility of execution, told The Jerusalem Post, describing the abuse he has endured after being charged as punishment for leaving Islam. Abdelrazek was arrested in July 2025 and has been detained by Egyptian authorities since then. His lawyer, Said Fayez, confirmed on Tuesday that Egyptian prosecutors are pursuing the “maximum penalty,” either execution or 25 years in prison. According to the NGO Coptic Solidarity, Abdelrazek faces charges of contempt for Islam, inciting public disorder, disseminating false information, and joining a banned terrorist organization that allegedly does not exist.
Fayez’s office has asserted that the terrorist organization authorities have accused him of belonging to is entirely fictitious and that the charges actually stem from his refusal to “renounce Jesus.” Sophia has also confirmed that Egyptian authorities have yet to identify the alleged terrorist organization and further alleged that at least 180 other Christians are being held by the authorities on similarly dubious charges.Australian-Egyptian citizen Sophia met Abdelrazek on social media, where they both regularly posted about Christianity and amassed sizable followings. The two quickly fell in love, meeting in person for the first time in 2021. Born into a Muslim family, Abdelrazek first encountered Christianity after noticing an open Bible at a neighbor’s shop. The passage he came across was the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. He initially reacted angrily to what he read, but continued thinking about the passage and returned to the shop a few days later to speak with a part-time reverend.

New US sanctions... Who are the targeted names?
Al-Markazia / 09 November 2026
Information from Al-Jadeed reported on Monday that "Lebanese officials received in the past hours calls during which they were informed of specific names intended to be included on the upcoming US sanctions list."It added that "the majority of the leaked names proposed for upcoming sanctions do not belong to Hezbollah and are not attributed with suspicious financial movements."It continued: "The names proposed for US sanctions include people close to the first and second presidencies and former ministers and deputies who oppose the framework agreement and understandings with Israel."It indicated that "the list of names proposed for sanctions includes security officials who participated in social occasions for Hezbollah."

Lebanon's consul in Detroit at Beirut airport: I had the pride and honor of serving the Lebanese community
Al-Markazia / 09 November 2026
This evening, Lebanon's consul in the city of Detroit in the US state of Michigan, Ibrahim Sharara, arrived at Rafic Hariri International Airport - Beirut, and he was received in the airport arrival hall by a crowd of family and friends who welcomed his arrival. Upon his arrival at the airport, he refused to make any statement except that he had the pride and honor of serving the Lebanese community in Michigan, calling on Lebanese to unite and love one another.

Washington preempted Beirut's warning and expelled Consul Sharara... Who will succeed him?
Al-Markazia / 09 November 2026
Al-Markazia learned that the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since information began to arrive about Lebanon's Consul General in Detroit, Ibrahim Sharara, publishing positions via the X platform supporting Hezbollah, in addition to his participation in some events such as the AAPAC dinner and electoral meetings contrary to diplomatic traditions, moved its competent departments, and decided to summon him to hand him a warning in this regard. However, the US State Department preceded Lebanon in declaring Sharara a persona non grata. The information indicated that the US step does not prevent the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs from completing its investigations into the file, and hearing Sharara regarding all his positions and actions, on the condition that he remains in the central administration in Beirut. This is because any state's declaration of an accredited diplomat as persona non grata makes it difficult to reappoint him in any other country, with the exception of the possibility of appointing him in a country hostile to the United States of America. In this context, informed sources indicate that declaring Sharara a persona non grata, against the background of previous statements and digital posts dating back to 2021, which included praise for military operations that historically targeted US forces, foremost among them the bombing of the US Marines headquarters in Beirut in 1983, constitutes a precedent in the history of Lebanese diplomacy in terms of expelling a Lebanese diplomat.
In Al-Markazia's information, Foreign Minister Youssef Raji, immediately upon the announcement of the US decision, dispatched Ambassador Sami Al-Numeir to Detroit, on a mission related to completing the work of the consulate and following up on the affairs of the large Lebanese community in the city in the state of Michigan. The step comes in respect for the US decision, and Lebanon's commitment to international agreements and the principles of diplomatic conduct stipulated in the Vienna Convention, unlike what the Islamic Republic of Iran did, which kept its ambassador whom Beirut declared persona non grata, Mohammad Reza Sheibani, in Lebanon.

UNIFIL: Supporting the Lebanese Navy to enhance its capabilities and assume maritime security responsibilities independently
Al-Markazia / 09 November 2026
The following statement was issued by UNIFIL:
"Since its deployment in October 2006, at the request of the Lebanese Government, UNIFIL's Maritime Task Force has been working side by side with the Lebanese Navy to help prevent the entry of unauthorized weapons and related materials into Lebanon by sea. Through continued cooperation and the provision of technical assistance and training, the Maritime Task Force contributes to developing the capabilities of the Lebanese Navy and enhancing its readiness to assume maritime security responsibilities independently over time.

The post-UNIFIL phase between the Army Commander and the French Ambassador
Al-Markazia / 09 November 2026
Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal received in his office in Yarzeh the French Ambassador to Lebanon Patrick Durel, accompanied by Military Attaché Colonel Bruno Costantini, and the discussion addressed developments and latest events in Lebanon and the region, in addition to the anticipated steps for the post-UNIFIL phase.During the meeting, Ambassador Durel affirmed his country's continued support for the military institution to enhance its capabilities to carry out its missions. He also received former MPs Emile Rahme and Cesar Maalouf, and general affairs of the country were discussed. They praised the sacrifices of the military institution, expressing their support and appreciation for its efforts to ensure Lebanon's stability.

Lebanon Rushes to Avert Security Vacuum as UNIFIL Mandate Nears End
Beirut: Nazir Rida/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
Lebanon is intensifying diplomatic efforts ahead of the expiration of the UN peacekeeping mission’s mandate in South Lebanon at the end of the year, fearing a security vacuum that could undermine its internationally recognized southern border, deprive it of independent documentation of Israeli violations and isolate residents of Christian villages in the Bint Jbeil district. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced that its mandate would expire on December 31, under UN Security Council Resolution 2790, after which it would begin a phased withdrawal.
Diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the full withdrawal would take several months, with peacekeepers leaving their positions gradually rather than evacuating all three operational sectors - western, central and eastern - simultaneously. The aim is to avoid leaving entire areas without an international presence. Lebanon’s concerns are compounded by Israel’s continued occupation of parts of the South following its advance deeper into Lebanese territory between March and June 2026 during the latest war with Hezbollah. During that period, the Lebanese Army gradually withdrew from dozens of positions south of the Litani River, redeploying to unoccupied areas north of the virtual Yellow Line imposed by Israel that remain within UNIFIL’s area of operations.
Border markers and international monitoring
Security sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the consequences of UNIFIL’s departure would extend beyond the immediate security situation. A principal concern is the potential loss of border markers that UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army have worked to establish since the Blue Line was identified in 2000. The sources warned that the absence of international observers could encourage Israel to intensify violations of Lebanon’s internationally recognized border, which Israel accepted under the 1949 Armistice Agreement. UN peacekeepers are currently the only international witnesses in occupied areas, they explained, where Lebanese state institutions, including the army and security forces, are absent amid widespread displacement and destruction. “The only witness today in the occupied area is the United Nations force,” the sources said, describing UNIFIL as a credible international witness and a longstanding source of support for Lebanon. Its presence allows Israeli actions and attacks to be independently documented and recorded at the United Nations, preserving an international account of the conflict that Lebanon fears losing. “Amid Israeli claims, international accounts and documentation cannot be called into question,” the sources stressed.They also recalled UNIFIL’s role since 2006 in assisting the Lebanese Army’s deployment south of the Litani River and supporting legitimate state institutions. According to the sources, the mission has fulfilled its obligations under Security Council Resolution 1701, with 45 countries contributing to those efforts over the past two decades.
Christian villages face growing isolation
The sources warned that withdrawing UNIFIL without replacing it with another UN mission or internationally backed force would leave Lebanon “at the mercy of the Israeli hyena,” alone in confronting Israel. The repercussions would be particularly severe for hundreds of families who have remained in occupied areas, including residents of the three Christian villages of Rmeish, Debel and Ain Ebel in Bint Jbeil district. Residents currently rely on UNIFIL escorts when traveling through occupied areas toward the Lebanese interior. Beyond those areas, they continue under the protection of both UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese Army until reaching territory north of the Litani River. Without UNIFIL, they would have to navigate Israeli security procedures on their own. The sources revealed that Israel had rejected a Lebanese proposal to establish a safe corridor allowing residents to travel freely to and from their villages under Lebanese security escort. The proposed route would have passed through Tebnine toward Beit Yahoun and Ain Ebel, providing access to communities surrounded by Israeli-occupied territory. Lebanon also fears losing what remains of the international framework governing security arrangements in the south. The trilateral talks between Lebanon and Israel under UN auspices in Naqoura were discontinued, followed by the termination of a five-party mechanism that included France and the United States, was chaired by a US general and convened at UN headquarters in Naqoura. Lebanese concerns now extend to the possibility that the United States, as guarantor, could declare its mission complete, leaving Beirut to deal directly with Israel - an arrangement the Lebanese government rejects. Lebanon and Israel are technically in a state of war and have no diplomatic ties.
UNIFIL currently maintains some 36 permanent military positions south of the Litani River. Security sources fear Israeli forces could occupy some of these sites or destroy others following the peacekeepers’ departure. The mission also conducts hundreds of patrols daily. Before the 2024 war, it carried out as many as 410 patrols a day across its area of operations. In its statement, UNIFIL stressed that peacekeepers from 45 countries would continue their regular activities throughout South Lebanon until the mandate expires. These include monitoring and reporting developments, liaising with the parties, supporting the Lebanese Army and facilitating humanitarian operations.
Diplomatic push for an alternative
Lebanese diplomatic efforts to secure an alternative international presence are continuing ahead of UNIFIL’s departure. President Joseph Aoun has repeatedly warned of the dangers of a security vacuum and welcomed the deployment of any international force capable of helping maintain stability in the south. On Friday, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reaffirmed Lebanon’s position during a meeting with EU Ambassador Sandra De Waele. He stressed that Resolution 1701 remains the legal guarantee of Lebanon’s right to recover all its territory up to its internationally recognized borders, while UNIFIL provides the operational framework for implementing the resolution in full. Lebanon has proposed expanding the mandate of certain UN observers, but Israel rejected the suggestion.

How Lebanon Lost the Arab World While Iran Gained Hezbollah
Makram Rabah/Now Lebanon/November 09/2026
Lebanon’s estrangement from the Arab world was years in the making. Hezbollah placed the country at the service of Iran’s regional wars, while much of the Lebanese political class treated accommodating the militia as an acceptable substitute for governing. The Lebanese have paid for that bargain with their economy, their reputation and their children’s future.
This is the Lebanese story running through Saudi political writer Abdulrahman al-Rashed’s conversation with Omar al-Jeraisy on the Socrates podcast. Ostensibly a discussion of the wars confronting Saudi Arabia, the interview offered a sober account of how Iran has spent four decades turning Arab states into battlefields, their populations into hostages and their institutions into instruments of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Al-Rashed’s most valuable contribution was his political realism. He understands that seeking an accommodation with Iran does not, in itself, amount to surrender. Trying diplomacy was never the fundamental mistake. The mistake was to assume that concessions could indefinitely contain organizations whose purpose is to serve Tehran’s ambitions. His discussion of the Houthis exposes Hezbollah’s place in that enterprise. Training fighters, building tunnels and developing military and security structures are part of a transferable system. Hezbollah has served as a strategic adviser to Iran’s machinery of terror, exporting expertise accumulated at the expense of the Lebanese state. The organization that invokes Palestine to justify its weapons has helped build military structures serving Iran across Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Having seized control of Lebanon’s decisions on war and peace, it went on to help other militias do the same in their own countries. These interventions served a regional network designed to encircle and intimidate Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors. Hezbollah also exported a method of capturing states from within. Its model allows militias to use legitimate institutions as cover for illegitimate weapons and to turn local communities into shields for a project that has little to do with their national interests. The outward forms of government survive, while the armed organization determines what the state is allowed to do. This is the reality Lebanese politicians must confront before asking their Arab counterparts to open their doors again.
Relations with the Gulf did not unravel because of an ill-considered ministerial statement or an unfortunate diplomatic misunderstanding. The damage accumulated as Lebanon’s territory, institutions and political cover were used to support Iran’s wars against Arab countries. The angry statements and diplomatic crises were symptoms of that deeper failure.
No one required the Lebanese to endorse every Saudi or Gulf policy. They were required to prevent their country from becoming a training ground for those launching missiles and drones at Arab cities and infrastructure. They were required to ensure that the Lebanese passport did not become cover for the Revolutionary Guards and their emissaries.
Instead, Lebanese citizens bore the economic and reputational costs while Hezbollah continued to present itself as their protector against dangers it had helped create.
Al-Rashed’s argument is also valuable because it avoids reducing these conflicts to sectarian identities. He distinguishes the Houthis’ place in Yemeni society from the Iranian military project they have embraced. He also recognizes the difference between negotiating with a state and negotiating with a militia whose decisions ultimately belong to someone else.
Lebanon needs the same clarity. The problem is an armed organization that chose to serve the Revolutionary Guards and subordinate the Lebanese state to that relationship. Lebanon’s Shiites are citizens with the same rights as everyone else. Their place in the country cannot be made conditional on Hezbollah retaining an arsenal, nor can opposition to that arsenal be treated as hostility toward an entire community. That distinction does not absolve the rest of Lebanon’s political class. Parties that struck bargains with Hezbollah and governments that sheltered behind talk of “dissociation” from regional conflicts and a “defense strategy” all helped sustain this arrangement. Their leaders turned buying time into a national policy. Hezbollah used that time to consolidate its position.
Any promise to restore relations with the Gulf while leaving this armed structure intact is another attempt to sell the Lebanese an illusion.
Saudi Arabia hardly needs more declarations of Lebanese affection. Nor does it need another delegation traveling between Beirut and Riyadh to recite the history of their bilateral ties. Decades of Gulf support, investment and opportunities for Lebanese citizens have already established that history. What Riyadh needs, and what the Lebanese need even more, is a state capable of ensuring that its territory will no longer serve as an operations room against its Arab neighbors.
One of al-Rashed’s most consequential observations concerns Hezbollah’s diminished military role. After the blows it has suffered, the organization can no longer perform its previous role against Israel, yet it retains the ability to wreck Lebanon from within. That warning deserves far more attention than it receives. Hezbollah’s reduced capacity to threaten Israel offers little reassurance to Lebanese citizens who remain exposed to its coercion. Its weapons can still be used to intimidate opponents, prevent the state from exercising its authority and force the population to bear the consequences of decisions it never made. Military weakness abroad does not automatically translate into political restraint at home.
The assumption that weakening Hezbollah will eventually persuade it to integrate into the state ignores the purpose for which it was built.
The assumption that weakening Hezbollah will eventually persuade it to integrate into the state ignores the purpose for which it was built. The organization was designed to stand above the state and to preserve an independent military command serving Tehran. So long as that structure survives, Lebanon’s institutions remain vulnerable to the threat of force.
Recovering Lebanon’s place in the Arab world therefore requires more than electing a president, forming a government or issuing another set of reform promises. It requires a clear political decision to end Hezbollah’s autonomous military and security role, dismantle its armed structures and restore the state’s legitimate monopoly on armed force and its authority over war and peace.
This means guaranteeing every Lebanese citizen a place in the state while ending the exceptional power of an organization that has placed the country in the service of a regional project hostile to its interests. Shiite participation in public life is a right. Hezbollah’s military supremacy is not.
The experience al-Rashed describes exposes the limits of appeasement. Accommodating Iran and its proxies while leaving their military project intact gives them time to rebuild and prepare for another confrontation. Lebanon cannot keep asking Arab governments to trust it while refusing to confront the organization that has helped threaten their security.
Nor can its leaders continue presenting submission to Hezbollah as the price of stability. That submission has already exposed the country to wars chosen by others. Restoring the state is the necessary condition for escaping them.
Lebanon will not recover its place in the Arab world as long as Hezbollah can drag it out again on orders from Tehran.
This article originally appeared in Elaph.
https://elaph.com/Web/ElaphWriter/2026/11/1609840.html
*Makram Rabah is the managing editor at Now Lebanon and an Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut, Department of History. His book Conflict on Mount Lebanon: The Druze, the Maronites and Collective Memory (Edinburgh University Press) covers collective identities and the Lebanese Civil War. He tweets at @makramrabah

A Letter to My Future Self
Edmond El-Chidiac/November 10/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/159044/
​Dear Future Self,
​If you are reading this, time has gently moved forward, carrying you through seasons of reflection, creation, and quiet strength. Take a deep breath, step away from the work of the day, and let your spirit settle into the warmth of your home.
​I hope you are still anchored in the things that ground you and bring meaning to life:
​The Craft & The Page:
I hope your pen has stayed true to its path, giving voice to history, political philosophy, and regional memory. May your written work remain a clear, steady beacon rooted in truth, identity, and the courage of civil resistance.
​Hands & Canvases:
I hope there is still paint on your palette, whether working through soft watercolor washes or layered oils, giving form to traditional motifs and the beauty of enduring landscapes.
​Simple Pleasures:
I hope you still step into the garden each spring to tend to the fruit trees and flowers, watch them bloom, lose yourself in the pages of a good book under the open sky, and sit back in the quiet evening with a smooth glass of Tawny port, grateful for the steady rhythm of the days.
​The Warmth of Home:
I hope the kitchen and living room remain places of deep comfort, filled with the comforting aromas of shared meals, meaningful conversation, and laughter with Isabelle and the family who mean everything to you.
​True Friendship & Kinship:
I hope you still treasure the quiet sanctuary of genuine brotherhood. Real friendship is a rare alignment of minds and spirits a trust forged not by mere proximity, but by shared truth, unwavering loyalty, and mutual honor. May you always cultivate those enduring bonds with the few who walk beside you with open hearts, carrying light into each other's lives no matter how the tides of the world shift.
​Faith & Communion:
I hope your soul remains steadfast in your Maronite heritage, anchored in the ancient faith forged in the sacred mountains of your ancestors and illuminated by Christ’s presence. Never lose that living, personal walk with God your friend, protector, and true companion. May your faith be an impenetrable shield against hardship and a constant source of grace, guiding your steps in deep prayer and quiet reverence.
​The Dream of Liberty:
I hope you still carry that unyielding flame in your heart for freedom and sovereignty for a free, strong, and sovereign Lebanon, restored to its ancient dignity, and for a free, peaceful Canada that safeguards the spirit of liberty. May you see the triumph of independence over tyranny in both lands you cherish.
​Life is not measured by the noise of the world, but by the deep roots we plant, the sacred freedom we defend, and the eternal love we shelter at the center of our own heart. Stand firm in the truth that shaped you, carry your heritage like armor, and never bow to the passing shadows of this age.
​Walk through the world with light in your eyes and fire in your spirit. Stay grounded, stay free, and keep moving forward with steady, unyielding purpose.
​With deep affection and steady faith,

The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on November 08-09/2026 (Some of the News reports below are translated from Arabic by AI)
Trump Says His Deportation Policy 'Might Have Been too Tough' for Voters in the Election
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
President Donald Trump in his first major interview since his party lost control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections said he thinks his administration was too aggressive on deportations and that he thinks he can work with Democrats in the new Congress on some kind of immigration deal, The Associated Press said. Trump said his deportation policy was part of the reason Republicans lost, telling CBS’s “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired on Sunday: “I think it might be too tough, yeah.” He added that he thinks he could reach an agreement with the new Democratic majority. “The deal would be we would work something out. And I think it’s something -- I think that’s something that’s actually doable,” he said in the interview. Trump did not give specifics about what that deal would look like — and shortly after taping the interview on Friday, Trump named the key architect of his hard-line immigration agenda, Stephen Miller, as his new chief of staff. “Trump says his immigration crackdown went too far,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer scoffed on social media Sunday after the interview aired. “Apparently, his solution was to put the man responsible for it in charge of the White House. That’s not a course correction. That’s a promotion.” The president's immigration crackdown was a prominent feature of his return to office with major operations in multiple cities sending arrests soaring. Two US citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were killed by federal officers during protests against the operations. Democrats have said oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security is a priority for the new Congress. Trump said he believes that “killers” and “drug dealers” in the country illegally should be deported, but suggested he was open to the idea of a deal that would let others stay “if they’re good people working in a landscaping company, or working in a hotel, or doing something, right? And in some cases, paying taxes.”
Trump says he may stay on the sidelines for the 2028 race
On the race among Republicans to succeed him for the 2028 presidential election, Trump hinted at staying neutral. Asked whether he’d endorse a potential successor, the president said “probably, not necessarily.”“We have a tremendous bench. I have so many people that I have great relationships with,” Trump said in the interview. Asked about possible candidates other than Vice President JD Vance, Trump only named Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is viewed as a possible 2028 contender.“I think Marco’s great,” Trump said. “But there are many others and I’d rather not mention their names. There’s some senators that are excellent. I know ’em all, I like ’em a lot. “So I may or may not get involved. I don’t know. Maybe I’m better off not getting involved,” Trump said. Trump brushes aside questions about becoming wealthier while in office. During the midterms, Democrats sought to make the president’s personal wealth a campaign issue. About half of voters nationally said government corruption was “crucial” for their vote for Congress, according to the AP Voter Poll. Asked how his net worth went up by $3 billion since returning to the White House, Trump said he doesn’t pay much attention to it and said his sons look after the family business. “I devote almost no time to my net worth. I don’t care. I make — I have a lotta money, and far more than I ever thought I’d have. And I guess it’s gone up. I don’t even know,” he said. Trump was asked whether he thinks people from foreign countries investing in the company he co-owns with his sons are trying to buy influence. “I don’t know. But that’s true — look, every president has a problem,” he said. Trump, who survived an assassination attempt while campaigning for reelection in 2024 and has lashed out against his political foes, was asked whether he could forgive his enemies. He said it would be easy to say yes. But he added: “I probably cannot do that, no, because I do hate some of my enemies, and I always will.”

Trump on Iran: Military action is not necessary at this stage... "I think it will end very soon"
Riyadh: Al Arabiya.net and agencies / 10 November 2026
US President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he believes the war with Iran "has effectively ended militarily." The president's remarks came during a surprise visit to the White House press briefing room, following a meeting earlier that same day with the Prime Minister of Qatar.
Trump said: "Iran is finished militarily, and we are currently just maintaining the status quo." He added that Iran had been "decapitated" (in reference to a devastating blow to its leadership), while noting at the same time that he is seeking to ensure a long-term solution that guarantees stripping the Iranian nuclear program of its dangerous capabilities.Trump added: "At this stage... military action does not seem very necessary. But we are fully ready, and ready to move if the situation changes for any reason."He continued: "I think it will end very soon," in reference to the conflict with Tehran. Trump said: "We are seeing momentum toward ending the conflict with Iran." He added that aircraft carriers in the Middle East are ready "but I hope we don't use them." He indicated that he wants "a long-term solution with Iran."

Trump: Qatar and Saudi Arabia want a peaceful solution with Iran but we are ready to strike... "Positive momentum toward ending this conflict"
Riyadh: Al Arabiya.net and agencies / 10 November 2026
US President Donald Trump said in a brief telephone interview with Reuters on Monday that Qatar and Saudi Arabia are keen to reach a peaceful solution to the conflict with Iran, but the United States is ready to resume military strikes if necessary.
Trump, who met with the Qatari Prime Minister earlier today, added: "Qatar wants a peaceful solution" and "Saudi Arabia wants a peaceful solution" but "we are ready to carry out strikes at any time we want." Trump indicated that he is in no hurry to resume strikes, saying he is satisfied with the US naval blockade imposed on Iran. He said: "We'll see where things go. I'm ready."
US President Donald Trump spoke on Monday about "positive momentum" toward reaching an agreement with Iran to end the war in the Middle East, following his meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "We see positive momentum toward ending this conflict, and we will ensure that US interests are protected at all times." While he confirmed that Washington is ready to launch new strikes on the Islamic Republic, he said that was "largely unlikely."
He added that Arab Gulf states and others "prefer to maintain the status quo, in other words, to continue the greatest naval blockade in history, and the new Iron Gate operation," in reference to Washington's announcement last week that it seeks to obstruct Iran's land trade routes.
Sources told Al Arabiya and Al Hadath on Monday that a Qatari-Pakistani proposal had revived negotiations between Washington and Tehran. The sources revealed that the proposed framework would open the Strait of Hormuz and lift the naval blockade immediately. The proposal also includes arrangements to discuss the return of IAEA inspectors to Iran, without clarifying the scope of their tasks. The proposal also includes the US releasing Iranian assets worth between 6 and 9 billion dollars upon reaching an agreement. On the nuclear file, the proposal likely includes reaching a preliminary agreement on reducing Iranian uranium enrichment. The source indicated that Washington demanded a reduction in the level of Iranian uranium enriched at 60%. The two sides are discussing using a third country to facilitate reducing the level of highly enriched uranium in Iran.

Qatari Foreign Minister: I discussed with the US President and his deputy ways to advance negotiations with Iran... He valued the positive discussions on reaching an agreement to bring about peace
Riyadh: Al Arabiya.net / 10 November 2026
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman discussed with US President Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance the situation in the region. They also discussed ways to make progress in US-Iranian negotiations, while Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman valued "the positive discussions on reaching an agreement and bringing about peace in the region," according to what he said via his account on the X platform. The Qatari-American meeting came at a time when Doha has intensified its moves in recent days to push negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

After meeting the Qatari Prime Minister... Trump speaks of "positive momentum" to end the conflict with Iran
Nidaa Al Watan / 10 November 2026
US President Donald Trump spoke on Monday about "positive momentum" toward reaching an agreement with Iran to end the war in the Middle East, following his meeting with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Trump wrote via his Truth Social platform: "We see positive momentum toward ending this conflict, and we will ensure that US interests are protected at all times." While he confirmed that Washington is ready to launch new strikes on the Islamic Republic, he said that was "largely unlikely."
He added that Arab Gulf states and others "prefer to maintain the status quo, in other words, to continue the greatest naval blockade in history, and the new Iron Gate operation," in reference to Washington's announcement last week that it seeks to obstruct Iran's land trade routes.

Al Arabiya sources: Qatari-Pakistani proposal revives negotiations between Washington and Tehran... The proposed framework will open the Strait of Hormuz and lift the naval blockade immediately
Riyadh: Al Arabiya.net / 10 November 2026
Sources told Al Arabiya and Al Hadath on Monday that a Qatari-Pakistani proposal had revived negotiations between Washington and Tehran. The sources revealed that the proposed framework would open the Strait of Hormuz and lift the naval blockade immediately. The proposal also includes arrangements to discuss the return of IAEA inspectors to Iran, without clarifying the scope of their tasks. The proposal also includes the US releasing Iranian assets worth between 6 and 9 billion dollars upon reaching an agreement. On the nuclear file, the proposal likely includes reaching a preliminary agreement on reducing Iranian uranium enrichment. The source indicated that Washington demanded a reduction in the level of Iranian uranium enriched at 60%. The two sides are discussing using a third country to facilitate reducing the level of highly enriched uranium in Iran. The sources indicated that Washington allowed uranium enrichment inside Iran at 3.67%, and Tehran agreed to that.

Iran... Trump postpones the fire and ignites the blockade
Nidaa Al Watan / 10 November 2026
Five times US President Donald Trump repeated that resuming the war on Iran is "very unlikely" during an interview with CNN yesterday. However, the key to his words lies in the condition he attached to this reassurance: progress in negotiations and a very strong agreement. Therefore, his statements likely grant diplomacy additional time, and leave the strike decision hanging on Iranian behavior. With a president whose steps are difficult to predict, reading the reassurance as a guarantee that war will not break out becomes a gamble that the region may pay the price for.
Trump combined in the same interview a preference for a settlement with a reminder of three aircraft carriers and readiness to destroy Iranian bridges and facilities. This combination can be understood as an attempt to obtain the gains of military pressure through negotiation, especially after the electoral cost of the war. But the bet by hardliners in Tehran on a president weakened by elections could lead them to a dangerous miscalculation. Amid this atmosphere, the "Iron Gate" task force, which US Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper ordered to be formed, gains its importance. The team, composed of about 20 military and civilian personnel, based in Florida, points to an interagency US coordination effort to track weapons, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials and illicit revenues across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea. This step reveals a US orientation to deprive Tehran of investing diplomatic time in rebuilding its arsenal, by tightening the noose on it by sea and land, reaching the Caspian Sea, and cutting off ways to circumvent the naval blockade.
In this context, Washington's demand that Baghdad close all its border crossings with Iran, except for two, takes on additional significance, especially since Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein acknowledged the difficulty of implementing this demand and its economic repercussions. But the success of this strangulation strategy remains dependent on the extent of cooperation by neighboring countries and Washington's ability to impose restrictions and monitor their implementation. The clearest message, however, is that Trump is preparing for a long economic war of attrition, during which he will tighten the noose on Tehran and deplete its options, while keeping the military war decision suspended. The Israeli factor increases the fragility of this postponement. Defense Minister Israel Katz saying that the mission in Iran is "not yet accomplished" keeps the demand for military action present. And assigning former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot to form a government opens a political transition phase, without changing the security view of Tehran. Eisenkot's objection to a war serving the political needs of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu relates to the motives for the decision and its timing, while his record remains largely supportive of previous war decisions. In this tense space, the Houthis transfer the danger to the heart of the Saudi economy. Claiming responsibility for targeting the King Abdullah Financial Center touches a symbol of investment and economic transformation, and endangers the lives of workers and residents. And even with the Saudi authorities describing the damage to the Aramco building as limited, the message goes beyond the volume of shattered glass: an attempt to subject economic and civilian life to missile blackmail, and to weaken confidence in the security that projects and investments need. This escalation practically serves to expand the cost of confrontation with Iran. Between pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and the Houthi threat to the Kingdom and navigation, the fronts intertwine around energy security. The paradox is that the Iranian regime demands a comprehensive settlement, while its allies continue to produce reasons for escalation. And every Houthi missile toward Saudi Arabia narrows the space available to mediators and strengthens advocates of military decisiveness. Chances of de-escalation exist, but turning them into an agreement requires Tehran and its arms to stop using neighbors' security as a bargaining chip, in addition to Iranian readiness to make substantive concessions not only on the nuclear file, but also extending to the missile program and regional influence. A comprehensive settlement cannot be based on security guarantees Tehran requests without reciprocal commitments it offers, and betting on opponents' fatigue may end with renewed war.

Rubio: Talks with Iran are unproductive and its demands are unacceptable
Nidaa Al Watan / 10 November 2026
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that talks with Iran are "unproductive," considering that Iranian demands are unacceptable. Rubio said that President Donald Trump prefers solving problems diplomatically, but that is not always possible, noting that Trump dealt with the Iranian threat for the Americans, not for himself, and that it would have been very easy to ignore this threat. He added: "We will deal with any Iranian threat against our forces or ships," stressing that Trump is fighting for US national interests abroad, and that he was not elected to ignore the Iran issue or leave it to the next president.

Baqaei responds to Rubio: Is it not Iran's right to demand the lifting of sanctions?
Nidaa Al Watan / 10 November 2026
Iran defended on Monday a proposal to relaunch talks to end the war within a period not exceeding two days, and considered it the most logical of the offers on the table, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described some of Tehran's conditions as "outrageous and ridiculous."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said, during a weekly press conference, in response to Rubio's comments: "Is it unreasonable for Iran to demand the lifting of the illegal US sanctions and the naval blockade imposed on it before the start of negotiations, and for the war to end on all fronts?" Iran presented an offer to shorten the time needed to resume talks from a previous proposal that stipulated starting them within seven days, and which includes demanding that Washington first meet conditions including stopping hostilities, lifting the blockade, and cancelling sanctions.Baqaei also said that US pressure on Iraq to close most of its borders with Iran should not affect bilateral relations with Baghdad, after the Iraqi Foreign Minister said that Washington is pushing toward taking this step. Baqaei rejected a US military task force aimed at restricting Iranian land trade, and considered it an attempt to divert attention following the losses of the Republicans led by US President Donald Trump in the US Congress midterm elections.

French suspicions: Iran behind hacking of cooling systems
Reuters / 10 November 2026
Two informed sources said on Monday that French officials suspect that Iranian state-backed hackers are behind cyberattacks that disrupted cooling systems and commercial refrigerators across France last month. This hacking operation would become among the most disruptive cyberattacks since the outbreak of the Iran war in February, a war that has seen sporadic incidents suspected of causing cyber disruptions. Among these disruptions were the disruption of the transport system in Los Angeles in March, US water treatment plants in July, and ships heading to the United States in August.

Erdogan Says He Conveyed Türkiye's Concerns on Potential Attacks on Iran to Trump
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
Türkiye does not want to see a new wave of attacks against Iran, President Tayyip Erdogan said, adding that ‌he conveyed ‌his concerns ‌to ⁠US President Donald Trump ⁠in a recent phone call.
"We emphasize at every opportunity that ⁠it is possible ‌to resolve ‌these issues ‌through dialogue and ‌diplomacy. Unfortunately, we see a negative shift once again. ‌We are doing our utmost to prevent ⁠this," ⁠Erdogan told reporters on a return flight from Azerbaijan, according to a transcript shared by his office on Monday.

Iran Defends Two-day Proposal for Peace Talks after US Rejects Conditions
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
Iran ‌defended a proposal on Monday to restart peace talks in as few as two days as the most reasonable offer on the table, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called some of Iran's conditions "outrageous and ridiculous"."Is it unreasonable that Iran ‌demands that ‌US illegal sanctions and its ‌naval ⁠blockade must be ⁠lifted before negotiations start and that the war should end on all fronts?" Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told a weekly press conference in response ⁠to Rubio's remarks. Iran has ‌made the ‌offer to shorten the time to ‌restart talks from an earlier seven-day ‌proposal, which calls for Washington to first meet conditions including halting hostilities, lifting a blockade and waiving sanctions. Baghaei ‌also said US pressure on Iraq to close ⁠most ⁠of its borders with Iran should not affect bilateral ties with Baghdad, after Iraq's foreign minister said Washington was pushing for such a move. Baghaei dismissed a US military task force aimed at restricting Iran's land trade as a diversion following President Donald Trump's Republicans' losses in midterm elections.

China Says It Is Talking with Relevant Parties on China-Russia-US Leaders’ Meeting
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
China is maintaining communication with relevant parties on a meeting of the heads of state of China, ‌Russia and ‌the US, ‌China's ⁠foreign ministry spokesperson Guo ⁠Jiakun said on Monday.
On Sunday, US President Donald ⁠Trump said he ‌thought ‌he would meet ‌Chinese President ‌Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at an ‌APEC leaders' summit in China ⁠next ⁠week and discuss ending the US-Israeli war on Iran, as well as denuclearization.

China Urges Return to Stability in Middle East
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
China is willing to pursue stronger ties with Iran, China's special envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun said in talks with Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. Zhai met Kani in Iran, according to ‌a readout ‌from China's foreign ministry on ‌Monday. ⁠He is visiting ⁠Iran and Oman this month, as China steps up efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East. There needs to be a "focus on ⁠political solutions with a rational ‌and pragmatic ‌spirit, and promote the early restoration of ‌stability and development in the ‌region," Zhai said. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said all parties in the Middle East conflict ⁠should ⁠focus on political solutions rather than resorting to arms again. President Xi Jinping has also previously said China was willing to work with African countries to address the spillover effects of the Middle East conflict.

World Entering ‘Age of Climate Extremes’, Warns UN Chief
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
The world is entering a new reality where climate extremes are the norm, the United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned Monday, urging leaders at the COP31 climate conference in Türkiye to "get serious". "A supersized El Nino is colliding with a planet already superheated by manmade climate change," the UN secretary general said in a statement."We have entered a new age of climate extremes."As leaders gathered in Antalya for the UN climate summit, Guterres called on them to "get serious by cutting emissions faster, accelerating a just transition from fossil fuels and delivering the finance and protection vulnerable countries need". His statement came as the UN's World Meteorological Organization released a report indicating that 2026 has continued a streak of exceptional global temperatures, melting ice and rising sea levels.
Each of the past 12 years have been among the hottest 12 years on record, the agency said, with this year expected to be among the hottest ever.
- 'Off the charts' -
"What we are seeing gives new meaning to the phrase off the charts," WMO chief Celeste Saulo told reporters in Geneva, cautioning that the current exceptionally strong El Nino could unleash more heat and extreme weather well into next year. "We should prepare for another record-breaking year in 2027."The global average surface temperature between January and September this year was around 1.47 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, the WMO said. And this year's El Nino -- expected to be the strongest since 1950 at least -- could push the figure higher by the end of the year. Preliminary data shows 2026 figuring among the four hottest years on record, WMO climate information chief John Kenned told reporters, adding though that "with the El Nina developing, we might see when the final numbers come in that we're close to the top".
The naturally occurring weather phenomenon releases heat from the ocean, which this year has been the warmest ever measured, Saulo pointed out. El Nino is declared when the sea surface temperature is half a degree above average in the tropical Pacific, but from now through January, WMO forecasts "it may be 3.8C above average", she said. The WMO also reported that the global sea level was the highest on record, freshwater was dwindling and glaciers were continuing a long-term retreat.In 2025, the annual mass loss of ice was enough to fill five Olympic pools every second that year, it said. At the same time, "we are supercharging our weather and El Nino will be a risk multiplier", Saulo said, warning that "heatwaves, tropical cyclones, and rainstorms are intensifying faster than our historical baselines prepared us for". On a positive note, the WMO hailed a significant increase of countries with essential multi-hazard early warning systems in place, from 55 in 2015 to 136 last year.It urged the COP31 to ensure more investment in the sustained global observations, data-gathering and forecasting needed for such systems to work. "We cannot afford to fly blind," Saulo said.

Production Suspended at Iraq’s Khor Mor Gas Field After Drone Attack
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
Production ‌was halted on Sunday at Iraq's Khor Mor gas field, one of the largest in the Kurdistan region, after a drone attack hit the field, sources said. Two sources in the region's electricity ministry said production at the field was suspended after a single drone strike hit the LPG storage tank, causing a fire that was still raging. Two security sources said smoke was seen rising from the field. Employees at the field were evacuated ‌to shelters ‌inside the facility following the attack, the ‌two ⁠ministry sources said. Iraq's ⁠prime minister and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Ali al-Zaidi, said the attack did not result in casualties, based on an initial assessment. A joint statement by the region's natural resources and electricity ministries described the attack on the field as a "terrorist attack," saying they ⁠are working on minimizing its impact. There was no ‌claim of responsibility for ‌the attack. The gas field provides supplies for regional power generation. Some ‌2.8 gigawatts of power generation in the Kurdistan region ‌was lost following the attack, the region's electricity ministry said in a statement. Joint field operator Dana Gas had previously shut down the main production facilities at the field in July ‌due to credible security threats and regional tensions before restarting production later in the ⁠same month. Iraq ⁠has been among the countries most affected by Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic in the strait remains disrupted as ships continue to face attacks in the area. Baghdad has been striving to balance its ties with neighboring Iran and the US amid the military escalation between the two countries. However, Tehran has launched attacks against Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq, while Iran-backed armed factions in Iraq launched attacks against Gulf neighbors earlier in the conflict. US Asks Iraq to Shut Most Iran Border Crossings, Iraqi Foreign Minister Says. The US Treasury has asked Iraq to close all border crossings with Iran except for two as part of Washington's policy of ‌increasing economic ‌pressure on Tehran, Iraqi ‌Foreign ⁠Minister Fuad Hussein ⁠said in an interview with Al Jazeera. One of the exceptions is in the Kurdistan region. "There ⁠are many official ‌and ‌unofficial border crossings with Iran, ‌and closing all ‌of them would be difficult and would affect our economy. The Americans ‌are still demanding the closure of the crossings, ⁠and ⁠we are currently in discussions with them," Hussein said. Last month, Iraq closed the busy Sheeb border crossing with Iran to review security and install detection equipment to stop smuggling.

Iraq’s Badr Organization Demands Reopening of Border Crossings with Iran
Baghdad: Fadhel al-Nashmi/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
Iraq’s Iran-aligned Badr Organization, led by Hadi al-Amiri, expressed anger on Sunday over remarks by Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein concerning the closure of land border crossings with Iran. The closure of the al-Sheeb crossing in the southern province of Maysan continues to draw opposition from Tehran-aligned groups and businesses whose livelihoods depend on cross-border trade. The dispute also involves networks that exploit weak oversight and security procedures to smuggle prohibited goods. Truck drivers have staged repeated protests demanding the reopening of the crossing. The controversy resurfaced after Hussein told Al Jazeera that the US had formally asked Iraq to close all its border crossings with Iran except two. Some political sources believe the request may have been conveyed during Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s meeting with US envoy Tom Barrack last week, or during an earlier telephone conversation between al-Zaidi and President Donald Trump. According to the prime minister’s media office, the call addressed the importance of coordination and consultation between Baghdad and Washington on current challenges and efforts to support regional stability. Al-Zaidi reaffirmed Iraq’s position on respecting state sovereignty and preventing its territory from being used to launch attacks against neighboring countries. Iraqi authorities closed the al-Sheeb crossing on October 21, citing the need to review security arrangements and procedures, as well as inadequate technical infrastructure and surveillance equipment requiring upgrades. The decision drew criticism from parties and groups allied with or close to Iran, which portrayed it as compliance with US pressure and the economic blockade imposed on Tehran. An official at Iraq’s Border Ports Authority confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that four of the five crossings with Iran remained open, with al-Sheeb the only one still closed. Security sources, however, suggested that the shutdown was linked to sensitive security concerns, particularly reports that the crossing had served as a route for carrying out missile attacks against Saudi Arabia on October 10.
Badr rejects US demands
In a statement, the Badr Organization said it had followed recent developments, particularly Hussein’s disclosure of American requests and what it described as dictates to close border crossings with Iran.
The Badr parliamentary bloc categorically rejected those demands, insisting on Iraq’s national sovereignty. “What the minister’s remarks contradict the previous technical justifications and exposes agendas targeting our resistance-minded south and interfering in sovereign decision-making,” the bloc declared. The statement referred to the government’s earlier explanations for closing the crossing. Badr maintained that Iraq was a fully sovereign state and that its people and national political forces would not stand idly by in the face of any violation of sovereignty or submission to foreign agendas harmful to the country’s interests. The Iran-aligned organization also denounced what it called policies of economic blockade and the starvation of populations, underscoring the longstanding ties between Baghdad and Tehran.“Iraqi-Iranian relations are deep-rooted, forged through the blood shed for liberation and in confronting terrorism,” it stated. “We categorically reject Iraq becoming a tool in a campaign to besiege the Muslim Iranian people. Participation in such efforts would betray our fraternal commitments and squander the sacrifices of the martyrs.” Badr argued that the continued closure of major border crossings, particularly al-Sheeb, had inflicted significant economic hardship on residents and disrupted livelihoods. The organization urged the government to uphold Iraq’s declared policy of staying out of regional conflicts and avoid being drawn into “hegemonic policies” and “illegal wars” that fuel regional tensions. It demanded the immediate reopening of border crossings, insisting that the interests of Iraqi citizens and national sovereignty take precedence over foreign pressure.

Syrian Foreign Ministry Appointments Mark a Break with Diplomatic Tradition
Damascus: Souad Jarous/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has appointed three young deputy foreign ministers as part of efforts to restructure state institutions, breaking with a longstanding tradition of reserving senior diplomatic posts for seasoned officials. The appointments come as many diplomats who defected from the former regime are still awaiting the resolution of their employment status. The changes have sparked debate in political circles in Damascus over appointments to senior positions in key ministries, amid unconfirmed reports of a possible cabinet reshuffle involving sensitive portfolios and the reassignment of prominent officials. Wael Alwan, a researcher and executive director of the Jusoor Center for Studies, told Asharq Al-Awsat that there was speculation about Interior Minister Anas Khattab taking over as head of National Security, with Maj. Gen. Abdul Qader al-Tahhan potentially succeeding him. “There is similar talk concerning the Defense Ministry, but no precise information is available so far,” Alwan said. He added that he had no knowledge of reports suggesting Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani might be moved to another position.
An Unprecedented Move
On Saturday, al-Sharaa issued three presidential decrees, numbered 205, 206 and 207 of 2026, appointing deputy foreign ministers responsible for consular affairs, international cooperation and executive affairs, respectively. The appointment of three deputies simultaneously is unprecedented in Syria’s diplomatic history and signals a departure from an administrative structure that has prevailed for decades. Traditionally, the Foreign Ministry has had two permanent assistant ministers overseeing diplomatic, political and administrative affairs, alongside a deputy foreign minister. A third assistant was occasionally appointed under exceptional circumstances, while specialized responsibilities were sometimes assigned to advisers. The two-assistant structure, however, remained the norm. Alwan described the latest appointments as a restructuring of the ministry. “The country’s new administration is not bound by established practices. It is completely separate from the previous system of government,” he explained. Ordinarily, senior officials would be selected through institutional promotion, established career paths or extensive diplomatic experience, he noted. “In a transitional government, however, things are different. Trust, in the sense of loyalty, takes precedence over competence,” Alwan said, attributing the controversial approach largely to security considerations. Asked whether experienced diplomats who defected from the former regime could be brought back into senior positions, he acknowledged that this was possible but not essential.
Priority, he stressed, would go to trust and alignment with the current administration’s approach.
Young Appointees with Limited Experience
The three newly appointed officials were born between 1988 and 1996 and have backgrounds in public policy, law, international cooperation and administration. Muhammad Yaqub al-Omar, born in Idlib in 1993, was appointed deputy foreign minister for consular affairs. According to local media, he holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Idlib, a bachelor’s degree in political science from Al-Shamal University, and a degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Idlib. Qutaiba Ali Kadish, born in Damascus in 1988, was named deputy foreign minister for international cooperation. A law graduate of Damascus University, Kadish previously headed the Foreign Ministry’s international cooperation and protocol departments. He also served as deputy minister of development and humanitarian affairs in the Syrian Salvation Government and directed its humanitarian and development projects department. Obadah Khaled Diab, born in Damascus in 1996, was appointed deputy foreign minister for executive affairs. He holds an executive master’s degree in development policies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and a bachelor’s degree in foreign service, specializing in international economics, from Georgetown University. According to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), Diab previously headed the foreign minister’s office and directed the ministry’s strategic planning office. His professional background also includes work as an information management and labor market research expert at Qatar’s Ministry of Labor and as a data specialist at the Center for Humanitarian Data of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Despite the Foreign Ministry’s decision to reinstate diplomats who defected from the former regime, and the appointment of several to head diplomatic missions in regional and international capitals, many cases remain unresolved. A substantial number are still awaiting the settlement of their employment status and the completion of administrative reviews.
Peace Adviser Appointment Sparks Debate
The presidential appointments came alongside a separate decision by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani to name broadcaster Muzna Mamdouh al-Atrash, a native of Sweida, as an adviser for peace affairs. Some viewed the appointment as a potential boost to national reconciliation efforts, particularly those concerning Sweida. Others criticized the creation of what they described as a vaguely defined position covering “peace affairs.”Critics also cited al-Atrash’s previous political positions, noting that she had supported former President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian army’s actions during her work at state television.

Krakow Mass Shooting Assailant Dies in Hospital, Polish Police Say
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
A young gunman who killed six people in central Krakow on Saturday in an unprecedented Polish mass shooting has died in hospital, police said on Monday. Very little information has come out about the shooter, who was shot by police officers and arrested minutes after he opened fire at people from his car ‌in Krakow's ‌historic main square. The government ‌had ⁠said the assailant, a ⁠24-year-old from the town of Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski in southeastern Poland, may have been inspired by far-right ideology, without providing further details. However, officials appeared to backtrack from the earlier comments as nationalist opposition politicians questioned the grounds ⁠on which the interior minister ‌had said far-right ideology ‌was the motive. "Until the matter is fully ‌clarified and the authorities are in possession ‌of complete information, it is best to refrain from making comments, even if there are some initial indications," government spokesman Adam Szlapka told TVN24. Justice ‌Minister Waldemar Zurek said on Monday that despite the death of ⁠the ⁠shooter, the investigation will continue, aiming to establish if he acted alone or was inspired by any group. "Evidence is being collected, but I will not show or disclose it. I ask for restraint," Zurek told Radio Zet. An interior ministry spokeswoman said earlier on Monday that there were many different emblems on the perpetrator’s clothing that had already been partially examined and interpreted.

Ukrainian Drone Attack Sets Russia’s Major Kirishi Oil Refinery on Fire, Governor Says
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
A Ukrainian drone struck the Kirishi oil refinery, Russia's second-largest, in an overnight attack that set it on fire, the governor of the northwestern Leningrad region said on Monday, adding that one woman had died in the attack. The region is a major export outlet ‌for grain and ‌oil in the Russian part of the ‌Baltic ⁠Sea. The attack is ⁠the latest in a series of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, which Kyiv has stepped up since the end of October after an energy ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump failed to take hold in a meaningful way. Ukraine has targeted the Kirishi refinery several times before. ⁠The refinery has a capacity of 20 ‌million metric tons, or about ‌400,000 barrels per day. Unverified social media video showed what looked ‌like a major blaze at the facility. The governor, Alexander ‌Drozdenko, said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that authorities had contained the fire at the refinery and were dealing with the aftermath. He added that a woman had been ‌killed by drone debris that fell on the roof of her apartment building in the ⁠town of Vsevolozhsk. Drozdenko ⁠said air defense forces had downed 113 Ukrainian drones in total overnight and that the attack had also damaged an apartment in the town of Kirishi. The refinery, formally known as Kirishinefteorgsintez, is located about 800 km (500 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Trump has blamed Ukraine's refinery attacks for rising diesel and gasoline prices in the United States, where soaring fuel costs helped rival Democrats to win Tuesday's midterm legislative elections. Trump has since said that his decision — with Israel — to attack Iran played a major role in causing fuel prices to spike.

Kremlin Denies that Europeans Will Participate in Abu Dhabi Peace Talks
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
The Kremlin said on Monday that peace talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi this week would take place between Russian, Ukrainian and US ‌delegations in ‌a three-way format, ‌not ⁠including European officials. Kremlin ⁠spokesman Dmitry Peskov's comments to reporters appeared to conflict with a statement on ⁠Sunday by French Foreign ‌Minister ‌Jean-Noel Barrot, who ‌said French representatives would ‌be present at the November 10-11 meeting, where the sides are ‌set to discuss ending the war ⁠in ⁠Ukraine, post-war security pacts and de-escalation. Peskov said the Ukrainians and the US both had their own communication channels with European counterparts

G7 Ministers Meet on Efforts to End Ukraine Conflict, Halt New Iran War
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
Foreign ministers of the G7 group meet in Paris from Monday for two days of talks expected to see European powers press the United States to seek a fair settlement for Ukraine in the war against Russia and deter Washington from further military action against Iran.
Ministers from the leading industrialized nations of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States will be gathering with preoccupations strikingly similar to those of the last such meeting in March, said AFP. Russia's war against Ukraine following the February 2022 full-scale invasion of its neighbor is grinding towards its fifth anniversary. And Washington is still not ruling out new attacks against Iran even after the defeat of President Donald Trump's Republicans in the midterms.All eyes will be on US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who is due to attend both days, unlike the March meeting where he only came for one. This G7 ministerial meeting, one of the final acts of the French G7 presidency that saw President Emmanuel Macron host Donald Trump for the leaders' summit this summer in the lakeside resort of Evian, had long been scheduled to be held in the southern port city of Marseille. But at the last minute the event was moved to Paris, with only scheduling reasons given for the change. The visit by Rubio -- seen by US media as a potential candidate to succeed Trump -- will be his first abroad since the midterms. Washington will also in 2027 take over the G7 presidency from France.
'Europeans will be represented' -
The meeting coincides with US-mediated talks with Moscow and Kyiv in Abu Dhabi scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday on ending the Ukraine war, with Europe concerned Kyiv must not be forced to accept disadvantageous conditions. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told RTL radio that on this occasion "Europeans will be represented and France will be in Abu Dhabi to participate in these talks". Trump stoked fears of a US pivot toward the Kremlin by predicting a "very big" deal with Russia involving not only the Ukraine war but "all of Europe". Jared Kushner, the US president's envoy and son-in-law, said the United States was working on "a broader European security architecture that can help establish the conditions for lasting peace", a concept met with skepticism in the past by Europe. On Iran, Trump has not ruled out new strikes, including at so-called Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected nuclear site which Tehran denies is such a facility. Europeans, however, are eager to see a resolution and shipping traffic return to normal in the Strait of Hormuz energy transit hub. "We're dealing with them now," Trump said of the Iranians Friday. "They want to make a deal very badly."The sidelines of the meeting will also see the French finance ministry hosting on Monday a donor conference to raise funds to repair the dome protecting the nuclear reactor that exploded in Ukraine's Chernobyl in 1986 after it was damaged in a Russian strike last year. Around 500 million euros is required but only just over half has been raised so far with a target date of spring 2027 to muster the rest of the funds, the French finance ministry told AFP. Even though the meeting was moved to Paris, Marseille will still host the launch of a network of 14 global ports uniting to combat drug trafficking, which has become a major scourge in the southern city, Barrot said. As he addressed reporters while preparing to leave for France, Rubio declined to comment directly on Trump's and the Republicans' crushing loss in the US midterm elections. "It is not uncommon to have a division of power in this country," Rubio told reporters, alluding to the fact that Trump will now see both houses of Congress controlled by the Democrats. Asked about widespread protests in France, Rubio added that he was not worried and trusted US counterparts on the ground who advised him it is safe to attend the G7 meeting.

Le Pen and Melenchon Ahead in 2027 French Presidential Race, Poll Shows
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
French ‌far-right leader Marine Le Pen and hard-left rival Jean-Luc Melenchon consolidated their lead in voting intention ahead of next year's presidential election, a poll showed on Monday, as political polarization in the country intensifies. Le Pen would top the first-round vote with between 34% and 36% ‌depending on ‌the scenarios tested by ‌pollster ⁠Toluna Harris Interactive in ⁠a survey carried out between November 3 and 5. A similar poll last month showed her at between 35% and 37%. Melenchon, the candidate of the ⁠far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, ‌is seen ‌reaching a run-off in all five scenarios polled, ‌with either 18% or 19%.Le Pen is seen beating Melenchon easily in a run-off. As Macron's second and final five-year term ‌comes to an end, the unpopular president leaves behind a ⁠hollowed-out political ⁠center and weak economy, creating an opening for hardline parties.
Melenchon has already run three times for president in 2012, 2017 and 2022, but never managed to reach the second round. Le Pen also ran in those same three elections and lost in the second round in 2017 and 2022 to Macron.

The Egyptian Public Prosecution demands the execution of Said Mansour Rizk Abdel Razek for the crime of converting to Christianity
The Egyptian Public Prosecution demands the execution of a man who converted to Christianity or his imprisonment for 25 years
Syriac Press / 07 November 2026
Cairo — The Egyptian Public Prosecution has demanded the imposition of the maximum possible penalty against Said Mansour Rizk Abdel Razek, who converted to Christianity after having been a Muslim, a penalty that could reach execution or 25 years in prison. According to his legal representatives, Abdel Razek has remained in detention since July 2025.
This development has raised growing concerns among advocates of freedom of religion and belief about the treatment of converts to Christianity in Egypt, where people who have publicly disclosed their conversion to Christianity or discussed their religious beliefs online have faced prosecution under blasphemy laws and national security legislation.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, following a court session, the legal team representing Abdel Razek said that the Public Prosecution is seeking to impose the maximum penalty provided by law. His lawyers accuse the authorities of building the case largely on the basis of his conversion to Christianity and his refusal to abandon his faith in it. Abdel Razek faces charges of contempt of the Islamic religion, incitement to disturb public order, spreading false information, and joining a banned terrorist organization. The penalty for the last charge reaches execution. His lawyers, belonging to the Said Fayez Law Office, challenged the charges against him, considering that the authorities are prosecuting him for allegedly running an organization that does not even exist, and seeking to force him to abandon his Christian faith. The court postponed consideration of the case to 8 December 2026, with the defense to present its pleadings at the next session.
A record of arrests and detention
Abdel Razek's legal troubles go back several years. He was first arrested in 2023, on charges of publishing videos showing desecration of the Quran, and was later sentenced to one year in prison.
After his release, he travelled to Russia and applied for asylum, but was deported to Egypt after his application was rejected. The Egyptian authorities detained him again in 2024, before releasing him shortly afterwards. After resuming his public activity and publishing content addressing his conversion to Christianity and his attempts to obtain legal recognition of his religious status, he was arrested again in 2025. He has remained in detention since July of that year.
According to his lawyer, his detention has also raised serious concerns about his physical safety. They accuse the authorities of torturing him and depriving him of necessary medical care in 10th of Ramadan Prison, including keeping him in a painful position they described as resembling crucifixion.
His legal representatives also expressed concern about his health condition, noting that he has a heart stent, and that he has been deprived of necessary medical care.
The repercussions of the case were not limited to Egypt, but extended to the international level. British House of Lords member, Lord David Alton, confirmed on Monday that he had raised Abdel Razek's case inside the British Parliament, while the US State Department also conveyed its concerns about the case to Congress in June.
Previous cases of converts to Christianity
Abdel Razek's trial comes after a number of previous cases involving Egyptians who converted to Christianity after having been Muslims, or spoke publicly about religious conversion.
Among the most prominent of these cases is the case of Abdel Baki Said Abdo, a Yemeni refugee arrested in Cairo in December 2021, after appearing on a Christian television channel to talk about his conversion to Christianity and the difficulties Christians face in Yemen.
Abdo was charged with contempt of the Islamic religion and joining a terrorist organization. His activity within online groups supporting people considering converting to Christianity was also included in the case against him.
During his detention, which exceeded three years, his lawyers and international organizations concerned with freedom of religion and belief expressed concerns about the deterioration of his health and his alleged deprivation of medical treatment. He was released in January 2025, and later travelled with his family to Canada. However, the charges against him were not formally dropped. Another case involved Egyptian Christian activist Nour Girgis, who was also detained in 2021 over online activities promoting Christianity and addressing conversion issues. He was released alongside Abdo in January 2025, after spending more than three years in prison.The two cases showed how online religious discussions and support networks for people wishing to convert to Christianity can become grounds for prosecution under Egyptian blasphemy and counter-terrorism legislation.
Widespread violations in Iran
Similar concerns have emerged in Iran, where converts to Christianity from Islamic backgrounds face imprisonment, surveillance and prosecution for their religious activities, particularly participation in house churches and public expression of their faith.
SyriacPress had previously highlighted the case of Victor Bet Tamraz, an Assyrian pastor in Iran who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2017, for participating in founding a house church and missionary activities. His wife, Shamiram, also faced a prison sentence, while other members of his family faced pressure from the Iranian authorities. Bet Tamraz eventually left Iran in 2022, and headed to Switzerland. His case highlights the pressures faced not only by converts to Christianity, but also by members of ancient Christian communities in Iran, when they practise religious activities outside the restrictions imposed by the authorities. More recently, the general situation of converts to Christianity in Iran has continued to deteriorate. The Iranian authorities have intensified the use of national security and propaganda charges against converts to Christianity, and imposed prison sentences for participation in founding house churches, religious gatherings and Christian training activities. Unlike Egypt, where Christians are estimated to make up about one-tenth of the population, the officially recognized Christian denominations in Iran are far fewer in number, consisting mainly of Suraya (Syriac Chaldean Assyrian Arameans) and Armenians. Converts from Islam to Christianity do not enjoy the same recognition, and face particularly severe restrictions on practising their religious rituals publicly.
Freedom of religion and belief under scrutiny
Christians are estimated to make up about 10% of Egypt's population, making it home to one of the largest Christian communities in the Middle East and North Africa region. The vast majority of them belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, alongside the Catholic and Protestant denominations. The Egyptian Constitution guarantees freedom of belief, and the law does not officially prohibit conversion from Islam to Christianity. However, prosecutions under Article 98 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes contempt of religions, in addition to counter-terrorism and cybercrime legislation, have repeatedly raised concerns among international human rights organizations. The distinction between the right to practise a recognized religion and the ability to change religious affiliation remains one of the most controversial issues. The core issue currently raised in Abdel Razek's case is whether the court will accept the Public Prosecution's claims, or whether the defense will succeed in challenging a case which his lawyers say revolves essentially around his refusal to abandon Christianity.
With the December session approaching, his case has become a new test of Egypt's commitment to freedom of belief and the right of individuals to choose their religion and declare it publicly, without fear of imprisonment.

The Latest English LCCC analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on November 09-10/2026 /(Some of the News reports below are translated from Arabic by AI)
Is It Too Late to Save France?
Guy Millière/Gatestone Institute./November 09/2026
French police officers have been given orders that no rioter should be harmed, even those who directly threaten the life of an officer. Should a rioter be killed, authorities would view it as a major catastrophe... to defuse the situation, the officers responsible would almost certainly be imprisoned.
All rioters — even the most violent — enjoy virtually total impunity. Of the nearly 5,000 rioters who have been arrested since October 17, almost all were released within a few hours...The "great replacement" described by Renaud Camus is a reality that Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of France Unbowed, acknowledges— indeed welcomes —by suggesting that a "new" Muslim France is taking shape. American and Israeli flags are burned and trampled. Palestinian flags are seen everywhere. They have become a symbol of a destructive and murderous intent not only toward Israel and Jews — with Jewish-owned businesses specifically targeted — but also of support for violence against French authorities and a rejection of Western civilization. The police have told shopkeepers that their safety can no longer be guaranteed and advised them instead to hire expensive private security. It is an admission by the government that it is no longer willing or able to fully protect French individuals or property. France's public debt now exceeds 3.6 trillion euros (approximately 119% of GDP). In a few months, that figure will be even higher. Interest payments on the national debt have become the single largest item in the state budget.
Today, a pervasive sense of pessimism reigns over France. Polls state that 83% of those surveyed describe the future of their nation as hopeless, and 65% believe that Western civilization itself may be coming to an end. The situation across the rest of Europe has also not been improving. Leftist and Islamist riots have recently broken out in Germany, Italy, Albania, Spain, Belgium and Greece. All of Western Europe is grappling with mounting economic difficulties as well as uncontrolled migration. Unless a broad recovery takes place, Europe's greatly sneered-at "great replacement" might well soon be complete.
All rioters in France — even the most violent — enjoy virtually total impunity. Of the nearly 5,000 rioters who have been arrested since October 17, almost all were released within a few hours. November 7. Riots are still erupting in France's major cities, the fourth weekend in a row, perhaps only slightly less destructive than before. On October 19, the government imposed a curfew in many cities, then sent in police and water cannons. More than 3,000 shops — including several supermarkets — have been looted or destroyed. Stores that survived had boarded up their doors and windows, transforming the centers of Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other cities into bleak, barren ghost towns. The police, now mobilized to the limit, cannot indefinitely sustain this level of deployment. Their numbers are not unlimited, and individual officers cannot remain on duty without sleep. Police officers also cannot be expected to endure increasingly extreme violence. Since October 17, more than 2,000 officers have been wounded — some severely — and the numbers continue to rise. On October 31, firebombs were hurled at police officers, engulfing them in flames. The police were forced to retreat — in fact, flee. Even the firefighters trying to extinguish the flames were attacked. French police officers have been given orders that no rioter should be harmed, even those who directly threaten the life of an officer. Should a rioter be killed, authorities would view it as a major catastrophe — perhaps triggering a wider uprising across the country — and to defuse the situation, the officers responsible would almost certainly be imprisoned. Every police officer is aware of what happened to Florian M., the officer who, while attempting to arrest Nahel Merzouk, a young criminal of Arab descent, on June 27, 2023, accidentally killed him: The officer was arrested and charged with intentional homicide. The French police also see that arresting rioters is futile. All rioters — even the most violent — enjoy virtually total impunity. Of the nearly 5,000 rioters who have been arrested since October 17, almost all were released within a few hours, free to resume rioting. To date, around 200 have been brought before a judge and fewer than half have been convicted. Police officers can see that the French justice system is now largely in the hands of a far-left organization, the Magistrates' Union, whose positions align with those of La France Insoumise ("France Unbowed"), currently the leading left-wing party in France. The party's founding documents clearly state that its goal is to combat police repression and fight for "social justice" -- hardly to uphold law and order.
Far-left militias identifying with the Antifa movement, which train for street combat, are active in France. While the French intelligence services are aware of them, most of their members — even those classified as capable of threatening the security of the state — are not under surveillance. Hodei Docampo Ciarra, accused of burning down the magnificent Limoges town hall, is a repeat offender, previously convicted of assaulting and wounding a police officer, yet he was set free to reoffend. He was deemed dangerous, and has proven that he is.
A militia, "the Young Guard," is responsible for many serious assaults, as well as the murder in February of a 23-year-old Catholic man, Quentin Deranque, in Lyon. Two of the men accused of that murder are in prison awaiting trial. They had been parliamentary assistants to the militia's leader, Raphaël Arnault, a member of parliament for France Unbowed. Arnault was questioned by the police only a few days ago — eight months after the incident.
Several MPs and mayors from France Unbowed have called for insurrections and openly support the rioters.
For the last two decades, the number of Muslim immigrants in France has increased significantly. Even though many have acquired French nationality, the majority of Muslims living in France have not integrated. An increasing proportion — 57% of Muslims aged 18 to 24 who were polled — state that Sharia law is superior to the laws of the French Republic. Many live in no-go zones controlled by Muslim criminal gangs that sustain themselves through drug trafficking (France is in the process of becoming a "narco-state") — accompanied by radical imams who incite jihad as well as hatred of the native French people, France, its history, its architecture, its laws, everything about it. Members of these gangs carry out raids in the city centers of major French urban areas several times a year, attacking everything in their path. Although the collection of ethnic and religious statistics is prohibited in France, studies indicate that a minimum of ten million Muslims live in France and that 25% of children born in 2024-2025 were given Muslim first names — a proportion that continues to grow each year. The "great replacement" described by Renaud Camus is a reality that Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of France Unbowed, acknowledges— indeed welcomes —by suggesting that a "new" Muslim France is taking shape. While some rioters may belong to the far left, the majority appear to be Muslims and part of this "new" France — as can be seen in video footage filmed by the rioters themselves, complete with exclamations in the videos of "wallah" ("by Allah") and "bismillah" ("in the name of Allah"). American and Israeli flags are burned and trampled. Palestinian flags are seen everywhere. They have become a symbol of a destructive and murderous intent not only toward Israel and Jews — with Jewish-owned businesses specifically targeted — but also of support for violence against French authorities and a rejection of Western civilization.
In response to the images of the riots and looting that have gone viral, US President Donald J. Trump noted that France is being "besieged, looted, and set on fire by migrants." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of an "invasion of extremist Islam" in France. French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the remarks of "foreign leaders" as "unacceptable" and "stupid" and claimed that the images of riots in circulation were generated by artificial intelligence and that the incidents depicted had never taken place.
The shopkeepers whose stores were destroyed could see what was taking place. It happened to them. Many who were not insured against riots lost everything. Some have said their shops will remain closed. Others have sought bank loans to rebuild what was destroyed and restock their inventory. Most banks are afraid to offer loans, because further destruction is expected. Insurance companies that compensate those who were insured have warned that they will need to revise their terms and significantly increase premiums for coverage against riots and looting.
The police have told shopkeepers that their safety can no longer be guaranteed and advised them instead to hire expensive private security. It is an admission by the government that it is no longer willing or able to fully protect French individuals or property. On October 24 and 31, there were also home invasions involving violence and theft. Consequently, many shopkeepers, homeowners and renters have begun arming themselves. Since October 17, sales of defensive and hunting weapons at gun shops across the country have increased tenfold.
France is still in a truly dire economic situation. The cost of the October 17-18 riots alone has been estimated by the French government at 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion). Although the riots on October 31, November 5 and November 7 were less significant, their damage adds additional costs.
The economic fallout from the riots will amount to an even higher figure. Financial experts have estimated the cost at a minimum of 22 billion euros ($22 billion).
Meanwhile, commercial activity has collapsed. French agriculture and industry are struggling to survive. Tourism, which accounts for roughly eight percent of France's GDP, has been set back. Cancellations of flights to France and hotel bookings are mounting. No one, understandably, is stampeding to visit a country that looks like a war zone. Public spending has reached more than 57% of GDP — the highest rate in the developed world, alongside Finland — and there is little room for further increases. Redistributive spending accounts for 60% of budgetary outlays. Successive governments have run budget deficits every year since 1974, and France's public debt now exceeds 3.6 trillion euros (approximately 119% of GDP). In a few months, that figure will be even higher. Interest payments on the national debt have become the single largest item in the state budget. Economic growth is virtually non-existent. France's GDP fell by 0.1% in the third quarter of 2026. The French pension system is effectively bankrupt. It relies on a pay-as-you-go model where contributions from the current workforce fund the pensions of retirees. When the system was established in 1945, there were five workers for every retiree; today, that ratio has fallen to 1.7 workers per retiree. The French education system is also failing profoundly. France's standing in international educational rankings is in freefall — an alarming development in an era where intellectual capital is a critical asset.
With fewer than six months to go before France's next presidential election, the country appears to be on the brink of collapse.
Not since the end of the Second World War has it been in such a condition. In 1945, however, the French population held out hope for a recovery. Today, a pervasive sense of pessimism reigns over France. Polls state that 83% of those surveyed describe the future of their nation as hopeless, and 65% believe that Western civilization itself may be coming to an end. The French public's rejection of Macron is massive and deepening. His already-low approval rate has fallen even lower. He now enjoys a "favorable" rating from only 13% of the public. Eight out of ten French people consider him "a bad president." Since the legislative elections of 2024, the National Assembly has lacked a stable majority, leaving successive governments virtually unable to make any decisions. Polls indicate that no candidate from the parties that have governed France for the last 30 years would be able to secure enough votes in the first round to advance to the runoff. The second round will likely pit Mélenchon against Marine Le Pen of the National Rally party —with Le Pen currently projected to win in every poll.
Mélenchon can see he has no chance of winning, but he is a revolutionary: he seems to be counting on chaos to overturn existing institutions and then attempt to seize power. During the National Rally's 19th Congress on October 24 in Orléans, Le Pen, apparently seeking to encourage a sense of optimism, spoke of hope, national unity, and the rebirth of France. Her task, if she is elected, will not be easy. Riots might even intensify. A few months ago, France was still able to borrow money at a 3.2% interest rate. Now, the financial markets' lack of confidence is such that it can only borrow at a rate exceeding 5%. If interest rates rise much further, France will no longer be able to fulfill its payment obligations and will be placed under the supervision of the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB would impose drastic conditions, leaving any French government — regardless of its political stripe — with no other choice than to accept the ECB's decisions. Violence can occur anywhere, at any time. It can always be exploited -- by leftists, Islamists, and even Macron himself -- to further inflame any situation. On October 23, Kevin Tessier, a drug addict undergoing psychiatric treatment, opened fire with a submachine gun on Blacks and Arabs in the town of Trappes, a Muslim-majority suburb west of Paris. Tessier murdered a Black Christian man and seriously wounded a 12-year-old girl. Without waiting for the results of the investigation, Macron immediately paid a visit to the town's Islamist mayor, Ali Rabeh, at the time enjoying the company of Elias d'Imzalene — who, in 2024, had called for an "intifada in Paris and the French suburbs."
Macron said that the attack that had just taken place was "a turning point, because it is the first time we have had a terrorist act that was planned to kill our compatriots, our children, based on the color of their skin or their religion."
Macron apparently forgot that 16-year-old Thomas Perotto was murdered on November 19, 2023 by members of a Muslim gang — and that, in light of abundant evidence, the justice system ultimately acknowledged it as an act of anti-white racism. He also apparently forgot the Jews murdered in France since 2003 only because they were Jews: Sebastien Sellam; Ilan Halimi; Jonathan Sandler, his two sons, Gabriel and Arieh and Myriam Monsonego — all killed in Toulouse; Yohan Cohen, Philippe Braham, François-Michel Saada, and Yoav Hattab, murdered at a kosher supermarket in Saint-Mandé, as well as Sarah Halimi and Mireille Knoll. Tessier is not a member of a right-wing party. He even attended meetings in support of the "Palestinian cause" All the same, a few days later, Macron denounced "ambient racism," and pointed the finger at the National Rally party. Sofia Tizaoui, an activist for France Unbowed who had been invited on television, told Julien Odoul, a National Rally MP: "I want you to be a dead party." "France," stated American historian Victor Davis Hanson, "is headed for inevitable decline."If Le Pen becomes president and actually succeeds in restoring order and leading an economic and financial recovery, France may regain its strength. If she fails, France could continue to become a "third-world nation." The situation across the rest of Europe has also not been improving. Leftist and Islamist riots have recently broken out in Germany, Italy, Albania, Spain, Belgium and Greece. All of Western Europe is grappling with mounting economic difficulties as well as uncontrolled migration. Unless a broad recovery takes place, Europe's greatly sneered-at "great replacement" might well soon be complete. *Dr. Guy Millière, a professor at the University of Paris, is the author of 27 books on France and Europe.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22968/too-late-to-save-france
© 2026 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.

What Really Lost the US Mid-Term Election? President Trump's Failure to Win Iran's 47-Year War
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/November 09/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/159042/
Iran's participation in discussions about "regional peace" does not, in the slightest, indicate that the Iranian regime is prepared to abandon the policies that have helped it comfortably to destabilize the Middle East for decades. Had Saudi Arabia joined the Abraham Accords, it might have benefited from a really powerful security partnership – with Israel and the United States. Israel possesses extensive experience in intercepting missiles and drones, sophisticated intelligence capabilities and advanced military technology. Combined with American military power, these capabilities could have offered Saudi Arabia a level of protection and security cooperation that Turkey and Pakistan are unlikely to match. Riyadh's refusal to take that step has left the kingdom pursuing alternative security arrangements whose effectiveness seems hapless at best. If Saudi Arabia cannot count on its partners to demonstrate military solidarity when it is attacked, what exactly is the purpose of the [Mecca Joint Defense Agreement]? Rather than demonstrating that attacks against Saudi Arabia carry consequences for Iran and its proxies, the three countries appeared to be asking -- if not begging -- Iran for permission, or at least appealing to its goodwill, to stop the attacks. The Iranian regime doubtless -- and understandably -- interprets such diplomatic efforts not as evidence of regional strength, but as a sign that its neighbors are scared and reluctant to confront it.
For a regime such as Iran's that has repeatedly used military threats and proxy warfare to advance its interests, an approach based primarily on appeals and negotiations only reinforces that intimidation and terrorism work. The international community should not confuse the eagerness of Iranian officials to host diplomatic meetings with any meaningful change in the regime's dangerous regional policies. There can be no lasting regional security of any kind while the current Iranian regime, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, retains the ability to threaten its neighbors through armed proxies, maintain its program to acquire nuclear weapons, and brutalize its own people. US President Donald J. Trump, unless he truly finishes the war that Iran started 47 years ago instead of just saying he did -- and eliminates Iran's bloodthirsty regime -- will sadly go down in history as a failure rather than as one of the great leaders of all time. This can happen only if he eliminates not just Iran's nuclear threat but also eliminates Iran's current regime. Otherwise we will all be here in ten minutes to deal with Iran's new nuclear program again. Trump's party did not lose the midterm elections because of the war; they lost it because he actually chose not to win it. He evidently allowed himself to be persuaded by Vice President JD Vance and other isolationists that diplomacy with terrorists can be a viable plan. As Trump himself might say, "That is not how it works." Iran already proved as much with the fatal delay caused by the catastrophic Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding that Vance negotiated and that did not make it to sun-up.
Trump and other international leaders in Europe and the Middle East need to stop treating the Iranian regime as a potential partner in "regional stability" and start treating it as the principal source of instability that they must finish confronting -- not accommodating. Had Saudi Arabia joined the Abraham Accords, it might have benefited from a really powerful security partnership – with Israel and the United States. The October 26, 2026 meeting in Tehran between senior officials from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan exposed one of the biggest burlesques in the Middle East's emerging security arrangements: countries seeking protection against Iranian aggression are simultaneously negotiating with the Iranian regime about regional security. They seem to imagine that they are hedging their bets. Saudi Arabia, which has faced threats from Iran and attacks by Tehran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, is looking to Turkey and Pakistan for additional security guarantees. The three countries signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement (MJDA) in August, apparently hoping to establish a regional security framework that would strengthen their ability to defend themselves and reduce their dependence on outside powers.
Yet representatives of all three countries immediately traveled to Tehran to meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials in a seeming effort to quell the conflict.
How could diplomacy – always considered a form of cringing weakness by expansionist rulers such as Iran's – produce any kind of security so long as they continued to support armed militias and proxy groups throughout the Middle East? Iran's participation in discussions about "regional peace" does not, in the slightest, indicate that the Iranian regime is prepared to abandon the policies that have helped it comfortably to destabilize the Middle East for decades. Even as the delegations gathered in Tehran, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis were launching new attacks against Saudi Arabia, including reported strikes targeting the kingdom's oil infrastructure and Riyadh airport. Saudi Arabia was actually negotiating with the Iranian leadership while facing attacks from one of the armed groups sponsored by Iran. The MJDA, signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, supposedly treats any armed attack against one member as an attack against all.
The agreement, however, only raises questions about its members. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long sought to expand Turkey's influence in the Middle East and the wider Muslim world. Pakistan, meanwhile, which, in sham judicial proceedings, keeps allowing underaged Christian girls to be abducted into forced marriages with Muslim men (here, here and here) and sentences people to death for alleged "blasphemy" (here, here, here and here) has positioned itself as a righteous intermediary between Washington and Tehran. Saudi Arabia is just looking for additional protection after the war exposed the vulnerability of its territory and critical oil infrastructure. As Saudi Arabia came under attack from the Houthis, neither Turkey nor Pakistan publicly demonstrated the kind of military support that the Saudis might have expected from their new defense partners. Instead, the kingdom's senior representatives rushed to Tehran to negotiate -- seemingly Iran's favorite pastime: talk, talk, talk to run out the clock.
Had Saudi Arabia joined the Abraham Accords, it might have benefited from a really powerful security partnership – with Israel and the United States. Israel possesses extensive experience in intercepting missiles and drones, sophisticated intelligence capabilities and advanced military technology. Combined with American military power, these capabilities could have offered Saudi Arabia a level of protection and security cooperation that Turkey and Pakistan are unlikely to match. Riyadh's refusal to take that step has left the kingdom pursuing alternative security arrangements whose effectiveness seems hapless at best.
If Saudi Arabia cannot count on its partners to demonstrate military solidarity when it is attacked, what exactly is the purpose of the MJDA? Rather than demonstrating that attacks against Saudi Arabia carry consequences for Iran and its proxies, the three countries appeared to be asking -- if not begging -- Iran for permission, or at least appealing to its goodwill, to stop the attacks. The Iranian regime doubtless -- and understandably -- interprets such diplomatic efforts not as evidence of regional strength, but as a sign that its neighbors are scared and reluctant to confront it.
For a regime such as Iran's that has repeatedly used military threats and proxy warfare to advance its interests, an approach based primarily on appeals and negotiations only reinforces that intimidation and terrorism work.
Iranian security officials immediately appeared eager to portray the October 26 meeting as a diplomatic triumph. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's National Security Council, claimed that the visit demonstrated that American threats had little influence on countries around the world. He described the meeting as evidence of a "new and positive atmosphere" in the region. For whom?
Such statements should be treated with caution. The Iranian regime has an obvious interest in presenting diplomatic engagement with its neighbors as recognition of its regional importance, particularly after years of confrontation with Israel, the United States, and its Arab neighbors.
What, however, does their version of regional security actually mean? Will Iran agree to stop supporting armed militias in Iraq, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen? Will it end its financial, military, and logistical assistance to Palestinian terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad? Will the Iranian regime accept that its neighbors have the right to defend themselves against threats emanating from Iran-backed groups? Without addressing these issues, regional security is really nothing more than a diplomatic joke. Iran cannot reasonably demand that neighboring countries respect its security while continuing to support armed organizations that threaten their security. The international community should not confuse the eagerness of Iranian officials to host diplomatic meetings with any meaningful change in the regime's dangerous regional policies.
There can be no lasting regional security of any kind while the current Iranian regime, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, retains the ability to threaten its neighbors through armed proxies, maintain its program to acquire nuclear weapons, and brutalize its own people.
US President Donald J. Trump, unless he truly finishes the war that Iran started 47 years ago instead of just saying he did -- and eliminates Iran's bloodthirsty regime -- will sadly go down in history as a failure rather than as one of the great leaders of all time. This can happen only if he eliminates not just Iran's nuclear threat but also eliminates Iran's current regime. Otherwise we will all be here in ten minutes to deal with Iran's new nuclear program again.
Trump's party did not lose the midterm elections because of the war; they lost it because he actually chose not to win it. He evidently allowed himself to be persuaded by Vice President JD Vance and other isolationists that diplomacy with terrorists can be a viable plan. As Trump himself might say, "That is not how it works." Iran already proved as much with the fatal delay caused by the catastrophic Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding that Vance negotiated and that did not make it to sun-up. It is to be hoped that Trump will finally put this adolescent dream of negotiating with terrorists to rest and prove to the world that he really is the great historical president, which is why people elected him in the first place. They clearly hoped that he would complete solving the problems before him, not just leave them half-finished. Trump and other international leaders in Europe and the Middle East need to stop treating the Iranian regime as a potential partner in "regional stability" and start treating it as the principal source of instability that they must finish confronting -- not accommodating.
*Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
*Follow Khaled Abu Toameh on X (formerly Twitter)
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22970/trump-failure-to-win-iran-war
© 2026 Gatestone Institute

Iran… The Whole Picture
Sawsan al-Shaer/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
Any negotiation with Iran that bypasses its "project" in its entirety is futile, and will yield no tangible results for the future security of the region, its stability, or the safety of its waterways. The Iranian project is what stands between Tehran and the security of the Arab states. Attempting to restrain Iran's conduct through any single instrument of that project is a piecemeal approach that distorts the assessment of the real danger the project poses. It amounts to a perpetual deferral of the problem, as has been the practice for decades. Confining weapons to the hands of the state in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen should be a priority on a par with the nuclear file. Without both, the project will not come to an end. It is the established practice of negotiating each of these files separately that sustains and protects it.The nuclear file, the proxies file, and the file of missile and drone threats are all instruments of the project. Negotiating any one of them in isolation, or negotiating them piecemeal, drains the process of its substance and keeps Iran's sword hanging over the region. This serves the Iranian project, whose foundations were laid on the first day of Khomeini's rule and enshrined in the constitution under the banner of "exporting the revolution and supporting the oppressed." Iran's entire armament, the establishment of the Revolutionary Guard, its proxies, and the nuclear file alongside them were all designed to serve and advance this project. Yet all parties have been drawn into the trap Tehran set: the separation of the files and their distribution across distinct negotiations, while Iran has ensured that they are never consolidated and negotiated together. A case in point is the nuclear agreement the United States concluded with Iran under President Obama in 2015. Tehran then concentrated on financing terrorist groups, including the Houthis, Hezbollah, and the Iraqi factions loyal to it, with funds released by the American administration in return for Iran's acceptance of reduced and slowed enrichment for a number of years and the return of inspectors.
The agreement served the project: the project endured, and its other instruments were reinforced, in exchange for slowing only one of them. Iran is pursuing the same course today. It is negotiating the opening of the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a ceasefire and may yet sacrifice one of its instruments so that the project and its remaining instruments stay beyond the reach of negotiation. There is a fundamental difference between negotiating with Iran to improve its conduct in each of these files separately and negotiating an end to its project. Any party negotiating with Iran must keep the whole picture in view. Nothing will change if Iran improves its conduct with respect to one instrument of the project while strengthening the others. The restoration of the national state, with weapons confined to its hands, in Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen is no less grave a file than the nuclear one, and no less grave than the persisting intent to use missiles and drones against the infrastructure of Arab states. All fall under a single Iranian heading: "the Iranian project."

American Democracy Corrects Its Own Faults
Sam Menassa/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
The results of the US midterms went well beyond the usual swing of seats between the two parties. They amounted to a blue tsunami that turned the balance of power upside down. By taking both chambers of Congress and breaking into Republican strongholds, the Democrats delivered a sweeping message of protest against the administration's performance and against President Donald Trump's approach. Every district has its particulars, but the losses were too widespread to put down to weak candidates or campaign mistakes. The elections became a political reckoning with a president whose personalization of the contest made him a direct partner in the defeat. What do these results reveal about the changing mood of American voters, and what lessons do they hold for the administration and for both parties? These questions matter because of the nature of the present moment, in which America's political and social divisions go beyond disagreements over policy to disputes over the rules of democratic practice and the legitimacy of institutions.
The damage shows in a growing Republican current that refuses to accept electoral defeat, whose most dangerous expression was the 2021 attack on Congress, and in the widening gap between institutional decisions and public opinion, as Supreme Court rulings lacking broad popular support have shown. The results should therefore be read against the threats American democracy has faced in recent years, which have tested its capacity to protect the peaceful transfer of power. The first lesson is that US democracy corrects itself, offering a direct rebuttal to the majority of voices proclaiming the decline of the American era and a broader crisis of democracy. Just two years after granting the president a mandate, voters successfully redistributed power and restricted its exercise, reflecting a clear rejection of an unusual drift toward authoritarianism - despite the broad powers granted to the president by the constitution. While this mechanism alone does not resolve the debate over the future of American power or negate the structural challenges facing democracy, it demonstrates that both society and its institutions retain the capacity to check political imbalances. Elections, therefore, test not only the viability of gaining power, but also the viability of holding it accountable. The second is the collapse of the bet on money and corporate titans as the makers of political victory. The ability to fund campaigns and own platforms cannot buy a popular mandate. More important, the entanglement of power and wealth can backfire when voters feel the state is being run from a narrow circle and that big donors wield exceptional influence over decisions. Their presence then becomes an electoral liability, and the vote a protest against power being harnessed to private interests.
The third factor is that the economy is a primary driver of accountability, though it does not fully explain it. Voters evaluate policies based on their ability to meet daily needs and the gap between promises and actual results. When living pressures continue, rhetoric asking for patience or claiming general economic indicators exceed personal experiences loses its impact. Furthermore, economic anxiety blends with objections to governance methods and rights violations; for example, backing immigration control does not mean endorsing police actions that ignore legal protections.
The fourth is that concentrating power degrades the quality of decisions and the administration's ability to correct its mistakes. A president needs institutions that review his choices and officials who set out the risks, costs, and alternatives frankly. The more personal loyalty takes precedence over competence and professional independence, the less likely warnings are to be heard in time. This applies to the military, diplomatic, and intelligence establishments, whose job requires them to offer assessments that may run against the political leadership's wishes. Weakening the checks does not merely widen the president's freedom; it increases the likelihood of decisions whose consequences are hard to undo. The fifth lesson is that foreign policy enters the core of domestic calculations once its costs become tangible. Wars impact the lives of citizens through energy prices, public spending, casualties, and their sense of security. They also affect public confidence in the leadership's ability to define priorities and protect American interests. The power of the United States is measured not merely by possessing power and viewing it as a victory in itself, but also by its capacity to achieve realistic political objectives, maintain alliances, and dictate the terms for ending confrontations. Conversely, ambiguous objectives and vacillation between escalation and retreat confuse allies and allow adversaries to exploit time and internal contradictions. A reassessment becomes necessary when the gap between military capability and political outcomes widens. This moment provides an opportunity to review US policy from Ukraine to Iran and Palestine. The sixth is that electoral victory opens the door to correction but does not guarantee it. Defeat may push Trump to rethink his choices and negotiate with Congress, or it may push him to escalate the confrontation and rely more heavily on his executive powers. The Democrats, for their part, are now responsible for turning popular protest into convincing performance. A vote to punish the Republicans is not an open mandate for their opponents. The winners will be tested by their ability to combine serious oversight with providing solutions to the issues that mobilized voters. The American voter has redrawn the boundaries of the mandate. The question remains whether the administration will absorb the message and reassess its approach, and whether its opponents will translate their victory into meaningful correction.
Finally, democracy does not prevail because it makes no mistakes. It endures because it can correct them.

Eisenkot and Netanyahu’s Heavy Shadow
Nabil Amr/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
Since the founding of the Jewish state in the middle of the last century, the transition of power between political rivals has proceeded smoothly and systematically, governed by strict adherence to the laws regulating it, without those defeated in elections daring to question the results.
However, things changed during the Netanyahu era, as Israel witnessed, for the first time in its history, a prime minister who dared to alter the state by modifying the functions of its primary institutions and replacing figures presumed to be pillars of the system whenever it became clear that they opposed his absolute control over decision-making. During his prolonged tenure, the state came close to being entirely retrofitted to serve his governing interests and the requirements of his political survival at the absolute center of power. Due to the political class's inability to produce a leader whose capabilities exceed or even rival those of Netanyahu, the public took charge of the desired change. This manifested when Netanyahu initiated what he termed a "judicial reform revolution," which Israelis discovered to be a radical coup dictated by his personal interests. Under existing laws and traditions, the judiciary would inevitably send him home or to prison as a result of the massive, proven corruption cases against him, from which he has no escape. At the time, the streets of major cities filled with demonstrators, and the popular protest spread to the military and the air force. The administration of then-US President Joe Biden sided with the protesters and barred Netanyahu from the White House. The popular protests escalated to the point of blocking his route to the airport, forcing him to use a military helicopter to transport him from his residence. The political mystique of the wizard Netanyahu wavered on the brink of collapse, until the October 7, 2023 operation descended upon him as a geopolitical lifeline. Instead of being ousted by the popular uprising against him, he consolidated his influence by cementing his role as the leader of a war he framed as “existential”. Consequently, the leader who was once barred from the White House became a focal point of high-level visits by the upper echelons of the US administration, led by President Biden. A profound shift occurred in the wake of the October 7, 2023 earthquake. Most of the reservations about him were lifted or deferred, the streets emptied of protesters against him, and he cast himself as Israel's savior from an existential threat that left no room for the luxury of contemplating his replacement, or even opposing him.
Since that earthquake, favorable domestic conditions emerged for Netanyahu to rule unilaterally, backed by a parliamentary coalition that views him as the strongest guarantor of its partners' interests. He relied on a parliamentary majority that could not be bypassed except through a different majority, which the latest elections successfully produced. However, this came with a crippling complication: the majority was secured by Arab lists, whose role in forming Israeli governments is traditionally viewed with reservation, except under compelling exceptions that have occurred only a few times.
The Eisenkot phenomenon emerged directly from the fallout of the Netanyahu era, driven by the pressing need to stem the military, financial, and political hemorrhaging that the state has endured without any viable exit strategies. The political newcomer's ascent was propelled by several key factors: first, his audacity in directly challenging the Netanyahu phenomenon to the point of explicitly pledging to oust him - a sharp contrast to his former ally Benny Gantz, who conceded power to Netanyahu under the banner of partnership.
Second, his personal and professional record remains entirely untarnished by the controversies that saturate Netanyahu’s tenure. Third, a significant segment of Israeli voters harbors a deep nostalgia for a successful and well-reputed general at the helm of government, alongside the notable impact of him potentially becoming the first prime minister of eastern origin. However, since drawing a sharp contrast between himself and Netanyahu, Eisenkot has been thrust into a fierce, premature battle with broad and influential Zionist sectors. Throughout the government-formation consultations, these factions have made it clear that they view Netanyahu as Israel’s most qualified supreme leader. They contend that he secured the "Zionist majority," which they elevate above the technical majority achieved through Arab votes. Netanyahu regards this ideological backing as his most valuable asset in his existential struggle against Eisenkot and his allies. This has driven him to aggressively push for the creation of a purely Zionist government - an objective he will continuously pursue. To achieve this, his only remaining strategy is to deploy his maximum capacity for political sabotage and obstruction at every turn.
Since his ascent, Eisenkot has successfully navigated the hurdles placed in his path. First among these were the challenges from figures within his own coalition who openly contested his leadership. Second was Netanyahu’s exploitation of his ideological "Zionist superiority." Eisenkot also succeeded in securing the backing of the decisive Arab bloc, which granted him a distinct advantage during the president's consultations. However, the obstacles he has overcome appear less formidable than those he must navigate during the government-formation process and the implementation of the structural changes he promised during his campaign. Should his government successfully take shape with Netanyahu relegated to the opposition, the ousted leader will undoubtedly deploy new, potent barriers against his rival. Herein lies the definitive test of Eisenkot's ability to fulfill the promise of change that propelled his victory.
For this change to be tangible and globally accepted, it must manifest through a new policy toward the Palestinians and their cause. This alone will determine the credibility of the prime minister who unseated Netanyahu, and whether he merits the world's welcome and its cooperation.

The Petty Thief and the Master Thief
Ghassan Charbel/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
I was turning over potential topics to write about this week. The Middle East is a goldmine - never sparing its people from horrors, nor journalists from subject matter. Gadi Eisenkot has been tasked with forming the Israeli government after Benjamin Netanyahu broke the record for the longest tenure in the prime minister's office, shattering many other things along with it. The animosity toward Netanyahu has coalesced into a torrent, casting Eisenkot in the role of a savior. However, this reserved general, who lacks the knack for theatricality and media flair, faces a monumental task to extract political life from the heavy shadow of Netanyahu. Some believe he needs a resounding war to reassure Israelis and help them rid themselves of Netanyahu's ghost. During the government formation process, the Prime Minister-designate will navigate a minefield, facing the ambitions of coalition partners eyeing the premiership, the tactical traps set by the Likud leader, and the heavy uncertainty looming over both Washington and Tel Aviv. Another region-centric topic worthy of coverage is the decision by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) to establish the "Iron Gate" task force. The decision aims to prevent Iran from acquiring advanced weaponry, dual-use technologies, or sanctioned materials through land crossings. This ambition is highly complex, given the divergent stances of Iran's neighbors, the unique intricacies of the Caspian Sea issue, and the Russian-Iranian nexus in that arena.
Furthermore, the step raises questions as to whether it serves as an alternative to a new round of war against Iran, keeping in mind that it requires a long time to bear fruit, assuming it succeeds. It is no secret that such a wait would be costly for the countries involved in this conflict and its fallout.
I was weighing these two topics when I received a gracious call from an Iraqi friend who remains steadfast in his long-standing fondness for Beirut. He inquired about the truth of reports he had read regarding a surge in purse-snatching and muggings on certain streets of the Lebanese capital, noting that some of these incidents involved the use of guns or knives. I replied that pickpocketing is a global phenomenon, reminding him of the exploits of watch and phone thieves on the streets of London and numerous European cities. The caller laughed, remarking that pickpockets in Beirut remain modest amateurs who might need a training course to expand their horizons and operations.
The caller remarked that the contemporary world belongs to pickpockets, noting that from the perspective of international law, the removal of Nicolas Maduro from the Venezuelan presidential palace constitutes a full-fledged act of theft. He added that the world is currently witnessing a horrific heist, as Putin's Russia openly declares its determination to seize 20 percent of the territory of Ukraine - a country whose existence and international borders are globally recognized. No one punished Donald Trump for his actions in Caracas, and no one will punish Putin for his actions in Kyiv. The world penalizes petty thieves while bowing to the will of the major ones. The conversation went on. The Middle East has witnessed terrifying acts of theft. In the 1967 war, Israel seized the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and Sinai. It refused to return the stolen territories, with the exception of Sinai in exchange for a ransom: Egypt's exit from the military dimension of the conflict. Under Netanyahu, Israel practiced theft on an unprecedented scale. The "security zones" it establishes on the territory of Lebanon and Syria and inside Gaza are acts of theft accompanied by a scorched-earth policy and acts of genocide. In the West Bank, fanatical settlers undertake the theft of lands and crops. The fracture of the international system is a danger as perilous as the erosion of state authority within national borders. Fractured states face existential threats to both their present and their future. Among these dangers is the seizure of the decision-making power over war and peace by armed factions from the hands of legitimate established governments. This means factions are successfully transforming entire maps into missile and drone launching pads, and into arenas for wars that far exceed their state's capacity to endure.
The caller argued that terrifying geographic maps, closing straits, and causing spikes in fuel and food prices worldwide also fall under the category of theft. Similarly included in this category are violating state sovereignty, destabilizing nations, and establishing micro-armies within them that plunder economic resources to forcefully hijack roles and influence.
I rebuked my friend and accused him of going too far. He said he was speaking out of bitterness because Iraq had suffered the most extensive heist since World War II, surpassing what Russia witnessed following the suicide of the Soviet Union. He added that thieves had plundered more than 500 billion dollars from Iraq's public funds. He reminded me of the piles of cash and gold recently uncovered in the hideouts of several corrupt officials, following efforts by the government of Ali al-Zaidi to halt the plundering of public funds. He also noted that he was among the victims of the brazen financial heist witnessed in Lebanon, where citizens' bank deposits were effectively stolen. This wiped out the lifelong savings of ordinary citizens and the modest pensions retirees had counted on to sustain them in their final years. How harrowing it is to live in an era dominated by thieves! While most governments can confront petty pickpockets targeting a phone, a handbag, or a handful of dollars, many hesitate to challenge the sharks. These master thieves possess vast arsenals and sit directly within parliaments or operate through proxies, wielding the power to topple governments should anyone attempt to reclaim public funds from their grip.
The only path to escaping these master thieves lies in returning to a strict respect for international law, state sovereignty, and internationally recognized borders, while halting policies of blackmail and the hijacking of sovereign decision-making in world capitals. Within nations, the only solution is the rule of law and robust institution-building. The era of the thieves has endured for far too long.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Yemen
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed/Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper/ November 09/2026
I have no doubt that the Houthi militia is a creation of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and operates under its management, making the strategies of both sides inseparable. Iran and its supporters deny this connection because they want the group to be perceived as a domestic Yemeni faction fighting within a local conflict. Politically and militarily, the Houthi movement was engineered by the IRGC in the same way as Iraq's Hezbollah and Lebanon's Hezbollah - a reality that remains unchanged by its status as a Yemeni front. Historically, this tribal faction possessed neither a political project nor military capabilities beyond its native Saada governorate. It lacked any experience in running security apparatuses, government facilities, or even media outlets. Al-Masirah, the Houthis' primary television network, is operated from the southern suburb of Beirut. The origin dates back to the 1990s, when Iran selected the Houthi movement due to its location on the southern Saudi border. Adopting the exact methodology used with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran singled out this Yemeni group. Since 1994, Iran began receiving delegations of Houthi students in Qom, forging theological and personal ties with them. By the late 1990s, the Houthis adopted a rhetoric that replicated the Iranian narrative, centered on fighting Jews and America. The concept of the "Leader of the Revolution", then Hussein al-Houthi, was similarly replicated, elevating his status above official institutions. Following the death of his father, Abdul-Malik was selected as the group's leader, having previously maintained a special relationship with and frequent visits to Iran. Iran appears to have developed the Houthi movement from a border militant group on the Saudi frontier into a project aimed at governing all of Yemen, capitalizing on the 2011 Arab Spring unrest in the country. A jihad council modeled after that of Hezbollah was established, incorporating a deputy and an assistant from the Lebanese Hezbollah. Through these advisors, military training and logistics were coordinated, according to a study published by the West Point institute.
In 2012, Iran established the Al-Masirah television station in Beirut. It placed the capabilities of Hezbollah at the service of the Houthi movement to come up with legal narratives for international and human rights organizations, as well as to engage with the international media.
The most compelling evidence of Houthi subordination emerged in 2013, when the US Treasury announced that Khalil Yusif Harb had overseen Hezbollah's operations in Yemen and coordinated financial transfers to the group. That same year, the vessel “Jihan” was intercepted carrying Iranian weapons and explosives. While UN investigators noted a lack of definitive proof that the Houthis were the final destination, no other Yemeni faction maintained ties with Iran. The alignment was subsequently confirmed by Iranian lawmaker Alireza Zakani, who declared Sana'a the fourth Arab capital, joining Baghdad, Damascus, and Beirut, to fall under the mantle of the Iranian revolution.
Evidence linking the Houthi movement to Iran has steadily accumulated, culminating in a 2016 Conflict Armament Research report that matched "Qasef-1" drones to Iranian design, manufacturing, and serial numbers. Subsequent military studies, including ones from West Point, proved that the missiles, drone boats, and explosives in the Houthis' possession are Iranian. This indicates a transfer of specialized capabilities that enable them to strike distant targets and threaten shipping beyond Yemen's borders, confirming that the group, much like Lebanon's Hezbollah, is an arm of Iran's Quds Force.
Iran's fingerprints are clearly evident in the current war in Yemen through the utilization of tunnels, fortifications, and mines, demonstrating that it is the true mastermind while the Houthi militia acts merely as its proxy. Politically, the Iranians state that they are responsible for the Houthis, and they have repeatedly told the Saudis that they must negotiate with them in Tehran if they wish to arrange a solution in Yemen. In August 2018, Revolutionary Guard commander Nasser Shabani declared: “We asked the Yemenis to strike two Saudi oil tankers, and they did.” That same year, the US State Department designated Lebanese Hezbollah military commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai as a wanted individual for overseeing the formation of Hezbollah special forces in Syria and Yemen, while also naming Abdul Reza Shahlai as a Sanaa-based Quds Force commander. Furthermore, the Treasury revealed that tens of millions of dollars are funneled to the Houthis via Iranian intermediaries and exchange networks, establishing the existence of a structured, cross-border financial apparatus. Following the targeting of navigation in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Tehran confirmed that closing the strait is part of its strategy. Reuters, citing regional and Iranian sources, reported that commanders from the Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah are present in Yemen to assist in directing maritime attacks, providing targeting data, and identifying vessels. Iran no longer conceals that it arms, directs, and fights alongside the Houthis as part of its strategy in the ongoing conflict.

What After the Election Results in Israel and the United States?
Colonel Charbel Barakat/November 09/2026
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/2026/11/159037/
The recent Israeli elections produced an embarrassing situation for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as he was unable to form a political alliance enabling him to establish a government. This may tip the scales in favor of former Chief of Staff and leader of the "Yesh Atid" party, General Gadi Eisenkot, to form a government with the support of Arab MKs—a sensitive issue in the Israeli street. Arab MKs differ in their aspirations from the state project, which Jewish residents believe was established to protect them and ensure their continuity, while Arabs view it as having usurped Palestinian rights.
Jewish residents in Israel witnessed firsthand general Arab positions—whether in the Palestinian territories, among Arab citizens inside Israel, or across the Arab world surrounding them—during the twenty days following the attack, which was said to be the "key to liberating Palestine from the river to the sea and returning Jews to the countries they came from." This was the ultimatum given by Israel to neighboring Arab countries and the rest of the world for anyone to propose solutions and initiatives, or for world leaders and peoples to condemn Hamas's actions, before the Israeli military machine began its movement around Gaza in response to the so-called "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation launched by the movement on October 7, 2023, which led to ongoing wars without definitive results.
Despite all the cruelty and sacrifices, Hamas has neither ended nor acknowledged its responsibility for igniting the war, nor has it agreed to surrender its arms and exit the political life of Gaza's residents, as Israel demanded. President Trump's intervention to establish a "Global Peace Council" did not yield tangible results. Hamas still holds the people of Gaza by the throat and controls life there. Meanwhile, the humanitarian consequences for Palestinian civilians were deeply painful, whether in the death toll or the massive destruction inflicted on the city, as was the case for the Jewish farming communities surrounding the strip, where casualties exceeded 1,200 victims and over 300 hostages, most of whom returned after the ceasefire announced by President Trump.
As long as none of the parties forming one of the two major blocs defects, Arab party support will be the key to forming a government led by Eisenkot or moving toward a national unity government in which everyone participates. Pending the formation of this government—which may not happen anytime soon, could take several months, or might necessitate new elections—political conditions and military decisions will remain in the hands of a caretaker government headed by Mr. Netanyahu until a new government is formed. However, this caretaker government will not be able to manage state affairs in many areas; rather, it will be obligated to consult with the leader of the largest parliamentary bloc on fateful military decisions.
As for the situation with Iran—which was characterized by Israel's fear of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons and its pursuit to persuade the mullahs' government to abandon them through multiple attempts by the United States and European countries—adherence to this issue has intensified following the military operations carried out by Israel and the US in Iran over the past two years. Despite all pressures, neither the international community nor the Gulf states have succeeded in
persuading the Iranians to abandon the idea, accept the status quo, and return to negotiations that could lead to an agreement ending high enrichment capabilities usable in nuclear weapons programs. Hence, the fear of renewed fighting remains the dominant sentiment.
Will Israelis remain silent under Eisenkot—if he manages to form a government—and agree to turn a blind eye to this looming threat from the east, having experienced in past wars the reach of Iranian ballistic capabilities that can hit anywhere in Israel? Bringing an end to the Jewish state would require no more than a single nuclear explosion that paralyzes movement, poisons the atmosphere, and causes destruction too vast to overcome, thereby fulfilling Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's famous quote that it is indeed "weaker than a spider's web"?
Or will Eisenkot—the former chief of staff who previously worked with Netanyahu, the author of the "Dahiya doctrine" (striking the Dahiya suburb in response to any Hezbollah aggression), and someone who certainly will not pander to President Trump, having opposed him in the elections—accept letting Israel face destruction by Iran to satisfy ambitions and projects that disregard its interests?
The coming days will be decisive for Israel's future, and it does not seem it will secure neutrality from major threats through regional or international agreements. Here are the Arabs, led by Saudi Arabia—which suffers from Houthi attacks on its territory—appeasing Iran and joining an alliance that includes nuclear Pakistan and Erdogan, who still dreams of the Ottoman Empire and re-extending its influence over land and sea, emboldened by the Muslim Brotherhood. Like the Ottomans, they believe the Islamic Caliphate is above states, that Islam is both a religion and a state, and that the Caliph residing in Istanbul will impose his mandate over all. How will the Children of Israel stand before God when they failed to keep the covenant or free themselves from the bondage of power and numbers?
The coming days—especially after President Trump's capabilities were somewhat curtailed by the US election results—will show whether Iran will adhere to its decisions and assert control over shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. This would serve as an indicator of the success of its strategy of obstinacy in negotiations, alongside the gradual retreat of American military pressure upon it, which will undoubtedly lead it to hold onto its nuclear and missile programs and maintain the proxy arms through which it continues to exert multi-faceted pressures on its adversaries. Alternatively, the US administration may gradually back down from pursuing a tight economic blockade, leading—under domestic election pressures and the interests of certain American economic blocs—to the release of frozen funds in exchange for the participation of certain American companies in projects inside Iran.
Will Israel turn a blind eye with the fading of Netanyahu's influence and his persistent demands to halt Iran's nuclear project? Or were Netanyahu's statements not merely his own brainchild, but rather influenced by Israeli research centers that closely monitor developments and guide officials regarding looming state threats to prevent falling victim to them? Thus, a change at the top of power will not mark the end of long-term vision; rather, it may become a change in tactics coupled with persistent caution and preparation for all possible scenarios. And if President Trump reined in President Netanyahu's actions through coordination between them, who will restrain Eisenkot's decisions? The Arab MKs?

Selected Face Book & X tweets on November 09/2026
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
Lebanese Muslim cleric says Hezbollah is a partner in the new political era that has started with the midterm election in the United States.
Islamic Iran and its proxies have been celebrating what they see as their own victory in the U.S. midterm election since Tuesday, preaching a reverse in their fortunes.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain
I’m a fan of this woman. If Lebanon were a normal country, she should have been the prime minister (I know she’s Shia and PM must be Sunni). But again, I said if Lebanon were a normal country, or even a country at all. Unfortunately, it is not. It’s a piece of land where might is right.
Quote
Malak
مؤسسة الجيش هي الضمانة الوحيدة لبقاء بلد اسمه لبنان، هي حرفياً الخرطوشة الأخيرة، لهيك الحفاظ على تماسكها أكثر من ضروري لو شو ما كانت الظروف لكن الجيش كمؤسسة انرسمت كصورة كتير مثالية بذهن اللبنانيين ومؤخراً بلشوا يكتشفوا انه الجيش ما بيختلف عن باقي مؤسسات الدولة وبدو تنظيف:

Pamela Hensley
Abdul El-Sayed just said, "Michigan is the capital of Arab America."
Michigan has been conquered. Not by a sword, but by stupidity.

The 12th Juror
As we step into the new week. Remember the persecuted Christians around the world by Islam. Especially our brothers and sisters in Northern Nigeri

https://x.com/Israel_Alma_org/status/2119786205990605162/video/1
Lebanese Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal says Israel is the main problem - while ruling out internal armed conflict. In practice, that means no confrontation with Hezbollah. So who is Israel expected to rely on to enforce the ceasefire?
Alberto Miguel Fernandez
"At least 180 other Christians are being held by the [Egyptian] authorities on similarly dubious charges."

Marc /@marcsplainter1
ABSOLUTE EMERGENCY: Saghar Gholami, 19, has been sentenced to hang in Iran. Arrested in January 2026 in Gonbad-e Kavus for protesting for her freedom, she could be hanged at any moment. Silence kills—let's break her isolation!
Share her name widely.

Nadejda Melnic
Thank you for speaking about Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek. No one should die for their faith in Jesus, who embodies justice, truth, love, and compassion, and is the very heart of true Christianity

Nervana Mahmoud//Nervana_1
I am not shocked, but deeply angry.
The Egyptian Constitution explicitly guarantees freedom of religion and belief, particularly under Article 64 of the 2014 Constitution, and the amended one in 2019.
As @ahamdyos wrote, freedom of belief is indivisible.If a Muslim changes their religion, or a Christian changes theirs.Egypt didn’t get rid of the Muslim Brotherhood rule in 2013 to replace it with ISIS mentality.
I hope President @AlsisiOfficial stop this.Cases like this harm Egypt and portrays negative image to the outside world, and increase hatred towards Islam in the West
Israel-Alma

 Y O U S I F ظ@egyptian_yousif
https://x.com/egyptian_yousif/status/2119483908349985212/video/1
Yesterday 32 more Orthodox Christians were killed in Ethiopia, including 3 priests and 4 deacons. The remaining women were taken into the forest. Lord have mercy

‘They had him crucified’: Christian convert faces torture, execution in Egypt for leaving Islam
“He was tortured. They attempted to remove his cross tattoo and brought him Islamic religious figures. They had him crucified the whole time he was there," his fiancee, Sophia told the 'Post.'
ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
NOVEMBER 9, 2026 10:42
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-914303
“They tried to remove his cross tattoo. They tortured him. They had him crucified the whole time that he was there,” the fiancée of Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, an Egyptian convert to Christianity who faces the possibility of execution, told The Jerusalem Post, describing the abuse he has endured after being charged as punishment for leaving Islam. Abdelrazek was arrested in July 2025 and has been detained by Egyptian authorities since then. His lawyer, Said Fayez, confirmed on Tuesday that Egyptian prosecutors are pursuing the “maximum penalty,” either execution or 25 years in prison. According to the NGO Coptic Solidarity, Abdelrazek faces charges of contempt for Islam, inciting public disorder, disseminating false information, and joining a banned terrorist organization that allegedly does not exist.
Fayez’s office has asserted that the terrorist organization authorities have accused him of belonging to is entirely fictitious and that the charges actually stem from his refusal to “renounce Jesus.” Sophia has also confirmed that Egyptian authorities have yet to identify the alleged terrorist organization and further alleged that at least 180 other Christians are being held by the authorities on similarly dubious charges.Australian-Egyptian citizen Sophia met Abdelrazek on social media, where they both regularly posted about Christianity and amassed sizable followings. The two quickly fell in love, meeting in person for the first time in 2021. Born into a Muslim family, Abdelrazek first encountered Christianity after noticing an open Bible at a neighbor’s shop. The passage he came across was the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. He initially reacted angrily to what he read, but continued thinking about the passage and returned to the shop a few days later to speak with a part-time reverend.