Middle East Press on Europe, US, Middle East, Israel, Jews, Lebanon and UNRWA Ban: New Age Islam's Selection, 02 November 2024
By New Age Islam Edit Desk
02 November 2024
What Are The Secrets Behind Israel's Resilience And Survival?
Rainbows: A Symbol of Israel's Sobering Future
Public Relations Genocide: How Anti-Israel Campaigns Aim To Isolate And Defame - Opinion
Who Was Kamal Adwan?
Why Israel’s UNRWA Ban May Backfire
How Russia May Be Losing Influence in Middle East
Cutting Waste Would Help Us Cut Carbon Emissions
Adding Lebanon to Financial Action Grey List Could Be a Step Forward
Turkiye through the Eyes of Eastern European States
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What Are The Secrets Behind Israel's Resilience And Survival?
By Stewart Weiss
November 1, 2024
Though Hollywood would have us believe that the physical characteristics of a person – size, strength, beauty, etc. – are the most important, we know that it is our invisible qualities that truly define who and what we are. Integrity, honesty, empathy, kindness, trustworthiness, compassion, etc. – these are the essential measure of a man or woman.
Among the most important of these attributes are faith and courage. Over the past year, we have been witness to stunning displays of both.
Israel’s armed forces have taken the war against our enemies with a resolve that is courageous in the extreme; we witness examples of their acts of bravery on a daily basis.
Our soldiers report to their reserve service not reluctantly but with a remarkable eagerness to join their comrades in the field.
They know full well what the stakes are and the dangers that may await them; sadly, many of them have already lost comrades. But they do not shrink from their duty, and by facing their fears they evoke in all of us an unshakable pride and belief in our future.
Not only their courage but also their faith in the virtue of our struggle – despite the hysterical claims of maniacal mobs around the world – reinforce our own belief that we are squarely on the side of right and justice, and that we will prevail.
Who exhibits faith and courage every day?
It is not only the soldiers who embody these qualities; so many others of our “average” citizens (can any Israeli ever really be considered average?!) also exhibit faith and courage on a daily basis:
* The courage of spouses and parents who, after encouraging their loved ones to join the fight, manage to go on with life, even when the news from the battlefield is stark and somber.
* The faith of Jews from all over the world who continue to come to Israel during this war – sometimes having to take multiple, ridiculously expensive flights to get here – in order to show solidarity with us in a time of crisis.
* The courage of people who have been evacuated from their homes during this struggle and placed in temporary housing, yet refuse to desert the country, even if they have the financial wherewithal to do so.
* The faith of all the families of the hostages who steadfastly hang on to their belief that their loved ones are still alive and will someday return, despite their being held in the most inhumane conditions.
And I can very confidently declare that the majority of Israeli citizens exhibit these virtues – albeit on a much smaller scale – on a regular basis as they grapple mightily with day-to-day life in Israeli society:
* Having the faith that the letter they mail will arrive within one year of posting.
* Having the courage to challenge fellow drivers racing to arrive at the traffic circle before them; and pedestrians daring to walk down our streets as mopeds and electric bikes whiz dangerously – and illegally – by them.
* Having the faith that when their number is called at the local post office, after waiting interminably, they will be taken care of before someone else – who only seconds before came through the door – takes their place.
BUT IF and when our courage does waver and our faith starts to falter, we still have one other secret weapon in our emotional arsenal: hope.
One of my all-time favorite authors is O. Henry (William Sydney Porter, 1862-1910).
A story of hope
Among his wonderful tales is the story about a group of bedridden invalids in a large hospital room. One of them has his bed right at the window, and each day he poetically shares what he sees outside with his roommates.
“The Spring has come!” he proclaims. “The birds are flying about, twisting and turning, dipping and climbing as they take turns at the lovely water fountain in the park across the street.
How darling to see the children throwing their bread crumbs as the birds scramble about trying to get a piece. And the rosy-red roses have come back to life!
“Summer has come, and now children of all ages are playing in the park. They’re on the see-saw, the slides, the swings. Some of them are throwing a ball around, while little girls expertly compete in jump-roping.
“Now the rain has started to come down and Fall is with us. The colors on the trees are marvelous; bright orange and green with splashes of yellow. There’s a nip in the air; the gentlemen pull their coats tight about them while the ladies hold on to their hats against the wind.”
The patients, consumed by boredom, hung on every word as “window-man” described the scenes outside.
They looked forward to his report each morning when they awoke, anxious to hear about the outside world with all its multifaceted activity. But then one day, window-man died, and the bed of another of the occupants was moved near that precious, life-giving window.
The others waited anxiously for him to report on what was happening outside, but he said nothing. Days passed, but still he remained silent.
Confused at first, now turned furious, the patients lashed out.
“What are you waiting for?!” they screamed at him. “We want to know what’s out there! Why do you refuse to tell us?”
The man at the window sat up in his bed and stared at the others.
“Fools!” he said. “Don’t you know?! There is nothing outside this window except a tall, black wall!”
Well, my friends, we, too, have a wall; a quite tall and compelling one, at that. But it is neither solitary nor silent.
Our Kotel is alive with emotion, with passion, with life. It tells the story of our people, for it has witnessed both the tragedy and the triumph of our nation for more than two millennia.
It cried when we were treated as second-class citizens in our own land; but now it sings to us as it welcomes unending throngs of visitors coming to pray, to praise God or simply to be part of the greatest moment in our glorious history.
The birds have returned to fly around it, and the children kiss its stones, while the masses share their deepest secrets with it, placing “love notes” in the crevices.
Last week, on Sukkot, I stood in front of the Western Wall and sensed its greatest power: hope.
Hope that God sees and hears us; hope that we will do whatever we need to do to win this vicious war, which has claimed the best and brightest of our children.
Hope that we will never again be banished from our land; that we have returned to Israel to stay forever.
That is “Hatikvah,” the Hope. Along with faith and courage, it is the secret of our survival.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-827050
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Rainbows: A Symbol of Israel's Sobering Future
By Moshe Taragin
November 1, 2024
A fierce flood wiped out all of humanity, reshaping the natural world in its wake. Humanity’s repeated rebellions and betrayals, followed by divine retribution, had reached a breaking point. After the flood decimated humanity, it became clear that man could not be relied on to consistently fulfill the divine will. A new approach was needed – one that could offer stability and sustainability for an imperfect world.
Responding to this reality, God established a covenant with Noah, assuring him that He would no longer subject the world to universal destruction. Though natural interventions would still occur, the fundamental order of creation would remain intact. The cycles of nature would persist, providing a foundation for stability and renewing humanity’s confidence in the continuity of life.
To mark this new covenant, God emblazoned a rainbow across the sky. More than a mere sign, the rainbow symbolized a profound shift in the relationship between God and man. For millennia, mankind had mistakenly believed that God was perpetually angry, punishing humanity with unrelenting severity. Witnessing one judgment after another – Adam’s banishment from Eden, Cain’s curse to wander the Earth, a partial flood in Enosh’s generation that devastated a third of the habitable land, and finally the great deluge that erased all but a remnant – people assumed that God was vengeful, constantly hurling down arrows from heaven.
The rainbow debunked this false perception that God is angry. It resembled an inverted bow, a bow no longer aimed at the Earth. By turning the bow away, so that it no longer aimed at Earth, God signaled the end of His anger and offered a new vision of the divine – one characterized by compassion rather than wrath. A weapon was transformed into an arch, a symbol of divine protection. Though moral failings would still bring consequences, humanity came to understand that God’s desire was not to punish endlessly but to protect, sustain, and guide.
A bow became a dome
On Oct. 7, we faced a barrage of arrows, an overwhelming onslaught that left us reeling in a dark moment of hester panim – a period when God’s presence felt hidden. How could He allow such animalistic violence to be unleashed on us? It seemed as if a bow and arrow were aimed at us from the heavens, and for 12 agonizing hours we struggled to grasp the divine will amid the chaos.
Over the past year, the bow and arrow have become inverted, evolving into a shield of protection. We have felt the presence of a protective dome suspended above us, sheltering our skies and instilling a sense of security and hope. God has granted us the ingenuity to defend against distant aerial threats. Just as the original rainbow arched over humanity as a sign of divine protection after the flood, we have witnessed our own modern version of that shelter – a profound reminder of divine mercy amid our trials.
Sunshine and clouds
However, the rainbow is more than just an inverted bow or a protective arch shielding us from heavenly dangers. Its vibrant colors emerge after a heavy rainfall, and it first appeared following the year-long deluge which devastated humanity. A rainbow forms in a sky where part is still shrouded in clouds, while another part is illuminated by sunlight. Some biblical scholars suggest that for this reason, rainbows were not visible during the first 1,500 years of human history. The pre-flood world was covered in dense, rain-laden clouds that concealed the appearance of rainbows. Only after the natural order changed, with clouds becoming less saturated, did the beauty of the rainbow become apparent.
A rainbow emerges when the sky is a blend of dark clouds and streams of sunlight, reminding us that even when gloom hangs overhead, there is still hope. It reassured Noah and humanity that even in moments of failure and shadow, light can break through. There will always be righteous individuals who bring illumination into a darkened world. Though the world may remain imperfect, God acknowledged the frailty of the human condition and extended His mercy accordingly.
Set against the backdrop of both light and darkness, the rainbow signals a complex reality – a world where good and evil coexist, where shadows and light intermingle, and where clouds and sunshine share the sky. It symbolizes that life is a complex mixture of triumph and tragedy, joy and sadness.
Our rainbow
The initial months following the Oct. 7 attack were shrouded in darkness and heavy clouds. We endured a horrific pogrom, an assault of unimaginable brutality. We faced an axis of evil determined to annihilate us, while the world seemed to quickly turn its back. Acts of murder were rationalized, and heinous crimes were framed as resistance, as antisemitism surged across the globe. Haters seized the opportunity to unleash their venom, leaving us in a darkened state of despair.
Yet, in recent months – and particularly in the last few weeks – we have witnessed extraordinary miracles. From the blunting of two major missile offensives to the dismantling of our enemies to the north and south, we have seen divine intervention unfold in stunning ways. A glimmer of hope has emerged, as light begins to break through the darkness. However, despite these promising developments, we still endure the heartbreaking loss of too many soldiers and the persistence of repeated terrorist attacks.
Our skies remain both clouded and radiant, a blend of shadows and brightness. We have glimpsed a rainbow that promises a brighter tomorrow, yet we still live under the weight of ominous dark clouds. It is a time of contrasts, where hope and sorrow, triumph and loss coexist, reminding us that the path ahead is complex, even as a new dawn is slowly taking shape.
It is crucial to see both the clouds and the sunshine. As triumphant as some moments have been, and as remarkable as the miracles are, we must avoid oversimplifying the situation. The dangers remain grave, and we must continue to pray for God’s assistance. Beyond the immediate threats, there is also deep darkness and enduring suffering. It will take decades to heal the trauma that has touched so many lives.
However, even amid the dark clouds, we must not overlook the radiance of the sunshine and the promise of the rainbow. Had Hezbollah invaded, the devastation would have been far more severe than what we experienced from Hamas. We have dealt strategic blows to our enemies and have begun to reclaim a semblance of stability.
We must embrace the full picture. The darkness and light together tell the story of our struggles and resilience. As we strive to regain normalcy, we should not lose sight of the hope and blessings that shine through, even when clouds still linger overhead.
A sober future
The partly cloudy, partly sunny horizon should serve as a profound lesson for our overall condition in Israel. After 2,000 years of utter darkness in exile, we experienced the euphoria of returning to our homeland. Even as we faced constant hardship and fought continual wars, we experienced an undeniable upward surge – a spirit of renewal and progress. However, particularly over the past two decades, we became somewhat intoxicated with the comforts and triumphs of life in Israel, as if the journey toward redemption was nearing completion.
The rainbow should remind us that until this world is fully repaired and healed, our life in Israel will resemble the rainbow’s blend of radiant colors and shadowed skies. Resplendent hues of joy and accomplishment will mingle with dark clouds.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-827039
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Public Relations Genocide: How Anti-Israel Campaigns Aim To Isolate and Defame
By Cookie Schwaeber-Issan
November 1, 2024
There are many ways to kill someone. There’s the physical means and then there is the smear and libel path, meant to decimate the reputation and good name of a person or even a nation collectively.
In the case of Israel, the defamation accusation of genocide by the IDF against the people of Gaza has failed to get traction simply because it is unprovable.
Initiated by South Africa and taken all the way to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, it fell flat when no one could effectively or credibly prosecute the case for such an outlandish assertion.
So, although the false and libelous claim has been made repeatedly by agenda-driven organizations, political leaders, and pro-Palestinian supporters, that balloon continues to deflate because there just is no substance to get it to fly.
Consequently, another tactic must be employed to perpetuate the smear against the Jewish state by those committed to its end.
The best and most effective way to promote a guilty verdict upon Israel is to isolate the country as a dangerous pariah through the means of a relentless media propaganda campaign, depicting us as heartless murderers and cruel overseers whose objective is to inflict hardship and suffering upon our Gazan neighbors. But how is that done?
Simple! Use every opportunity to castigate Israel, cutting her off from normal society by economically choking her.
Reject her goods and services meant to enhance others, because by doing so, you send a message that Israel is unworthy of any support.
This is what has systematically been done via the BDS movement, which has, for years, sought to pressure merchants and foreign venues to boycott Israeli merchandise as a punitive measure.
Now, “more than 1,000 authors have signed an open letter that calls for a boycott of Israeli cultural institutions, among them Israeli publishers, festivals, publications, and literary agencies, which, in the eyes of the signatories, have ‘remained silent observers’ in the ‘oppression of Palestinians,’” as The Jerusalem Post reported this week.
So, who are these signatories and what is their beef? Unsurprisingly, the letter was crafted by the Palestine Festival of Literature (PFL), whose website is as thin as its claims against Israel.
It reads as an angry gripe, written in Arabic and English, encouraging authors to “visit Palestine” in order to become inspired by historical sites, which will enhance their own connections.
The only problem is that it’s a little hard to promote travel to a war zone when non-stop Hezbollah rockets are being launched into Arab and Druze cities that are part of Israel.
Of course, no condemnation is forthcoming by these 1,000 signatories, who you’d think might be appalled by Muslim fire upon other Muslims.
Not a word, because they are too busy pointing the finger at the country fighting for its survival.
A social genocide
The charges of injustice only go one-way, and for these marginally well-known authors, who include Sally Rooney, Arundhati Roy, and Percival Everett, all of whom have signed onto this letter, the assertion is that no one can deny the “overwhelming injustice faced by the Palestinians.”
Ironically, there’s a statement with which most of us can agree. The part about who is responsible for that injustice, however, is where we diverge.
They go on to say that “the current war has entered our homes and pierced our hearts.” This too rings true, but the oddity here is that no one addresses the origins of the war, which began with a savage massacre of innocent families in their communities.
Instead, the accusation of “genocide” perpetrated by Israel is mentioned, a claim PFL states as being backed by “leading expert scholars and institutions,” asserting that “Israeli officials have spoken plainly of their motivation to eliminate the population of Gaza.”
The familiar lie swaps out Hamas for “the population of Gaza,” blaming Israel for a planned genocide.
But if the claim bore any resemblance to truth, why would Israel be taking such pains to provide thousands of truckloads of humanitarian aid, while its own economy has been hit hard, to the very people it hopes to eradicate?
Why would it send out warning leaflets of imminent attacks, advising Gazans to evacuate so as not to be placed in the crossfires?
This too is unmentioned among the 1,000 signatories, whose sole agenda is to cast Israel as a bloodthirsty, colonialist entity, which has no tolerance for anyone other than Jews.
But this is belied by Israel’s multi-cultural and multi-ethnic makeup, comprised of Jews, Arabs, Druze, Christians, LGBT members, refugees, and many other diverse populations that would be unwelcome and persecuted in most neighboring countries.
What is clear is that the vile and vicious claims being made against Israel constitute an obvious and undeniable projection of radical Muslim intolerance for others.
They are supported by somewhat renowned but ignorant authors who have neither done their homework nor made the visit to Israel to check out for themselves the free, democratic society that enables Arabs to rise to the highest levels of government, judicial positions, academia, and every other segment of life.
Only a tolerant society can boast such unconditional acceptance for all, but that too escapes these uninformed social justice warriors.
It is their small-minded, petty, and unjustified outright bigotry that fuels their goal to commit a public relations genocide against Israel, categorizing the Jewish homeland as the evildoers who must be punished.
That is why a coordinated effort is being made to “intimidate all authors into withdrawing their work for consideration at Israeli publishing houses and refusing to participate in Israeli festivals.”
In short, the PFL is using coercion to threaten the literary world. They might as well be saying, “March with us or we’ll see to it that you don’t march at all.”
This despicable attempt to force their will upon an entire segment of the arts is just one in a series of planned strategies to cut off Israel, better known as “social genocide,” leaving them to languish on their own. If carried out to the max, it would affect all imports, all providers of goods and services, and all cultural efforts.
Their goal would only end in an impoverished, isolated, and despised country whose Zionist leprous lesions are avoided by all humanity.
If that doesn’t qualify as a form of genocide, what does?
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-827072
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Who Was Kamal Adwan?
November 1, 2024
By Iqbal Jassat
Since international attention is focused on the tragic fate of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, raided and bombed by Israel’s murderous army, and its medical team terrorised, detained and killed, it is instructive to recall the history of the person after whom the facility is named.
Kamal Adwan was one of the top leaders of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) with a distinguished record of armed struggle alongside Yasser Arafat, during the 1950s leading up to the ’70s when he was assassinated by Israel’s notorious Mossad.
Decades before the disastrous era of collaboration which resulted in capitulation known as the Oslo Accords, Adwan was a committed freedom fighter.
As chief of operations for the PLO he was responsible for armed attacks against targets in Israel, and as a founding member of Fatah, Adwan was a top chief of the Black September Organisation.
Interestingly the name “Black September” arose during Jordan’s violent clampdown on the PLO when Palestinians called for the overthrow of Jordan’s monarchy. It began on 16 September 1970, when Jordan’s British-allied monarch King Hussein declared military rule to combat and eliminate the growing power of the PLO-affiliated Fedayeen.
Adwan’s short but distinguished life as an outstanding cadre of Palestine’s freedom struggle, is immortalised across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, having the hospital in north Gaza named after him.
From the archives of the Yasser Arafat Foundation we learn a great deal about the extraordinary contribution of this amazing revolutionary, Adwan was born in 1935, in the village of Barbara near the city of Al-Majdal (renamed Ashkelon by the occupation state). During the Nakba of 1948, his family was displaced to the Gaza Strip. Adwan attended schools in the Gaza Strip and joined the Muslim Brotherhood.
“Following the disagreement between Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Muslim Brotherhood in 1954, Adwan left the Muslim Brotherhood. Believing in the armed fedayee struggle, he sought another path and established an independent cell of 12 young men.”
“In 1956, Adwan participated in the resistance to the Israeli occupation of Gaza City. He was committed until the end of occupation – after the Tripartite Aggression on Egypt.”
He met Arafat, Khalil Al-Wazir and others in secondary school. They would later become the leaders of Palestinian revolutionary activity. Adwan then went to Egypt to study engineering, which he was forced to abandon as a result of his financial situation and moved to Saudi Arabia to work.
He stayed in contact with Arafat, Al-Wazir and the other founders of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) in Kuwait and went on to establish a Fatah branch in Saudi Arabia and, after moving to Qatar to work, led the Fatah branch there.
In 1964, Adwan was elected a member of the first Palestinian National Council.
“Adwan devoted his time and effort to the revolutionary activity led by Fatah, and returned to Amman, Jordan, in April 1968, to head the PLO Media Office. He established the office as a media agency with a wide-ranging Arab and international network and an independent newspaper.”
He participated in the battles “to defend the Palestinian Revolution in September 1970, as well as in the Jarash-‘Ajlun battles of 1971.”
Adwan left Jordan with the Palestinian Revolution leaders and forces to Syria, and then to Lebanon. He was elected to the Fatah Central Committee at its 3rd Conference in January 1971. Along with running the PLO Media Agency, Adwan was assigned the supervision of the Western Sector (Occupied Territory).
“Adwan was martyred at his home on Fardan Street in Beirut on the 10th of April 1973, during an Israeli Intelligence Agency (Mossad) operation that also killed, extrajudicially, Kamal Nasser and Abu Yousef Al-Najjar. Ehud Barak, who became Prime Minister of Israel in 1999, led the operation”.
As a key figure in Palestine’s decades old resistance against the illegal creation of Israel, Adwan’s history of being rendered a refugee resulting from Zionist war crimes during the 1948 Nakba, parallels the experience of millions of Palestinians.
Adwan’s martyrdom in Beirut reminds us that Israel’s violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, has been an ongoing defiance of international laws.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241101-who-was-kamal-adwan/
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Why Israel’s Unrwa Ban May Backfire
Daoud Kuttab
November 02, 2024
It is hard for any observer to understand or explain the latest Israeli action against the UN Relief and Works Agency. After the state of Israel was established in 1948, it took two years for it to become a full member of the then-nascent UN. Among the key issues that delayed Israel’s induction was the status of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians it had made refugees. For its part, the UN had passed a clear and unambiguous resolution (General Assembly Resolution 194) guaranteeing the right of return of Palestinian refugees and compensation for the losses they incurred. Decades later, in negotiations, Palestinians insisted on Israel recognizing its historic and moral responsibility for having caused the Palestinian refugee crisis.
The US, wanting to ease the terrible humanitarian conditions that Palestinian refugees were facing in tents in countries bordering Israel, helped create UNRWA, which began its operations in 1950. America was the biggest donor to this UN agency until President Donald Trump took power and cut off aid. This action, which has partially continued under the Biden administration due to pro-Israeli pressure in Congress, has whetted the appetite of members of the right-wing Israeli government who have always hoped that the Palestinian refugee issue would simply disappear.
UNRWA has been providing humanitarian aid services to 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. It is their primary source of humanitarian support. Its services include the provision of basic needs like education, food, medical care and the distribution of fuel. Its closure may inevitably lead to the collapse of the primary lifeline for Palestinians. It is not a political body and has refrained from any political actions. UNRWA has strictly followed the regularly approved mandate of the UN.
The agency’s mandate, as defined by the UN General Assembly, is to serve “Palestine refugees.” This term was defined in 1952 as any person whose “normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948 and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict.” Palestine refugees are both those who fulfill this definition and the descendants of fathers fulfilling the definition.
For years, Israel and its supporters have zoomed in on this humanitarian agency, trying to bring about its disappearance by pressuring countries not to fund it or by making claims, at times using fabricating stories, about UNRWA or its staff. The latest fabrication — that a few members of its huge local staff were involved in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel — was debunked by a high-level investigation committee set up by the UN secretary-general. A UN inquiry published in April found no evidence of wrongdoing by UNRWA staff, noting that Israel had neither responded to requests for names and information nor “informed UNRWA of any concrete concerns relating to UNRWA staff since 2011.”
But despite failing to convince the world of its accusations and despite pressure from Israel’s allies not to approve the ban, 92 of the 120-seat Knesset’s members on Monday voted in favor of banning UNRWA from working in Israel and 87 backed a ban on state authorities from having any contact with the agency, effectively crippling its ability to operate in the Occupied Territories.
The foreign ministers of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the UK this week criticized the proposed ban, saying it could have “devastating consequences” in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
This move came shortly after Israeli authorities had confiscated the land in East Jerusalem where UNRWA’s headquarters is located. Israel plans to build 1,440 settlement units, which are illegal under international law, on the site.
While the international community, under immense Israeli pressure, debated whether and how much money to commit to this important UN agency, no one expected Israel to act in such a callous manner and vote in its highest legislative chamber to prohibit UNRWA from providing humanitarian aid to needy Palestinians.
For decades, Israel has demanded that the world, including its enemies, recognize its right to exist. But by banning a UN agency, Israel is weakening its own legitimacy.
Folklore is full of proverbs that apply to what Israel, a UN member state that is obliged to abide by the UN Charter, plans to do to UNRWA. “Do not spit in the well that you drink from” and “do not saw the branch you are sitting on” are two examples that seem to perfectly illustrate the madness of a country that is worried about its own legitimacy acting against the one international agency that gave it license to exist.
What Israel is doing in a conflict it calls an existential war is weakening its own status in the world community. When you steal other people’s land and create a country over their properties, the last thing you want to do is strengthen those who are questioning your own existence.
So, as racist elements in Israel attempt to make the Palestinian refugee problem disappear, this move risks having the opposite effect. As a UN member state that is banning a UN agency, Israel has helped strengthen the demand of its enemies and is forcing the international community to seriously consider its membership of the global body that once gave it recognition.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2577728
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How Russia May Be Losing Influence in Middle East
Dr. Diana Galeeva
November 02, 2024
Conflict in the Middle East has opened a debate on the possibility of a change in the regional order that has existed for the past 50 years. These changes may affect the regional role of Russia, which has been working hard to reestablish itself as a great power: starting with its intervention in the Syrian civil war, since when Iran has remained a key regional ally on whom Russia’s influence and power in the region closely depends.
A year after the start of the Gaza war, it remains unclear which power bloc in the region will prevail: whether Israel, supported by the US and some EU member states, will emerge stronger and as a result weaken Iran’s strength in the region and consequently its place worldwide; or whether the conflict will ultimately damage Israel and discourage outside support, enabling other players including Iran to establish a firm hold.
If Iran lost its influence (or it were much diminished), this would challenge Russia’s standing, established since 2015. Wars in Gaza and Lebanon may also test these relations. The Kremlin is thought to have no intention of abandoning Iran despite the pressure it is under through its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah: the commitment to continued cooperation and development stands.
Russia itself has been affected by the war: the success of Israeli missile strikes on Iran damaged the reputation of the Russian arms industry. In fact, Russia provided no support for Iran’s air defense and declined to condemn Israel’s attacks. This perceived betrayal has resulted in unprecedented anti-Russian sentiment across Iran among parliament members, the Foreign Ministry, and ordinary Iranians.
It is also unclear to what extent the war will challenge the role of Russia in the region when it is heavily occupied with the conflict in Ukraine. It has been less active than its rivals in the West, who Russia and Iran aim to challenge. The need to deploy its own military equipment and facilities in the Middle East has also made it more difficult for Iran to support Russia in Ukraine.
The Ukraine war, I would argue, complex and troubling as it is, was a golden opportunity for Russia to build closer relations with Middle Eastern partners, as the region has in recent years been experiencing challenging relations with the West.
Regional powers are key partners in energy deals with Russia: OPEC+ agreements since the Ukraine war have contributed to Russia’s growing presence in the region through its “economic statecraft” of essentially weaponizing energy. The emerging challenge of reshaping the balance of the power in the Middle East and the return of the focus of regional powers to regional dynamics and security has stymied some of this progress. However, Russia may indeed remain crucial for regional actors, diplomatically and economically. Though far from certain, it seems that the vacuum of power created by Western withdrawals might have been Russia’s to fill, but a visible lack of diplomatic energy and clear policies toward the Gaza and Lebanon wars may be seen as an opportunity missed.
For example, the president of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, met Joe Biden in the White House in September, three days before Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. The two leaders discussed ways to end the conflicts in the Middle East. A month later Sheikh Mohammed visited Moscow, but his discussions with Vladimir Putin focused on economic statecraft and mutual investments. Thus, neither the Emiratis side nor anyone else is relying on Russia to address the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. Rather, they consider the US — which heavily supports Israel — as the key player, and understand that if the balance of power shifts, it may do so toward the West.
With a US presidential election next week, the matter of choosing sides might become another challenge for Russia’s place in the region: Donald Trump’s 2017-2021 presidency contributed to close ties with the Gulf monarchies and the Abraham Accords with Israel. This could be another alarming history to remember while discussing Russia’s future standing in the region.
Thus, the Middle East is in transformation, affecting the balance of regional powers, the great power balance, and the positions of worldwide players including Russia. Russia has an important existing role in the region, but there are alarm bells that, occupied with its own war in Ukraine, Moscow is putting less effort into resolving issues and establishing its place in shaping the balance of regional powers. In analyses of Russian officials’ discourses, the focus has been on the possibility of a Third World War as an outcome of the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. However, none has a suggested a clear strategy in case Iran’s influence collapses, how Russia could balance its focus over the Ukraine war, or any strategy to balance the US role in recent events.
I believe Russia must reshape its focus from a “wars” mentality (always waiting for a nuclear war, Third World War, etc.) and instead consider all developments in the region as they occur, working out how to take advantage of events. It also needs a clear strategy for the short, middle and long term in case of a completely reshaped balance of power in the Middle East. The next 50 years there could prove as crucial and complex as the past 50.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2577727
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Cutting Waste Would Help Us Cut Carbon Emissions
Hassan Bin Youssef Yassin
November 01, 2024
We are living in a moment of profound global disorder, more and more painfully visible every day. Humans have become a danger to each other, to the planet, and to themselves.
Our attention is ruled so intensely by the conflicts raging in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Ukraine, between Israel and Iran, between China and Taiwan that the subject of the ongoing destruction of our environment has almost disappeared.
Instead, we hear talk of investing further in weaponry and more sophisticated destruction. The crucial objective of deeply cutting carbon emissions hardly registers anymore on our radar.
But all around the world we are witnessing heavy climate disturbance and extreme weather phenomena. We have recently seen yet more hurricanes rip through the US.
Climatologist Michael Mann says hurricanes have become 40 percent more deadly in recent years due to climate change, while a recent report shows that rain events have become 20-30 percent stronger and winds 10 percent stronger.
We do not need to be told this, as we have all experienced disturbed weather and climate wherever we live. After a historic drought in North Africa, the largest hot desert in the world, the Sahara Desert, experienced record rainfall, forming large lakes in the middle of the desert.
This unpredictability is a very ominous sign of what is to come.
Noble intentions to reduce carbon emissions, enshrined in the 2015 Paris Agreement, lie almost null and void, considering that our burning of fossil fuels has increased in recent years.
We would have to cut our carbon emissions by around 50 percent if we were to have a chance of reaching our objectives of limiting average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but right now we are on track for a devastating 3 C increase.
If you can imagine living with a 40 C fever every day, that is essentially what our planet would experience, regularly unleashing deadly and devastating climate phenomena.
The concept of cutting emissions may be too abstract for our simple brains to understand, so let us focus on cutting waste instead.
Waste has become a major part of our way of life and global economy. We waste so much plastic (only 10 percent is recycled) that our oceans will soon contain more plastic by weight than fish.
One-third of all food we produce goes to waste, representing almost 10 percent of global carbon emissions.
It is estimated that 10 percent of global energy production and 30 percent of water is wasted through inefficiencies in transmission.
Almost 30 percent of energy used in homes in the developed world is wasted, and, on average, 60 percent of water used for agriculture is wasted.
While humans only require 15-20 liters of water a day to meet their basic needs, the average American uses 8,300 liters (or 2,200 gallons) per day through various forms of consumption.
Just nine percent of the almost 100 billion tons of minerals, fossil fuels, metals, and biomass that enter the economy every year are recycled, while 62 percent of global carbon emissions are created during the extraction, processing, and manufacturing of goods.
Clearly, just reducing waste — a simple enough concept for all to understand — would allow us to cut a sizable proportion of global carbon emissions.
We must rethink not only our daily way of life but also the very underpinnings of our global economy, which encourages overproduction, overconsumption and tremendous amounts of waste at every turn.
For us to make any difference, we need the participation of everyone, from kindergartens to old people’s homes. It is essential that we educate a new generation to be fully aware of our actions and their direct consequences on our environment.
This is a multi-generational battle, but one in which we can make a difference quite quickly.
Our capitalist system has hit a wall, not only in terms of waste and carbon emissions, but also in the rising inequalities around the world and our need for constant growth, new gadgets and never-ending consumption.
By reducing both waste and consumption, essentially moving towards a circular economy that is able to reuse and recycle the materials we use, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates we could reduce carbon emissions by almost 40 percent by 2050, while generating major economic benefits through greater efficiency and lower material costs.
According to the UN Development Program, we could lift almost one billion people out of hunger by tackling food waste and loss. Meanwhile, the International Resource Panel says improved waste management could save up to 40 percent in global energy demand by 2050.
These are all changes well within our reach, and easily understood by all.
We are all participants in the journey that humanity and our planet are on. We can either choose to close our eyes to the waste and pollution which are threatening the lives of future generations, or we can do our part.
Simply paying attention to the food, water, and energy we use and what we actually need every day can make a tremendous difference on a large scale. Our governments will also be called upon to assist us by putting in place the necessary infrastructure to recycle more, to redistribute food, and to reduce overconsumption.
This may require some initial economic discomfort for our system. But as we learn to live better lives, we will also begin to enjoy its benefits both in our individual lives and in a more efficient and less wasteful global economy. As the saying goes: “Don’t be useless. Use less.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2577722
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Adding Lebanon to Financial Action Grey List Could Be A Step Forward
Nathalie Goulet
November 01, 2024
France hosted a donors’ conference for Lebanon last month that raised $1 billion dollars. Having failed to exert the slightest influence on the situation in the region, this was the least the international community could do to ease its conscience.
Poor Lebanon, trapped in a conflict not of its own making, where much of the population has become hostages, mere spectators to a worsening crisis.
The Cedre Conference in 2018 to support Lebanon’s reconstruction efforts gathered 48 countries and organizations, along with key representatives from the private sector and civil society. Despite many promises, few tangible results were achieved.
Among the many failings of Lebanon, now a state in name only, are its absence of functioning institutions, poor governance, and endemic corruption. The explosion at the port of Beirut revealed a country without leadership, where no one was truly in charge. What remains are ruins and grieving families. This catastrophe laid bare the deep dysfunctions of the Lebanese state — rife with corruption, negligence, and incompetence, which allowed the reckless accumulation of ammonium nitrate.
Last month the Financial Action Task Force, the global authority on combating money laundering and terrorist financing, decided to put Lebanon back on its “grey list.” This designation applies to countries with insufficient anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures. After being removed from the list eight years ago, Lebanon now returns, amid an escalating national crisis.
The task force has deemed Lebanon’s risk assessment system for money laundering and terrorist financing outdated and incomplete. It is calling for stricter oversight of the financial sector and regulated professions. Lebanon is now under “enhanced supervision” and has two years to implement task force’s action plan.
It is surprising that Lebanon wasn’t added sooner, considering the complete absence of financial governance, widespread corruption at every level, and, most critically, Hezbollah’s close ties to Iran — a nation already on the blacklist.
We recall the protests that erupted after the Beirut port explosion, as citizens vented their fury over the country’s institutional decay. Now, this decision has hammered yet another nail into the coffin of the country of the cedars.
What will become of the promised funds? How will international donations be handled if they arrive? How can we prevent the seemingly inevitable embezzlement and ensure full transparency, so the funds reach their intended destination?
We need a structured approach and effective tools — a dedicated task force for oversight and monitoring. One possible solution could be deploying international civil servants to recipient countries. Although exact figures are difficult to obtain, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates that more than 190,000 civil servants and related personnel are employed across approximately 180 global organizations. Wouldn’t it be possible to coordinate local NGOs and international organizations, such as development aid agencies and major foundations, on a regional scale to establish this monitoring task force?
The UN secretariat employs about 38,000 individuals from its 193 member states. This number is supplemented by personnel from major programs, funds, and specialized agencies, along with 112,000 field staff.
The decision to place Lebanon on the grey list could be a step forward, but it will compel the country’s leaders to implement decisive measures and regain control over banking institutions, which have been mired in scandal and looting.
Lebanon is a land of rich culture and ancient writing, the cradle of monotheistic religions. The world cannot afford to turn its back on the country. Without support, it risks becoming a failed state in the heart of the Middle East, susceptible to unprecedented and destabilizing violence.
Regaining control of financial flows is undeniably a crucial step toward restoring the country. We owe the Financial Action Task Force our gratitude for issuing this much needed wake-up call.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2577712
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Turkiye through the Eyes of Eastern European States
Sinem Cengiz
November 01, 2024
Over the past few years, there has been a growing trend in Turkiye’s relations with Eastern European states, particularly Poland, Hungary and Romania. Despite differences in their approaches, they share common interests with Turkiye. As Europe is not immune to security challenges, especially following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the escalating migration crisis, the evolving ties between Ankara and these Eastern European states deserve a closer look.
Turkiye focuses on three key areas to enhance its relations with Eastern European states: establishing military cooperation within NATO as part of the European security framework; balancing relations with countries that have differing views on Ankara’s EU accession process; and strengthening its political and economic influence in Eastern Europe in alignment with the interests of Poland, Romania and Hungary.
Among these states, Poland looks for closer security relations with Turkiye. Both are key NATO members, with Turkiye having NATO’s second-largest military after the US and Poland in third spot. According to newly released figures, the size of Poland’s military has more than doubled over the last decade. It stood at 99,000 personnel in 2014, when it was only the ninth-largest in NATO, but is now at 216,100, according to NATO’s estimates for this year.
Poland is among the states interested in the Turkish defense industry, which has attracted a lot of attention from different parts of the world, including Europe. In June, Turkish manufacturer Baykar delivered to Poland the final batch of Turkish drones, namely the Bayraktar TB-2, ordered at a cost of $270 million.
Polish policymakers underline that it is essential for their country to maintain strong security relations with Turkiye, despite their differences, which mostly relate to Ankara’s approach to Russia. Poland serves as a key NATO ally on the eastern flank. Both Turkiye and Poland have shown a strong commitment to NATO’s collective security principles and are part of the alliance’s activities that involve collaboration against common threats.
Despite their strong will, the extent and effectiveness of their defense cooperation is yet to reach its potential. Both states, either bilaterally or multilaterally, strive to enhance their defense ties not only to bolster their own security but also to contribute to the broader stability of Europe and beyond. Regional instability caused by Russian aggression, terrorism and hybrid threats are common security challenges. Within the NATO framework and beyond, they can counter these threats through coordinated strategies to enhance the alliance’s eastern flank. Moreover, Poland fully supports Turkiye’s accession to the EU, which began in 2005 but stalled due to Ankara’s strained relations with some members of the union — not Poland, Romania or Hungary, however.
Warsaw has defined Turkiye and Romania as Poland’s “key allies” and said that the foreign ministers of these three states should harmonize on the need to invest in the security of NATO’s eastern flank. Turkiye and Romania, along with Bulgaria, in July started joint demining operations in the Black Sea to ensure the safety of grain shipments from Ukraine. Under the Turkish-led deal, the three countries aim to oversee efforts to clear mines that have been drifting in the Black Sea since the onset of Russia’s invasion. While other NATO members are not involved in the initiative, Turkiye, which brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative in 2022, plays a major role in the demining agreement.
The Black Sea is of strategic importance to NATO, of which all three of these states are members. Turkiye and Romania are also safeguarding the eastern flank of NATO airspace with their F-16 fighter jets. Last December, Turkish F-16 fighter jets arrived in Romania to participate in NATO’s enhanced air policing mission in the south for the first time.
Compared to Romania and Poland, Hungary shares more commonalities with Turkiye in its approach to NATO and Russia. While some NATO and EU members see Turkiye as the odd one out within the alliance, Hungary views it as a close partner and a role model as part of its broader foreign policy strategy.
Hungary and Turkiye were the only two NATO countries that dragged their heels on ratifying Sweden’s bid to join the transatlantic military alliance. Sweden became a full member of NATO in March, only after Ankara and Budapest finally approved. Yet, this does not mean their interests in bargaining with NATO were for the same cause, as their demands were different.
Also, while Turkiye and Hungary hedge on supporting Ukraine, their foreign policies often clash with NATO priorities. Both the Turkish and Hungarian leaders have broken ranks within NATO and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they try to maintain relations with Moscow. For instance, Hungary made it clear that it would not participate in security assistance and training efforts for Ukraine, while Romania became one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, capped with the signing of a 10-year security agreement in July. This demonstrates that there are diverse views within the Eastern European states that Turkiye aims to cooperate with.
Hungary is also pushing for economic neutrality within the EU, including a “shift from traditional Western alignment.” In this regard, it has engaged in energy collaboration with Turkiye. Hungary in April became the first non-neighboring country to import gas from Turkiye.
When looking at these Eastern European states’ relations with Turkiye, it is safe to argue that they aim to redefine their positions within NATO and strengthen their military capabilities through a strong collaboration with Turkiye. Although their approaches often conflict, NATO remains a core foreign policy priority for all these states and this shapes their view of Turkiye.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2577709
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URL: https://newageislam.com/middle-east-press/europe-middle-east-israel-lebanon-jews/d/133605
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