Arab capitals are deluding themselves if they think that they will be immune to the Israeli colony’s plans to control the Arab region and dominate its political, security and economic decisions. Its program is moving towards this plan in a gradual, multi-stage manner.

First: It seeks to control the entire land of Palestine through successive cumulative steps: A- Unified Jerusalem as the capital of the colony, B- The Palestinian West Bank, Judea and Samaria, i.e. part of the map of the colony, C- Working to Judaize, Israelize and Hebraize Jerusalem and the Palestinian West Bank, D- Reducing the number of Palestinian residents through forced and voluntary displacement through studied and prepared programs, E- Gradually ending the Palestinian Authority, undermining its position by feeding and maintaining manifestations of division, and waiting for the departure of the Palestinian president.

Second: Weakening Lebanon, ending Hezbollah’s influence, fueling Lebanese divisions, and strengthening the influence of political forces allied with the American and European West, which adapt to Israeli realities.

Third: Weakening Syria and continuing to feed divisions within it with its internal wars.

Fourth: Weakening Iraq and tearing it apart between Arabs and Kurds and between Sunnis and Shiites.

Fifth: Normalizing Israeli-Gulf relations.

Sixth: Confronting Iranian influence and confronting its allies from Arab parties and organizations.

Hezbollah, in its initiative to side with Palestine, does not only aim to support and back the Palestinian resistance, its steadfastness, and thwart the Israeli expansion project on the land of Palestine, but also aims to undermine and thwart the Israeli expansion project to control and expand at the expense of Lebanon and its Arab surroundings. The motives for the Israeli-Lebanese clash are exposed to both parties, to both sides of the conflict.

The Jordanian leadership has the understanding and awareness, and has exposed the plan of Israeli expansionist ambitions in the entire region, and for this reason it is working to thwart the Israeli endeavor that targets Jordan from two aspects: first: the expulsion and displacement of the Palestinians towards Jordan, and second: weakening Jordan’s position so that it becomes smaller in front of the Israeli program and submits to it.

The battle in Lebanon is an extension of the battle in Palestine, and the colony’s conflict with the resistance factions is not motivated by ideology, or a struggle for influence, or an Israeli-Iranian conflict as Netanyahu wants to call it, but rather it is, as he described it: “a struggle for existence.”

This existential struggle is what explains the speeches of King Abdullah, the Emir of Qatar, the Palestinian, Algerian and Egyptian presidents before the United Nations General Assembly, each in his own way and understanding, but flowing into one stream: the cause of tension, wars and instability in our Arab world and our Arab region is the existence of the Israeli colony and its expansionist plans at the expense of the Arabs, their countries, their dignity and the unity of their components on the path to restoring their heritage and history and ending the fragmentation of the unity of their land and nationality.

The conflict in our region is truly an existential conflict: to be a unified nation facing one enemy, the colony, or not to be.

Hezbollah understands its own motives and the motives of the colony, and that is why it works and fights with the Palestinian people.

The rapid course of events, most of which are fabricated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his military staff, and members of his far-right coalition, led by Ben Gvir and Smotrich, are nothing but indicators of an impending fire that will devour everything in Israel, and perhaps indicators of the beginning of the end of the Zionist project and the Jewish dream, which makes it possible to see a world without Israel.

Netanyahu, in order to cover up his failure so far to undermine the determination and will of the resistance in Gaza, and by the Palestinian people, and to achieve the goals he announced with the start of his aggression shortly after the October 7 operation, and to reach the Israelis held by the resistance and free them, and his failure also to drag the West Bank into the square he desires, to justify committing more crimes against people and stones as is happening and still happening in the Gaza Strip, here he is moving to the Lebanese front in perhaps his last attempt to save face, and break the back of the Lebanese Hezbollah, which has been waging a war of attrition since the start of the aggression on the Gaza Strip, exhausting Israel on all levels, and displacing its residents, especially in the north, and the party is still fighting and refusing to surrender to Netanyahu’s dictates despite the heavy price it paid in the blood of its leaders, members, supporters and facilities, and is adhering to his conditions represented by stopping the aggression on the Gaza Strip, but Netanyahu sees things from a different perspective, and insists on dragging the region into a regional war in which he will implicate America and its allies, and in which Iran will be involved, and what It calls itself the Axis of Resistance, saving it from failure, impunity and accountability from its people first and then from international law.

Therefore, he continues to ignite fires and use deception, lies and evasion as a weapon to cover up his failure, and he does not pay any attention to the psychological state of his soldiers, the state of exhaustion that has begun to destroy their nerves, the displacement that the people of the north are suffering from, the very low status that his country has reached in the world, and the bad and dirty reputation, as described by many in the West, that has been formed among the peoples of the world about his country and his army as a result of the heinous crimes committed against defenseless civilians in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. These are scenes that shock humanity and humanity, and confirm the lies of Netanyahu and his war pillars in targeting military sites for what he describes as “terrorists.” No one is fooled anymore by the fact that these crimes against humanity are nothing but war crimes, in violation of all the rules known in wars, and their perpetrators will inevitably be held accountable, and gallows will be erected for them, and the protection that the United States of America and its allies from the rest of the Persians and the cowardly Arabs are trying to provide them will not benefit them.

Netanyahu, who is controlled by the bloody expansionist mentality, is now living in a state of euphoria over an alleged victory, after his formal control over the Gaza Strip and the reduction of the resistance strikes - although they have not stopped - and his killing of dozens of West Bank residents in Tulkarm, Jenin, Tubas, Nablus and various parts of the occupied West Bank. More important than all of this is the success of his intelligence and what it achieved in directly targeting the leaders and members of the Lebanese Hezbollah in operations - without a doubt qualitative - but he realizes that they targeted civilians more, and does not realize that the Lebanese Hezbollah is a purely institutional organization that has capabilities that no other resistance movement has and that it can rise above its wounds and heal quickly and continue to fight. What confirms this is that after the Israeli targeting of a group of its leaders, it launched hundreds of missiles deep into Israel, strikes that reached places that had not been targeted before, despite his failure to reveal until now what strategic weapons he possesses. The occupying state is trying to use its strikes to pressure him to use them and bring them to the surface, and it fears that they will surprise it if the scope of the war in Lebanon expands, which is an Israeli intelligence failure to know what the party possesses. Strategic weapons.

Netanyahu is still clinging to his extremist mentality, and feeding it with the ideas of his allies from the most extremists in Israel, in addition to the direct feeding he gets from the arrogance of his wife Sara, who is trying to become "Sarah Ibrahim" that the Israelis sanctify. Therefore, he will not stop his bloody aggression, perhaps at the latest until the end of the upcoming American elections in November. He does not care about his society, which is disintegrating and dividing, and he is continuing on the path dearest to his heart, which is bloody, and which has begun to create problems for the Israelis, and at the forefront of them him and his spearheads, from which they will not be able to escape, especially the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, in addition to doubling the accumulations of the hostile state in the Arab societies surrounding the occupying state, which have begun to form in their consciousness the Zionist ambitions and Jewish dreams that threaten their livelihood and societal security, which are no longer a secret. Perhaps the operation carried out by the Jordanian martyr Maher Al-Jazi on the King Hussein Bridge, killing three Israeli security men, and the participation of hundreds of thousands of Jordanians in his funeral procession, are the most prominent evidence of the state of anger and resentment. Growing in the Arab community, with the continuation of the aggression, even at the official Arab level, there are fears that have begun to surface about the danger of these ambitions that threaten Arab national security, which was expressed on more than one occasion by Arab leaders, most notably Jordanian King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and their warnings that Israeli practices outside international norms will create a tense atmosphere that will sweep the entire region, and Israel will not be immune from them.

The coming days may be very rainy, but they will not always remain cloudy. There are factors that are intertwining with each other, suggesting that Israel is facing a coming fire that will ignite from within after the war ends. The excessive brutality that the occupying state has practiced and continues to practice, from the government, parliamentarians, army and settlers, has begun to bear fruit in undermining the Zionist dream, fragmenting the state and classifying it among the world’s outcasts. Israeli society has begun to fully realize the dangers looming over it, caused by the extremist trinity that rules the state, and seeks self-interests and daydreams that will lead it to disintegration, collapse and isolation, and hasten an imminent collapse. This is evident from the increasing global support for the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people, and the necessity for the Palestinians to enjoy their freedom and end the occupation, even from close allies of the occupying state, who have begun to think about their interests that have been harmed with the Arab world, so they have begun to consider banning the supply of weapons to it.

The indicators suggest a race against time waged by the Israelis, who have become afraid to pack their bags and leave a land to which they came from different environments and societies, settled it by force and separated its people from it, took it from their hearts and did the impossible to make it a reality for them. They rebelled against all values, betrayed those who once provided them with a refuge from the brutality they were subjected to and whose blood was shed without mercy, but this land rejected them before its inhabitants rejected them, who consider it part of their faith. The Zionist dream is at the peak of its weakness, and from here the Arab and Islamic nations are exploiting what they did not support well from the Palestinian struggle and fight, and taking the necessary measures and working to develop it in a way that serves the interests of their peoples, and pouring more fuel so that the fires burn even more in Israel to get rid of a nightmare that threatens their national security, regional security and even global security.

.....

Indicators suggest that the Israelis are in a race against time, as they are now afraid to pack their bags and leave a land to which they came from different environments and societies.

Dr. Abdul Majeed Suwailem: American initiatives to cease fire are a cover for the crimes of the occupation and to give Netanyahu more time

Akram Atallah: Israel may eventually have to accept what it previously rejected regarding stopping the war in Gaza

Sari Samour: The ongoing war is essentially American and Israel is merely a tool of the Western colonial project in the region

Hamada Faraana: The Biden administration is working to separate the war in Lebanon from Gaza, in line with the Israeli desire to separate the two fronts

Imad Moussa: The United States is no longer playing the role of mediator, but has become part of the ongoing aggression against Lebanon and Gaza

Talal Okal: The United States has been a full partner of Israel since day one, and their differences are tactical about how to manage the war

There are many concerns and doubts about the nature and objectives of the initiative that the United States intends to put forward to stop the fighting in Lebanon and resume the Gaza negotiations, as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned of the danger of escalation in the Middle East, claiming that Washington and its allies are working tirelessly to avoid the outbreak of a comprehensive war between Israel and Hezbollah.

These concerns come in light of the long experience of American efforts to stop the criminal Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which were characterized by a lack of seriousness to say the least, if not complete complicity, which is an accurate description of the situation. Otherwise, how can we explain the United States’ abandonment of what its President Joe Biden himself proposed in his initiative, which was accepted by Hamas, only because these proposals were met with Israeli rejection? The matter does not stop there, but American officials went so far as to hold Hamas responsible for the failure of the initiative?

In separate interviews with Al-Arabiya, writers and political analysts said that the United States is seeking to achieve a delicate balance between maintaining its strategic support for Israel and avoiding the current war from expanding into a large regional war. Meanwhile, a question is being raised about the seriousness of international initiatives to stop the fighting, amid widespread skepticism about American intentions.

According to the book and analysts, Washington appears at this stage as a major supporter of Israel, providing it with military equipment, political and diplomatic cover in international institutions, and yet it continues to talk about ceasefire efforts, which has led some to point fingers at the United States for exploiting the time factor to give Israel more opportunities to achieve its strategic goals in the region.

Israel's defeat means America's defeat

The writer and political analyst Dr. Abdul Majeed Suwailem believes that the initiatives announced by the United States to end the war in Gaza and Lebanon are due to the United States’ realization that any ceasefire agreement in Gaza would be considered a defeat for Israel, and thus a defeat for itself.

Suwailem pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu succeeded during his recent visit to Washington in convincing the US administration and Congress not to rush into a ceasefire, assuring them that this would lead to their defeat as well, and that he needed additional time to avoid his military defeat in Gaza.

According to Suwailem, Netanyahu believes that his success in Gaza can only be achieved by destroying Hezbollah’s power in Lebanon, as he believes that victory over the axis of resistance requires eliminating Hezbollah in order to achieve any achievement within the framework of the “New Middle East” project.

He said: “From this standpoint, the American position adopts ‘backstage support’ for the war, considering this as complicity from Washington in supporting Netanyahu and his crimes in Lebanon and Gaza, as the United States wants to give him another chance so that he does not appear defeated, and so that he can later enter into any future agreement from a position of strength.

Suwailem believes that the American ceasefire initiatives are nothing but a cover for the crimes of the Israeli occupation, and that they only aim to give Netanyahu more time.

He pointed out that a ceasefire in Lebanon will not be achieved except through a tight coordination between the Gaza and Lebanese fronts, which is what Hezbollah and the axis of resistance insist on.

Just political maneuvers

Suwailem pointed out that the US administration and France, which proposed an initiative to cease fire in Lebanon, are well aware that reaching an agreement to stop the war on Lebanon is out of reach, if not impossible, and that these initiatives are nothing but political maneuvers.

Suwailem stressed that the real fear of the United States is losing control over the course of the war, which could lead to the outbreak of a wider regional war that Washington cannot control.

According to Suwailem, this fear increases as the US presidential elections approach, which explains the US administration's reluctance to allow Israel to expand the scope of the war, stressing that the United States will not hesitate to support Israel if a regional war breaks out.

Suwailem stressed that the dispute between the United States and Israel, if it exists, does not go beyond tactical differences with some Israeli leaders such as Netanyahu, but it does not touch the essence of the strategic relationship between Tel Aviv and Washington. The United States is committed to ensuring that Israel remains strong and dominant, whether Netanyahu is in power or not, and works to protect Israel from any existential threat, especially with the American fear of Israel’s disappearance from the map of the Middle East.

Regarding the current battle in Lebanon, Suwailem said there are two possibilities: either Israel may try to accelerate the process of destroying infrastructure and homes in Lebanon, but Hezbollah’s response may stop it from this escalation. The second possibility is that Israel may try to engage in a limited ground maneuver, not a large-scale invasion, as the Israeli army realizes that a war on Lebanon will not achieve its strategic goals, which it has proposed to return the residents of the northern settlements.

Hezbollah suffered a very big blow

On another level, Suwailem considered that Hezbollah was subjected to the biggest blow in the history of modern warfare after its communications network was targeted, its devices were blown up, and a number of its leaders were assassinated, but it succeeded in containing the shock and recovering from it, pointing out that if any other country had been subjected to such an attack, it would have collapsed, but Hezbollah proved its strength and ability to withstand.

"Israel found itself in a predicament as a result of its decision to wage war in Lebanon," Suwailem said, likening what is happening now to the policy of the Nazis, who resorted to adventure when they failed.

Suwailem pointed out that Hezbollah succeeded in dragging Israel into this predicament, and that it is not clear how Netanyahu or even the United States will be able to get it out of it.

Suwailem believes that the situation in the Middle East will not find its way to a solution except through a new American administration that stops the war, as the continuation of the war will lead to strategic losses for the United States. Suwailem expected that things will escalate in the Middle East, and the deterioration may lead to the entry of China and Russia as major players in the region on the economic, military, and political levels.

The United States is a direct partner in the war.

In turn, writer and political analyst Akram Atallah said that the war waged by Israel on the Gaza Strip cannot be separated from the American supportive role, as the United States provided Israel with money and weapons, including bombs, missiles and aircraft, in addition to using the veto in the Security Council in favor of Israel, which confirms that the United States is a direct partner in the war on Gaza.

Atallah described this participation as not just political or diplomatic support, but actual military intervention that contributes to the continuation of the genocide against the Palestinian people.

Regarding the initiatives, Atallah pointed out that what is being talked about regarding American and French initiatives to cease fire in Lebanon is nothing more than an attempt to calm things down, but he doubts the seriousness of these attempts.

According to Atallah, the next stage will be more complicated, as Israel refuses to cease fire in the Gaza Strip as demanded by Hezbollah.

Atallah explained that the United States is seeking to create the impression that it does not want escalation in Lebanon, in order to preserve its interests, which may be harmed if the war there extends.

Potential implications for US interests

Atallah pointed out that Washington gives Israel complete freedom of action in the Gaza Strip, including financing and arming, but the situation in Lebanon is very different due to the potential repercussions on American interests.

On the other hand, Atallah said that Israel may eventually be forced to accept what it previously rejected regarding stopping the war in Gaza, and he sees it as the most prominent scenario for the next stage.

Atallah considered that Hezbollah's current battle is nothing but a solidarity battle aimed at supporting Gaza, citing what happened during the humanitarian truce last November, when Hezbollah stopped firing rockets and shells for eight days automatically, as Hezbollah's responses are nothing but a reflection of the events in Gaza, and are not the main motive for the war.

Atallah believes that the solution to end this war is known as stopping the war on the Gaza Strip, but it is not expected from Israel, which will continue to cling to strategic locations such as the Netzarim and Philadelphi axes, which means closing the door to any possibility of concluding a deal between Hamas and Israel.

Atallah concluded by saying, "This scenario will also apply to Lebanon, as Hezbollah, after paying such a high price, cannot accept separating Gaza from Lebanon or withdrawing its support for the Strip.

America is able to stop the war if it wants to

For his part, writer and political analyst Sari Samour said that the current war is essentially American, as if the United States were truly interested in stopping the war on the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, or any region where Israel is waging war, it would have been able to do so easily.

Samour pointed out that the claim that "Washington is unable to curb Israel" is inaccurate, as the United States is the one that encourages Israel, directs it, and controls its actions, considering that Israel is nothing but a tool of the Western colonial project in the region.

Regarding the ongoing initiatives and negotiations, Samour said: They must be dealt with with caution, noting that the possibility of the American initiative to stop the war succeeding is very slim.

Samour relies on previous experience, as Gaza witnessed a war that lasted a whole year and was full of futile negotiations, which he considered an Israeli means of deception and committing more crimes, which was proven by practical experience.

Sammour pointed out that what was tried in Gaza is being tried to be applied in Lebanon through proposals that seem like a waste of time, and not a real solution to the crisis or a way to stop the war.

Samour explained that the administration of US President Joe Biden is about to leave the White House, and if a new Democratic administration comes, it may not be the same as the current staff and may move towards a solution, but there is a possibility of Donald Trump returning to power, whose policy is not known exactly what it will be yet.

Samour pointed out that the Biden administration is seeking to try to calm things down relatively before its departure, adding, “Some rational voices in American and Western institutions, despite their support for Israel, sometimes intervene to save Israel from itself, due to its arrogant behavior and excessive use of force, which could lead to disastrous repercussions for its existence, especially in light of the Arab and Islamic situation.”

Three possible scenarios

Regarding the possible scenarios, Sammour made several predictions, the first of which is that the current initiatives will die as previous initiatives did, and the circle of war will expand to include more operations and mutual bombing, which is the most likely scenario.

He added: As for the second scenario, it is Iran's entry into the confrontation line, with the possibility of Israel expanding the scope of its military operations to Syria and occupying some of its lands, exploiting the weakness of the Syrian regime in order to achieve its colonial goals.

He continued: The third scenario, although unlikely, is the possibility of reaching a comprehensive deal through which Israel is curbed, especially after it realized that destroying homes and killing civilians and children will not break the will of the Palestinian or Lebanese people or the Arab and Islamic peoples.

In this scenario, Samour pointed out that Israel might accept what is available and reconsider its plans, especially in light of its attempt to return its settlers in the north and south, and in light of the ongoing threat to Israeli security in the deep areas, but if this scenario does not happen, we will be facing an ongoing war.

Deep political alliance between America and Israel

In turn, writer and political analyst Hamada Faraana considered that relations between the United States and Israel extend to a deep political alliance, but on the military side, the Israeli army is considered an integral part of the United States army, as if it were a battalion of the American army.

Faraana explained that the American military capabilities in the region are being used to support the Israeli army, which makes the alliance between them strategic. Also, all the wars waged by the Israeli occupation forces enjoy full support and agreement from the American army. From here, it is understood that the war currently being waged by the Israeli forces is nothing but a war supported in advance militarily, logistically, technically and intelligence-wise by the United States.

On the political level, Faraana pointed out that there are differences in positions between the Israeli and American governments, especially with regard to the war on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

Netanyahu and the shock of October 7

Faraana believes that the United States is seeking to avoid expanding the scope of the war in the region, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects all American and international initiatives to cease fire in Gaza.

Pharaohs attributed Netanyahu's rejection of these initiatives to his shock at the October 7 attack and his failure to achieve his goals despite occupying the entire Gaza Strip, as he failed to end the Palestinian resistance and failed to discover the locations where the Israeli detainees were hidden and release them without an exchange. Netanyahu also fears that stopping the war will lead to his trial and political end, as happened with Golda Meir in 1973 and Menachem Begin in 1982. This is why he seeks to continue the battles so that his failure does not turn into a complete defeat.

In the context of his choice to continue escalating the conflict, Faraana indicated that Netanyahu transferred the war to Lebanon, with the aim of weakening Hezbollah as one of the most prominent symbols of resistance in the Arab region.

He said: Although the United States does not see any interest in expanding the war to Lebanon, it considers targeting Hezbollah's communications network and assassinating a number of its leaders sufficient, but Netanyahu seeks to achieve greater goals, which are the complete elimination of Hezbollah.

Initiative to separate the Gaza and Lebanon fronts

In the context of political initiatives, Faraana explained that the Biden administration presented a new initiative focusing on the war in Lebanon, completely separate from any initiatives related to the Gaza Strip. This initiative comes in line with the Israeli desire to separate the Gaza front from the Lebanon front, which reflects a joint Israeli-American strategy aimed at preventing the unification of the fighting fronts in the region.

Faraana put forward several possible scenarios for the developments of the next stage. The first scenario expects the clashes to continue without any significant achievement by either party, and the second scenario assumes the escalation of attacks leading to a ground invasion either by Hezbollah in northern Palestine or by the Israeli army in southern Lebanon.

Faraana added: As for the third scenario, it is the possibility of Arab parties from the axis of resistance intervening to support Hezbollah, which may require the United States to intervene to support Israel indirectly.

He continued: As for the fourth scenario, which is the least likely, it is the possibility of reaching an initiative to stop the war. Despite this, the Pharaohs tend to believe that the situation will witness a greater escalation, especially by the Arab parties supporting Hezbollah.

Giving Netanyahu the opportunity to destroy and displace Lebanese villages

Writer and political analyst Imad Moussa believes that the United States no longer plays the role of an honest mediator in any initiatives regarding the Israeli war on Lebanon or the Gaza Strip, but has rather become part of the ongoing aggression on Lebanon and Gaza.

Musa based his opinion on previous experiences, as he believes that the United States is exploiting the time factor to give the Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, the opportunity to destroy the Lebanese Shiite villages and displace their residents.

Musa said that the aim of these steps is to create a humanitarian crisis represented by the problem of housing thousands of displaced persons, which will ultimately lead to fueling internal conflicts and the population’s rejection of the presence of forces they consider to represent Iran.

Moussa considered that this crisis would provide an opportunity for some forces supported by the West, America and Israel to ignite a civil war in Lebanon, under the pretext of rejecting Iranian influence in the country.

Musa noted that the Palestinian camps will become a target for destruction as part of the plan to eliminate the Palestinians' right of return.

American strategy aims to establish facts on the ground

Regarding the repeated American initiatives to cease fire, whether in Gaza or Lebanon, Moussa said that these initiatives are part of a fixed American strategy aimed at establishing facts on the ground imposed by Israel through destruction and genocide.

Musa believes that the Israeli army is seeking to achieve comprehensive subjugation through the use of excessive force, and that this war will not stop in the near future. Rather, Musa believes that Netanyahu aspires to drag NATO into a broader war targeting Iran after the confrontation with Hezbollah is completed.

Musa pointed out that the genocide operations in the Gaza Strip are continuing without receiving much media or political resonance on the Arab and international levels, while the Israeli army continues to destroy Shiite villages in Lebanon, in an attempt to remove these villages from the circle of strategic threat posed by Hezbollah to Israel.

Washington continues to provide political and military support to Israel

As for the writer and political analyst Talal Okal, he believes that the United States has been a full partner with Israel since the first day of the war, both in terms of goals and methods used.

Awkal explained that Washington continues to provide political and military support to Israel, including supplying it with weapons and mobilizing its forces in the region to protect it.

However, Awkal pointed out that there are tactical differences between Israel and America on how to manage the war and its continuity, especially after a year of war without achieving the basic goals that Israel was seeking.

Awkal considered that the diplomatic interventions led by the US administration aim primarily to limit the spread of the circle of fire in the region, in order to maintain stability of the situation, not to mix up the cards, and to prevent any escalation that might threaten the interests of the United States or Israel.

Awkal stressed that these interventions do not necessarily aim to stop the war, but rather to contain it and prevent it from getting out of control.

The region is not approaching any cessation of war.

Awkal believes that the region is not approaching any cessation of war, pointing out that the first week of the aggression on Lebanon aims to isolate the Lebanon file from the Gaza file, and also seeks to separate Hezbollah from the Lebanese popular environment that sympathizes with it, but Hezbollah succeeded in convincing the Lebanese people that it did everything in its power to spare the country the scourge of war, and that it is fighting for Lebanon’s sovereignty and to protect the rights of its people.

In this context, Awkal referred to Washington and Paris’ attempts to incite the Lebanese opposition and government in order to pressure Hezbollah, considering that these efforts come within the framework of American motives related to the presidential elections, as the United States seeks to gain the support of voters, whether they are supporters of Israel or opponents of it, through these policies.

Despite these efforts, Awkal does not believe there is a real possibility of stopping the war before the US elections, noting that if the Biden administration wanted to stop the war, it had the ability to achieve that.

Awkal believes that the war is heading towards further expansion, especially since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is counting on continued American support in all its forms. Awkal stresses that he is not one of those who surrender to the idea of defeat, noting that how the situation will ultimately stabilize remains unclear so far.

Within 16 hours of aggression...destruction, sabotage and punishment of civilians

Analysts to "I": The occupation's continued targeting of Jenin and its camp is an embodiment of displacement plans

During the recent occupation aggression on the city and camp of Jenin last Wednesday, the occupation inflicted, within 16 hours, losses that were many times greater than the previous aggression at the beginning of this month, which lasted 10 days, due to the extent of the destruction and sabotage carried out.

The occupation bulldozers are in all aspects of life and infrastructure. They did not just re-destroy the already destroyed streets, but they also isolated several areas and neighborhoods. The three main entrances to the camp have become closed, and citizens cannot move or pass through them. The center of the eastern neighborhood has also been isolated along Khalid bin al-Walid Mosque Street, and communication has been cut off. Al-Naseem Street, which connects Jenin to the eastern villages, has also been destroyed.

The head of the Chamber of Commerce, Ammar Abu Bakr, explained in his interview with “I” that the aggression aimed at destruction and planned sabotage to paralyze people’s lives and commercial movement and isolate neighborhoods and communities, which exacerbates the suffering of citizens.

He added: "Movement has become paralyzed and even the road to schools and inside the camp has become impossible and vehicles cannot pass, while the aggression has led to the destruction of water and sewage networks and a complete water outage, because the occupation has destroyed the main sources of water supply."

He added: "The occupation wanted to make life impossible, as part of the siege and pressure on citizens and destroying their lives. Hundreds of citizens were detained inside their homes, and shops and homes in Jenin and the camp were destroyed."

The occupation forces continue to target the city and camp of Jenin, under the pretext of pursuing those they call wanted persons, in light of the failure of their previous campaigns to strike the infrastructure of the resistance that confronts the occupation in every aggression. The development of their capabilities in manufacturing local explosive devices has proven to be the most important weapon in resisting the occupation, which has led to heavy losses, whether in the killing and wounding of soldiers or the destruction of military vehicles. Therefore, the occupation focused in its latest aggression last Wednesday on targeting the popular incubator and imposing sanctions on it by targeting its homes and commercial interests, including shops, stalls, vehicles and other necessities of life.

Throughout the aggression, Israeli bulldozers did not stop destroying, vandalizing and attacking homes. According to the mayor, Nidal Obeidi, the occupation practiced a policy of iron fist and collective punishment to pressure citizens and double their suffering and losses in light of the tragic conditions and economic collapse that Jenin and its camp are experiencing, which has become unprecedentedly compounded by the measures and restrictions imposed before October 7, which have become more severe after the war on Gaza. He added, “Jenin Governorate is today a disaster area in every sense of the word. There are no longer any elements of life or infrastructure. The occupation practiced systematic destruction until the water was cut off and there are no longer any sewage networks, and the commercial market is on the verge of collapse.”

The people of Jenin and its camp view with great concern the aggression practiced by the occupation during the last raid, even though it only lasted a few hours. Everyone is wondering about the dimensions and messages of the occupation from this operation in light of its rapid withdrawal in light of the ongoing threats and incitement from the leaders and ministers of the extreme right in Netanyahu’s government to wipe out Jenin and its camp from existence.

Writer and analyst Adnan Al-Sabah believes that what is happening in the West Bank, especially Jenin, is the true face of the occupation government’s project to implement the plan of forced displacement and expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank.

The aggression on Jenin and its camp coincided with the height of the Israeli aggression on Lebanon and the continuation of the war of genocide in Gaza. Al-Sabah told “Y”: “The occupation finds a golden opportunity for itself in light of the global preoccupation with what is happening in both Gaza and Lebanon, and the world’s preoccupation with many issues. Therefore, the story in the West Bank and Jenin has become much smaller for the world to be preoccupied with. Therefore, this is its opportunity that allows it to do whatever it wants and desires to make the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank an impossible, difficult and harsh life and push them backwards in all forms.”

He continued: "The real project of the occupying state and the United States is in the West Bank. This is the project, and everything that is happening on the other fronts is to prevent any force from obstructing the Zionist project in the West Bank. The occupying state may make concessions in any place in one way or another, but it cannot give up its project in the West Bank."

The project and its objectives..

Al-Sabah saw that this project is the original one for it and is based on eliminating the Palestinian presence in the West Bank, and he said: “It is not necessarily eliminating the presence in the individual and personal sense, but eliminating the presence of the cause, and this is what it has been striving for since its existence and since the setback of 1967. Any project proposed, any issue proposed, any solutions proposed, eliminates the Zionist project, as the occupation has always been against it and in confrontation with it.”

He added: "The occupation seeks to achieve this by all means, and what is happening in Jenin is an example of what the occupying state is planning, to make the lives of Palestinians impossible on the ground in the Palestinian territories, and to push them towards individual salvation. It does not want mass displacement, which is not considered a solution for it, because mass displacement is survival in the collective sense. If you take the Palestinians, for example, even if they could, to Jordan or Egypt, this means the existence of the same group, the same culture, and the same issue together, but on the borders and not inside the land, and this will not end the issue in any way."

The Israeli General War..

Researcher and writer Sari Samour considered that what is happening in Jenin is part of the general Israeli war in the region, in Palestine and outside it. He told “Y”: “Israel has reached the stage of applying Jabotinsky’s theory, which means that Israel’s borders include all of Mandatory Palestine in addition to Sinai, part of Jordan, and southern Lithuania, i.e. part of Lebanon, from the Euphrates to the Nile. This is what the Europeans promised them.”

He added: "The circumstances facing Israel, its strategic and military circumstances, do not allow it to do so, but the crazy and unlimited American support for it has given it arrogance, unnatural strength and excess power to implement what it wants. The aggression on the West Bank comes because it is considered part of their state."

He continued: "There are 800 to 850 thousand settlers in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, which is home to more than 3 million or 3.5 million Palestinians, and they want to deport them, but at the current stage there is no room, so they want to turn areas in the West Bank into uninhabitable areas."

Researcher Samour said: “What angers and oppresses the Israelis is the absence of settlements in Jenin, due to its history of resistance. Therefore, they want Jenin to have a special status in the displacement plan. Therefore, the aggression against it is repeated, and we notice that the living and life of the citizen in Jenin has become difficult, and cannot be compared to the West Bank.”

“The people of Jenin see that their reality cannot be compared to the tragedies and setbacks of Gaza, and this is a matter that is practically established, and this is a constant feeling among the people of Jenin, who are known for being perhaps the area that has shown the most solidarity with Gaza, and they consider this a duty, but as for the normal life that Jenin is accustomed to, it has changed, and everything has become difficult and bad due to the occupation and its practices,” he added, “All these circumstances in light of an economic situation that is gradually collapsing in Jenin, with the interruption of salaries, closure, siege, and successive attacks and their effects of victims and destruction, to which is added an aggression that lasted 16 hours, preceded by incursions and an invasion that lasted 10 days and the increase in the number of martyrs, with the size of the attacks and the geography of Jenin since 2002, the goal is to turn Jenin into an area that is unfit for life.”

Continuous failure of the occupation..

Researcher Sammour confirmed that the occupation's move to re-destroy what it had previously destroyed in Jenin and its camp aims to prevent people from living their lives normally, as they no longer have any special roads to the gates of winter.

He said: "All practices lead to the complete disruption and destruction of the life system, under the pretext of fighting terrorism, which the people call legitimate resistance. These arguments have become ridiculous and vulgar. In the last aggression, there was no targeting or achievement of military objectives, the resistance, individuals or places used by the resistance, but rather the destruction of the lives of citizens to strike the popular incubator, which confirmed its support for and rallying behind the resistance."

He added: "The citizens are clearly aware of the objectives of the occupation's methods and policies of collective punishment to implement a plan to forcibly displace and empty the land of its inhabitants. Therefore, their message is clear: steadfastness, solidarity, and rallying around the resistance no matter the cost. This means continued failure for the occupation."

long term process

Writer and analyst Dr. Mahmoud Khalouf, an expert in communications and public relations, told “Y”: “What happened is part of a long-term process that took place over multiple stages. The occupation seeks to strike the popular incubator of the resistance, and on the other hand, it wants and is determined to make Jenin and its camp a repellent environment, lacking the minimum requirements for a decent human life.”

He added: “In every raid, there is a plan to monitor from the air and from the ground any valuable target in order to assassinate it, and this happened in previous raids, but this time God has been merciful, but part of what Israel is practicing is implementing two types of pressure on the authority that is imposed on it to contribute to compensation, as well as pushing local authorities, municipalities, electricity and telephone companies towards economic crises, so that they are almost unable to provide a distinctive quality service, and this is linked to the goal that the occupation is pushing the northern West Bank to be an environment that repels residents, hoping that it will push the indirect immigration plan forward.”

Trade unions have accused the Israeli occupation authorities of violating international labor law by withholding wages and benefits from more than 200,000 Palestinian workers since October 7, 2023, stressing that the blatant violations of wage protection established by the International Labor Organization have pushed many workers into the clutches of extreme poverty.

Nine international unions filed an official complaint against the Israeli occupation authorities before the International Labor Organization on behalf of about 200,000 Palestinian workers.

According to the Associated Press, the complaint demands that the occupation authorities pay compensation to thousands of Palestinian workers who did not receive their wages after the start of the Israeli war of extermination on Gaza in October 2023.

The complaint focuses on violations suffered by Palestinian workers, including delayed payment of wages and harsh conditions under which they work.

The complaint aims to recover wages for Palestinian workers who previously worked in the occupied Palestinian territories. The trade unions behind it represent some 207 million workers in more than 160 countries.

The complaint includes the Building and Wood Workers' International, Education International, IndustriALL Global Union, International Federation of Journalists, International Trade Union Confederation, International Transport Workers' Federation, International Union of Food, Agriculture, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations, and Public Services International. The OECD Trade Union Advisory Committee also signed the complaint.

According to a legal memorandum on the complaint, the occupation authorities revoked the work permits of about 13,000 Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip to work legally in the occupied Palestinian territories, following the start of the war on Gaza, leaving these workers with unpaid wages since September 2023.

Moreover, the occupation has not allowed an additional 200,000 Palestinian workers from the occupied West Bank who work in the occupied territories to enter, and they have not received any notices of termination of service, according to the memo, which explains that they are entitled to the wages stipulated in the work contracts for their previous and subsequent months of work.

The unions accuse the occupation authorities of violating the International Labour Organization's Protection of Wages Convention, which was ratified by 100 member states, including Israel, in 1959.

The complaint comes in the context of escalating international efforts aimed at improving the conditions of Palestinian workers and holding Israel accountable for the violations committed against them.

According to the International Labor Organization, more than 500,000 people have lost their jobs in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, exacerbating an already deteriorating economic landscape for Palestinians.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that a year ago, Israel suffered its worst intelligence failure in its history when Hamas launched a surprise attack, killing 1,200 people, including 311 soldiers, and taking some 250 hostages. Today, a wave of strikes against Hezbollah has put Israel’s long-vaunted spy agencies and spies back in the spotlight.

“This shift reflects how Israel has invested its time and resources over the past two decades. Since fighting its last war with Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006, Israel has been meticulously preparing for another major conflict with the militant group — and possibly with its backer, Iran,” the newspaper said.

Hamas, by contrast, was seen as a much less potent threat, the paper says. Even shortly before the October 7 incursion into the Gaza Strip, senior Israeli officials were dismissive of signs of an imminent attack. Last September, the Israeli military confidently described Gaza as in a state of “stable instability,” and “intelligence assessments concluded that Hamas had shifted its focus to stoking violence in the West Bank and wanted to reduce the risk of direct Israeli retaliation,” the paper says.

The pro-Israel newspaper quotes Carmit Valensi, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv and an expert on Lebanese militias, as saying: “Most of our focus was on preparing for a confrontation with Hezbollah. We somewhat neglected the southern arena and the developing situation with Hamas in Gaza.”

A series of Israeli attacks in Lebanon over the past two weeks has left Hezbollah stunned — shocked by Israel’s ability to penetrate the group and struggling to close the gaps. Thousands of Hezbollah radios exploded almost simultaneously on consecutive days last week, killing 37 and wounding about 3,000. Shortly afterward, an airstrike in Beirut killed a group of more than a dozen elite military commanders.

On Friday, Israel targeted what it described as Hezbollah's main headquarters in a Beirut suburb.

“But Hezbollah’s security remains tenuous. On Tuesday, another Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut killed Hezbollah’s top missile commander.”

The operations came nearly two months after Israel demonstrated its ability to penetrate Hezbollah by killing its top commander, Fouad Shukr, who had puzzled the United States for four decades. He was killed in an airstrike on his apartment on the top floors of a Beirut apartment building, where he had been summoned by phone shortly before.

An intensive campaign by Israel’s foreign spy agency, Mossad, and military intelligence units has destroyed Hezbollah’s leadership and degraded its weapons arsenal. The Israeli air force has followed up with a bombing campaign that has hit more than 2,000 targets this week.

Israel's military chief of staff said Wednesday the intensive efforts were in preparation for a ground invasion. The United States and its allies have been pressing both sides to halt the fighting, hoping to avoid another war or even a regional conflagration as fighting in Gaza drags on for its 12th month.

The Lebanese Health Ministry says more than 600 people have been killed in this week's air strikes on Lebanon, and about 2,000 injured, adding to the heavy toll on Gaza.

According to the newspaper, “Israel’s success against Hezbollah compared to its failure with regard to Hamas comes because the country’s security services are better at offense than defense, according to Avner Golov, a former director in Israel’s National Security Council who now works with MIND Israel, a national security consulting group.”

"The essence of the Israeli security doctrine is to take the war to the enemy. With Gaza, it was completely different. We were surprised, so it was a complete failure," Golov said.

Israel has watched Hezbollah’s buildup of its arsenal since the two sides signed a truce in 2006 after a month-long war. At the time, many in Israel’s security establishment were disappointed with the army’s performance in the war, which failed to inflict significant damage on Hezbollah, which had begun to rebuild its position in the south. As a result, the military sought to better understand Hezbollah and try to curtail Iranian military and financial support for the group, including through a campaign of airstrikes in Syria that became known as the “war between the wars.”

“In contrast, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has adopted a strategy of containing Hamas in Gaza in recent years, believing that the Palestinian group is focused on ruling Gaza and is not interested in a war with Israel. The two sides had fought a series of brief conflicts following Hamas’s takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, and the Israelis believed that the group’s leader in the territory, Yahya Sinwar, was more interested in improving the economic conditions of the Palestinian people,” the paper says.

The newspaper points out that "there were signs and evidence indicating that Hamas was planning the attack, including military exercises that indicated methods almost identical to those used by Hamas in its incursion into Israel on October 7."

But Israeli intelligence downplayed the exercises (which were being conducted by Hamas) as displays for domestic consumption, and the army felt very confident in the strength of the technologically advanced wall that the Israelis had built to separate Gaza from Israel.

“Gathering information from human sources that might have warned of an attack has become more difficult since Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and handed it over to Palestinian control,” said Uzi Shaya, a former Israeli intelligence official. “The ability to create human intelligence in Gaza, in a very dense and small area where everyone knows everyone, where a stranger appears immediately, makes life much more difficult,” Shaya said. “It has become easier to reach people in Lebanon or outside Lebanon who are connected to Hezbollah.”

But intelligence gains are limited, and ultimately Israel’s success against either group will be determined on the battlefield. “In the confines of the Gaza Strip, the IDF has defeated Hamas and destroyed the urban landscape. But it will face a different enemy in the hills of Lebanon.”

“There is a risk that Israel’s recent successes could make it overconfident,” said Valensi, a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies. Invading Lebanon with troops could give Hezbollah the opportunity to demonstrate its military superiority on the ground, she said. “We’ve seen how challenging and difficult it is to take down a complex organization like Hamas. Hezbollah is a different story.”

Four citizens were killed, at dawn on Saturday, in the occupation's bombing of the Maghazi and Nuseirat camps in the central Gaza Strip, coinciding with the demolition of residential buildings in Gaza City.

Local sources reported that civil defense crews recovered two dead, in addition to a number of injuries, as a result of shelling that targeted a populated house belonging to the "Harb" family in Block C in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip, coinciding with the occupation forces' detonation of residential buildings in the town of Al-Maghraqa.

A citizen was killed as a result of the occupation artillery shelling that targeted Salah al-Din Street opposite the Nuseirat camp.

Another citizen was killed in an Israeli artillery attack that targeted the road separating the Al-Maghazi and Al-Bureij camps in the central Gaza Strip.

It added that the occupation warplanes launched a raid on the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City.

The occupation artillery bombed the southern areas of Al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City.

Since October 7, 2023, the occupation army has continued its comprehensive war on the Gaza Strip by land, sea and air, leaving 41,534 people dead and 96,092 others injured, the majority of them women and children, in a toll that is still not final. Thousands are still missing under the rubble, in light of the difficulty of ambulance and rescue crews reaching the targeted sites.

Israeli warplanes launched heavy waves of raids on Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday night and Saturday morning, hours after an attack that the Israeli military said targeted the Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.

Al Jazeera reported that Israeli warplanes launched more than 30 raids on the southern suburb. The successive raids targeted buildings in the areas of Al-Kafaat, Al-Shuwaifat, Al-Hadath and Al-Laylaki in the suburb.

Live images showed fires breaking out in a number of targeted buildings.

A security source said that Israeli aircraft fired more than one guided missile at the Al-Laylaki area.

For its part, the Israeli army said it bombed dozens of rocket launchers and weapons depots in the southern suburb.

He added that the raids target "Hezbollah's combat equipment under civilian buildings in the southern suburb," according to his allegations.

The Israeli army also said it was attacking what it described as Hezbollah's strategic targets in Beirut, noting that it was targeting "weapons manufacturing sites, buildings containing advanced combat equipment, and the party's main headquarters."

Denying Israeli allegations

Hezbollah denied Israel's allegations that there were weapons depots in the buildings that were bombed in the southern suburb.

He said in a statement that "there is no truth to the false claims of the Zionist enemy about the presence of weapons or weapons stores in the civilian buildings that it targeted with shelling in the southern suburb a short while ago."

Earlier, the Israeli army spokesman said that a warning was issued to residents of buildings in the southern suburb, and specifically in the Hadath area, to evacuate them before they were bombed.

The spokesman also stated that Israel would not allow the transfer of weapons through Beirut's civilian airport, he claimed.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced "the martyrdom of 6 people and the injury of 91 others in the Israeli enemy's raids on the southern suburb."

Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that the Israeli bombing caused great destruction in the middle of Haret Hreik in the southern suburb, leveling 4 buildings to the ground.

Israeli security estimates indicate that about 300 people were killed in the attack on the southern suburb, according to Haaretz.

Lebanese Transport Minister Ali Hamieh responded by saying that Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport is a “civilian airport par excellence.”

He added that any landing of military aircraft at the airport is subject to the approval of the Lebanese Army.

In addition to the successive raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Israeli air force launched a series of raids on several areas in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, according to what Al Jazeera's correspondent reported.

The Israeli army also announced that it launched a wave of raids on Hezbollah targets in Tyre, southern Lebanon.

Targeting Nasrallah

These successive raids come after the devastating attack carried out by the Israeli army in the heart of Haret Hreik in the middle of the southern suburb on Friday evening, which it said targeted Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah during a meeting at the party's central command headquarters.

Nine citizens, including children, were killed on Friday evening in Israeli air and artillery shelling of several areas in the Gaza Strip.

Local sources and paramedics said that two children were killed when the occupation artillery shelled the Awad family home in the town of Al-Fakhari, east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Three citizens were also killed when the occupation forces bombed a house in the Al-Mawasi area, west of Rafah city, in the southern Gaza Strip, while four Palestinian citizens were killed and a child was injured in an occupation air strike in the area west of the Al-Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

ENDING THE WAR IN GAZA, RETURNING THE HOSTAGES, AND A NEW REGIME IN GAZA

Before this plan enters into implementation, with the agreement of Hamas, President Mahmoud Abbas will appoint the Chief Commissioner of the Gaza Council of Commissioners – a non-Hamas, a non-Fatah, professional government of technocrats for Gaza for 24-36 months until there is enough stability to conduct full Palestinian democratic elections for the State of Palestine (West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem). The Gaza Council of Commissioners will not be run by the Palestinian Authority of the West Bank, even though its Chief Commissioner will be appointed by President Abbas. From the day of appointment of the Chief Commissioner, the Council of Commissioners will be formed and appointed by its head. By Day 17 of this plan, the Council of Commissioners will officially take control over Gaza following Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the transference of all governing power from Hamas.  All local (Israeli, Egyptian, Qatari, USA, etc. and International Organizations will refer to the Council of Commissioners as the only legal governing body in Gaza). 

• DAY 1: AT 6:00 am on the determined day, a full ceasefire of both sides enters into force on Day 1.  Israel will cease all of the IDF aggressive activities in Gaza. Israel will pull out of populated areas from day 1 and begin to redeploy in preparation for a full withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas will cease all aggressive activities against Israeli soldiers. No rockets or mortars will be fired by Hamas from Day 1. Armed Hamas personnel will not be shot at by Israel from Day 1 unless they are attacking Israeli soldiers. Armed Israeli soldiers will not be shot at by Hamas unless Israeli soldiers are shooting at them.
• DAY 1 TO DAY 5: By 12:00 noon on Day 1, through the mediators, Israel will provide a list of all of the Israeli and foreign hostages that are believed to be in Gaza.  By 12:00 noon on Day 5, Hamas will know the location of all of the hostages and their condition. Hamas will have five days to collect this information. The list of hostages and their condition will be handed over to the mediators no later than 12:00 noon on Day 5.
• DAY 1: Israel will cease flyover missions over Gaza from 6:00 on day 1 except the flyover missions for three hours a day coordinated through the mediators for the only purpose of coordinating and supervising Israeli troop movements out of populated areas and a return to Israel proper.  The 3-hour flyover operations by Israel will be fully coordinated and will only occur while Israeli troops are on the move out of populated areas and back towards the Israeli borders.
• DAY 7 and Day 8: On Day 7, Israel will begin to withdraw its forces from all of the Rafah and Khan Yunis areas. The withdrawal of Israel forces from this area will be done on Day 7 and Day 8.
• DAY 9: On Day 9, Hamas will release all of the wounded, sick, living children and elderly and women hostages and Israel will release the agreed number and names of Palestinian prisoners. The ICRC will coordinate the logistics of the transfers of prisoners and hostages with Israel and Hamas.
• DAY 10 AND DAY 11: On Day 10 and Day 11, Israel will withdraw its forces to north of Wadi Gaza.
• DAY 12: On Day 12, Hamas will release all of the dead bodies of the hostages in exchange for the agreed number of Palestinian prisoners. The ICRC will coordinate the logistics of the transfers of prisoners and hostages with Israel and Hamas.
• DAY 13: On Day 13, the Rafah crossing will be opened with agreed international supervision and a mechanism which is not Hamas run on the Gaza side of the crossing. Increased humanitarian aid will begin to flow into Gaza as agreed in the detailed negotiations.
• DAY 14: On Day 14, Israel will withdraw from all areas south of Jabalia.
• DAY 15: On Day 15, Hamas will release all of the remaining hostages, civilian or military which have not yet been released in exchange for the release of the agreed to number of Palestinian prisoners. The ICRC will coordinate the logistics of the transfers of prisoners and hostages with Israel and Hamas.
• DAY 16- DAY 16: On Day 16 and 17, Israel will withdraw from the remaining areas of Gaza.
• Day 17 onward: The Gaza Council of Commissioners will have full responsibility for the governing of Gaza.
• Day 18: A coordinating meeting will take place between the Gaza Commission of Commissions and Israeli civilian and military officials. The meeting will take place at the Erez Crossing. The meeting will focus on the massive increase of humanitarian aid into Gaza from all entrance points along the Israel-Gaza border and via the Rafah crossing, including the necessary security and inspection mechanisms. 
• Day 21: A summit meeting will take place between the Gaza Commission of Commissioners and all Arab leaders prepared to contribute to the reconstruction of Gaza including the possible sending of an Arab-led peace keeping force to Gaza for a limited period of time.

There are of course many additional elements and details that must be included in this plan.  This is a very general outline posted to provide some insights, some hopes, and some directions forward.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah announced the launch of the "International Alliance to Implement the Two-State Solution", with the first meeting of the alliance to be held in Riyadh.

In his speech at the UN ministerial meeting on the Palestinian issue, the Saudi Foreign Minister said, “In the name of Arab and Islamic countries and European partners, the (International Coalition for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution) has been launched, and we invite you to join this initiative, stressing that we will do our utmost to achieve a reliable and irreversible path to a just and comprehensive peace. We look forward to hearing what you have to contribute to ending this conflict, in order to preserve international peace and security.”

Faisal bin Farhan stressed that "the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is a fundamental right and a basis for peace. We affirm our appreciation for the countries that recently recognized Palestine and call on all countries to be courageous and take the same decision and join the international consensus represented by 149 countries that recognize Palestine."

The Saudi Foreign Minister added: "We wonder what remains of the credibility and legitimacy of the international system in the face of our inability to stop the war machine?" The Saudi Foreign Minister continued, saying: "Self-defense cannot justify the killing of tens of thousands of civilians, the practice of systematic destruction, and forced displacement."

Faisal bin Farhan explained that "the war on Gaza caused a humanitarian disaster and serious violations by Israeli forces in the West Bank, in addition to threatening Al-Aqsa Mosque."

Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported, citing security sources, that Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is in a safe place, and what the Israeli media is circulating about his death is incorrect.

Reuters quoted a source close to Hezbollah as saying that "Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is alive."

Israeli Army Radio reported that senior commanders said that "so far it is not possible to confirm or deny the killing of Hassan Nasrallah."

Channel 12 quoted an Israeli source as confirming that "whether the assassination operation by bombing the suburb succeeded or not, it is a strong message."

The Israeli source confirmed that it would take some time to confirm the results of the attack on the suburb.

Channel 13 Israel claimed that "Israeli intelligence information confirmed that Nasrallah was at the targeted headquarters, but his fate is not clear."

The Israeli army announced today, Friday, that it bombed what it described as the central headquarters of Hezbollah in the heart of the southern suburb of Beirut, while Israeli media reported that the main target was Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the air force carried out a strike on the main headquarters of Hezbollah's leadership, stressing the continuation of targeting what he described as "terrorist targets that threaten Israeli citizens in Lebanon."

The Israeli Army Radio reported that F-35 aircraft carried out the raids using bunker-busting bombs, and the target was the headquarters of Hezbollah's General Staff, and the main target was Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Israeli media reported that 2,000-pound bunker-busting bombs were used in the bombing of the southern suburb.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation quoted sources as saying that it is not yet certain whether Hassan Nasrallah was inside the central command headquarters at the time of the bombing.

The official body quoted a senior official as saying that Israel informed the United States of America about the bombing of the suburb.

The Israeli Army Radio also quoted a military source as saying that the air defense systems, intelligence, and ambulance services are on maximum alert throughout Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel rejects any role for Hamas in Gaza after the war, and we will not return to settlement in the Strip. He claimed before the United Nations General Assembly that the Israeli army killed or captured more than half of Hamas fighters and destroyed 90% of its missiles. He pointed out that Hezbollah turned entire cities in northern Israel into ghost towns.

Diplomatic delegations from several countries left the UN hall as Netanyahu's speech began, and this coincided with boos and applause from a number of attendees.

Netanyahu began his speech by saying, "I decided to attend and participate in the United Nations General Assembly to say that Israel seeks peace, has achieved it, and will continue to achieve it, and is waging a war for survival."

"Israel was closer than ever to normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia, and then came the October 7 attack," he added.

Netanyahu threatened Iran, saying, "If you attack us, we will attack you, and there is no place that Israel's long arm cannot reach in the Middle East."

He considered that "the war could end now if Hamas lays down its weapons and releases the hostages, otherwise we will continue fighting until we achieve certain victory."

Netanyahu did not mention in his speech the ceasefire negotiations, whether in Gaza or Lebanon.

He stated that "Israel must defeat Hezbollah and we will not allow it to return to the border and plan another October 7, and as long as it chooses the path of war, we have the right to remove this threat in order to return the residents of the north to their homes."

Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Thursday that the world has failed miserably to stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the West Bank, despite the passage of a year since this title, which must stop immediately.

Safadi, who held a joint press conference with Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), following the conclusion of a "high-level" meeting on the agency, the importance of the role it plays, and the necessity of its continuation, said that Israel is a rogue state because it acts as if it is above the law, and does not abide by international standards, or even the advice and guidance of its friends, who have been urging it to abide by international laws without it heeding these calls, which has plunged the region into a new war front on a new front in Lebanon, which is quickly getting out of control and rolling towards a wide regional war.

The "high-level" periodic meeting included the Arab League, all members of the Security Council, and UNRWA to discuss the dilemma the agency is going through, and to examine the available means to ensure the continuation of its work, including funding and empowerment.

Al-Safadi pointed out the invalidity of the smear campaign launched by Israel against UNRWA regarding stopping its work and preventing it from providing humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who are in dire need of it, including clean drinking water, food, medicine, and the right to learn in the agency’s schools, or to seek health care in its clinics and hospitals, exposing the agency and its staff to persecution and killing and its institutions to destruction.

In response to a question from the Jerusalem correspondent regarding the nature of the efforts being made by the Jordanian government with the US government and US legislators who are working to include UNRWA on the terrorism lists in order to criminalize it, Safadi said: “We are in constant contact with the US government and its various agencies, including the legislative branch, to prove the importance and integrity of the role played by UNRWA in providing essential aid to the Palestinians and the necessity of continuing its support, especially since the United States is the largest donor to the agency.”

It is noteworthy that last March the US Congress froze US aid until next March (2025) pending an investigation into Israeli allegations that UNRWA employees contributed to the Hamas movement’s attack on Israel on October 7, which was proven false.

In turn, Lazzarini stressed that UNRWA is carrying out a very important relief mission, and is working according to an international mandate, not only in Gaza, but also in the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, warning that there are now 300,000 students in schools affiliated with the agency, who are not going to their schools now, for the second year.

On Thursday morning, an informal, closed high-level meeting was held between the members of the Security Council, the Arab League and the Arab Troika (Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Bahrain) in the presence of Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit to discuss common issues. After the meeting, Secretary-General António Guterres and Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, who chaired the meeting in her country’s capacity as President of the Security Council for this month, spoke about the closed meeting to accredited press.

Fayon expressed the importance of the meeting, as participants expressed their concern about developments in the Middle East, especially the spread of violence from Gaza to the West Bank to Lebanon. She said that she addressed the members of the Council, saying: “Use your powers, use the international presence to pressure Israel to respect international resolutions and withdraw from the occupied territories.” She said that the world is now in the House of Peace and the important word here is peace, but this word is absent from the Middle East, which is going through a period of terror. She added: “We must push for respect for the Security Council resolutions, and work to find a political solution because this conflict will not be resolved militarily.” She said that she hopes that all countries will follow the example of her country, Slovenia, in dealing with the Palestinian issue and recognize Palestine as an independent and sovereign state.

For his part, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said that the closed meeting between the members of the Security Council, the Arab League and the Arab Troika was positive and constructive. An open and frank dialogue took place between the participants in the meeting, where the four Arab representatives spoke in the session and expressed their support for the French-American initiative to declare a temporary ceasefire for at least 21 days. He said: “Some members called for recognition of the State of Palestine, especially those who have not yet recognized the State of Palestine.” He added: “In the end, the Arab delegation reiterated that the Arab world is still committed to the 2002 Arab Initiative, which is based on a fundamental principle: land for peace - that is, withdrawal from the occupied territories in exchange for recognition and normalization.” Aboul Gheit said that other issues discussed in the meeting included support for UNRWA and thinking about the “day after” the war on Gaza.

Israeli Army Radio reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant approved a study of possible operations in Gaza based on the "generals' plan."

The so-called "Generals' Plan" was recently proposed, and leaks published by Israeli and American media revealed that it stipulates a siege of the northern Gaza Strip, the cessation of humanitarian aid, and the evacuation of the population.

These outlets quoted Netanyahu as saying during a closed session in the Knesset last Sunday that he was studying this "logical" plan.

CNN quoted a former Israeli military official as saying that Netanyahu is studying a plan to "force all Palestinians in northern Gaza to leave." He added that the plan aims to turn the northern Gaza Strip into a closed military zone, besiege Hamas fighters and "force them to surrender or starve."

On the other hand, the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said a few days ago that the army is expected to present several alternatives to the plan to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza in the coming days.

The newspaper added that the plans will be presented to Netanyahu and will include "options aimed at withdrawing civil authority from Hamas."

It also stated that "after a week's deadline to evacuate the residents, a complete military siege will be imposed on the area, which will leave the militants in Gaza City with the choice of surrender or death."

This plan has become known in Israel as the “Generals’ Plan.” It was proposed by Reserve General Giora Eiland, the former head of the Security Council, in early September and supported by dozens of current and former senior army officers.

Israeli estimates indicate that about 5,000 Hamas fighters remain in the northern Gaza Strip.

"Israel Today" newspaper quoted Netanyahu during the same Knesset session as saying, "There was an attempt to enable the clans in Gaza to distribute humanitarian aid, but it did not succeed."

Last March, the Gathering of Palestinian Tribes, Clans and Families in the Gaza Strip said in a statement that it “is not an alternative to any Palestinian political system, but rather is a component of the national components and a supporter of the resistance and the protection of the home front.”

After about a year of its devastating war on Gaza, Israel has failed to achieve any of its initial declared goals for the war, which were to recover its prisoners in the besieged Strip and destroy the capabilities of the Hamas movement.

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies + Israeli Press

The Houthi group announced today, Friday, that it had bombed the cities of Tel Aviv and Ashkelon in central and southern Israel, on Thursday night - Friday, with a ballistic missile and a drone.

The Houthi military spokesman said in a video statement that his group "carried out two military operations against Israeli enemy targets in the areas of Jaffa (adjacent to Tel Aviv) and Ashkelon in occupied Palestine."

He added: "We targeted the Jaffa area with a 'Palestine 2' ballistic missile, while a vital target in the Ashkelon area was struck with a 'Jaffa' drone."

He pointed out that the two operations "successfully hit their targets," vowing "more strikes; in victory for the blood of our brothers in Palestine and Lebanon."

The Israeli army announced, after midnight on Thursday, that one "surface-to-surface" missile was launched from Yemen and was intercepted outside the country's borders.

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said yesterday, Thursday, that his forces carried out operations during the current week with 39 ballistic, winged and unmanned missiles, without clarifying the targeted locations.

In a speech, Al-Houthi said: “We carried out operations during this week with 39 ballistic, winged and unmanned missiles,” adding: “We were able to manufacture a new missile that we called ‘Palestine 2’, which will enter service as part of the fifth phase of the escalation in support of Gaza.”

He warned that "the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden have become a completely forbidden area for the Israeli, American and British enemy."

Regarding the events in Lebanon, the Houthi leader said, "The Israeli goal of the escalation in Lebanon is to prevent Hezbollah from supporting Gaza and the Palestinian people, and this is a goal that will not be achieved."

In solidarity with Gaza, which has been subjected to a devastating Israeli war since October 7, the Houthis targeted Israeli or Israeli-linked cargo ships in the Red and Arabian Seas with missiles and drones.

With the intervention of Washington and London through a coalition that launched strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen, and the tension taking an escalating direction in January, the Houthis announced that they now consider all American and British ships among their military targets.

Recently, the Houthis said they would expand the strikes to “include enemy-linked ships passing through the Indian Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope route.”

This evening, the Israeli occupation forces fired into the air at the entrance to the town of Idhna, west of Hebron, as they continue to tighten their siege on the town.

These forces prevent citizens from passing through the “Al-Lih” gate, the northern entrance to the town, which connects via the bypass road 35 to the Farsh al-Hawa area and the city of Hebron.

The siege on the town has continued since the beginning of this month, increasing the suffering of the residents and disrupting their daily lives, amidst strict restrictions that prevent them from moving freely.

A number of citizens suffocated on Friday as a result of the Israeli occupation forces suppressing an anti-settlement march in the town of Beita, south of Nablus.

Local sources reported that the occupation forces suppressed the weekly Beita march with live bullets and tear gas canisters, which led to a number of citizens suffering from suffocation due to inhaling the tear gas, and they were treated in the field. A citizen was also injured by a tear gas canister in the hand.

The town of Beita is subjected to repeated attacks by the Israeli occupation forces and settlers, following the forcible establishment of the "Avitar" colonial outpost on citizens' lands at the top of Mount Sabih.

On September 6, the occupation forces killed the American-Turkish solidarity activist Aisha-Nur Eji (26 years old) while participating with the people of the town of Beita in the weekly anti-settlement march, joining 17 martyrs who have risen in the town since the establishment of the “Avitar” outpost in May 2021.

The World Health Organization said that 37 out of 317 health centers in Lebanon were out of service after the Israeli occupation attacks that began on September 23.

This came in a post by the organization on the "X" platform, in which it stressed the necessity of not targeting medical facilities.

She reported that 37 health centers, out of 317 centers across Lebanon, have closed their doors and are no longer able to provide services.

“Access to health services is as vital as access to food, water and shelter,” she stressed.

Lebanese media reported that the majority of the closed medical centers are located in southern Lebanon.

Since Monday, the Israeli occupation has launched the "most violent and extensive" attack on Lebanon, resulting in more than 728 martyrs, including children and women, in addition to 2,658 wounded and about 390,000 displaced persons, according to official Lebanese authorities.

Six Syrian regime soldiers were killed in an Israeli attack that targeted a site on the Syrian-Lebanese border in the Damascus countryside on Friday.

The regime's Ministry of Defense said, "At approximately 1:35 a.m. today, the Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting one of our military sites on the Syrian-Lebanese border, near Kfar Yabous in the Damascus countryside."

He confirmed that this "led to the martyrdom of 5 soldiers and the injury of another."

In turn, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed, "The killing of 6 members of the military intelligence and regime forces, within the framework of the Israeli war on the border crossings between Syria and Lebanon in the Damascus countryside and Al-Qusayr on the Syrian-Lebanese border."

More than 90 people were killed and more than 150 others were injured as a result of Israeli raids on the governorates of Nabatieh, the South, the Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel and Mount Lebanon, according to a tally announced by the Lebanese Ministry of Health late Thursday evening.

This comes as the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah continues, extending to many areas on both sides, and amid talks on an American and French initiative for a 21-day ceasefire in order to engage in negotiations to reach a diplomatic settlement.

Growing numbers of families are fleeing Lebanon as Israel's war escalates and a ground invasion is threatened, spending hours in gridlocked traffic to reach the relative safety of another war-torn country.

Thousands of Lebanese and Syrian families have already made the journey, U.N. officials estimate. The numbers are expected to rise as Israel targets southern and eastern Lebanon in an airstrike that local officials say has killed more than 650 people this week, at least a quarter of them women and children. Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah fighters and weapons.

Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Mustafa stressed the need for the international community to act to stop the crimes of genocide in Gaza, the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as the aggression against Lebanon, stressing that achieving peace and security in the region will not be achieved without stopping Israel and its aggression and ending the occupation.

Mustafa said: “Everyone must work to stop the aggression and the war of extermination and lift the horrific siege on the Gaza Strip, in addition to recognizing the State of Palestine and supporting its membership in the United Nations, implementing the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice and relevant United Nations resolutions, including the resolution taken by the General Assembly following the advisory opinion, which includes tangible commitments and collective mechanisms, and providing political, financial and economic support to implement the government’s national plan “Building Palestine”, especially supporting and providing relief to our people in the Gaza Strip.”

This came during his speech at the joint ministerial meeting on Gaza and the implementation of the two-state solution, a meeting that paves the way for the emergence of a global alliance ready to translate the joint pledge to end the occupation and achieve the two-state solution into tangible, convergent action for freedom, justice and peace.

“We want to end the suffering of our people and unleash their true potential,” Mustafa added, noting that the international conference to be held during the 79th session of the General Assembly should represent the culmination of our efforts in this regard.

The Prime Minister stressed that our rights as a nation, and our rights as human beings, including our right to self-determination, return, life, freedom and dignity, must be respected.

It is noteworthy that the Prime Minister held more than 40 meetings with prime ministers, foreign ministers and officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, to mobilize support for the Palestinian cause, stop the war of extermination against our people, end the occupation, support full membership in the United Nations and gain more recognition for the State of Palestine.

In the biography of American policies pursued in the region, the trait of lying appears to be an inherent characteristic in the narratives of successive administrations, narratives that find those who buy them out of fear or greed, despite the fact that they contain serious flaws that cannot be covered up, patched, or bridged.

The latest of these narratives is what Secretary of State Antony Blinken has succeeded in promoting since the start of the war of extermination on Gaza, and he was able to sell it to Congress, before the chains of lies and deception were exposed to exonerate Israel from the crime of obstructing the entry of food and medicine into the Strip, an act that this man who put his Jewishness above his diplomacy practiced with a clear conscience, when he came to Tel Aviv, fully armed and armed with all kinds of gifts of lethal weapons that were generously poured into the tents of the displaced, melting their bodies.

Lying is not the only scourge of America, but it is the trait from which many other traits are born, with lying being the pinnacle of their hump and the beginning of their evils.

American officials are doing in secret what is contrary to what they declare in public.

If you hear them talking about red lines, know that they mean green lines. If they talk about pushing diplomatic efforts towards a solution, know that they are pushing towards war. If they say they are working to extinguish the fire, know that they are working to stoke it. If they talk about the two-state solution, they mean a settler state in the West Bank alongside the State of Israel.

This is how the chains of lies are in the methodology of American policy, like the supply chains in the pagers sent to Lebanon. If those pagers are rigged with explosives, then the supply chains in American policies in the region are rigged with proliferating lies, which are the main reason behind all this escalating suffering for the Palestinian people, and for all the peoples of the region.

Stop the genocide now!

Lawyer Muhannad Jabara: A dangerous regulatory plan aims to cancel the industrial zone in Wadi Al-Joz and impose a new reality with no economic benefit

Lawyer Muhammad Alian: The occupation municipality in Jerusalem is rushing to demolish commercial facilities without waiting for the court’s decision

Khalil Tafakji: “Silicon Valley” is one of the most dangerous settlement projects in Jerusalem and is part of the plan to Judaize the city

Hatem Abdel Qader: The "Silicon Valley" project is a new settlement invasion and there must be a legal political move to thwart it

Ihab Al-Mash’ash’: The “Silicon Valley” project threatens my livelihood, kills the economy of Jerusalem, and harms citizens and their interests

For years, the occupation municipality in Jerusalem has been planning to establish a Jewish project, called "Silicon Valley" in the east of the Old City of Jerusalem, as a high-tech project, claiming that it can create thousands of jobs for the Palestinians of Jerusalem. The project is scheduled to be established on about 30 dunams of Jerusalemite land in the industrial zone in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood, and has passed new approvals from the occupation municipality, in preparation for the start of its implementation.

Land and settlement expert Khalil Al-Tafakji believes that the occupation authorities are seeking to establish this project, which is scheduled to be implemented between 2024 and 2028 at a cost of about one billion dollars, to make Jerusalem indivisible, as they are taking preemptive steps by establishing settlement outposts within Palestinian neighborhoods “within a completely clear program that aims primarily to surround, divide and separate Palestinian neighborhoods, and Silicon Valley is part of this program.”

Removal of workshops and garages without finding an alternative location

The office of attorney Muhannad Jabara, an expert in real estate, planning and construction affairs in Jerusalem, representing the vast majority of owners of workshops, interests and properties in the Wadi al-Jaw industrial zone, recently submitted a comprehensive administrative petition against the so-called “Silicon Valley Project” to the Jerusalem District Court, through which he demanded the cancellation of this project in its entirety. He is also pleading on behalf of about thirty petitioners before the Municipal Affairs Court regarding dozens of demolition orders submitted by the Jerusalem occupation municipality, which affect workshops and businesses in the area.

Jabara told “Y”: “We are talking about a very dangerous regulatory plan that the occupation authorities are trying to impose on the residents and owners of businesses and interests in the industrial zone, in Wadi al-Joz in particular, and on the people of Jerusalem in general. The occupation municipality, or what is called the Development Authority in Jerusalem, is seeking two things:

First, the cancellation and termination of this industrial zone, and the complete cancellation of the workshops, businesses and garages in it, without finding any alternative location for these businesses and businesses, as is the practice in developed cities and even in Israel itself.

He added: The second matter is imposing a regulatory reality on the area that is devoid of any economic feasibility for any investor to implement and build any of the buildings proposed through the project, as the project includes the construction of between 8-14 floors for high-tech offices with the possibility of building for housing only with 10% of the rights, which was later amended to 20% through the objections that were submitted in this regard.

“What the occupation municipality in Jerusalem is not saying is that if this project is approved, the property owners and the rights holders concerned with the lands will not be able to submit any detailed planning plan on their own, as this plan requires the planning committees to work according to it for the next twenty or thirty years, which prevents any possibility of submitting a planning plan that contradicts this plan, such as a request to build a modest residential building, for example, with five floors,” Jabara continued.

There is a real possibility of the project failing and being aborted.

“The important thing about the issue is that there is a real possibility of thwarting and aborting this project, and preventing it from being implemented, through agreement and solidarity between the owners of the properties in the area, and those disposing of these properties, especially since the vast majority of the properties in the area are owned by different families or a family trust for a specific family, and the disposal is under the rights of the Tenant Protection Law, and usually there are disputes between the owners of the properties and the tenants, as the owners seek to get rid of the tenants to reclaim the properties and benefit from them, and here lies the danger, which the occupation municipality seeks to promote, following a policy of divide and rule between the owners and the tenants,” Jabara said.

He pointed out that the occupation municipality is working to spread false justifications to the owners that they must stand by the project to "get rid" of the tenants who have been "tampering" with these properties for many years, with the aim of evacuating them and opening the door for the owners to advance in these huge construction projects.

He said: “The important thing about the issue is that during the joint meetings we held with all rights holders, including owners and tenants, and after consulting the appraisers, engineers and investors, we succeeded in revealing that this project cannot be economically feasible for any investor to agree with him to enter into any investment partnership with any owner of any plot in the project’s areas, as it became clear that there is a need for the percentage of residential construction to be at least 50-60% of the total building to be constructed in order for there to be economic feasibility for progress in the project.”

The project is not economically viable.

Attorney Jabara confirmed that “through the pleadings we made before the Central Court in Jerusalem in the petition against the project, we explained the economic futility of the project even for the property owners themselves who own the rights, which was objected to by the lawyers for the occupation municipality in Jerusalem and the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee, and aroused the astonishment of the judge who asked that we publish news about the existence of the petition demanding the cancellation of the project before the court, and that we invite everyone who believes that he agrees with or is interested in the project to join the court, and all of this through publication in two Arabic-language newspapers, and through large banners that are placed in the area for more than thirty days, and this is what was done.”

Jabara pointed out that "what is shocking about the issue from the perspective of the court and the occupation municipality in Jerusalem is that not even a single property owner or landowner in the area submitted any request to the court, which was clear to everyone that the property owners understood the truth, and that even for them there was no point in approving this project, which deprived the municipality of the opportunity in its miserable attempts to market that this project has an economic benefit for the owners at least."

Imposing a new reality and emptying the region of its owners

Lawyer Jabara added: “Today it has become clear to everyone that what the Palestinian Jerusalemite wants first and foremost in Jerusalem is shelter and housing before anything else, and that it is unreasonable to talk about projects to build high-tech offices in the historic Palestinian neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz before we secure shelter and housing for the Palestinian, because anything other than that means the forced displacement of the Jerusalemite from his home and from his business from which he earns his living.”

“It is very important to clarify that this project does not involve confiscating land from its owners, and that the owner of the land cannot be forced to build according to what is stated in the project if he does not wish to do so, as the occupation municipality is only trying, by issuing demolition orders for dozens of buildings in the area, to impose a fait accompli to empty the area, and open the way for the owners to submit building permits to erect fictitious buildings in the project,” he continued.

“What should be done by going to the local affairs court is to expose the above municipality policy,” Jabara stressed. “In my opinion, from a legal standpoint, the municipality cannot claim that there is a necessity or public interest to demolish the building that was built before the occupation in 1967 for the purpose of establishing the ‘Silicon Valley Project,’ which the owners have no desire to implement. So what urgency and urgent necessity are we talking about?!”

The occupation municipality in Jerusalem is trying to impose a new reality

For his part, lawyer Muhammad Alian from the "Saint Yves" Foundation confirmed to "Y" that the occupation municipality in Jerusalem imposed a new reality by demolishing commercial facilities in the East Jerusalem area, as part of implementing a new industrial settlement called "Silicon Valley."

Alian explained that the court has not yet decided to cancel these projects, but the occupation municipality rushed to implement the demolition without taking into account the results of the possible legal procedures.

Alian pointed out that some of the demolished structures date back to before the establishment of the occupying state, while others date back to the period of Jordanian rule in East Jerusalem. Although the court may issue a decision to invalidate the entire plan, which would eliminate any justification for demolishing these structures, the municipality did not wait for the court’s decision and proceeded with the demolitions.

Lawyer Alian pointed out that the municipality even ignores court decisions, which are often in its favor, but this time it did not commit to waiting.

However, Alian confirmed that his legal team was able to freeze a number of demolition orders that were issued without the knowledge of the owners of the facilities, noting that the court sessions related to these orders are scheduled for the beginning of the new year.

Alian concluded by saying: “These measures come in the context of the new government plan to Judaize Jerusalem and attempt to erase the Arab and Palestinian identity in the city,” expressing his hope that the Central Court will be able to invalidate this settlement plan before the end of the year.

Establishing settlements surrounding Palestinian neighborhoods

In turn, settlement expert Khalil Tafakji confirmed that the Wadi al-Joz project, known as “Silicon Valley,” is one of the most dangerous settlement projects in East Jerusalem, especially in the Wadi al-Joz area and the surrounding center.

Tafakji explained that this plan coincides with the "Central Plan" project, and aims primarily to Judaize the surrounding Palestinian neighborhoods and dismember them, which enhances Israeli efforts to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Tafakji pointed out that the Israeli project depends on establishing settlements surrounding Palestinian neighborhoods, then penetrating them with settlement outposts to fragment them.

He mentioned, for example, the Sheikh Jarrah and Wadi al-Joz neighborhoods, which were isolated from different sides, such as the nature reserve in al-Sawani to the east, Hadassah and French Hill to the north, and West Jerusalem to the west.

Tafakji also explained that Israel is working to link these settlement areas together, such as linking the Hadassah area with Wadi al-Joz and the “Moskowitz” project in Karm al-Mufti, which meets with eastern and western Sheikh Jarrah, with the aim of consolidating Israeli control over East Jerusalem.

Judaization, not "development"

He added: "Israel is promoting this project under the slogan of 'development', but its reality lies in an Israeli security vision that aims to Judaize the entire region."

He pointed to the establishment of Israeli sovereign institutions in the region, such as the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the National Police Command, and the National Insurance Institute, to promote this plan.

He stressed that these projects lead to the destruction of Palestinian neighborhoods through the demolition of homes and the prevention of the construction of new housing, which exacerbates the housing crisis in East Jerusalem.

Tafakji pointed out that despite raising the percentage of construction allowed in the area after submitting an objection to the project from 10% to 20%, the real goal is to control the land and freeze Palestinian development in the area.

Ending the Palestinian industrial presence in Wadi al-Joz

Hatem Abdel Qader, Secretary-General of the Islamic Christian Commission for the Defense of Jerusalem and Holy Sites, told Al-Masdar Online: “The Silicon Valley project is a settlement plan that the occupation municipality is trying to market as if it were a development of one of the neighborhoods of the city of Jerusalem. He pointed out that it aims to distort the city’s landscape and bring about a demographic change by replacing the Palestinian Arab industrial presence in Wadi al-Joz with Israeli companies and institutions.”

According to Abdul Qader, the project is one of the most dangerous schemes that the city of Jerusalem is exposed to, stressing the need for a legal political move to thwart the project, because it aims to seize hundreds of dunams of Palestinian land and properties in Wadi al-Joz, most of which are private properties, and the need for a great effort from all Jerusalem institutions and Palestinian officials to thwart the project and prevent Israel from implementing it.

Either stop the demolition decision or find an alternative

For his part, Ihab Al-Mash’ash’, one of those affected by the Silicon Valley project, said: “I have owned a car garage for 35 years in Wadi Al-Joz and I work in it, but I received an order to vacate the shop, so I went to human rights organizations to stop the eviction process.”

He added: "The project will cut off my family's livelihood and distract the shop's customers, and the competent authorities have not provided any alternative. Their goal is to collect taxes, as we have licensed the shop."

He stressed that "the project does not benefit the people of Jerusalem, but rather kills the city. The industrial zone in Wadi al-Joz is an economic resource in the city, and it is a tributary that drives the country's economy, as it contains grocery stores to meet the needs of the people of Jerusalem, and the project is harmful to the citizens."

Al-Mish’ash’ expressed his hope that the court would issue a decision to find an alternative to the industrial area in our favor, or to stop the demolition and eviction decisions, because until today there is no alternative before us.

He added: The institutions working on the project are Israeli institutions, and I do not imagine that they will serve the people of Jerusalem.

Dr. Raed Abu Badawiyya: Changing the balance of global power is the only way to reactivate the role of the United Nations

Dr. Hussein Al-Deek: The global system is no longer able to meet the interests of new countries and is in urgent need of reform

Nour Odeh: Double standards, impunity and selectivity in applying the law threaten the collapse of the international system

Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad: The necessary reforms in the United Nations will not be achieved except through a radical change in its structure

Firas Yaghi: The formula of the "veto" law, which is limited to five permanent member states, obstructs the role of the United Nations

The United Nations is facing sharp criticism for its absence from the 79th session of its General Assembly, which reflects the conflict between the major powers that control the UN decision, which has contributed to weakening the UN organization’s ability to make decisive decisions on many international issues.

In separate interviews with “I”, writers, political analysts, experts and specialists believe that this decline in international performance is due to internal divisions between the permanent member states, each of which seeks to impose its own agendas.

It has become unable to keep up with rapid international changes, as major powers, especially the United States, continue to use their influence to obstruct any decisions that are not in line with their interests, which has made the United Nations a weak tool in the hands of some countries, which has sparked widespread criticism of the United Nations’ ability to achieve international justice and apply the law to all countries without discrimination.

Writers, analysts, experts and specialists called for a comprehensive reform of the structure of the Security Council and the United Nations in general, and the need to change voting mechanisms and grant member states equal rights instead of allowing major powers to impose a “veto,” which obstructs any serious action.

The United Nations (UN) is an international organization founded after World War II in 1945 with the aim of promoting international peace and security, enhancing cooperation among nations, and supporting human rights.

The UN Security Council is paralyzed in the face of conflicts between major powers and their allies.

Dr. Raed Abu Badawi, Professor of International Law and International Relations at the Arab American University, explained that the United Nations has shown effectiveness in intervening through the Security Council in conflicts that are not related to major powers or the allies of those countries, especially the permanent members of the Security Council, but the situation changes completely when the conflict is related to these powers or their allies, which makes the intervention of the United Nations in those cases less effective.

Abu Badawiya pointed out that this matter has become particularly clear in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, where the United Nations has witnessed since before 1948 an inability to implement resolutions related to Israel, due to the intersection of the interests of Western powers with Israel, as the West provided an international umbrella to protect Israel over the past decades, which led to undermining the effectiveness of the United Nations and its institutions in resolving the conflict.

Abu Badawiya pointed out that this deficit appeared more clearly after October 7, when the United Nations’ deficit became noticeable.

Abu Badawiya believes that the United Nations is a tool of the great powers, but it has become powerless due to the bias of these countries.

“Changing the balance of global power is the only way to reactivate the role of the United Nations, with the emergence of multipolar powers such as Russia and China, along with other countries,” Abu Badawiya said.

According to Abu Badawiya, the current world order, which was established in 1945, no longer meets the aspirations of various countries, which prompted Russia and China to demand the establishment of a new international organization that would be far from Western bias. However, the form of this new organization or the nature of the alliances that may arise in the future have not yet crystallized.

The conflict of the major poles controlling the international institution

For his part, the American affairs expert Dr. Hussein Al-Deek said that the absence of the United Nations’ role in the 79th session does not come out of nowhere, but rather is the result of the conflict between the major poles controlling the international institution, headed by the permanent superpowers in the UN Security Council.

According to Al-Deek, these countries have historically been represented by two main axes: the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. However, today, the international scene has changed with the Western Bloc remaining in the orbit of the American-British-French alliance, while the Eastern Bloc is trying to change. Russia is trying to break free from this orbit and take a position of equality towards the Western Bloc, relying on its strength and political weight, while China constitutes the third pole in this conflict, as it is engaged in a “soft” competition with the United States, especially with regard to economic, political and military expansion in Africa. China is also seeking to strengthen its position in the Middle East through soft diplomacy supported by increasing economic and industrial achievements.

Al-Deek believes that these rivalries between the three poles - the West, Russia and China - have negatively affected the performance of the United Nations in the current session, and led to what Al-Deek described as a "major failure" in dealing with many international issues.

Time of giant monsters

“We live in the ‘time of giant monsters’, as one Italian thinker described it, where the old world order is dying, while new powers struggle to be born,” Al-Deek said. “The monsters here represent the powers of the old world order that seek to maintain their dominance, at a time when threats from emerging powers are escalating.”

Al-Deek pointed out that this global system, which was formed after World War II by the victors - the Russians, Americans, British, and French - is no longer able to meet the interests of the new countries, which makes the need to reform the international system, headed by the United Nations and the Security Council, an urgent necessity.

Al-Deek stressed that as a result of this hegemony, the United Nations has become more like a tool in the hands of the United States, which has disrupted its effectiveness and paralyzed its prestige by controlling the Security Council and the United Nations institutions to serve its own interests, and the United Nations has come to be viewed as one of the tools of the US State Department.

International balance to activate the values of the United Nations

Al-Deek believes that international balance is the main factor that can reactivate the values of the United Nations, but in the absence of this balance between countries, the United Nations will remain hostage to the interests of the major powers, led by the United States.

Al-Deek pointed out that international law is now only applied to weak states, while major powers are excluded from it, referring to what is currently happening in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, and how the decisions of international institutions, such as the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, are being dealt with by Israel and the United States as if those decisions were merely “ink on paper.”

Al-Deek stressed the need to reform the international system and form international pressure forces to implement UN resolutions and impose peace and a ceasefire in conflict and war zones. Without this reform, the United Nations will remain an ineffective structure and a tool in the hands of major countries to implement their foreign policies.

Absence of the role of the United Nations due to member states

In turn, writer and political analyst Nour Odeh said that the absence of the role of the United Nations is not due to the failure of the organization itself, but rather is a result of the will of its member states, especially the major influential countries that exploit their power to pass their agendas and preserve their interests.

Awda explained that the problem lies in the structure of the United Nations, which is disrupted when faced with events that require its intervention, such as what is happening in the Palestinian file, the position on the war of extermination in Gaza, and the war on Lebanon and Ukraine.

This obstruction, according to Awda, is due to the permanent member states of the Security Council, which prevent the organization from performing its duties as it should.

Awda cited the experience of the Palestinian file over decades, where the United Nations remained unable to take real steps, as well as the case in Syria, where the world witnessed a conflict of wills between the major powers within the Security Council, which led to the disruption of any serious international effort to resolve these crises. Therefore, the problem does not lie with the United Nations as an organization, but rather with the member states, especially those that have the right to veto.

Guardian of the Charter and International Law

In response to criticism that the United Nations has become a department of the US State Department, Awda rejected this argument, stressing that the organization is still the guardian of the Charter and international law.

Awda pointed out that the recent decision issued in favor of Palestine, which called for an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, based on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, is, in her view, evidence that the United Nations is still capable of performing its role, but it is clashing with American influence despite the challenges.

Awda acknowledged that the United Nations’ ability to take real action is affected by the obstruction of major countries, especially the permanent members of the Security Council, in addition to the impact of funding. Major countries, led by the United States, sometimes threaten to withdraw their contributions to the organization’s budget, which could threaten its administrative existence.

Awda pointed out that the United States' contribution to the UN budget is very large, and that its threat to withdraw those contributions could lead to the collapse of the organization's administrative system.

Activating the role of the United Nations requires a new type of alliances

Awda believes that activating the role of the United Nations requires a new type of international alliances, while Awda cites the experience of the Non-Aligned Movement, which was at one time a cohesive and effective force that achieved a balance with the interests of the major powers.

Awda called for the importance of the countries of the South realizing the extent of their power, thinking differently, and uniting around policies specific to major issues on the international scene.

Awda warned that the world is now at a critical crossroads, where continued double standards, impunity, and selectivity in the application of international law could lead to the collapse of the entire international system.

Awda pointed out that there is another opportunity in reviving the United Nations to serve humanity as it was supposed to do, but to achieve this, the countries of the South must unite and work together to pressure policies that undermine the international system, especially those issued by the United States.

Awda stressed that the loss of confidence in the United Nations as a result of the policies of the United States and its allies may lead to making the organization irrelevant in the future, which may harm international peace and stability in the long term.

The influence of major powers in the United Nations

For his part, writer and political analyst Dr. Ahmed Rafiq Awad said: The structure of the United Nations General Assembly gives the major powers a wide scope of influence and power, which creates an imbalance in achieving international justice.

He added: "This unequal distribution of power makes some countries more powerful than others within the United Nations, and leads to the decline or absence of the organization's role in global issues when its decisions are subject to force rather than justice."

Awad pointed out that the absence or weakness of the role of the United Nations is mainly due to the control of the great powers over global decision-making. International decisions are mostly governed by the will of these major countries, and if these powers want to activate the role of the United Nations, then that is possible, and if they do not want to, then its role remains weak.

Despite these challenges, Awad believes that American influence has begun to decline over the past few years, as a result of the emergence of new poles on the international scene with different visions.

Awad explained that this decline does not mean the end of American influence, but rather only indicates that the United States, despite being a huge global empire with security, political, economic and military extensions, faces resistance from countries and peoples seeking to break its hegemony.

Reforming the composition of the Security Council

To enhance the role of the United Nations and preserve its values, Awad suggested the need to reform the composition of the Security Council, calling for increasing the number of member states in the Council, and changing the voting method so that each state has an equal vote, instead of granting some states the right to veto, which obstructs any important decisions.

Awad called for a change in the structure of the United Nations as a whole, and an improvement in the voting method and working mechanism, with the aim of activating international law so that it is respected and applied.

Awad expressed his belief that the world is not heading towards strengthening a large international body, but rather the trend seems to be moving towards dismantling existing states and alliances, and seeking to establish new alliances based on economic, political and security interests. These new alliances may constitute an alternative to the current international system, which Awad believes no longer serves the purpose required in dealing with the rapid global changes.

Awad stressed that the necessary reforms in the United Nations will not be achieved except through a radical change in its structure, including the distribution of power and influence within the Security Council, noting that the future of the global system will depend largely on these fundamental transformations.

The results of the global power struggle will determine the fate of the United Nations.

As for the writer and political analyst, Firas Yaghi, he believes that the absence of the role of the United Nations stems from the United States’ monopoly over the international system, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. This absence is usually linked to the nature of the international political position of the major powers regarding international conflicts.

Yaghi pointed out that if there is agreement among the permanent member states on a certain issue, the role of the United Nations is activated, and if there is disagreement, its role is suspended, but in all cases, due to American hegemony and control in the world, this role is absent.

Yaghi pointed out that the United States is trying to make the United Nations one of its circles, and it was so until there began a conflict between China and Russia on the one hand and the United States and its allies on the other hand, especially after the foreign interventions in what was falsely called the Syrian revolution.

Yaghi said: “The first signs of division appeared during what was called the Syrian revolution, and before that the United Nations was implementing and aligning with American foreign policy. Later, after the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the dispute deepened, and after that, the complete absence of the United Nations’ role in the war of extermination on Gaza was confirmed due to the American position.”

Commitment to international law without favoritism or duplicity

To activate the role of the United Nations, Yaghi stressed that international law must be adhered to without favoritism or duplicity, and that dealings must be done in accordance with the principle on which it was founded, which is to maintain global security and peace.

Yaghi said: "In order to activate the role of the United Nations, the nature of the system on which this institution was founded must be changed, especially the Security Council, because the formula of the veto law, which is limited to five permanent member states, disrupts the role of the United Nations if there is no agreement between them on any issue or dispute."

Yaghi explained that this is done by changing the method of decision-making, so that countries are equal, and no specific countries are distinguished, so that they are the only ones capable of activating or disabling the United Nations and its institutions.

Yaghi said: “We are facing a global labor that has not given birth to anything new yet. It began with the Syrian crisis, deepened further in the Russian-Ukrainian (NATO) conflict, reached a major level in the war of extermination in Gaza, and is currently moving to Lebanon.”

No foreseeable alternatives to new institutions

Yaghi continued: "This labor is linked to the global power struggle, and what will result from the nature of this struggle is what will determine the fate of the United Nations, although everyone still emphasizes the role of the United Nations and international law."

Yaghi stressed that what is required is to activate the role of the United Nations and the role of its institutions, including international courts and humanitarian organizations, away from the conflict between the great powers that bear responsibility for disrupting it.

Yaghi explained that there are no foreseeable alternatives to new institutions that might replace the United Nations, but everything is linked to the end of American intransigence, which has worked and continues to work on hegemony and exclusivity, and willingly or unwillingly agrees to pluralism and polarity, which establishes the preservation of the interests of states, according to international law. Perhaps the Palestinian issue is the best example of the obstruction that any decision issued by the United Nations is exposed to due to the American position that dominates the world until now.

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United Nations

The United Nations consists of several main bodies, including: The United Nations General Assembly, which represents all 194 UN member states and is considered a "world parliament", with each member having one vote. The Assembly issues non-binding resolutions on a variety of global issues, such as development, human rights, security, and international law. The General Assembly holds an annual session, but can hold emergency meetings in times of need.

The other body of the United Nations is the Security Council, which has 15 members, including 5 permanent members: the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom, who have the right to veto. It is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, and has the authority to make binding decisions on member states, including imposing sanctions or using military force. The ten non-permanent members are elected for a period of two years.

A number of citizens were killed and others were injured in an Israeli bombardment of Gaza City at dawn on Friday.

Local sources confirmed that the occupation aircraft targeted the Abu Shanab family's house on Hamid Street, west of Gaza City, which led to the death of a number of martyrs and the injury of others.

A young man was also killed and others were injured when the occupation aircraft bombed tents for displaced people inside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip.

The occupation's artillery shelling continues east of the Zeitoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza City, and of citizens' homes and lands in the Al-Amur area, east of Al-Fakhari town, southeast of Khan Yunis city, in the southern Gaza Strip.

A family of 9 people was martyred after midnight when Israeli occupation aircraft bombed a three-storey house in the town of Shebaa in southern Lebanon.

According to the National News Agency, 14 people were killed and 38 others were injured in the past 24 hours, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

The occupation's aggression intensified after midnight and until morning, on the cities and villages of the western and central sectors, where the occupation's warplanes raided the towns of: Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, al-Halusiya, Dab'al, al-Bazouriyeh, al-Shahabiyeh, al-Abbasiya, the Qadmus area, Jal al-Bahr, the eastern entrance to Tyre and Ma'arka, which led to the deaths of martyrs and injuries.

The Israeli occupation army announced that it launched new air strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Thursday evening.

This comes after the Israeli occupation rejected a 21-day truce proposal with Hezbollah, put forward by countries, most notably the United States.

The occupation army said in a statement that it is "currently striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon."

In a related context, the White House confirmed that the international call for a ceasefire in Lebanon was coordinated with the Israeli occupation, while Tel Aviv later rejected the ceasefire proposal with Hezbollah.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday that "the statement was already coordinated with the Israeli side."

She pointed out that the talks are still ongoing during the UN General Assembly meetings.

At the same time, the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz reported, citing sources, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had expressed his approval of the American truce proposal, but backed down after criticism from within his government.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported on Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported the possibility of holding talks on stopping the attack against Hezbollah as part of efforts to generate political legitimacy for the continuation of the military operation in Lebanon, before he backed down from it.

The issue was raised during yesterday's cabinet session, but Netanyahu backed down from it later in the day, after intense pressure from his coalition partners.

During his trip to New York, a member of Netanyahu’s entourage conveyed a threat to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, hinting at the possibility of his assassination. “If Hezbollah doesn’t get the message through the killing of its top officials, it will get it another way,” the member said.

A number of citizens suffered from suffocation, Thursday evening, due to inhaling toxic gas fired by the Israeli occupation forces after storming the town of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem.

According to local sources, an occupation army force was stationed along the main street leading to the gate area, in addition to the vicinity of the town's Grand Mosque, where it fired tear gas and sound bombs intensively, which led to a number of citizens suffering from suffocation. The injured received treatment in the field.