The 4th Wave feminists screeched about The Handmaid’s Tale coming to America at Donald Trump’s hands, but like the descending boot of fascism it landed on the women of Afghanistan instead.
[KhaamaPress] A hospital in Kabul has seen a drastic reduction in female medical staff, with only 124 remaining out of 280.
A French newspaper, Le Monde, reported that 156 female medical staff members have left the French Hospital in Kabul, which previously employed 280. Currently, only 124 remain. The newspaper described the loss of female staff at medical centers as a "nightmare."
According to the French newspaper, the restrictions imposed on female medical personnel by the Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... have placed half of Afghanistan’s population at risk. It noted that of the 9 patient resuscitation specialists at the hospital, 8 have abandoned their jobs. Only one left to go.
Éric Cheysson, the head of the French Hospital in Kabul, stated that the Taliban’s anti-women policies are depleting Afghanistan’s healthcare workforce. He emphasized that healthcare centers are closing one by one due to these restrictions. It's called Hajji progress..
The head of the French Hospital further mentioned that the number of patients visiting the hospital is steadily increasing as international organizations reduce their operations in Afghanistan. He referred to the influx of patients as a "tsunami." What you subsidize, you get more of.
Cheysson also acknowledged that the International Red Thingy and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) are scaling down their healthcare services in Afghanistan, with many international organizations leaving the country.
Le Monde also reported that Taliban morality police are now monitoring the corridors and other sections of the hospital. They regularly oversee the separation of male and female employees and patients. The Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health forced the hospital’s management to remove a painting depicting a mother holding her child from the walls.
The French Medical Institute for Mothers and Children (FMIC) was established in Kabul in 2006 through a partnership between the French and former Afghanistan governments. It was created to provide specialized healthcare services for mothers and children in Afghanistan.
Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, they have imposed strict restrictions on women’s access to education, healthcare, and employment. These policies have not only deprived women of their rights but have also caused a significant decline in the country’s medical workforce, especially in critical fields like healthcare. Who knew ?
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, female medical workers have faced growing challenges, with many leaving their jobs due to restrictions and harassment. The closure of women’s medical training centers has further exacerbated the situation, with experts warning that Afghanistan could face a severe shortage of female healthcare professionals in the coming years.
In addition to restricting education for women and girls beyond the 6th grade, the Taliban’s policies have effectively shut down vital avenues for female medical professionals, leaving the healthcare system struggling. International organizations have condemned these actions, stressing that such moves will undermine the healthcare infrastructure in Afghanistan, further affecting the well-being of its citizens, especially women and kiddies.
[ShabelleMedia] In an interview with Shabelle, Abdifatah Abdinuur, the Minister of State for the Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... Presidency, stated that Puntland no longer hopes for cooperation or rapprochement with the Somali Federal Government.
Abdinuur emphasized that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has monopolized matters concerning the fate of the Somali people, sidelining the power-sharing system and the Federal principles that once guided the country’s governance.
He criticized the President for diminishing the federal framework, which had been an essential part of Somalia’s structure.
Furthermore, Abdinuur warned that if the current trajectory of the government continues, Mogadishu could once again become a militarized stronghold, echoing concerns about the President’s consolidation of power and the handling of the national constitution.
On another note, the Minister discussed ongoing operations in Puntland aimed at tracking down foreign nationals.
He revealed that these operations stem from intelligence that foreign individuals, linked to ISIS, were found to be involved in activities undermining security. Puntland’s forces are currently engaged in festivities in the CalMiskaad mountains against these groups.
[KhaamaPress] The British government has reportedly rejected requests to accept hundreds of Afghan refugees stranded in Pakistain after their flights to the U.S. were suspended by Donald Trump ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US... . According to the Daily Telegraph, these refugees are facing an uncertain future.
Trump’s order has resulted in the cancellation of flights for over 1,600 Afghan refugees who had already been approved for entry into the United States.
These refugees have appealed to the UK to open its doors to them, as they face harassment and persecution in Pakistain due to tensions between Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban ...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan... . They express fear for their safety and seek a fresh start in the UK.
Masoud, a former U.S. military collaborator from Kunduz, told the Daily Telegraph that he was scheduled to fly to the U.S. this month. Now residing in Rawalpindi, Pakistain, he stated, "We are trapped. I cannot return to Afghanistan because the Taliban will kill me, and now the U.S. has shut its doors. My only hope is Britannia, and I pray for a chance to start over."
British officials are expected to reject their resettlement applications, further exacerbating the plight of these refugees. Meysam Saei, a 30-year-old former U.S. military collaborator in Kabul, expressed frustration over being stranded despite holding a special immigration visa. He sees Britannia as their last hope and urges the UK government not to abandon them after their sacrifices.
In an interview with CBS, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance defended Donald Trump’s suspension of the Afghan refugee program, citing inadequate security vetting. He highlighted concerns over potential threats, referencing an Afghan refugee accused of planning a terrorist attack in Oklahoma.
Vance stressed the need for stricter screening, arguing that thousands of refugees cannot enter the U.S. without thorough checks. He dismissed claims that vetting was sufficient, warning that lapses in the process could endanger American communities and must be addressed urgently.
Trump’s executive order, issued on his first day of his second term, has temporarily halted the resettlement of Afghan refugees in Pakistain and other countries. The U.S. State and Homeland Security Departments are expected to reassess the acceptance process to address security gaps, a concern frequently raised by Republican politicians.
Trump’s campaign has heavily focused on curbing refugee inflows, often using harsh rhetoric and portraying them as a threat to U.S. security. This policy shift has left thousands of vulnerable Afghans in a precarious situation, with few options remaining for their safe resettlement.
#1
It’s probably worth reviewing those folks to see if they were terps or their family members. Afghans who helped us are legitimate refugees who would not be safe in Pakistan or Iran.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/01/2025 10:44 Comments ||
Top||
Very certain they would be upset by the lack of an ice machine in hell.
[KavkazUzel] Islam does not prescribe a preferential right to hajj for combatants and their relatives, but it can be explained by the concept of "exceptional interests," Islamic scholars emphasized. The process of distributing free hajj vouchers should be more open, Dagestan residents pointed out.
As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, priority in distributing 2,500 charitable vouchers for the Hajj in Dagestan will be given to participants in the military operation, their relatives and family members of the fallen soldiers, said the head of the republic, Sergei Melikov. According to him, they will be allocated more than a thousand vouchers. The charitable vouchers will be paid for by Senator Suleiman Kerimov. In 2024, Kerimov also paid for a thousand vouchers for the Hajj for residents of Dagestan, of which 200 places were intended for widows and mothers of soldiers killed in a special military operation in Ukraine.
Hajj, or pilgrimage to the Muslim holy sites in Mecca, is one of the five main pillars of Islam. Every Muslim who has reached adulthood and has the opportunity to do so is required to perform the hajj at least once in their life. The pilgrimage to Mecca usually takes place at the beginning of the 12th month of the Muslim lunar calendar and ends with the Feast of Sacrifice, Eid al-Adha. There is also the so-called "small hajj" - Umrah.
Doctor of Law, Professor of the Higher School of Economics Leonid Syukiyainen and orientalist Ruslan Suleimanov commented to the "Caucasian Knot" on the Dagestan authorities' message about the priority of military operation participants and their relatives in receiving free vouchers for the Hajj.
Leonid Syukiyainen noted that he had not encountered such novelties while studying Sharia. "There are no such decrees in Islam itself or in Sharia," he said.
At the same time, he noted that, in principle, such a privilege can be justified by the concept of "exceptional interests". "This concept is used to make certain decisions or, conversely, prohibitions in the interests of satisfying the needs of Muslims, if they are not reflected in the Koran or Sunnah. And here, in fact, we can say that the participants of the SVO and their family members in the situation in which they find themselves, when they are particularly suffering and worried, are especially in need of satisfying their spiritual needs in this way - with the help of the Hajj. Therefore, their needs are a priority and should be satisfied first and foremost," L. Syukiyainen emphasized.
Ruslan Suleimanov noted that this is "a rather narrow issue, which, as a rule, should be considered by the most authoritative Islamic scholars within each individual ummah."
"In official Russian Islam, the top officials take a pro-government position and encourage such actions. The same Russian Muslim preachers who left the country and oppose the participation of Russian Muslims in the SVO, accordingly, adhere to the directly opposite point of view. But both of them again refer to Islam, which is
open to interpretation on many issues," he pointed out.
State Duma deputy from Dagestan Khizri Abakarov clarified in his Telegram channel that charity vouchers will also be provided to low-income citizens who have never made the pilgrimage before.
RESIDENTS OF DAGESTAN ASSESS THE PRINCIPLE OF DISTRIBUTION OF FREE HAJJ TICKETS
Makhachkala resident Magomedrasul told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he agrees that the vouchers will be distributed first and foremost to the SVO participants and their family members. "They deserve it, especially the widows and children of the fallen servicemen, since they have lost the most precious thing they have - their husbands and fathers. I myself am planning to go on the Hajj, but I do not have the opportunity yet," says Magomedrasul.
"I am not against the vouchers being given to the participants of the military operation, their relatives and family members. But will there be 2,500such people? How will the remaining vouchers be distributed?" asks public sector employee Aminat.
"I agree that some of the vouchers should go to this category of citizens. This issue has most likely been resolved at the highest level. No one will dare to reproach that "the wrong people" are given free vouchers. At the same time, there are many residents of Dagestan, including the poor, whose families have been saving money for years to perform the Hajj. Why can't they be helped too? I myself performed the pilgrimage many years ago, we have been saving money for many years," Abdullah said.
"I have nothing against the participants of the SVO, but I think that they are given a lot of support, including financial support, priority employment, housing, land plots. There were cases earlier when free vouchers provided by Kerimov were received by those who had repeatedly gone to the Hajj, and not by low-income citizens. Therefore, some kind of balance is needed, to allocate free vouchers by decision of village meetings or in some other way, so that they are received by those who really need them," says Rasul.
The survey is not representative and reflects only the personal opinions of its participants.
Let us recall that the only accredited hajj company "Marva Tour" is engaged in organizing the hajj in Dagestan. The company's website lists the cost of hajj packages in 2025.
The Economy option Makhachkala – Dubai – Medina without meals costs 4,990 US dollars. Standard on the Makhachkala – Medina route costs 5,690 dollars, Comfort Makhachkala – Medina – 7,990 dollars. !
[IsraelTimes] Case emerged amid allegations of widespread anti-Israel bias that have cast doubt on the open-source encyclopedia’s credibility and dovetailed with claims it has a liberal skew
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Donald Trump has announced a 25 percent tariff on Mexico and Canada and a 10 percent import duty on goods from China that will go into effect on Saturday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made the bombshell announcement that Trump intended to launch a $1.6 trillion war with America's biggest trading partners in an effort to boost domestic manufacturing and raise revenues for the federal government.
'Starting tomorrow, those tariffs will be in place,' Leavitt told reporters. 'These are promises made and promises kept by the president.'
The tariffs threaten to drive up the price of everything from gas to and pickup trucks and guacamole dip and are an aggressive response to the flow of illicit drugs into the United States.
However, Trump believes that the tariffs will in the long term re-shape the economy and put dollars back in people's pockets while also piling pressure onto America's neighbors to help cut down illegal immigration.
China and Mexico are being further targeted over the inflow of fentanyl which she says has killed tens of millions of Americans. Cartels in Mexico produce and smuggle the synthetic opioid with chemicals imported from unscrupulous Chinese merchants.
Canada and Mexico will immediately retaliate with Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, already vowing to pull American booze from the shelves. Canada is the world's No. 2 market for America's distilled spirits behind Europe.
The U.S. deficit in the trade of goods of Mexico has widened from $106 billion in 2019 to $161 billion in 2023 because the country has largely replaced China as the source of cheap furniture, textiles and computer-related imports.
The deficit with Canada has soared from $31 billion in 2019 to $72 billion in 2023, mainly due to America’s huge imports of Canadian energy.
[IsraelTiems] The Trump administration is looking at lifting a hold on the delivery of 24,000 assault rifles to Israel that was issued by former US secretary of State Antony Blinken, the New York Times reports, citing an American official.
The newspaper says the State Deportment didn’t reply to a request on whether the US will lift the hold, which Blinken put in place over concerns that then-national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir was using them to arm settlers in the West Bank.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump are open to using military force like airstrikes and special forces against drug cartels in Mexico.
Trump has long took issue with the criminal rings and he vowed during his campaign 'to wage war on the cartels.'
Just on Monday some suspected cartel members brazenly opened fire on U.S. Border Patrol who were monitoring a drug and human smuggling hot zone at the Texas-Mexico border. The agents returned fire into Mexico, though no on was injured.
For their role in producing deadly drugs bound for the U.S., like fentanyl, the president has said he would take the fight to the cartels to halt the drugs flowing into America.
Speaking with his former Fox News colleagues Friday morning, Hegseth revealed that Trump is instructing him to make available any resources needed to go after the cartels.
Host Brian Kilmeade asked Hegseth: 'If we find that they continue to fire at Border Control and they continue to put fentanyl into our country, as a secretary of defense, are you permitted now to go after them in Mexico or where they are?'
'Brian, I don’t want to get ahead of the president and I won’t,' the secretary started. 'That’s ultimately going to be his decision.'
'But let me be clear,' he said. 'All options will be on the table if we’re dealing with what are designated to be foreign terrorist organizations who are specifically targeting Americans on our border.'
#2
When the Mexican army is allowed to fight the cartels head on they wipe the floor with them, every time. Ideally a lot of this should revolve around us supporting them while they do what they want to do anyhow.
#3
Although the cartels are getting upgunned, the problem is more about corruption than the ability to fight.
A guy badanov knows (heh) used to report regularly on the cartel wars. If memory serves, the Mexican Marines used to do quite well. Supporting their operations and providing services like Predator overwatch and drone zaps would be helpful.
[IsraelTimes] Turkey condemns an Israeli strike it says killed three of its citizens who attempted to illegally cross from Lebanon to Israel.
The ministry has not given the time or location of the incident, but it seems to be referring to a January 11 strike on suspects near the border.
“It has been learned that the three Turkish citizens, with whom contact had been lost while attempting to cross illegally from Lebanon to Israel, lost their lives as a result of an Israeli airstrike in the region,” the foreign ministry says in a statement.
The ministry says it is working to repatriate their bodies to Turkey “as soon as possible.”
“We condemn in the strongest terms this unlawful attack that resulted in the death of our citizens,” the ministry says, urging Israel to “immediately end its aggressive policies that disregard human life and escalate tensions in our region.”
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/01/2025 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[11126 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#1
attempting to cross illegally from Lebanon to Israel
[IsraelTimes] ‘We do a lot for them, and they’re gonna do it,’ says US president, whose envoy Witkoff says Gaza rebuild could take 10 to 15 years: ‘There is nothing left standing’
”Nice countries youse guys got there,” Trump added gently. “Sure would be a shame if something happened to your kneecaps.”
UNBELIEVABLE, WATCH 🔴
Trump says Egypt and Jordan will be taking in Palestinians
REPORTER: The president and the king of Jordan have both said that they, won't take in, displaced people from Gaza like you suggested. Is there anything you can do to make them do that? I mean,… pic.twitter.com/tsnQjC42fT
US President Donald Trump ...The man who was so stupid he beat fourteen professional politicians, a former tech CEO, and a brain surgeon for the Republican nomination in 2016, then beat The Smartest Woman in the World in the general election. Then he beat Kamala while dodging bullets... insisted on Thursday that Jordan and Egypt will support a proposal to resettle Paleostinians in their countries rather than in a rebuilt Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip, despite flat refusals from both countries to consider the move.
"They will do it. They will do it. They’re gonna do it, okay? We do a lot for them, and they’re gonna do it," Trump said when asked about the proposal during a photo op in the Oval Office.
Both countries have been getting paid a noticeable portion of their annual national budgets to keep the peace treaty signed way back when. President Trump is redefining refusal to accept Gazans — after Hamas promised to repeat 10/7 repeatedly until Israel is conquered — as a refusal to keep the peace treaty.
Both Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi and Jordan’s King Abdullah explicitly rejected the proposal on Wednesday.
Wednesday was a long time ago in Trump time. Another hundred or more presidential executive orders have been signed since then — and ditto by the new temporary and Senate-approved department secretaries and sub-secretaries — entirely changing the landscape at home and abroad. Did y’all notice that pretty much all government spending is being frozen pending review independent of the work the DOGE group is doing? Funding and projects heading in your direction are included in that…
"Regarding what is being said about the displacement of Paleostinians, it can never be tolerated or allowed because of its impact on Egyptian national security," Sissi said.
Trump said earlier this week that the issue would be discussed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he travels to Washington next week.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who has spent the past week on a diplomatic trip around the region, including a visit to Gaza during his larger trip to Israel, told Axios Thursday that there is "almost nothing left" of the Strip and rebuilding the war-ravaged enclave could take 10 to 15 years.
"People are moving north to get back to their homes and see what happened and turn around and leave... There is no water and no electricity. It is stunning just how much damage occurred there," Witkoff told the US news website after visiting Gaza.
Witkoff also told Axios he has not discussed with Trump the idea of moving Paleostinians from Gaza.
A UN damage assessment released this month showed that clearing over 50 million tons of rubble left in the aftermath of Israel’s campaign could take 21 years and cost up to $1.2 billion.
"There has been this perception we can get to a solid plan for Gaza in five years, but it’s impossible. This is a 10- to 15-year rebuilding plan," Witkoff said.
"There is nothing left standing. Many unwent kaboom! ordnances. It is not safe to walk there. It is very dangerous. I wouldn’t have known this without going there and inspecting," he added.
The debris is believed to be contaminated with asbestos, with some refugee camps struck during the war known to have been built with the material. The rubble also likely contains human remains. The Hamas ..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,... -run Gaza health ministry estimates that 10,000 bodies are missing under the debris.
’A BUSINESSMAN’S APPROACH’
Hailing Witkoff’s role in the hostage negotiations, US Secretary of State style='border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-bottom-color:gray;' title='Marco Rubio'>Marco Rubio ...The diminutive 13-year-old Republican U.S. Senator from Florida, Secretary of State in the second Trump administration... told the Megyn Kelly Podcast on Thursday that Trump has "brought a businessman’s approach to a very delicate and intractable foreign policy challenge and delivered a ceasefire that obviously has tenuous and long-term challenges to it, but there are hostages being released every day. That didn’t happen for over a year-and-a-half."
Rubio added that Witkoff "brought the same kind of business approach to some of these challenges."
Rubio was asked later during the interview whether he believes the American citizens slated to be released in the first phase of the hostage deal will indeed go free, and what the United States will do if they do not.
"I expect we will [see the hostages go free] because that’s the agreement that was made," he said. "The core problem here remains... that as long as there is an entity like Hamas, [whose] express purpose is the destruction of the Jewish state, who is willing to commit horrifying atrocities against civilians, against teenage girls at a concert and do the things that they’ve done, and take hostages for a year-and-a-half — babies and elderly — and murder, and all the things that they did, that’s a threat to Israel’s national security."
"What country in the world can be expected to live alongside an enemy that is armed, capable and willing to commit horrifying atrocities? You can’t. So I think that the ceasefire is important because it brought an end to the destruction and allowed some of the hostages to be freed — at an extraordinary cost," Rubio continued, referring to the release of Paleostinian security prisoners.
"Think how unfair that trade is, but it tells you how much we value life compared to how the other side, the Hamas animals, view this," he said.
"The real challenge is going to be when the ceasefire period expires. Who is going to govern Gaza? Who’s going to rebuild Gaza? Who’s going to be in charge of Gaza? Because if the people who are in charge of Gaza are the same guys that created October 7, then we still have the same problem," Rubio said, referring to the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023 that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken, sparking the war in Gaza.
Rubio also said that the developments in the Middle East, such as the strengthening of the Lebanese government, the fall of Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... in Syria and the weakening of Hezbollah and Iran, open the door "to things like a deal between Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... and Israel, which would change the dynamic of the region."
Hopefully this, from Wednesday, will not dent Trump’s leverage:
[Israel Times] The European Union promises 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) of financing and investments for Jordan as part of a new “strategic” partnership.
“With the current geopolitical shifts and growing crises in the region, strengthening the EU-Jordan partnership is the right decision at the right time,” European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen says.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II was in Brussels to oversee the signing of the agreement, which runs from 2025 through 2027.
“Jordan is playing a critical role to consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza and the EU acknowledges the importance of Jordan as a regional hub for humanitarian assistance,” von der Leyen says.
“Jordan’s leadership in supporting Syria’s transition highlights its pivotal role in shaping the region’s future.”
UNRWA is the PLO’s charity wing at the UN. In Gaza that means Hamas, and a large number of UNRWA employees are double dipping as Hamas turbans of one sort or another. Some even joined in the fun of the 10/7 invasion of Israel, and/or partook in the myriad pleasures of holding some of the hostages for Hamas over the past fifteen months. One can understand Israel’s revulsion.
[IsraelTimes] Official says organization ‘continues to be the backbone of the international humanitarian response’ in Gaza
The UN’s Paleostinian relief agency said Friday its humanitarian work across the West Bank and Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... was still ongoing despite an Israeli ban that took effect a day before and what it described as hostility towards its staff.
An Israeli law adopted in October bans operations by UNRWA (United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... Relief and Works Agency for Paleostine Refugees) on Israeli land — including East Jerusalem — and contact with Israeli authorities from January 30.
Britannia, La Belle France and Germany on Friday reiterated their concern over Israel implementing the new law, which humanitarian agencies say will have a huge impact on devastated Gaza as staff and supplies transit to the Paleostinian enclave via Israel. Israel says other organizations are already handling the majority of aid work in Gaza.
"We continue to provide services," Juliette Touma, director of communications of UNRWA, told a press briefing in Geneva. "In Gaza, UNRWA continues to be the backbone of the international humanitarian response. We continue to have international personnel in Gaza, and we continue to bring in trucks of basic supplies."
She said any disruptions to its work in Gaza would put a ceasefire deal that halted the war between Israel and Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... at risk.
"If UNRWA is not allowed to continue to bring and distribute supplies, then the fate of this very fragile ceasefire is going to be at risk and is going to be in jeopardy," she said.
Tens of thousands of Paleostinian refugees in East Jerusalem also receive education, healthcare and other services from UNRWA.
Touma said that its Paleostinian staff in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are facing difficulties, citing examples of stone-throwing and hold-ups at checkpoints and protests at its sites, blaming "Israeli hard boys."
"They face an exceptionally hostile environment as a fierce disinformation campaign against UNRWA continues," she said. "It has been a really rough ride, it has not been easy. Our staff have not been protected."
Israeli protesters vandalized a UN sign on Thursday outside one of its East Jerusalem compounds by spray-painting a blue Star of David on it.
International staff have already left after their visas expired, she added. The agency has reported more than 270 of its staff killed in the 15-month Gaza war and called for investigations.
Israel has long been critical of UNRWA, saying it perpetuates the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict by bestowing refugee status to the descendants of refugees — a designation not afforded to any other refugees in the world. It has also accused the agency of promoting hatred in its schools, fostering Paleostinian dependence on aid over decades through its system, and allowing snuffies to infiltrate its ranks, with some taking part in the October 7 atrocities and hundreds more having ties to terror groups.
The ceasefire deal has allowed for a surge in humanitarian aid and enabled the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for Paleostinian prisoners held by Israel, many of them convicted murderers.
Before the agreement, experts had warned of imminent famine in parts of northern Gaza, a charge Israel repeatedly rejected. Supplies have since risen and the World Food Programme said that more than 32,000 tons of food had entered Gaza since the January 19 deal took effect.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has said Israel was committed to facilitating humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, saying aid should go through other international agencies and NGOs.
"Humanitarian aid doesn’t equal UNRWA and those who wish to support the humanitarian aid effort in the Gaza Strip should invest their resources in organizations alternative to UNRWA," he said in a statement. "We will abide by the law and we will continue to facilitate humanitarian aid."
UNRWA is now banned from operating on Israeli soil, and contact between it and Israeli officials is also forbidden.
The ban was passed by the Knesset in November with a wide majority, with the support of opposition parties, amid a series of revelations about employees of the agency who were actively involved in terror groups in the Gaza Strip, participation of some of its staff in the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and slaughter, and repeated use of UNRWA infrastructure for terror activities.
Israel has also provided evidence that the agency’s schools incited hatred of Israel and glorification of attacks against Israelis.
UNRWA was established in 1949 following Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. It provides aid, health and education to millions of Paleostinians in Gaza, the West Bank and neighboring Arab countries — Syria, Leb ...The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. Only one of those statements is an exaggeration.... and Jordan.
Some 5.9 million people are registered as Paleostinian refugees by UNRWA, because they are descended from Arabs displaced in the war surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948.
It is one of only two UN refugee agencies. While UNRWA caters to Paleostinians, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is responsible for all other refugees around the world.
Government front man David Mencer told journalists on Wednesday that "UNRWA is riddled with Hamas operatives," adding that "if a state funds UNRWA, that state is funding terrorists."
"UNRWA employs over 1,200 Hamas members, including snuffies who carried out the October 7 massacre," Mencer said. "This isn’t aid, it’s direct financial support for terror."
UN chief António Guterres ...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years... on Monday demanded that Israel rescind its order.
"I regret this decision and request that the government of Israel retract it," he said, stressing that UNRWA was "irreplaceable."
The agency’s chief, Philippe Lazzarini, said UNRWA’s capacity to distribute aid "far exceeds that of any other entity."
He called Israel’s actions against UNRWA a "relentless assault... harming the lives and future of Paleostinians across the occupied Paleostinian territory."
Israel has provided evidence that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the deadly 2023 attack and insists that other agencies can pick up the slack to provide essential services, aid and reconstruction — something the UN and many donor governments dispute.
A series of investigations, including one led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some "neutrality-related issues" at UNRWA, but claimed Israel had not provided evidence for its headline allegation.
Under US President Donald Trump ...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania... , who returned to the White House earlier this month, Washington has thrown its weight behind Israel’s move, accusing UNRWA of overstating the impact of the decision.
#1
The reason is simple.
It is who the UNRWA is aiding that is the issue.
It is supporting TERRORISTS and should be placed on the Terrorist List. Thus banning its support and funding.
[IsraelTimes] Officials say crossing will initially be opened for 50 injured Hamas operatives and 50 wounded civilians
Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... ’s Rafah Border Crossing with Egypt is set to reopen Saturday under the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,... . It will be run by Paleostinian Authority representatives alongside monitors from the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... , according to officials familiar with the discussions.
"The mediators informed Hamas of Israel’s approval to open Rafah crossing tomorrow, Saturday, after the completion of the fourth batch of prisoner exchange," a Hamas official told AFP.
The source explained that injured Paleostinians would be evacuated through the crossing, "as per the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement."
The Rafah Crossing with Egypt was one of the main entry points into the Gaza Strip and a vital conduit for aid, but the border has been closed since Israeli forces seized it in May last year, largely due to Egyptian refusal to keep the passage open so long as Israeli forces held it.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday that the 27-member bloc had deployed a monitoring mission at the crossing "at the request of the Paleostinians and the Israelis."
"It will support Paleostinian border personnel and allow the transfer of individuals out of Gaza, including those who need medical care," she wrote on X.
Egyptian security sources confirmed that members of the EU team had arrived at the facility.
The crossing will now be run by members of the Paleostinian Authority and European monitors, PA and Hamas officials said.
People will only be allowed to travel in one direction, from Gaza to Egypt, for the time being, officials said.
It will be opened initially for 50 injured Hamas operatives and 50 maimed civilians, along with the people escorting them, the officials said, adding that a further 100 people, most likely students, would be allowed through on humanitarian grounds.
Gaza’s health ministry said the transportation of patients from two hospitals in the north and south of the enclave would be coordinated with the World Health Organization.
A civilian EU mission to help monitor the Rafah Crossing began work there in 2005 but was suspended in June 2007 after Hamas violent mostly peacefully took over the Gaza Strip from Fatah, which controls the PA.
In standby mode thereafter, the mission had maintained 10 international and eight local staff.
Spain, Italia and La Belle France are now contributing personnel to the renewed mission.
The Spanish contingent comprises eight security specialists and two agents assigned to the border management team, joining two Spanish members of the mission already deployed there, the foreign and interior ministries in Madrid said.
La Belle France said it had deployed three gendarmes specialized in border policing on Friday as part of the EU mission, while Italia said it had sent seven paramilitary Carabinieri officers to join two Italians already at the Rafah mission.
German ministries are also discussing sending a contingent.
The Times of Israel is liveblogging the day’s events here. Let us hope Hamas is not arrogant enough to repeat the threatening mob scene they performed when they released fhe female soldiers on Thursday.
[IsraelTimes] Israel has expressed ‘grave concern’ for the fate of Bibas’s wife and small sons, who are still held in Gaza after all living children and women are supposed to have been freed
Three Israeli hostages slated for release by Hamas ..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,... from Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... on Saturday were named Friday as Ofer Calderon, 54, Keith Siegel, 65, and Yarden Bibas, 35, officials said.
Israeli officials said that the families had been notified and that Israel accepted the Hamas list.
Siegel, a dual Israeli-US citizen originally from North Carolina, was taken captive with his wife Aviva from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas-led invasion and massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Aviva was freed during a previous ceasefire in November 2023.
Calderon was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 with two of his children, who were both freed in the previous ceasefire.
Bibas, his wife Shiri, and children Ariel and Kfir were all kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Kfir was 10-months-old and Ariel was 4 at the time. Yarden was maimed during his kidnapping, and was seen being kidnapped to Gaza separately from his wife and children.
Hamas has claimed that Shiri and the two boys were killed in captivity. Israel has not confirmed this claim, but has expressed "grave concern" for their fate. Earlier this week, Israel reportedly demanded that Hamas clarify the condition of Shiri and the two small boys, who are all on the list of 33 hostages being freed in the first, 42-day phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal.
Fears for the fate of the Bibas trio have grown, as Hamas did not return them among the first hostages released. Living women and kiddies were supposed to be freed first under the deal, followed by injured and infirm men and men over 50.
Hamas has said that 15 of the 23 hostages yet to be returned under the current phase are alive, without offering specifics on the condition of individuals, and that eight are dead. Israel has said that this matches its own information.
So far, 10 Israeli hostages have been freed as part of the current deal, which mandates the release of 33 so-called "humanitarian hostages" during its first 42-day phase, with fighting stopped in the Strip. Five Thai hostages have also been freed.
As those hostages are gradually released, Israel is to release some 1,904 Paleostinian security prisoners, including more than 100 serving life sentences for deadly terror attacks. Ninety security prisoners are to be freed Saturday, nine of them believed to be holy warriors serving life terms.
The three-phase deal’s later stages are subject to negotiations with the stated goal of reaching a "sustainable calm" in the enclave, alongside the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza, the release of more Paleostinian security prisoners and an Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.
The hostages are among 251 Israelis and foreigners kidnapped on October 7, 2023, when some 3,000 Hamas-led holy warriors burst into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, amid rampant acts of brutality and overt targeting of civilians.
KEITH SEIGEL
Siegel, 65, a US citizen originally from North Carolina, was taken captive with his wife, Aviva Siegel, 62, from their home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7, when holy warriors attacked their community, killing and abducting Israelis and burning kibbutz homes.
The couple was driven into Gaza in their own car, along with a neighbor and her two children.
Aviva Siegel was released in November 2023 as part of the temporary ceasefire deal, which was brokered by Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... and the United States.
Within a week, Aviva Siegel was at a massive rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, holding up a placard with Keith’s picture.
Their daughter Shir Siegel who also lives on Kfar Aza, was away that weekend, and tried that morning to call her father, who didn’t answer his phone. Her call to her mother’s phone was cut off, and they wrote on the family WhatsApp group that they couldn’t speak.
Keith Siegel is known as a quiet, kind man, dedicated to his wife, children and grandchildren. In April 2024, Hamas released a propaganda video showing Seigel alive alongside fellow hostage Omri Miran, 46. In the edited three-minute-long video, Siegel and Miran identified themselves, spoke directly to their families, and said they are hoping for a hostage deal that would see them and other hostages returned home.
OFER CALDERON
Calderon, 54, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 with two of his four children, Erez and Sahar, when Hamas title='terrorists '>holy warriors stormed the kibbutz, killing over 100 residents and some 15 foreign agricultural workers, and taking about 80 hostages.
Calderon and his children initially beat feet from their shelter through the window during the Hamas onslaught, into the fields of Kibbutz Nir Oz, where they were later taken hostage.
Sahar Calderon, 16, and Erez Calderon, 12, were released during the November 2023 ceasefire-hostage deal.
Hadas Calderon, Ofer’s ex-wife, was in the sealed room of her home on the kibbutz, holding the door handle against the terrorists. Their elder son, Rotem, 19, also survived in the safe room of his apartment, in the kibbutz area for young adults. His older sister Gaya, 21, was in Tel Aviv. Grandmother Carmela Dan was at her house down the street with Hadas Calderon’s niece, Noya Dan. Their bodies were found on October 19, 2023.
Ofer, who holds dual Israeli-French citizenship, marked his 53rd and 54th birthdays in captivity in Gaza.
YARDEN BIBAS
Bibas, 35, was kidnapped separately from his wife and children, who were all taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
On the morning of October 7, Bibas continuously texted with his sister, Ofri, letting her know what was happening in Kibbutz Nir Oz, where he lived with Shiri, 32 and their two boys, Ariel, 4 and Kfir, then 9 months.
"At 6:30 a.m., he wrote about the rockets," Ofri said in a Kan interview. Yarden wrote about the holy warriors entering the kibbutz, and then he wrote, "’Fuck,’" said Ofri.
He texted his sister that there was terrible fighting, and intense pressure to try and hold off the wave of Hamas holy warriors who entered Nir Oz. The holy warriors ended up committing a brutal massacre, in which some 180 of the kibbutz’s 400 residents were killed or kidnapped.
He told his sister that his little boys didn’t know how to keep quiet, and he told her it felt like the end.
Several hours later, the family saw a video circulating of Shiri, holding both boys in her arms, a look of terror on her face as she was surrounded by terrorists, her boys facing her chest, a blanket covering them. Yarden is not in the video. Neither are Shiri’s parents, Margit Silberman Shnaider and her husband Yosi Silberman, who also lived on Nir Oz and were presumed missing but whose bodies were eventually identified.
Later, the Bibas family found a video of Yarden, injured with blood around his head, surrounded by terrorists.
Ariel, now 5, and Kfir, who turned 2 earlier this month, are the only children left in Gaza, after the November 2023 deal that saw the release of more than 100 of the people seized in the attack. In November 2023, the IDF said that the Bibas family had been transferred by Hamas to another Paleostinian terror group, in Khan Younis. That same month, Hamas released a propaganda video indicating Yarden was alive.
In February 2024, the IDF released what it said was recently discovered footage showing Shiri Bibas and her two young children surrounded by button men in the Gaza Strip hours after they were kidnapped, and expressed serious fears over the captive family.
On Wednesday, Israel demanded that Hamas clarify the condition of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir, Hebrew media reported. IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari said last week that there are "grave concerns" for their fate.
Relatives stated Monday that they are still holding onto hope that the Bibas family will return from captivity in Gaza, although Shiri and the boys should have been among the first seven civilian hostages, released in the last 10 days.
"We said then, and we say now: We hold on to hope and continue waiting for their return. We await clarity regarding their condition," said the wider family in the statement.
Once Seigel, Calderon and Bibas are released on Saturday, 13 of the 33 first-phase hostages will have been returned to Israel, along with the five Thai hostages released by Hamas on Thursday separately from the deal between Israel and the terror group.
According to a list given by the Hamas terror group to Israel on Monday, eight of the 33 hostages that were slated to be released during the first phase of the ceasefire are dead, meaning that 12 of the remaining 20 first-phase hostages are alive. Officials said that the Hamas document matched Israel’s existing information.
Seventy-nine of the 251 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the body of an IDF soldier who was killed in 2014. The body of another IDF soldier, also killed in 2014, was recovered from Gaza this month.
Israel is set to free 90 Paleostinian security prisoners on Saturday in exchange for the three Israeli hostages, "nine of whom are serving life sentences and 81 of whom have long sentences," the Paleostinian Prisoners’ Club spokeswoman Amani Sarahneh told AFP on Friday.
[IsraelTimes] Meirav Berger, mother of released hostage Agam Berger, offers a heartfelt, spiritual message of thanks for the return of her daughter, in a public statement at Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva.
“Thank you to the creator of the world, to the nation of Israel and the Jewish world, to those who stood with us and wrapped us in endless love and overturned every rock to bring our Agam home to us,” she says.
Her husband, Agam’s father, Shlomi Berger, thanks US President Donald Trump in English:
“Thank you, thank you for your care and for making us all do the right thing,” he says. “We will never forget your help, your generosity and your leadership, God bless the United States of America.”
Meirav also thanks the IDF soldiers, the country’s decision-makers, the family’s community in Holon, as well as their friends and family.
[IsraelTimes] Israel has complained to the US-led committee overseeing the Lebanon ceasefire that Iran is sending suitcases stuffed with US dollars to Hezbollah via Beirut’s international airport, according to an American defense official cited by the Wall Street Journal.
The official is quoted as saying that Israel also claims Turkish citizens are being used to smuggle cash from Istanbul to Beirut.
According to the WSJ report, Israel’s complaints have been passed on to the Lebanese government.
A Lebanese security official quoted by WSJ says the Beirut airport is under tight military control to prevent Hezbollah smuggling attempts.
Though smuggling large amounts of cash through the airport would be difficult, valuable items like gemstones and diamonds could pass undetected, the Lebanese official says.
The November 27 ceasefire deal ended two months of full-scale war that followed months of lower-intensity cross-border exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah.
During the campaign, Israel eliminated most of Hezbollah’s senior leadership. It also targeted the Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial institution, which has over 30 outlets across Lebanon, which both Jerusalem and Washington say is used by Hezbollah for money laundering and terrorism financing, assertions the group denies.
The Iran-backed terror group began near-daily attacks on northern Israel one day after the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by its Palestinian ally Hamas, which triggered the war in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Israeli residents of the north were displaced by the attacks, with rocket fire eventually spreading to the center of the country.
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[IsraelTimes] Top Iranian diplomat says attack would be ‘one of the biggest historical mistakes the US could make,’ urges unfreezing of sanctioned funds
Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... will respond immediately and decisively if its nuclear sites are attacked which would lead to an "all-out war in the region," Tehran’s foreign minister told Al Jazeera TV in an interview aired on Friday.
Israel and the US launching a military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would be "one of the biggest historical mistakes the US could make," Abbas Araghchi said through a translator.
Concerns have grown among Iran’s top decision-makers that US President Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... might in his second term empower Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike Iran’s nuclear sites while further tightening US sanctions on its oil industry.
Those concerns, coupled with mounting anger within Iran over economic conditions, could drive Tehran toward engaging in negotiations with the Trump administration over the fate of its fast-advancing nuclear program.
Araghchi suggested that the United States could free blocked Iranian funds as a first confidence-building step between the two hostile countries. How about "NO"?
"Iranian assets and funds have been frozen at various points by the US (which) has not fulfilled its previous pledges (to free them). These things can be done by the US administration in order to bring confidence between us," Araghchi said.
In 2018, then-President Trump reneged on the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and a group of world powers and re-imposed harsh US sanctions as part of his "maximum pressure" policy against the country.
In response, Tehran breached the deal in several ways including by accelerating its uranium enrichment.
Trump has vowed to return to the policy he pursued in his previous term that sought to use economic pressure to force the country to negotiate a deal on its nuclear program, ballistic missile program and regional activities.
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Leonid Tsukanov
[REGNUM] On January 30, the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, arrived in Damascus. He became the first world (and, more importantly, the first Arab) leader to officially visit the “new Syria” and meet with the country’s renewed leadership. The visit was in many ways historic.
The 13-year "era of rift" between Qatar and Syria has come to an end. Now the Qatari authorities intend not only to make up for lost time, but also to bypass other Arabian monarchies that are aiming to take Damascus under soft control.
OFFICIAL COLLEAGUES
The day before the Qatari emir's visit, the "Victory Conference" was held in Damascus - an extended meeting of key figures in the anti-Assad coalition. The conference effectively put an end to the "Assad era": all previous institutions were dissolved, the constitution was annulled, and the process of restructuring the armed forces and special services was launched.
In addition, the delegates approved the candidacy of the leader of the "new Syria". As expected, Ahmed al-Sharaa (better known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani ), who previously led the banned terrorist group "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham", was elected.
Syria has officially defined the management team for the next five years, which has opened up the opportunity for external players to interact with the “new Damascus” on a completely official basis and to position al-Sharaa and his associates no longer as “temporary workers,” but as colleagues.
THE PATH TO PROSPERITY
Qatar is one of the countries that, with the start of the civil war in Syria, distanced itself from official Damascus and did not conduct any dealings with the Bashar al-Assad administration. Unlike most Arab countries, Doha closed the dialogue in all areas, including sensitive ones (for example, along the intelligence services line), while other Arab powers, despite a public boycott, left several emergency channels open.
After the fall of the republic and the rise to power of pro-Turkish politicians, Qatar's position as Turkey's closest military and political partner has predictably changed. At the end of December 2024, Doha gave the go-ahead to open an embassy in Damascus. And over the next month, several Qatari ministers and, finally, the emir himself visited the country. 13 years of silence have given way to a heated dialogue.
It is important to note that the “new Damascus” appreciated Doha’s support: Qatar was chosen as the first stop on the new Syrian government’s foreign tour. Only after a series of meetings in Doha did the Syrian delegation visit Saudi Arabia and the UAE, thus emphasizing its foreign policy priorities.
Syria's focus on developing dialogue with the Gulf countries is not accidental. To stabilize the economy and strengthen the country's international image, Damascus needs the support of influential, strong and financially secure regional players, which are the Arabian monarchies.
In addition, the new Syrian authorities hope to take advantage of the loyalty of the Gulf countries and ensure the country’s full return to the League of Arab States (LAS).
It is also noteworthy that the Syrian side decided to postpone the official visit to Turkey until February 2025, raising its level from ministerial to the highest. It is assumed that the country will be visited personally by the President of Syria for the transitional period, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
With this diplomatic move, Damascus hopes to emphasize its loyalty to Ankara without pushing it as a key partner in the Middle East. The “New Damascus” still strives to associate itself with the Arab world and skillfully exploits the idea of “Arab unity” in its dialogue with the Arabian monarchies.
BIG PROMISES
The frequency of diplomatic relations between Doha and Damascus since the fall of the republic has broken all records - no other Arab country has conducted such intensive interaction with the new Syrian authorities.
Qatar also leads in the number of areas in which the "new Damascus" has been promised assistance. In addition to the financial and energy sectors, Doha promises its Syrian partners assistance in the humanitarian sphere and help in reforming the education sector.
Qatar also promises to lobby Europe to lift some of the sanctions on Damascus, which seems possible given Qatar's strong influence on the EU energy market.
At the same time, the parties are deliberately avoiding discussing Qatar’s military presence on Syrian territory – the new Syrian leaders still do not agree on whose presence on their lands is acceptable.
Doha itself is not eager to address this issue - for the Qatari authorities, remote cooperation without a direct military presence seems more advantageous. Especially considering that there are enough forces in the country that would perceive the appearance of the Qatari army here as a personal challenge.
DOHA VS RIYADH
Doha’s current work on Syria is largely aimed at containing other players seeking to benefit from the unstable position of the new Syrian authorities. The greatest danger, from Qatar’s point of view, comes from Saudi Arabia, the country’s key competitor in the Middle East.
The Saudis, although they "bet" on Assad shortly before the fall of the republic, quickly regrouped and are now promising Damascus significant economic injections, as well as diplomatic support. The volume of promised investments is slightly less than what Doha promises.
However, Riyadh’s proposals in practice look much more modest, since they suggest gradual assistance and only in exchange for “diplomatic assistance.”
Such a cautious approach is due to the fact that Saudi Arabia is alarmed by the obvious predominance of Turkish creatures in the new government and is trying to carefully advance the appointment of its figures. Otherwise, the announced aid will be distributed by Riyadh in even more measured doses.
For Qatar, Damascus's pro-Turkish orientation is rather a plus, and the Saudis' attempts to interfere in Syria's internal affairs open up the opportunity to extinguish Riyadh's key trump card in advance - influence on the course of the League of Arab States.
The Qatari authorities are trying to convey to Damascus (so far unobtrusively) a simple idea: if the “new Syria” makes a choice in favor of Doha, it will ultimately still restore its position in the Arab League – but in exchange it will receive greater dividends than from cooperation with Riyadh. Similar views are being instilled by Turkish advisers, who are striving for a “political sparring match” between the two allied countries.
The Saudis have not yet been able to break this trend.
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Top|| File under: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (al-Nusra)
The @DOGE team discovered, among other things, that payment approval officers at Treasury were instructed always to approve payments, even to known fraudulent or terrorist groups.
They literally never denied a payment in their entire career.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...mindless ferocity in a turban...
...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan...
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
..the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,...
..the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood,...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
