CPJ reported that at least four journalists have been killed by Israel in the past week alone: Ahmed Al-Louh, Mohammed Balousha, Mohammed Al-Qrinawi and Iman Al-Shanti. They all appear to have been targeted by Israel through direct strikes. In the case of Al-Qrinawi and Al-Shanti, their families were also slaughtered along with them.

These are only some of the latest reported incidents of Israel’s deliberate targeting of journalists. In the case of Mohammed Balousha, it hardly seems a coincidence that he was the one who broke the story about in Gaza’s Al-Nasr hospital. After exactly one year ago, Israeli forces have now succeeded in killing him.

Palestinian-American journalist Mariam Barghouti, on Twitter/X, noted: “Every 50 hours a journalist is killed in Gaza”. Meanwhile CPJ added that journalists in the north of Gaza “are facing catastrophic conditions, saying ethnic cleansing is happening in a news void in northern Gaza.”

There’s little question that one of the main reasons for us having a record of the atrocities Israel has committed in Gaza is the reporting of local journalists. While some of them were able to flee, others such as Hossam Shbat, Hind Khoudary and Bisan Owda have stayed behind to continue vital reporting on the ground.

So when at the end of November that “there are no journalists in Gaza”, this reflected at least two things. Firstly, in the interests of Western-backed imperialism, the suffering and literal genocide of indigenous groups are actively erased. Second, these imperialist forces don’t consider Palestinians to be reliable sources and reporters of their own stories.

Without a doubt, this silencing and erasure further compounds the injustice experienced by Palestinians amidst their ongoing genocide. Apart from those killed, , and two are missing. A further 75 have been illegally detained by Israel.

How heart-breaking it must be to be a journalist in Gaza, not only witnessing the genocide of your people and documenting it in vain, but also experiencing the dehumanisation as a Palestinian which completely erases both your suffering and your journalistic contribution.

It is utterly shameful that, in the midst of this, journalists in the West, especially from mainstream outlets, have expressed little to no support towards their colleagues in Gaza. At best, they have stood idly by without making any show of solidarity. At worst, they have actively enabled Israel’s genocidal agenda.

Historian Assal Rad is among those who have extensively documented the use of passive voice by mainstream Western media outlets such as the , , and . The for its clear pro-Israel bias and its policy of prioritising Israel’s right to defend itself.

Within this context, it’s no wonder, then, that Israel has carried out its targeted campaign against journalists in Gaza - as well as healthcare and aid workers - with impunity. Because Israel is well aware that Western governments and media are standing by, willing and eager to erase and minimise its crimes.

What else would explain the silence of Western politicians and media on Israel’s targeting of journalists in particular? As Amnesty International Australia gave its , the news barely appears to have been reported by mainstream media. Similarly, with at least 133 journalists now confirmed dead in Gaza, many of them deliberately targeted while wearing press vests, it’s .

Journalism - real, independent journalism, that is - plays a key function in democratic accountability. So by erasing the contributions and sacrifices of journalists in Gaza, Western politicians and media outlets are actively hindering accountability for Israel and ensuring its impunity. While rumours of a ceasefire circulate, people continue to suffer under constant threat of bombardment, starvation, and little to no medical aid.

Meanwhile, for supporters of the Palestinian people, it’s terrifying to see updates from Bisan, Hossam, Hind, and other journalists and wonder if they will survive to see another day, or if any given post might be their last. In the midst of this, it’s imperative that journalists of conscience are highlighting their struggles, amplifying their stories, and doing what they can to hold Israel accountable.

One thing is for sure: regardless of the best efforts of those in power to erase the genocide in Gaza in general and Israel’s silencing of journalists in particular, we are bearing witness. We are keeping records. The day will come when no amount of gaslighting will be enough to save the Israeli occupation. And it will be thanks, in no small part, to the literal blood, sweat, and tears of journalists in Gaza.

Afroze Fatima Zaidi is a writer, editor and journalist. She has a background in academia and writing for online platforms.

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Have questions or comments? Email us at: editorial-english@newarab.com

"UNIFIL strongly urges accelerated progress in the IDF's (Israeli military) withdrawal from and the LAF's (Lebanese army) deployment in south Lebanon," the force said in a statement.

It called on "all actors to cease and refrain from violations of (Security Council) resolution 1701 and any actions that could jeopardise the fragile stability that currently prevails".

That came after Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the United States and France should put pressure on Israel to complete its withdrawal faster.

The United States and France, along with Lebanon, Israel and UNIFIL, make up the committee tasked with maintaining communication between the parties to the ceasefire and ensuring any violations are identified and dealt with.

As part of the truce agreement, the Lebanese army and peacekeepers will deploy in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army pulls out over a period of 60 days.

"In order for the army to be able to fully accomplish its missions, the committee must... put pressure on the Israeli enemy to bring an end to all the violations" of the ceasefire, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in the town of Khiam during a tour of the south.

"It is necessary to put pressure on the parties to the ceasefire agreement, namely the French and the Americans, to accelerate the process before the expiration of the 60-day period," he added, going on to accuse Israel of "dragging its feet".

On December 11, the Lebanese army reported that it had deployed around Khiam, five kilometres from the border, in coordination with UNIFIL, following the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area.

Accusations of violations

Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported on Monday that "the Israeli enemy continues its invasion and attacks on southern Lebanese territories," where it has "raised the Israeli flag" on a hill between the towns of Bayada and Naqura.

The NNA frequently reports instances of Israel dynamiting homes in border villages.

For its part, the Israeli army stated on Monday that it was continuing its "defensive activities" in the south "in accordance with the agreement", adding that it had "seized and dismantled various weapons and military equipment from a warehouse".

The truce in southern Lebanon went into force on November 27 after more than a year of cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that began with the outbreak of the deadly war in Gaza.

The exchanges of fire ultimately escalated into all-out war and the invasion of Israeli troops into south Lebanon. More than 3,600 Lebanese were killed by Israel during the aggression.

Since the truce took effect, Israel has violated the truce multiple times.

Mikati said that he wanted to resolve any questions over the Blue Line - the UN-demarcated boundary between Lebanon and Israel -- "so there will be no justification for any Israeli occupation of our land".

He also said he was working with "the World Bank, the European Union, Arab countries and our international partners to create a trust fund" for reconstruction efforts.

The World Bank estimated in October that the fighting had caused physical damage amounting to "at least $3.4 billion" in Lebanon.

Farouk al-Sharaa, a hugely prominent Syrian politician for decades, had been sidelined from Syria's political scene during the ousted President Bashar al-Assad's rule after advocating a political solution soon after the Syrian uprising began.

Earlier reports carried by AFP and published in °źÂț”ș suggested Ahmed al-Sharaa had already met with the former regime figure. However, the coordinator of the Union of Syrian Tribes, Sami Al-Hamsh, denied on Sunday that any meeting had taken place so far between Ahmed and Farouk al-Sharaa.

In press statements to the Saudi Arabian state-owned Al Arabiya channel, he clarified that preparations for a meeting are still underway, but confirmed that leaders from HTS had visited Farouk al-Sharaa's residence to arrange a meeting with Ahmad al-Sharaa.

He also pointed out that Marwan al-Sharaa, a relative of Farouk al-Sharaa mentioned in media reports as the source of the news that a meeting had already taken place, has been deceased for several years.

The quick and dramatic collapse of Assad's Baathist regime has shaken the Middle East, but the HTS-led interim authorities have swiftly announced a government to oversee a transitional phase in Syria until March next year, reaching out to both minority leaders and former regime figures and stressing that they plan to be inclusive and their priority is to rebuild Syria.

Farouk, 86, was a key player in shaping Syria's foreign policy for over two decades.

He initially served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1984, during Hafez al-Assad's rule, then remained in this position when Bashar assumed power in 2000. He was then appointed Vice President in 2006.

Farouk went on to chair a National Dialogue Conference in a Damascus hotel in 2011, a few months after the outbreak of anti-government protests.

During that conference, he called for a political settlement to the escalating conflict, after which he vanished from the political arena and public eye, until recent developments.

A few days ago, Mohammad Adel al-Homsi, the son of Farouk's driver, Akram al-Homsi, appeared in a video explaining the circumstances surrounding the arrest of his father by Syrian security forces in 2013.

This occurred after he returned from the Daraa governorate, where Farouk hails from. He was accused of delivering a message to a group in the governorate the aim of which was facilitating Farouk's defection from the regime.

Farouk was the only official whose disagreements with the Assad regime over how to handle the Syrian protests became public.

He was removed from the Regional Command (the top decision-making body of the former ruling Ba'ath Party) in July 2013.

His name had previously been touted as a possible successor to Bashar al-Assad in the event a transitional period to resolve the Syrian crisis had been agreed.

This is an  from our Arabic edition.

Editor's note: This article has been edited to reflect the comments given to Al Arabiya by Sami Al-Hamsh. An original version of the article suggested the meeting had already taken place in line with the statements allegedly given by Marwan al-Sharaa in line with reporting by AFP.

The agents spoke with the US' CBS  "60 Minutes" in a segment aired on Sunday night. They wore masks and spoke with altered voices to conceal their identities.

One agent said the operation started 10 years ago using walkie-talkies laden with hidden explosives, which Hezbollah didn't realise it was buying from Israel. The walkie-talkies were not detonated until September, a day after booby-trapped pagers were set off.

"We created a pretend world," said the officer, who went by the name "Michael".

At least 42 people were killed in the electronic device attacks on 17 and 18 September. At least 4,000 were injured in these attacks which occurred at the onset of Israel's escalated violence on Lebanon, before it invaded in early October.

Israel's war in Lebanon went on to kill over 3,600 Lebanese, particularly in the south, a umber of Beirut suburbs and the Bekaa Valley. 

On November 27, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a 60-day ceasefire to halt hostilities, during which Israeli forces must withdraw from southern Lebanon. Despite this, Israel has reportedly violated the truce several times.

Phase two of the plan, using the booby-trapped pagers, started in 2022 after Israel's Mossad intelligence agency learned Hezbollah had been buying pagers from a Taiwan-based company, the second officer said.

The pagers had to be made slightly larger to accommodate the explosives hidden inside. They were tested on dummies multiple times to find the right amount of explosive that would hurt only the Hezbollah fighter and not anyone else in close proximity.

Mossad also tested numerous ring tones to find one that sounded urgent enough to make someone pull the pager out of their pocket.

The second agent, who went by the name "Gabriel." said it took two weeks to convince Hezbollah to switch to the heftier pager, in part by using false ads on YouTube promoting the devices as dustproof, waterproof, providing a long battery life and more.

He described the use of shell companies, including one based in Hungary, to dupe the Taiwanese firm, Gold Apollo, into unknowingly partnering with the Mossad.

Hezbollah also was unaware Israel was behind the operation.

"Gabriel" compared the ruse to a 1998 psychological film about a man who has no clue that he is living in a false world and his family and friends are actors paid to keep up the illusion.

"When they are buying from us, they have zero clue that they are buying from the Mossad," Gabriel said. "We make like 'Truman Show.' everything is controlled by us behind the scene. In their experience, everything is normal. Everything was 100% kosher including businessman, marketing, engineers, showroom, everything."

By September, Hezbollah members had 5,000 pagers in their pockets.

Israel triggered the attack on September 17, when pagers all over Lebanon started beeping. The devices would explode even if the person failed to push the buttons to read an incoming encrypted message.

The next day, Mossad activated the walkie-talkies, some of which exploded at funerals for some of those who were killed in the attacks.

Gabriel said the goal was more about "sending a message" than actually killing Hezbollah fighters.

"If he's just dead, so he’s dead. But if he’s wounded, you have to take him to the hospital, take care of him. You need to invest money and efforts," he said. "And those people without hands and eyes are living proof, walking in Lebanon, of 'don’t mess with us.' They are walking proof of our superiority all around the Middle East," he claimed.

In the days after the attack, Israeli forces targeted a umber of Hezbollah leaders, chiefly Hassan Nasrallah, was assassinated in late September.

The agent using the name "Michael" said that the day after the pager explosions, people in Lebanon were afraid to turn on their air conditioners out of fear that they would explode, too.

"There is real fear," he said.

Asked if that was intentional, he said, "We want them to feel vulnerable, which they are. We can’t use the pagers again because we already did that. We’ve already moved on to the next thing. And they’ll have to keep on trying to guess what the next thing is."

Israel has been waging war in the region since October 7 last year, killing over 45,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in acts labelled as genocidal. Israel has also carried out aggression in Syria, and against Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant in November on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Poland is a signatory to the Rome Statute and would be required under international law to turn Netanyahu and Gallant over to The Hague should they enter the country.

Sources told Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita that Netanyahu will avoid travelling to the event for fear of being arrested, and that the Israeli government has not contacted Polish authorities to discuss the subject.

"We are obliged to respect the decisions of the ICC," said Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski when asked to comment by the outlet.

Polish diplomatic sources elaborated on the government’s decision. "We hope that Vladimir Putin will finally appear before the ICC. That is why we must comply with the court’s decisions," they said, on condition of anonymity.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will also reportedly skip the event, which according to Israeli media will make Education Minister Yoav Kisch the only Israeli government official in attendance.

The memorial will take place on 27 January and will mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, a major event that will be attended by Western leaders, including Britain’s King Charles, French president Emmanuel Macron and German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Israel was represented at the 75th anniversary by the then-president Reuven Rivlin.

Poland is among a small number of Western countries that have confirmed they will enforce the arrest warrants and uphold international law.  Others have either rejected the ICC’s decision or have been ambiguous about how they would act.

The court has accused Netanyahu and Gallant of multiple counts of international law violations, including deliberately starving Gaza’s population, exterminating civilians and persecution. The court’s investigations are ongoing and further warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders are expected to be issued in the coming months.

Israel is also fighting charges of genocide at the International Court of Justice.

Israel has killed 45,317 Palestinians and wounded 107,713 others in its 14-month war on Gaza, according to the latest figures. Its military onslaught has destroyed most of the enclave’s infrastructure and plunged the population into a deep humanitarian crisis.

Asaad al- Shibani's nomination as foreign minister, alongside new defence minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, are the latest announcements after fighters led by al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) overthrew president Bashar al-Assad nearly two weeks prior. 

The official Syrian news agency (SANA) announced al- Shibani's role in a statement on Telegram over the weekend, stating that "he joined the Syrian revolution in 2011... and took part in founding the Salvation Government."

Who is Assad al- Shibani? 

Al-Shibani, born in 1987 in Hasakeh province in northeastern Syria, graduated from Damascus University with a degree in English literature.  

He later earned a master’s degree in political science and international relations. 

Al-Shibani previously held the position of Head of Political Affairs for a rebel government in Idlib, a northwestern province of Syria, following its takeover by HTS in 2015. 

He was also an active participant in the 2011 Syrian uprising. 

According to Istanbul-based Syria TV, Shibani was previously known as Zaid al-Attar, responsible for managing foreign relations and overseeing the transition of al-Qaeda's Syria branch Nusra Front into HTS. 

Arabic-language reports suggest that Shibani, who lived in Turkey until 2024, is one of the founding members of the Nusra Front alongside al-Sharaa, with whom he is said to share a close alliance. 

What would Shibani’s role signify? 

Shibani met with delegations from France and Germany this week in Damascus as the new authorities opened contacts with international representatives.  

On Friday, following a meeting between al-Sharaa and a US delegation, the new administration expressed its commitment to fostering "regional peace" and building "privileged strategic partnerships with countries in the region." 

In a statement, the authorities emphasised that "the Syrian people stand at an equal distance from all countries and parties in the region" and rejected any form of polarisation. 

Since assuming power, Syria's de facto leader, al-Sharaa, has engaged actively with foreign delegations, including the UN’s Syria envoy and senior US diplomats.  

He has signalled a focus on reconstruction and economic development, distancing himself from any new conflicts. 

Media reports indicate that all 14 ministers appointed so far, including al-Shibani and newly named Defence Minister Abu Qasra, are closely aligned with al-Sharaa.  

Syria’s opposition forces seized Damascus on 8 December, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee, ending his family’s decades-long rule after more than 13 years of war. 

Washington, which designated al-Sharaa a "terrorist" in 2013 and offered a $10 million bounty for his capture, announced on Friday that the bounty would be removed.  

The war in Syria has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, one of the largest modern refugee crises, widespread destruction of cities, and an economy devastated by global sanctions. 

These heart-aching lines conclude the poem If I Must Die, written by Palestinian poet, professor, and activist Refaat Alareer just five weeks before an Israeli airstrike killed him in his home city of Gaza on 6 December 2023.

With these words hauntingly foreshadowing the end of his life, the poem has since been widely translated around the world, capturing the unimaginable horror and tragedy unfolding in Gaza.

Currently, Refaat’s words are spreading further through the (RML), a traveling liberation library based in Atlanta, Georgia, that promotes political education for Palestinian liberation and addresses the urgent needs of Palestinians most affected by the events in Gaza.

One of RML's organisers, Fiza Pirani, explained to °źÂț”ș how the library was created, tracing its origins back to the pro-Palestine protests on American university campuses in April and May, when thousands of students rallied in solidarity with the Palestinian people against Israel's war on Gaza.

Fiza added that the seeds of the library were planted in an Atlanta-based online chat group, where long-time and new organisers, united by their commitment to Palestinian liberation and resistance, could share their grief, take action, and preserve Palestinian culture, experience, and truth through the library.

“It was clear our students were suffering at the hands of the police, and many of us were itching to do whatever we could to show up for the students in solidarity,” Fiza says.

Inspired by the makeshift Gaza solidarity libraries created by students during US campus protests to build community and make political education more accessible, Fiza also mentioned the idea of creating a library that could travel from campus to campus — a concept that resonated with others and gained support.

“We knew we wanted to begin on a campus, and Emory University had faced the most violence and retaliation so far,” Fiza elaborates.

Encouraging local and global solidarity

Starting with a folding shelf and ten books that Fiza and other volunteers brought to the teach-in, the library has now expanded to a collection of 500 books, over 50 volunteers, and has travelled to numerous community spaces in Atlanta.

According to Fiza, the idea of a traveling library arose from reflecting on the destruction of libraries in Gaza.

Some of the questions Fiza said came to mind were: How could a resource for cultural preservation be created with minimal risk of physical destruction, especially after the police had dismantled students’ tents and makeshift communities? How could such a resource serve multiple communities? And how could literature be used to encourage both local and global solidarity?

That being said, Fiza emphasises that they are not the first to name a library after Refaat, explaining that they drew inspiration from existing university encampments and their DIY libraries dedicated to his memory.

“His death was a turning point for many — his legacy undeniable, his words lingering forever,” she says.

Fiza also reiterates the parallels between police violence in Atlanta and Israel, which Refaat was acutely aware of.

“He visited a few times, had close friends here, and spoke at Charis Books, an independent feminist bookshop and the library’s official bookstore partner,” she adds.

Honouring Palestinian culture

An entirely volunteer-run organisation, the team has now established a committee focused on decision-making, event coordination, printing, bookstore and publisher relations, and more.

“We make decisions as a collective and there is a group of us — that make up the Core Committee where we discuss ideas before bringing it to the larger group,” Fiza says.

In terms of collaborations, the committee has been working closely with Refaat's family and friends to honour his legacy and ensure the preservation of Palestinian culture with due diligence.

“We are fortunate to be in touch with Refaat’s close family friend who has especially been helpful when faced with questions regarding the preservation of Refaat’s writings,” Fiza mentions.

Upon reflection, Fiza and the organising committee did not anticipate that the library would endure as long as it has.

“We started with some free books from publishers and some books of our own, bringing 10-20 books to college campuses, Palestine solidarity events, and social justice- and community-oriented gatherings,” she says.

The library wagon being the mode of conveyance and transporting roughly sixty books at a time to and from these spaces of community engagements, the catalogue features Palestinian and anti-Zionist literature along with those on Black liberation, Indigenous resistance, prison abolition, colonialism, as well as children’s literature and poetry.

Beyond its success, Fiza and others have also considered how those challenging or opposing the dissemination of political education about Palestine have responded to the library so far.

“Though we have an occasional Zionist visitor and these interactions aren’t exactly fruitful, we’ve had more solidarity than anything else, and beautiful discussions and connections have emerged at library events,” says Fiza, emphasising that the most affirming aspect of the library is “the people we get to share literature with.”

Fiza adds that the library’s journeys have led to a multitude of exchanges: public school teachers borrowing books to teach their classes, high school and college students newly learning about Palestine, Jewish community members raised in Zionism and trying to unlearn, young Palestinian parents in the diaspora seeking children’s books, and Palestinian authors themselves.

“The nature of the mobile library means that to return a book, you typically come to another library event, which means we get to see repeat visitors often, building our own little community of readers, curious thinkers, cultural preservationists, and resisters,” Fiza says.

Spreading hope 

At present, the library is expanding rapidly, with plenty of interest from potential future volunteers and city organisations who feel strongly about Palestinian liberation and self-determination.

“Many other communities from different states in the US and abroad have reached out with interest in replicating the library model,” Fiza says, having recently held workshops on .

Looking to the future, the library aims to connect solidarity struggles within a broader anti-imperialist movement, as seen in its recent participation in a teach-in on Sudan's occupation at Spelman College, where it set up a library and held a fundraiser for Sudan.

Fiza says, “There is real strength in numbers and collective solidarity. Once your eyes are opened to one liberation struggle, you begin to notice the threads connecting them all. If you care for Palestinians’ right to self-determination, for example, you must care for the indigenous struggles within Sudan, Congo, Turtle Island, Puerto Rico and beyond,” Fiza states, emphasising nonetheless that “it’s not just about knowing; we must also be showing up.”

To conclude, Fiza says that while Refaat's poem came from a place of horror and despair, it still inspired hope.

Fiza adds that, like other forms of global resistance for Palestine, RML is a caravan of hope, with books as seeds that we hope will grow into a fairer, more just, and peaceful world of ideas and people.

Cover photo: Refaat Mobile Library Instagram

Priyanka Sacheti is an independent writer and poet based in Bangalore, India

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"Our principled position on Syria is very clear: preserving the sovereignty and integrity of Syria and for the people of Syria to decide on its future without destructive foreign interference," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a weekly press briefing.

He added that the country should not "become a haven for terrorism", saying such an outcome would have "repercussions" for countries in the region.

Assad fled Syria earlier this month as rebel forces led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) entered the capital Damascus after a lightning offensive, which began in the country's northwest.

Headed by Ahmed Al-Sharaa, Syria's new leader and an ardent opponent of Iran, the group has spoken out against the Islamic republic's influence in Syria under Assad.

Tehran helped prop up Assad during Syria's 13-year-long civil war, providing him with military advisers.

During Monday's press briefing, Baghaei said Iran had "no direct contact" with Syria's new rulers.

Sharaa has received a host of foreign delegations since coming to power.

He met on Sunday with Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan, and on Monday with Jordan's top diplomat Ayman Safadi.

On Friday, the United States' top diplomat for the Middle East Barbara Leaf held a meeting with Sharaa, later saying she expected Syria would completely end any role for Iran in its affairs.

A handful of European delegations have also visited in recent days.

Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, which has long supported Syria's opposition, also sent a delegation soon, according to Syria's ambassador in Riyadh.

According to Haaretz, Slovenia’s public broadcaster, RTV SLO, has already submitted a letter to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) requesting that Israel is disqualified from taking part.

The letter reportedly states that if Slovenia’s request is denied, it would consider pulling out from the contest as a form of protest.

This comes after a meeting was held earlier this month where the broadcaster’s council debated whether Slovenia should boycott the competition or instead choose not to broadcast Israel’s performance.

Slovenian President Natasa Pirc Musar also said earlier this month that both Israel and Russia had violated the UN Charter with ongoing wars on Gaza and Ukraine, respectively, adding that Israel had committed violations on a much larger scale.

The competition, which has previously sparked controversy over Israel’s involvement, is set to take place in May next year in Switzerland.

Last year, several artists and senior figures in Eurovision-linked broadcasters urged for Israel to be boycotted due to the war on Gaza.

While the competition maintains it is a "non-political event", activists have repeatedly called for Israel to be banned due to atrocities carried out in Gaza, which have been slammed by international rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Last year, a Dublin-based national radio station announced it would host a fundraiser for Palestine on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest, amid growing calls for a boycott of the competition.

Israeli participation

Israel’s participation in the competition has also been plunged further into question due to proposed legislation by the Israeli parliament.

While Israel is not in Europe, they are eligible to compete in Eurovision because its broadcaster is a member of the EBU.

However, this week, the EBU warned the Knesset’s Economic Affairs Committee, which is debating bills that could dismantle Israel’s public broadcaster, that this could mean they are removed from the union.

"Privatising Kan would lead to its removal from our union, limit Israel’s role in international events like Eurovision and prevent Israeli viewers from accessing content such as the 2026 World Cup" the letter from EBU read.

Alon Gellert, who represents Kan at the Knesset committee, called attempts to remove Israel from the competition "efforts by antisemitic organisations and Palestinian activists to exclude Israel from international institutions".

"The State of Israel fights tirelessly to prevent such exclusion. Now, through our own actions, we risk achieving their goals" he added.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 45,317 Palestinians and wounded over 107,713 others since 7 October 2023. The war on the besieged enclave has levelled entire neighbourhoods and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.

Syria: Turkey versus Israel?

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led lightning offensive that began last month and resulted in the Syrian regime’s fall on 8 December was nothing short of a major geopolitical earthquake which will have significant repercussions for the Middle East.

Looking ahead to next year, Syria’s political transition will be important to monitor as the region adapts to new realities resulting from the weakening of the Iran-led ‘Axis of Resistance’.

The intervention of outside actors in post-Assad Syria will have a major impact on this delicate transition following more than 60 years of Baathist rule. It appears that in 2025 many external players will seek to influence this transition in manners that serve their own interests, which raises legitimate concerns about the future of Syria’s stability and territorial integrity.

At this point, it is easy to conclude that Turkey and Israel are poised to become the strategic beneficiaries of Syria’s political transition and the resultant blow to Iranian influence in the Levant.

“Turkey is steadily expanding its influence across regions stretching from the Horn of Africa to the Levant and Afghanistan, cementing its role as a force to be reckoned with in the region. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s support for HTS, which successfully gained control of Damascus, has further amplified Ankara’s clout - arguably elevating it beyond that of Tehran,” explained Veena Ali-Khan, a fellow at the Century Foundation who focuses on the Gulf, in an interview with °źÂț”ș.

“As Tehran’s grip on the region loosens, the stage is set for Erdogan to potentially fill the vacuum and redefine the regional order. At this stage, however, it is too early to tell,” she added.

Israel, which did not necessarily want Assad to fall, is grappling with many uncertainties related to Syria’s future. Tel Aviv’s perspective seems to be that no entity/entities governing Syria will be friendly to Israel nor capable of easily establishing stability in the war-ravaged country.

Therefore, the Israeli leadership appears to be determined to keep the Syrian state weak and unable to counter Israeli hard power in the Levant or the greater Middle East, which helps explain Tel Aviv’s rationale for waging hundreds of airstrikes all over Syria since Assad’s regime fell on 8 December while also illegally seizing more territory in Syria beyond the Syrian land that Israel has been occupying since 1967.

“Israel will try to cement its presence in southern Syria and is concerned about the rise of a conservative Sunni regime in Damascus,” explained Osama al-Sharif, a Jordanian journalist and commentator based in Amman, in a TNA interview.

“Israel's increasing assertion in the region, highlighted by its tactical successes against Hezbollah and Hamas and now southern Syria, could solidify its role as an ‘agenda-setter’ in Middle Eastern geopolitics,” Francesco Salesio Schiavi, an Italian Middle East expert and analyst, told TNA.

Given Ankara and Tel Aviv’s conflicts of interest vis-à-vis Syria, Gaza, and other issues, 2025 could be a year in which Turkish-Israeli tensions heat up, with the two US allies possibly set on a “” that could have a major impact on the Middle East’s geopolitical order and security landscape.

Although Israel is pleased to see the Tehran-led ‘Axis of Resistance’ dealt a severe blow with the HTS-led coalition taking control of Damascus and much of Syria, Tel Aviv will probably be nervous about the role that Ankara plays in the country. Hamas to Syria is one sign of this Turkey-oriented Sunni order that appears to be forming in post-Assad Damascus.

Next year US President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will likely need to channel significant diplomatic energy into preventing the Turkish-Israeli rivalry in Syria from escalating. There is no denying that Washington has zero interest in a scenario whereby hostilities between a NATO member and Tel Aviv spiral out of control.

With Trump being highly transactional and unpredictable, it is extremely challenging to predict how his administration will approach Turkey and its actions in Syria. Nonetheless, Ankara will likely succeed in convincing the Trump team that Turkey is an influential power in the Levant and any successful US foreign policy in Syria will require cooperation with Ankara and consideration of Turkey’s national interests.

Within this context, how Trump’s second administration manages to balance US support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is dominated by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)-linked People’s Protection Units (YPG), with Washington’s commitment to its alliance with Turkey will be key to observe.

“I think Turkey's prominent role in the quick downfall of the Assad regime in Syria has made policymakers in Washington and the region at large recognise its outsized weight and influence on regional affairs,” said Caroline Rose, director at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, in a TNA interview.  

“And the threat to launch an offensive in Northeast Syria, too, has now set Washington and Ankara on a trajectory of continuous communication and diplomacy, as the US seeks out a ceasefire to prevent further clashes and SDF losses. I think that regional actors will, too, seek out engagement with Turkey in assessing the future of a transitional government in Damascus.”

Mindful of US domestic politics, Trump’s tendency to cater to the highest bidder, and the influence of DC lobbyists, one must consider how various special interest groups associated with the Middle East will operate in Washington next year.

As post-Assad Syria’s political transition plays out, it will be necessary to monitor how Turkey, Israel, and the Gulf states’ lobbies seek to influence both the White House and the Congress. As some experts note, if there is more of a Turkey-Israel clash, it is safe to assume that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other lobby organisations will seek to persuade the Trump administration to avoid cooperating with Ankara in relation to Syria.

“In 2025, a renewed and strengthened cooperation between Turkey and the US, particularly under Trump, on matters of mutual interest is possible. However, a Congress influenced by various lobbies, including the Israeli, Greek, Armenian, and Kurdish [ones], poses a challenge to establishing a healthy, win-win relationship between Turkey and the US,” Dr Ali Bakir, assistant professor at Qatar University and senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council's “Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative” and Middle East Programs, told TNA.

Iran-Israel Hostilities

This past year the Iranian-Israeli ‘shadow war’ gave way to direct state-to-state confrontations, subjecting the Middle East to higher levels of unpredictability and danger. Looking to 2025, one of the most troublesome dynamics in the region will be the possibility of a further escalation of hostilities between Tehran and Tel Aviv.

“The prospect of a direct war between Israel and Iran has never been closer. With the Trump presidency around the corner, Israel may feel emboldened to cross long-standing red lines, including striking Iranian nuclear sites. Such an escalation would not only cripple any hope of a US-Iran nuclear deal but could also entangle Washington in Israel's conflict with Tehran, setting the stage for a broader regional war that will ultimately be more difficult to stop,” Ali-Khan told TNA.

The chances are good that Trump’s second administration will advance a ‘maximum pressure 2.0’ campaign against the Islamic Republic even if that does not entail any direct US military intervention against Iran. Although doubtful that any Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member would partner with such an anti-Tehran pressure campaign this time around, Israel would enthusiastically back such an agenda.

A renewed US-led “maximum pressure” campaign would almost inevitably give Tel Aviv a higher level of confidence in its quest to continue dealing blows against the Iran-led ‘Axis of Resistance’ following Israel’s military operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria throughout 2023/24.

“With Israel viewing its campaigns in Lebanon and Syria as largely successful, it may now shift its sights to Iraq and Yemen, doubling down on the last arenas of the Axis of Resistance. This could mirror its strategy in Lebanon - precision airstrikes, targeted assassinations, and efforts to decapitate leadership structures,” Ali-Khan commented.

Erwin van Veen, a senior research fellow at Clingendael's Conflict Research Unit, has a similar assessment. “Israel is currently kind of drunk on its military successes against Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria’s military infrastructure. It is not a secret it has long wished to take the conflict to Iran by attacking its nuclear facilities,” he told TNA.

“It may do so around or shortly after Trump’s inauguration as president to confront him with a fait accompli and sabotage Iranian overtures to negotiate another nuclear deal. Needless to say, Iran would respond, and a regional high-intensity conflict [would] likely erupt.”

Gaza and the West Bank

In 2025, there could be extremely important developments in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) with major repercussions not only for the Palestinians themselves but also for Egypt, Jordan, and others in the region.

Roughly 15 months into Israel’s war on Gaza, which both and have concluded constitutes a genocide, it is unclear how the situation in the blockaded enclave will play out next year. Although Trump has signalled to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he’d like the war over by the time his second term begins on 20 January (or at least very soon after), there is no guarantee that a ceasefire will be implemented that soon.

A legitimate concern is that Trump’s second administration will support the Israeli government in an annexation of the West Bank and Gaza in which Palestinians in the West Bank are ethnically cleansed and forced into Jordan while those in Gaza are forcefully displaced to Egypt. Such a scenario could easily fuel significant turmoil in these two neighbouring countries, raising serious questions about their stability.

“An unconditional pro-Israel policy from former President Trump could backfire, exacerbating tensions and instability,” warned Dr Bakir, who also told TNA that a “sudden economic collapse in Egypt is always a potential scenario”.

Accelerated Israeli settlement growth in the West Bank, as per Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s ‘’, which was published in 2017, will “trigger new rounds of violence with Palestinian resistance groups, likely cause social if not political upheaval in Jordan and further isolate Israel that will only enjoy the backing of the US and a few Western allies such as Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK in defence of its illegal occupation and mounting number of war crimes including a likely genocide,” explained van Veen.

“In turn, this will strengthen Chinese, Russian, and Iranian geopolitical narratives, (fatally) damage the laws of war, and put an end to any Western efforts to advance human rights, if this is not already the case, or fight terrorism,” he added.

Yemen

Ansar Allah, commonly known as the Houthis, remains a powerful force within the ‘Axis of Resistance’ that continues striking Israel directly and waging maritime attacks against vessels purportedly linked to Israel.

In light of the Syrian regime’s fall earlier this month, there is good reason to assume that Ansar Allah will become increasingly indispensable to the Islamic Republic while playing a more preeminent role among the coalition of regional actors operating within the Tehran-led ‘Axis of Resistance’.

In 2025, Israel will likely seek to intensify its military operations against the Houthis in order to deliver a blow to Ansar Allah similar to what Tel Aviv did to Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and various Iran-backed groups in Syria. Nonetheless, Israel’s confrontations with the Houthis in Yemen will continue to be a different experience than Tel Aviv’s fight with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

With Yemen being 44 times Lebanon’s size and geographically further away from Israel, the Houthis have several advantages. Moreover, Ansar Allah has gained significant support from Yemen’s population for its maritime attacks, which began in November 2023 under the banner of supporting the Palestinians in Gaza, and direct missile and drone strikes against Israel.

Looking ahead, the Houthis are set to remain closely allied with Iran in 2025, but Ansar Allah will seek to diversify its international relationships. The Houthis will do so by establishing stronger partnerships with Russia and actors in the Horn of Africa. Ansar Allah will continue engaging China and the group reaching out to North Korea is a possibility that one can’t dismiss.

Houthi-Russia engagement is set to make Ansar Allah an increasingly valuable bargaining chip to Moscow next year, with important implications for Yemen’s position in geopolitical tensions between President Vladimir Putin’s government and the West.

“The Red Sea is rapidly becoming a critical flashpoint in the global power struggle, evolving into a key battleground for influence. A face-off between the US and Israel - potentially backed by a few Gulf allies - and an opposing axis of the Houthis, Iran, and Russia appears increasingly likely,” Ali-Khan said in a TNA interview.

Analysts note that under such circumstances, it will be key to observe how Abu Dhabi responds. “The UAE may seek to capitalise on international anger with the Houthis, using the opportunity to attempt a military takeover of Hodeida, leveraging widespread opposition to the group. Conversely, the Houthis could consider initiating an offensive in Yemen,” added Ali-Khan.

“This intensifying rivalry in strategic choke points like the Red Sea reflects a broader trend of mounting volatility in a world increasingly shaped by geopolitical brinkmanship,” she told TNA.

Iran's decisions in the year ahead

In 2025, the Middle East will be a dynamic part of the world. Policymakers and stakeholders will need to consider a host of disturbing and challenging scenarios that could lead to far more regional instability with major implications for the rest of the world. As conflict dynamics remain intense, it will be key to watch Iran’s moves.

Particularly important to focus on are questions about how Tehran faces Trump 2.0 and a renewed Washington-led “maximum pressure” campaign while trying to reconstitute the ‘Axis of Resistance’ in the aftermath of humiliating setbacks in the region. How the Iranians deal with Turkish and Israeli gains in Syria, where Iranian influence will likely be hardly anything compared to what it was in recent years, will require close monitoring.

Ultimately, 2025 could be a year in which the Islamic Republic makes bold and decisive moves based on the painful lessons that the leadership in Tehran learned over the past 12 months.

“Iranian strategy post-Assad is ripe for profound recalibration. Such a process can lead to very different outcomes and different styles of behaviour. Tehran could decide to dash for the bomb, re-negotiate with the US, seek to rebuild the Axis of Resistance or focus its energy more on its immediate neighbourhood such as the Caucasus, Afghanistan, and Turkey - closing the Israel chapter as best as it can. Since this variation is rather great and consequences differ, it is an important dynamic to watch,” holds van Veen.

Giorgio Cafiero is the CEO of Gulf State Analytics

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According to reports in Turkish and Arabic media, British-born Asma al-Assad is allegedly filing for divorce and wants to leave Russia, where they were granted asylum after being ousted from power, for the UK. 

The deposed couple have been living in Moscow since 8 December after fleeing the rebel advance, which in less than two weeks brought an end to more than five decades of Baathist rule and swept Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham into power.

But just weeks after leaving Syria, the former first lady is reportedly unhappy with life in the Russian capital and has applied to a local court to end her 24-year marriage, according to Turkish paper Haberturk.

Asma, a dual British-Syrian national, reportedly requested special permission from the Russian authorities to leave the country, the online news site states.

The 48-year-old former investment banker was born and raised in west London and moved to Syria in 2000 to marry Bashar after he succeeded his father, Hafez, as the country’s president. The family also still own the ÂŁ1 million terrace house where Asma grew up. 

The report also claimed that Moscow has placed strict controls on the Assads, freezing their assets and preventing them leaving the capital.

However, shortly after the reports circulated, they were refuted by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov who told reporters that "they do not correspond to reality".

Asma has been under UK sanctions since 2012 after the Assad regime brutally suppressed pro-democracy protests and attempts to return to the country is likely to be met with a firm official response.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy has indicated that her days as a British national may be numbered, telling parliament earlier this month that she "is not welcome here in the UK".

The reports garnered a widespread reaction on social media sites, with UK officials weighing in. 

"Please do come to the UK, prosecution for inciting, aiding and encouraging war crimes awaits you Asma," Alicia Kearns, the former chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, .

The former first lady is the subject of a preliminary war crimes probe opened by the Metropolitan Police in 2021. Should the Met decide to pursue a full investigation, she could be stripped of her citizenship and subject to an international arrest warrant.

With February's AU summit is fast approaching, Algerian president Abdelmadjid Tebboune deployed a trio of high-ranking ministers on a diplomatic tour to rally support for Algeria's candidate, Ambassador Salima Malika Haddadi. A close ally of Tebboune, Haddadi currently serves as Algeria's envoy to Ethiopia and the African Union.

The campaign has seen Algerian officials criss-cross the continent, holding meetings with leaders in Zambia, Eritrea, Burundi, Uganda, and Ethiopia to pitch Haddadi's candidacy and Algeria's vision for the AU.

Tebboune also hosted South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, one of the bloc's most influential members, in Algiers recently.

Speaking from Addis Ababa, Algeria's foreign minister Ahmed Attaf framed his country's bid as "a moral imperative".

"This is not a quest for empty prestige or political vanity," he declared on 17 December. "Algeria's commitment stems from a genuine desire to serve Africa in a time of profound crisis and global uncertainty."

Algeria's campaign also taps into its grievances with some of the AU's recent decisions, notably the controversial 2021 move to grant Israel observer status.

Israel and Polisario: Algeria's agenda in the AU

Israel attained observer status in the bloc in 2021, after nearly 20 years of diplomatic efforts to infiltrate the bloc.

At the time, the AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat defended the decision, arguing that the peace process between Palestine and Israel must include all parties. Palestine already had observer status at the AU.

In 2023, the bloc suspended Israel's observer status in the face of protests from countries like South Africa and Algeria, who opposed inviting Israeli officials to pan-African gatherings while Tel Aviv continues to commit a genocide in the Gaza Strip.

If Algeria secures the Deputy Chairperson role at the AU, it is also expected to make the case for one of its long-standing allies in the region: the Polisario Front, a separatist movement in Western Sahara.

Algeria has consistently backed the Front in its decades-long struggle against Morocco, which considers the disputed territory as its own.

Rabat withdrew from the Pan-African bloc in 1984 after the AU approved Polisario membership under the disputed state of "the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic."

However, Morocco rejoined the bloc in 2017 "to defend" its case from inside the African Union, but without recognising the separatist Front.

Moroccan officials have gone further, threatening to the Front from the Union as Rabat gains more influence on the continent.

Rabat is also eyeing the Deputy Chairperson role at the AU. Its candidate is Latifa Akharbach, a former journalist and seasoned diplomat known for her commitment to the Sahara issue.

Morocco vs Algeria in the AU election

Experts predict the competition will be anything but peaceful between Morocco and Algeria, whose representatives have been known to literally throw punches at each other.

"Given the level of tensions between Algeria and Morocco, sadly illustrated by the brawl between the diplomats of the two countries in Tokyo, one can imagine that they won't be pulling any punches," predicts François Soudan, director of the Pan-African magazine Jeune Afrique.

On 24 August, a heated brawl broke out between Algerian and Moroccan diplomats at TICAD, a conference for African-Japanese cooperation in Tokyo.

A video shows a Moroccan representative jumping onto a table to grab a nameplate reading "Sahrawi Republic" placed by Lamine Baali, the "Sahrawi Republic's ambassador" to the African Union. Baali reportedly entered the meeting with an Algerian diplomatic passport, as Tokyo does not recognise the entity.

An Algerian diplomat intervened, wrestling the Moroccan representative to the ground. Although separated, the two continued exchanging verbal hostilities.

The race for Deputy Chairperson isn't limited to Algeria and Morocco. Other candidates from North Africa—set to take the role in 2025—are also vying for the position.

Egyptian economist Hanan Morsy and Libyan diplomat Najat Hajjaji bring strong credentials, with extensive experience at the UN and the African Development Bank. Their bids could appeal to many African nations eager to avoid choosing sides in the Algeria-Morocco brawls.

Many hope this will mark the end of their tortuous journey - of over 13 years of displacement either in refugee camps or among host communities.

These years have seen Syrians struggling to cope with harsh living conditions and severe economic hardship.

According to official figures, around 8,000 Syrians in Jordan have attempted to make their way back home so far.

However, the majority of Syrian refugees in Jordan are hesitant about whether to return quickly or wait to see how the situation unfolds in Syria.

Many are especially concerned regarding the country's shattered economy and its ability to ensure basic needs are met for those returning.

On a related note, Jordan's authorities are concerned about the continuing decline in international support for Syrian refugees, amid expectations that voluntary returns will be sparse in the near future.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) report indicated that international funding to Jordan to address the Syrian refugee crisis has declined significantly in 2024, with Amman having received only 40 percent of the amount received in 2023 by mid-October.

The report pointed out that the decline threatened Jordan's ability to provide essential services to refugees amid escalating economic and social pressures.

Syrian refugees who spoke to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, °źÂț”ș's Arabic-language sister edition, said they longed to return to Syria following Assad's ousting, but preferred to wait until their homes were rebuilt, as many had been totally destroyed. 

A Jordanian official told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that all necessary measures were being taken to facilitate and hasten the voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their homeland in the coming period.

The official, who requested anonymity, added that the border staff were working hard and were ready to process both individuals and commercial trucks heading to Syria.

Abdelilah Saada, 39, a Syrian refugee in Jordan who works in the food manufacturing industry spoke to the Phenix Economic and Informatics Studies Centre- a Jordanian civil society organisation- for a report in which the centre spoke to Syrian refugees in Jordan following the regime's fall.

Saada said his primary focus was returning to his country; as he owns property in the Damascus countryside that he wants to reclaim to rebuild his life.

He said his joy was "indescribable" at the prospect of returning to Syria, adding that he wishes to regain the life and work that he lost when he was forced to flee.

However, he also believes that returning immediately might be unsafe, given the current lack of stability.

"We don't know who will take over governance in Syria or what measures will be enacted regarding our return. Therefore, I'll wait a few months until the security situation stabilises, and then I'll start preparing to return to my homeland," Saada said.

Return is the priority

Mohammad Al Muhaimed, 25, is a Syrian refugee in Jordan working in a barber shop. He says returning to Syria is now a priority.

"All our relatives are in Syria, and we have businesses there. When I go back I'll open a barbers and have my own business - this was my dream even before I was displaced from my country."

He also believes an immediate return may be risky, and says he and his family will wait for the situation in Syria to stabilise.

Malik Khreis, 31, who has lived for years in Zaatari camp in Jordan, says his return is only a matter of time and that he's just waiting for the procedures on returning to be clearly outlined by the next government in Syria.  

He says life in the camp has become unbearable due to the poor state of the caravans they live in, as well as the frequent power and water cuts.

Alongside this is a lack of work opportunities and the decline of UNHCR services, with the UN body reducing both its cash and in-kind assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan.

Most Syrians in Jordan live in camps set up for them, the largest of which is the Zaatari camp in the city of Mafraq, northeast of Amman.

The Syrian Embassy in Amman has announced that in light of the recent developments in Syria, it will facilitate the return of Syrians to their homeland, as well as continuing to operate consular services to Syrians in Jordan.

This is an  from our Arabic edition.

Bishara appeared cautious when discussing the likelihood of success or failure in establishing democracy in Syria. He described the democratic transition as a difficult path, with no guarantee of success.

He outlined four necessary conditions for any democratic transition, all of which are particularly relevant to the Syrian context:

1) the existence of a strong state that commands consensus, 2) the separation of the state from the ruling regime, 3) a consensus among key societal forces on the peaceful transfer of power through regular elections, and 4) an agreement on principles enshrined in the new constitution, such as citizenship rights, individual freedoms, and human rights.

Building on these foundational points, Bishara concluded that even if the future Syrian government is not democratic, it will have to account for the diversity and evolution of Syrian society, particularly its strides in women's rights and social status.

Based on this, he stressed that the democratic transition is "extremely complex." He warned that if Syria’s state is threatened with partition—especially given Israel’s apparent interest in such an outcome—or if discussions remain focused on sectarian, denominational, and minority divisions, this will lead not to democracy but to a "cold or hot war."

Despite this, he expressed confidence in the Syrian people's ability to overcome the grievances born from the practices of the former regime and the nature of the opposition over recent years, describing Syrians as a "patriotic people committed to their homeland".

Regarding the current situation in Syria, two weeks after the fall of the Assad regime, Bishara noted that terms like "democracy" and "transitional phase" are conspicuously absent.

He suggested that what is occurring in Damascus is a calculated consolidation of power—marked by placating public sentiment and adopting conciliatory rhetoric—while simultaneously securing key positions of authority.

This, he argued, reflects a pragmatic approach by Syria's new rulers, even as they withhold clear intentions regarding democratic governance.

When asked about the potential success or failure of Syria's transitional phase, Bishara emphasised that "historical inevitability does not guarantee the victory of democracy unless its conditions, such as national consensus and the resolution of grievances, are met." He added that "there is no inherent contradiction between democracy and Islam, provided religious individuals interpret and apply Islam in ways that do not conflict with democratic principles."

Bishara called for caution and an understanding of the complexities of transitional phases, acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding the intentions of Syria's new rulers and whether the current phase will lead toward democracy or something else entirely.

He noted the absence of a clear declaration about the general direction or the nature of the system the ruling forces aim to establish.

Addressing the possibility of a counter-revolution to restore the ancien regime, Bishara remarked on the peculiar lack of a deep state in Syria.

He observed that many state employees had quickly returned to their jobs under the new authority, indicating an absence of entrenched elements resisting the new rulers.

However, he warned against reactionary opposition to discussions about secularism, women's rights, and equality, cautioning against hostile responses to protests or gatherings advocating these causes.

Syrian national conference

On the subject of a proposed Syrian national conference as part of transitional preparations, Bishara dismissed claims that former Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa had been invited to participate.

He clarified that a visit by two individuals from Ahmed al-Sharaa’s office to Farouk al-Sharaa was merely to inquire about his health, with no invitation extended. Bishara emphasised the importance of figures like Farouk al-Sharaa in any national conference.

For the transitional phase, Bishara proposed forming a transitional governing body comprising the main ruling forces, possibly chaired by these forces, along with diverse societal representation to establish legitimacy through their conduct.

This body, he suggested, should issue a constitutional declaration clarifying its operational framework, outlining the envisioned governance system, and calling for a national conference to task legal experts with drafting a constitution reflecting Syrian values, culture, and aspirations.

Transitional justice

Bishara underscored the necessity of transitional justice—comprising truth and accountability—as an integral part of any transitional phase. He advocated for creating a specialised body to address past issues, rewrite history, and prevent the destruction of documents and evidence.

This body should conduct public trials for major criminals without targeting society as a whole, thereby fostering reconciliation and coexistence. He acknowledged crimes committed by elements within the opposition, emphasizing the need for balanced justice.

Bishara stressed the importance of rebuilding the Syrian army with the same conscripts and new officers, integrating defected officers and some faction leaders while disbanding factions altogether.

Without this approach, he warned, Syria would face multiple competing armies and hierarchies, akin to the situation in Iraq.

He emphasised that a state must monopolise the use of force, suggesting the police force’s reinstatement alongside new recruits and former faction members. Without such conditions, the process, in his view, would amount to mere power consolidation, hindering national unity and resistance to foreign interventions.

Bishara downplayed concerns over lifting sanctions on Syria, noting that these were primarily targeted at the regime, despite their impact on the populace.

He suggested that Syria’s new rulers could present their transitional program, emphasising rights and freedoms not as external conditions but as part of building a "new Syria," thereby earning international respect. He noted that sanctions like the "Caesar Act" are renewed annually and could simply not be renewed.

When asked about the possibility of an Islamist experiment in Syria, Bishara expressed skepticism, citing failed Islamist experiments in Sudan and Egypt.

He expressed hope that Syrian Islamists would account for Syria’s societal diversity and development. He anticipated pragmatic adaptations but expected ideological elements to persist.

Bishara opposed military conflict between Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), advocating for peaceful resolution. He predicted challenges for the SDF, particularly if U.S. forces withdrew, and suggested they might seek alternative alliances, potentially with Israel.

Bishara attributed the Assad regime's collapse to factors including internal corruption, crippling sanctions, and external interventions. He highlighted the regime’s reliance on Russian support, which waned due to other priorities like the Ukraine war.

He also pointed to the role of organised opposition forces, particularly Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, in capitalising on the regime’s moral and structural decline.

The rescue operation in the agricultural municipality of Oratorio, 78 kilometers (48.47 miles) southeast of Guatemala City, highlights ongoing concerns over the controversial practices of the extremist sect.

"Based on the statements of the complainants, the evidence obtained, and the medical examinations, it was possible to establish that there are forms of human trafficking against these minors, in the form of "forced pregnancy, mistreatment of minors and rape," Nancy Paiz, a prosecutor at Guatemala's Prosecutor's Office Against Human Trafficking, said at a press conference.

Authorities said 40 women were also removed from the compound.

About 100 of the children’s relatives who belong to the group gathered on Sunday outside a care center in Guatemala City where the children were being held to demand their return.

Members of the sect then "broke into" the center around 4:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, "forcing open the gate and abducting the children and adolescents sheltered there," a statement from the Attorney General’s Office said.

Those outside the shelter tried to prevent the authorities from bringing back the minors, leading to some scuffles with police, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.

The Lev Tahor community, founded in 1988 in Israel, practice an austere form of Judaism with interpretations of Jewish law that includes long prayer sessions and arranged marriages.

Lev Tahor ("Pure Heart" in Hebrew) has faced multiple allegations of kidnapping, child marriage and physical abuse since it was founded in the 1980s. The group is often termed the "Jewish Taliban" due to its extremist religious practices.

Officials estimate that the community is made up of roughly 50 families from Guatemala, the United States, Canada, Israel and other countries. The group has moved repeatedly across international borders due to issues with authorities.

The community settled in Mexico and Guatemala between 2014 and 2017. In 2022, a Mexican police operation in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas on the Guatemalan border rescued a group of children and adolescents from a Lev Tahor camp, whose members were arrested on suspicions of participating in abuses against minors.

The Jewish Community of Guatemala in a statement said the sect was foreign to its own organisation and expressed its support for Guatemalan authorities in carrying out necessary investigations "to protect the lives and integrity of minors and other vulnerable groups that may be at risk."

It called on the "government and diplomatic corps of countries from whose nationalities make up members of Lev Tahor, to join forces to protect those whose rights may be violated."

What's next?

The minors are now under the protection of the government and investigations remain underway. 

"We want them to let the children out of here," Uriel Goldman, a representative of the families, told AFP outside the center before the attempted recapture of the minors.

The Qatari delegation's arrival marks the first Qatar Airways flight to land in the country's capital since the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime two weeks ago, according to Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari. 

In a on the social media platform X, Majid Al-Ansari announced that the delegation, led by Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, seeks to reaffirm Qatar’s support for Syrian sovereignty, as well as advocating for a smooth and peaceful political transition of power and aiding in the reconstruction of the war-torn nation. 

This comes as Qatar officially became the second country to reopen its embassy in the Syrian capital post-Assad, after Turkey, following its 13-year closure and halting diplomatic ties with the country under the former regime. 

"His Excellency [Mohammed Al-Khulaifi] ...is heading a high-level official Qatari delegation to hold a series of meetings with Syrian officials and to embody Qatar’s firm position in providing all support to our brothers in Syria," al-Ansari wrote in a post. 

The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson highlighted that Mohammed Al-Khulaifi is the highest-ranking official from Qatar to visit Syria since the fall of the Assad family’s 54-year rule. 

Qatar’s expected talks with Syria’s transitional government follows other high-profile visits by senior officials from around the region and Western countries, who have called for security and stability after years of civil war in the country. 

Jordanian delegation

On Monday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also met with Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, as seen in images distributed by the Jordanian foreign ministry. 

Safadi and Sharaa were pictured shaking hands, with Jordan's official Al-Mamlaka TV later reporting they discussed avenues of cooperation including trade, aid and security.

An earlier statement from the foreign ministry revealed that Safadi would meet with Syria’s new leader, along with several other Syrian officials.  

This marks the first visit by a senior Jordanian official since the fall of Assad. 

Al-Sharaa also met with a Saudi delegation in Damascus, according to Arabic-language media reports on Sunday. 

Al-Sharaa recently acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s ambitious development plans, in reference to its Vision 2030 project, and expressed optimism about future collaboration between Damascus and Riyadh. 

This comes after he held meetings with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf.

Leaf expressed her expectation that Syria would fully eliminate any role for Iran in its affairs.  

Iran has 'no direct contact' with Syria's new leaders

On Monday, Iran, which has played a key role in supporting Assad, reaffirmed its support for Syria's sovereignty but stated that the country should not become "a haven for terrorism."  

"Our principled position on Syria is very clear: preserving the sovereignty and integrity of Syria and for the people of Syria to decide on its future without destructive foreign interference," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a weekly press briefing. 

He added that such an outcome would have "repercussions" for countries in the region. 

During Monday's press briefing, Baqaei also stated that Iran had "no direct contact" with Syria's new rulers. 

Meanwhile, al-Sharaa, a staunch critic of Iran, has voiced opposition to the Islamic Republic's influence in Syria under Assad.  

In an interview with the Arabic-language Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, he stated that Syria had previously become "a platform for Iran to control key Arab capitals, spread wars, and destabilise the Gulf with drugs like Captagon." 

Assad fled Syria earlier this month as rebel forces entered Damascus, following a swift offensive. 

The HTS takeover, which is considered a terrorist organisation by several governments, including the United States, has raised concerns. 

However, the group has attempted in recent years to moderate its image. 

On Sunday, Al-Sharaa stated that his administration was focused on protecting minorities, highlighting the importance of coexistence in Syria's multi-ethnic, multi-confessional society.  

He also announced that all weapons would be brought under state control following upcoming consultations with defence and military officials on a new military structure.  

Armed factions, he added, would begin announcing their dissolution and integrating into the national army. 

Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US were reignited in Doha last week, rekindling hopes that a ceasefire could be close. 

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Sunday that there is confidence among Israeli and American officials that a deal could be agreed in the coming days, with one senior US official suggesting that it could happen this week.

"The feeling is that there will be a deal. It seems that Hamas is on the issue and wants a deal so as not to upset Donald Trump," the US official was quoted as saying.

Gaps between the two sides remain but there appears to be "good will on both sides to move forward with the deal", the report added.

This comes a day after Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said that a deal is "closer than ever" after holding three-way talks in Cairo.

The deal on the table would see the Israeli army fully withdraw from the Rafah border crossing and partially pull back from the Gaza-Egypt border during an initial 60-day phase, °źÂț”ș's Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported last week.

"Most points related to the ceasefire and prisoner exchange issues have been agreed upon," a Hamas leader said on Saturday. "Some unresolved points remain, but they do not hinder the process. The agreement could be finalised before the end of this year, provided it is not disrupted by [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's new conditions."

Israel kills scores in fresh strikes

Meanwhile, Israel continued to launch several attacks across Gaza, killing dozens of Palestinians overnight. 

Medical sources told Al-Jazeera Arabic that at least 50 Palestinians were killed in a series of attacks that targeted the so-called humanitarian 'safe zone' in al-Mawasi and schools in Nuseirat refugee camp and Gaza City.

International charity Oxfam also said on Monday that Israel has allowed just 12 trucks of food and water in north Gaza over the past two-and-a-half months, accusing the Israeli army of systematically obstructing the delivery of aid.

The almost complete blockade of food and water has been ongoing since early October when the Israeli military began implementing the so-called ‘General’s Plan’ to force civilians out of Gaza’s north. The plan, drawn up by former security officials, called for starving civilians out of the area and treating any who remained as military targets.

Since early October, the Israeli military has prevented international aid organisations from delivering assistance to the area’s starving inhabitants and has attacked some of the few trucks that were allowed in, Oxfam said.

Of the 12 that were allowed to enter, three of the aid shipments were attacked by Israeli soldiers and drones within hours of being delivered.

"It is abhorrent that despite international law being so publicly violated by Israel and starvation being used relentlessly as a weapon of war, world leaders continue to do nothing," said Sally Abi-Khalil, the charity’s Middle East and North Africa director.

"We plead with the entire international community – stop this, now. You have the diplomatic and economic levers to make Israel stop."

Israeli forces have also completely destroyed almost three-quarters of the buildings in the Jabalia refugee camp, in the north, leaving the area a "ghost town", Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Sunday.

Israel has killed at least 45,317 Palestinians and wounded over 107,713 since October 2023. The war on the enclave has destroyed most of the territory’s infrastructure and forced the population into a deep humanitarian crisis.

A succession of international rights monitors have recently accused Israel of carrying out a genocide against the Palestinian people. South Africa has also launched a genocide case against Israel with the International Court of Justice, with evidence including statements made by Israeli politicians and obstructing essential aid. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant have been accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court. 

About 91 persons, including patients and medical staff, are still stuck inside the hospital without knowing what will happen to them if the Israeli army decides to storm the facility. 

"For more than two months, the Israeli army deliberately attacked parts of the hospital while attacking the nearby sites to force us to evacuate," Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the hospital, said to °źÂț”ș. "What made matters worse was that the Israeli army attacked units inside the hospital, which threatened the lives of the patients and medical staff." 

Earlier on Monday, Israeli drones dropped bombs on the hospital's grounds and roof, threatening fuel and oxygen supplies, according to Abu Safiya. 

This latest assault follows a horrific night when Abu Safiya lived with patients as the Israeli army tanks and bulldozers suddenly approached the hospital's western gate and unleashed a heavy hail of bullets. 

"We did not know where we should hide from the heavy fire [
] We evacuated the patients to the corridors of the hospital, but the heavy explosions around us pushed us to feel the [Israeli] army would definitely attack the hospital and kill us," Abu Safiya said. 

The Israeli bullets penetrated the intensive care unit, the maternity ward, and the specialised surgery department, the hospital director noted. 

Meanwhile, the Israeli army also targeted one of the generators, taking out of service due to the fire, and the Israeli army also attempted to target the fuel tank amidst continuous shelling of surrounding homes and buildings, Abu Safiya added. 

Extremely dangerous situation

On Saturday, the Israeli army ordered Abu Safiya to evacuate the hospital from the patients and medical staff immediately. "The situation was complicated, and I refused to abide by the Israeli orders," he stressed. 

Since 5 October, the Israeli forces invaded the northern Gaza Strip, unleashing indiscriminate bombings and prevented the entry of food, water, and medicines. Israel still persists in committing crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the town of Beit Lahia, according to eyewitnesses in the area. 

Kamal Adwan Hospital is one of the last refuges for the sick and wounded Palestinians in northern Gaza and one of the few hospitals still partially functioning in the northern Gaza Strip, an area that has been under Israeli siege for nearly three months in one of the most brutal operations of the 14-month-old war. 

"The situation in the hospital has become extremely dangerous as the Israeli occupation continues to bomb the place from all directions," Abu Safiya explained. "We are facing a constant threat every day. The bombing continues from all directions, affecting the building, departments and staff. This is a hazardous and terrifying situation." 

Noting the Israeli bombing of the hospital has not stopped since yesterday, the hospital directed further added, "The world must understand that our hospital is being targeted with the intent to kill and forcibly displace."

Despite this assault, the medical staff inside the hospital are adamant about performing their medical and humanitarian duty, and are refusing to comply with the Israeli army's multiple orders to evacuate its buildings and leave the governorate entirely.

The Nativity Store in Manger Square has sold handmade olive wood carvings and religious items to people visiting the traditional birthplace of Jesus since 1927. But as Bethlehem prepares to mark its second Christmas under the shadow of the deadly war in Gaza, there are almost no tourists, leaving the Nativity Store and other businesses unsure of how much longer they can hold on.

For the second straight year, Bethlehem’s Christmas celebrations will be sombre and muted, in deference to ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed over 45,000 Palestinians. There will be no giant Christmas tree in Manger Square, no raucous scout marching bands, no public lights twinkling and very few public decorations or displays.

"Last year before Christmas, we had more hope, but now again we are close to Christmas and we don’t have anything," said Rony Tabash, the third-generation owner of Nativity Store.

Israel's war in Gaza has been raging for nearly 15 months, and there still is no end in sight. Repeated ceasefire efforts to bring an end to the war have also stalled.

Since the war began, tourism to the Israeli-occupied West Bank has plummeted. And after Israel barred entry to most of the 150,000 Palestinians in the West Bank who had jobs in Israel, the Palestinian economy contracted by 25 percent in the past year.

The yearly Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem are usually major boons for the city, where tourism accounts for 70 percent of its yearly income. But the streets are empty this season.

Tabash said he continues to open the store every day, but often an entire week will go by without a sale. Tabash works with more than 25 local families who create hand-carved religious items out of the region’s storied olive wood. But with no buyers, work has dried up for these families.

The number of visitors to the city plunged from a pre-Covid high of around two million visitors per year in 2019 to fewer than 100,000 visitors in 2024, said Jiries Qumsiyeh, the spokesperson for the Palestinian tourism ministry.

According to the Christmas story, Mary was forced to give birth to Jesus in a stable because there was no room at the inn. Today, nearly all of Bethlehem’s 5,500 hotel rooms are empty.

The city’s hotel occupancy rate plunged from around 80 percent in early 2023 to around 3 percent today, said Elias Al Arja, the head of Bethlehem Hoteliers Association. At his own hotel, the Bethlehem Hotel, he said he has laid off a staff of more than 120 people and retains just five employees.

The city hosts more than 100 stores and 450 workshops dealing with traditional Palestinian handicraft, Qumsiyeh said. But just a week before Christmas, when the city should be bursting with visitors, Manger Square was mostly empty save for a few locals selling coffee and tea. Only two of the eight stores in the main drag of the square were open for business.

Qumsiyeh worries that when the war ends and tourism eventually rebounds, many of the families that have handed down traditional skills for generations will no longer be making the items that reflect Palestinian heritage and culture.

Many are leaving the region entirely. "We have witnessed a very high rate of emigration since the beginning of the aggression, especially among those working in the tourism sector," said Qumsiyeh.

A Christmas without joy

Almost 500 families have left Bethlehem in the past year, said Mayor Anton Salman. And those are just the families who moved abroad with official residency visas. Many others have moved abroad on temporary tourist visas and are working illegally, and it's unclear if they will return, Salman said.

Around half of the population in the Bethlehem area, including nearby villages, works in either tourism or in jobs in Israel.

The unemployment rate in Bethlehem is roughly 50 percent, said Salman. Unemployment across the West Bank is around 30 percent according to the Palestinian Economy Ministry.

Canceling Christmas festivities is one way to draw attention to the difficult situation in Bethlehem and across the Palestinian territories, said Salman. "This year we want to show the world that the Palestinian people are still suffering and they haven’t the joy that everybody else in the world having," said Salman.

It is another blow to the Holy Land's dwindling population over the decade due to emigration and a low birthrate.

Christians are a small percentage of the population.  There around 50,000 in the West Bank and Jerusalem and 1,300 in Gaza, according to the U.S. State Department. An additional 182,000 live in Israel.

Father Issa Thaljieh, the parish priest of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Church of the Nativity, said many families are struggling financially, leaving them unable to pay rent or school fees, much less buy Christmas presents or celebrate the holiday in other ways. The church’s social services have tried to help, but the needs are great, he said.

Thaljieh said his Christmas message this year focused on encouraging Palestinians in Bethlehem to stay despite the challenges.

"A church without Christians is not a church," he said, as workers hand-polished the ornate brass candelabras in the cavernous, empty church a week before the holiday.

“The light that was born when Jesus Christ was born here is the light that moves beyond darkness, so we have to wait, we have to be patient, we have to pray a lot, and we have to stay with our roots because our roots are in Bethlehem,” he said.

Some families are finding ways to bring back pockets of joy.

Bethlehem resident Nihal Bandak, 39, gave into her three children’s requests to have a Christmas tree this year, after not having one last year. Decorating the tree is the favorite part of Christmas of her youngest daughter, 8-year-old Stephanie.

Mathew Bandak, 11 was thrilled his family brought back some of their traditions, but also torn.

"I was happy because we get to decorate and celebrate, but people are in Gaza who don’t have anything to celebrate," he said.

Rony Tabash, the third-generation owner of Nativity Store, said he will continue to open the store, because it’s part of his family’s history.

"We are not feeling Christmas, but in the end, Christmas is in our hearts," he said, adding that the entire city was praying for a ceasefire and peace. "We have a big faith that always, when we see Christmas, it will give us the light in the night."
 

Latest state of affairs

Since July, when Hamas accepted US President Joe Biden’s ceasefire proposal and UN Security Council 2735 while Netanyahu rejected them, the Biden administration on accomplishing a ceasefire in the remainder of his term.

In November, Hamas as Qatar suspended its mediation role, a move meant to create domestic pressure on Netanyahu, per a senior Arab diplomat.

Trump’s team, however, recently asked the Egyptian and Qatari governments to renew their mediation efforts and get a deal done before the Republican president enters office. Subsequently, Hamas’ entire leadership were returned to Cairo and then Doha in early December for talks.

Two of Hamas’ negotiators, however, told °źÂț”ș that the Israeli team didn’t come with anything new in Cairo aside from an offer of a temporary pause in Gaza to release Israeli captives, then resume the war indefinitely.

Hamas’ leadership then left for Doha where they held meetings with the Turkish and Iranian Foreign Ministers and other delegations, but Hamas leader, Bassem Naim, waited in Cairo until the last minute on the evening of 5 December before departing to Istanbul then joining other officials in Doha.

Hamas has become more lenient and compromising than ever before, whether on the terms of the prisoner swap, the field arrangements vis-Ă -vis the timeframe of an Israeli withdrawal from the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors and the Eastern buffer zone, and who would run the Rafah crossing and the Gaza Strip during the ceasefire and after the war.

Is Netanyahu fooling Trump?

The senior diplomat told °źÂț”ș that Netanyahu still refuses the principle of a ceasefire but engages in the talks merely “to buy time” and “appease Trump” by pretending that he is complying with the incoming president’s request to get a deal before 20 January.

The diplomat cautioned that Netanyahu’s stalling until Trump gets into office is likely meant to trade the Gaza ceasefire for something substantial, such as annexation of major parts of the West Bank or normalisation with Saudi Arabia.

This explains multiple falsely optimistic statements made by Israel’s Defence Minister and Netanyahu loyalist Israel Katz regarding breakthroughs and a “real chance” to get a deal this time, the diplomat said.

Short-lived hope over serious discussions

Last Monday, however, a glimmer of hope was renewed. "There are serious talks, there is progress and discussions of details, but until today no one presented a final proposal to sign," a senior official directly involved in the negotiations told °źÂț”ș on Tuesday.

"Unless Netanyahu does something that takes us back to square one, there is great optimism that we can reach something within a short period."

The same official denied media reports that Hamas had conceded to a 60-day pause instead of a ceasefire and said the basis of the negotiations remains Biden’s ceasefire proposal from 31 May and its slightly updated formulation from 2 July, which is premised on a three-stage ceasefire, each lasting for six weeks.

The first stage would see the release of 33 Israeli captives and hundreds of Palestinian detainees. This is in addition to an Israeli withdrawal from population centres, allowing one million displaced Gazans to return to the northern half of the enclave, a substantial increase in the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and reopening the Rafah crossing.

The current discussions are focused on the “field details,” the official said. This includes a partial instead of full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Philadelphi Corridor between Rafah and Egypt, a , the release of female Israeli soldiers in the first phase, and exiling of some high-profile Palestinian detainees.

It’s worth mentioning in previous rounds of negotiations, the Israeli team, Hamas, and the mediators would manage to bridge the gaps and settle on a concrete proposal, but then Netanyahu would torpedo the talks and of his own negotiators telling them “you don’t know how to negotiate”.

Israeli hope a deal could be “reached within two weeks”. However, such hope was again short-lived. A senior Israeli last week that a deal was slipping away because Netanyahu “is not granting a sufficient mandate to the negotiating team”. The official added, “It will not be possible to return everyone without an end to the war”.

Israel’s top newspaper Yediot Ahronoth morning the deal was becoming “not a matter of days, but weeks”. The CIA chief hurriedly in less than a day after failing to make progress, signalling that the renewed round of talks could be collapsing again.

Over the weekend, Palestinian officials said that talks over the three-stage ceasefire were , but sticking points remained.

Biden is re-writing the narrative

When asked what Biden could do in the ‘lame duck’ period of his presidency, the senior Arab diplomat told °źÂț”ș, “He can suspend the arms supplies and he can name and shame Netanyahu for foiling the ceasefire negotiations”.

But the diplomat quickly added that the outgoing Biden administration is instead engaged in an exercise of “rewriting history” where it is putting all blame on Hamas instead of Netanyahu for obstructing the ceasefire.

At a workshop in Geneva in late November, a retired US ambassador who had just returned from meeting senior White House officials claimed, “There are currently three ceasefire deals on the table and Hamas isn’t responding to any of them”.

The veteran diplomat acknowledged the suffering in Gaza but blamed it on Hamas’s “rejection” of ending the war.

Ironically, a former senior Israeli security official in the room rushed to challenge this US narrative, which he described as a “shameful attempt to rewrite history and blame Hamas rather than Netanyahu for the obstruction of ceasefire talks”.

Muhammad Shehada is a Palestinian writer and analyst from Gaza and the EU Affairs Manager at Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

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Sharaa spoke alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, after earlier meeting with Lebanese Druze leaders and vowing to end "negative interference" in the neighbouring country.

Ankara-backed rebels played a key role in supporting Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which headed a rebel alliance that seized Damascus on December 8, toppling longtime regime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

During a press conference with Fidan, Sharaa said Syria's armed "factions will begin to announce their dissolution and enter" the army.

"We will absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control, whether from the revolutionary factions or the factions present in the SDF area", he added, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Sharaa traded in the olive-green military shirt he sported just days ago for a suit and tie during his meetings on Sunday at the presidential palace.

He also said "we are working on protecting sects and minorities from any attacks that occur between them" and from "external" actors exploiting the situation "to cause sectarian discord".

"Syria is a country for all and we can coexist together," he added.

That sentiment was on display at the colourfully-lit Christmas market in Damascus, where Batoul al-Law a dietician, said there were more Muslims than Christians.

"We have always celebrated both Christian and Muslim holidays together," she said, but "you feel that people are now happier and more comfortable."

Turkey's Fidan said sanctions on Syria must "be lifted as soon as possible". He called for the international community to "mobilise to help Syria get back on its feet and for the displaced people to return".

Syria's nearly 14-year civil war killed more than half a million people and displaced more than half its population, with many of them fleeing to neighbouring countries, including three million in Turkey.

Turkey has maintained strong ties with Syria's new leaders, and has continued military operations against Kurdish-held areas in northeastern Syria.

A senior German diplomat, Tobias Tunkel, on Sunday said on X that he had spoken with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi about rising tensions in the Kurdish-held border town of Kobane "and urgent steps to diffuse them."

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a woman and her child were killed in "artillery shelling by pro-Turkey factions" in the Kobane countryside, and the factions clashed with the SDF further south.

Ankara regards the People's Protection Units (YPG), the main component of the SDF, as being connected to the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) at home, which both Turkey and Western allies deem a "terrorist" organisation.

'Respect Lebanon's sovereignty'

Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia is also in direct contact with Syria's new authorities, having supported the opposition to Assad for years during Syria's civil war. Riyadh will send a delegation to the country soon, Syria's ambassador in the Saudi capital said.

During his meeting with visiting Lebanese Druze chiefs Walid and Taymur Jumblatt, Sharaa said Syria would no longer engage in "negative interference in Lebanon at all".

Syria "will stay at equal distance from all" in Lebanon, Sharaa added, acknowledging that Syria has been a "source of fear and anxiety" for its neighbour.

Walid Jumblatt, long a fierce critic of Assad and his father Hafez who ruled Syria before him, arrived in Damascus on Sunday at the head of a delegation of lawmakers from his parliamentary bloc and Druze religious figures.

The Druze religious minority is spread across Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Jordan.

The Syrian army entered Lebanon in 1976, only leaving in 2005 after enormous pressure and mass protests following the assassination of former prime minister Rafic Hariri, a killing attributed to Damascus and its ally, Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

The seizure of power by the Sunni Islamists of HTS - proscribed as a terrorist organisation by many governments including the United States - has sparked concern, though the group has in recent years sought to moderate its image.

Global powers including the United States and the European Union have stepped up contacts with the war-ravaged country's new leaders, urging them to guarantee protections for women and minorities.

The foreign leaders have also stressed the importance of combating "terrorism and extremism".

Assad had long played a strategic role in Iran's "axis of resistance", a loose alliance of regional proxy forces aligned against Israel, particularly in facilitating the supply of weapons to Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon.

That axis has suffered heavy blows over the past year with Israel's devastation of the leadership of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, on Sunday nonetheless denied that these armed groups acted as proxies, adding that: "If one day we want to take action, we do not need a proxy force."

Yazan al-Saadi is the international desk editor for °źÂț”ș.  He is a writer, researcher, critic, and comic zealot and has been published and/or cited on various platforms such as The Nib, Jadaliyya, Al-Jumhuriya, °źÂț”ș, Al-Hudood, Al-Akhbar English, Linus, The Public Source, and more. He is based in the alluring city of Beirut; he has seen too many airports and often dreams of electric sheep.

Follow Yazan on X: 

Ghadi Ghosn is born in 1984, Lebanon. He studied illustration at ALBA (Académie Libanaise des Beaux-Arts). He made some comics, drawings and illustrations. He works as a freelancer and as a teacher at ALBA.

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Have questions or comments? Email us at: editorial-english@newarab.com

Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of °źÂț”ș, its editorial board or staff.

"These claims are part of a psychological warfare operation against the Kurdistan Freedom Movement," Hiwa stated. "I categorically deny the reports regarding the presence of former Syrian government authorities in Medya Defence Regions." Medya Defence Regions is the PKK's term for areas under their control in the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

The accusations, first reported by Saudi outlet Al-Hadath, allege that Maher al-Assad and former Syrian National Security Bureau chief Ali Mamlouk met with Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers and Hezbollah operatives in Qandil. Both the PKK and Kurdish officials rejected the claims, labelling them as "fabricated".

Hiwa also outlined the logistical implausibility of the allegations. "Medya Defence Regions have no airports and are hundreds of kilometers away from Damascus. The borders between Syria and Iraq are heavily fortified by KDP and Iraqi forces, under constant surveillance by the anti-ISIS Coalition," he said. "Former Syrian Baathist officials could not simply walk or fly to Qandil unnoticed."

The PKK's ties with the Syrian regime were severed decades ago after the expulsion of Abdullah Ocalan, the group's founding leader, from Syria, due to pressures from Turkey. "Our political relations with the Syrian regime ended long ago," Hiwa emphasised. "Many of our cadres were arrested by the Syrian regime and handed over to Turkey, where they remain imprisoned."

The KCK, an umbrella organisation encompassing left-wing groups in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran, adheres to Ocalan's ideology, which advocates for democratic autonomy and multicultural governance in the region.

Denials from Kurdish and Iraqi officials

The Iraqi government and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) also staunchly dismissed the claims. Brigadier General Muqdad Miri, spokesperson for Iraq's Interior Ministry, called the accusations "completely unfounded," urging media outlets to rely on credible sources.

Saadi Ahmed Pira, spokesperson for the PUK, echoed these sentiments. "The PUK abides by Iraq's laws and would never host figures like Maher al-Assad," Pira told TNA last week. "These claims are ridiculous and likely motivated by financial incentives to defame our party."

Hiwa alleged that Turkey, with KDP support, has expanded its influence in northern Iraq, annexing Kurdish land and establishing military outposts near Mosul. Hiwa warned of broader geopolitical consequences.

"If there is going to be a bleak scenario for Iraq, it hinges on the AKP-KDP-ISIS axis. Turkey has already deployed thousands of jihadist fighters and fortified its military presence in northern Iraq," he claimed, "I think they are waiting for the green light from those who lit it for HTS.  The best way for Iraqi authorities to prevent this scenario is to abolish the capitulation agreement that was signed with Erdogan on 22 April this year."

TNA contacted a senior KDP official, but the official refused to comment on Hiwa’s allegations, describing them as "fabricated".  
TNA also contacted Karim Abu Suda, head of the security and defence committee in the Iraqi parliament, but he was not immediately available for comment.

Ocalan and the peace process

The PKK, founded by Abdullah Ocalan in the late 1970s, has waged a decades-long conflict with Turkey, claiming over 40,000 lives. Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned since 1999, recently expressed willingness to end the conflict after meeting his nephew, Kurdish lawmaker Omar Ocalan, on 23 October 2024. This was his first visit in 43 months.

Hiwa called Abdullah Ocalan's prolonged solitary confinement a major obstacle to peace. "Leader APO has been held in isolation for 26 years. Any meaningful peace process must begin with ending his isolation. He is our chief negotiator and can lead the region from conflict to peace," Hiwa said.

Meanwhile, Turkey's recent actions in Syria have added a new layer of complexity. On Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Syria's de facto leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who was instrumental in toppling Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa announced that all weapons would come under state control during a press conference with Fidan, who said that PKK and YPG fighters should be expelled from Syria.

Sharaa stated that, after consultations with defence and military officials on a new structure for the military, armed "factions will begin to announce their dissolution and enter" the army. "We will absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control, whether from the revolutionary factions or the factions present in the SDF area," he added, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Turkey has long supported Syrian opposition forces and views Assad's ousting as an opportunity to reshape the region's geopolitical landscape. Ankara has vowed to facilitate the return of millions of Syrian refugees and bolster the Syrian National Army (SNA) to counter the Kurdish YPG militia, which spearheads the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Fighting continues in northeast Syria, where Turkey-backed forces clash with the Kurdish YPG. Ankara regards the YPG as a terrorist organisation and has conducted multiple cross-border offensives to weaken the group. Turkey's defence minister recently expressed confidence that Syria's new leadership would drive YPG fighters from the region.

Hiwa criticised Turkey's actions, accusing Ankara of exploiting peace rhetoric to mask aggressive policies. "Turkey uses peace rhetoric as a tool for psychological warfare while waging a war of political and cultural genocide against the Kurds," he said. "They bomb northern Iraq and Syria daily, killing civilians and targeting Kurdish areas with chemical weapons."

"We have no active presence in Syria now. We spearheaded the fight against DAESH and helped the Kurds and other peoples in Syria defeat this Turkey-backed terrorist group," he stressed, "With the new reality in Syria, we think that all foreign intervention must end and the territorial integrity and unity of Syria should be respected. We support a model in which all the peoples can live peacefully together based on democratic self-rule for all the religious and ethnic groups."

Hiwa stressed the importance of a democratic resolution to regional conflicts. "Syria's peoples have suffered from nationalism and sectarianism. We advocate for a democratic model where all ethnic and religious groups can coexist and rebuild the country together," he said.

Rejecting foreign intervention on Iran

On Iran, Hiwa called for systemic reforms, rejecting foreign intervention as a solution. "The only viable path forward is democratization, closing prisons, abolishing capital punishment, and releasing political prisoners," he added.

The allegations regarding Maher al-Assad's presence in Qandil remain unsubstantiated, with strong denials from the PKK, Iraqi officials, and the PUK. Turkey's expanding role in post-Assad Syria further complicates the geopolitical landscape, raising questions about its long-term intentions.

While Maher al-Assad's whereabouts remain unclear, the controversy underscores the intricate web of alliances and rivalries shaping the region. Transparency, dialogue, and democratic reforms are crucial to navigating these tensions and fostering stability.

My mind immediately went to Muhammed Bhar, the 24-year-old man with Down’s syndrome who was savaged by an Israeli attack dog in front of his family in July of this year.

Nonverbal, Muhammed spoke his first and last words to the dog as it mauled him, calling out, "Let go, Habibi, enough!" Israeli forces prevented his family from reaching him, and his decomposed body was only collected a week later.

Muhammed, then, was not included in Thomas-Greenfield's use of "everyone." Nor were the thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children who have lost limbs or have been otherwise disabled by Israel’s genocidal campaign. After all, she has facilitated this violence, casting the decisive veto in numerous UN Security Council ceasefire votes.

The tweet was a microcosm of our current moment, where the rights-based approach to social justice has foundered and been consumed by the very actors it sought to challenge. Powerholders enact terrible violence while invoking progress, equality, and justice.

In many ways, Thomas-Greenfield is simply part of the machine, interchangeable with any number of functionaries. The post could be one of any number of tone-deaf comms that highlight the administration’s hypocrisy. Yet the tweet also highlights the sinister way the language of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) has crept into the discourse.

To justify genocidal acts to their populaces, nations carrying out mass death need to provide powerful narratives. Frequently, these centre on claims of self-defence from existential threats or resource scarcity.

Think, for example, of the regarding the perceived threat posted by the Tutsi people spread in the run-up to the Rwanda genocide, or the German preoccupation with .

To be sure, both of these narratives have been deployed with regards to Gaza. Israel’s "right to self-defence" has been repeated ad nauseam by officials and pundits across the globe.

A recent Times of Israel that made explicit reference to Israel’s need for "Lebensraum," was quickly pulled after publication. But a new narrative has emerged, as well, aimed at Western, Liberal audiences.

G is for genocide

Now we are being told that Palestinians — through their very existence — are a threat to Liberal Western values. Israel’s genocidal acts are reframed as a war on a vague Islamic threat to many of the marginalised groups who have identified with the Palestinian struggle.

Take the words of Israel’s biggest cheerleader in the US Senate, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania,  The New York Times in December of last year, "I do find it confusing where the very left progressives in America don’t seem to want to support really the only progressive nation in the region that really embraces the same kind of values I would expect we would want as a society."

Netanyahu himself called protestors "useful idiots" for the “tyrants of Tehran, who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair,” in .

He went on to compare "gays for Gaza" to "Chickens for KFC." It’s a common refrain from Israel’s supporters, along with telling individual LGBTQ+ pro-Palestinian advocates to, “go to Gaza,” with the implied or explicit threat that they will be killed.

Pinkwashing is nothing new. But what feels qualitatively different is the consistent framing of Palestinians in Gaza, trapped and under siege thousands of miles away, as being somehow a threat to LGBTQ+ Americans. The rhetoric echoes the nationalist narratives that formed around the civil liberties of sexual minorities to justify the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, as explored in Jasbir Puar’s Terrorist Assemblages.

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A clumsy attempt is being made to graft Western culture wars onto the Palestinian struggle to splinter support from abroad. As I have previously looked at here, the lead-up to and aftermath of the US election saw a concerted effort to frame Palestinian solidarity as in tension with the rights of other marginalised groups in the US.

Charges of were levelled against photojournalists Motaz Azaiza and Bisan Owda after they had spent months risking life and limb to cover the genocide.

The difficult decision not to vote for Kamala Harris was framed as an attack on the rights of women and racial minorities. Viral social media posts made real efforts to chip away at solidarity, though mercifully their impact seems limited.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League has kicked into overdrive using the framework of hate crime to suppress pro-Palestinian voices.

CEO Johnathan Greenblatt has been making the media rounds decrying the "" in antisemitic incidents they documented in the year following October 7. Much less coverage has been given to the organisation’s changes to their definition of antisemitism to include more anti-Zionist rhetoric, with anti-Zionist chants and slogans making up a large proportion of the new incidents.

Jewish Currents has how the ADL’s strategic shift has damaged organisational identity, leading many staff to dissent or resign.

In response to questioning, an ADL spokesperson told them, "You cannot separate the fight for civil rights from the fight for the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland." Greenblatt himself stated in a staff meeting, "Zionism is a liberation movement."

The ADL statistics were cited in the press release for the "Antisemitism Inclusion in DEI Act of 2023," which New York’s Representative Ritchie Torres introduced in December 2023. 

The bill would require publicly traded companies to disclose whether they have DEI programmes specifically aimed at combatting antisemitism to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Torres, who, according to the , has received over one million in AIPAC money, the "COLUMBIA Act," which would allow the Department of Education to impose "antisemitism monitors" on education institutions that receive federal funding.

Both pieces of legislation should be viewed in light of Congressional efforts adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.

The , co-sponsored by Torres and already passed in the House, would require the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to take into the IHRA definition of antisemitism when investigating complaints of discrimination.

The very legal, theoretical, and discursive frameworks that were promised to liberate us are now explicitly being utilised in furtherance of the slaughter of Palestinians. At the same moment, the kinder, gentler genocidal politics of the Biden administration are being replaced by the openly techno-fascist aims of Trump’s entourage. The path forward seems uncertain, but the vibe has irrevocably shifted.

Alex Foley is an educator and painter living in Brighton, UK. They have a research background in molecular biology of health and disease. They currently work on preserving fragile digital materials related to mass death atrocities in the MENA region.

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Have questions or comments? Email us at: editorial-english@newarab.com

Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of °źÂț”ș, its editorial board or staff.

The ministry also said in a statement that at least 107,713 people have been wounded in more than 14 months of war waged by Israel.

Attacks have taken place across the Palestinian territory, notably Khan Younis, Rafah, Gaza City and the Nuseirat camp.

Overnight, an attack reportedly took place on a so-called safe zone in Al-Mawasi, where scores of Palestinians had sought shelter.

Israel also targeted the Nuseirat refugee camp on the same day. According to Al Jazeera, Israeli quadcopters and forces in armoured vehicles surrounded a school-turned-shelter in the area, shooting at it. 

Meanwhile in Syria, the leader of its interim government, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, met with Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi, one day after holding talks with Turkey's top diplomat, Hakan Fidan.

Al-Sharaa also met with a Qatari and Saudi delegation, where he stressed Doha's desire to invest in Syria's varying sectors.

The remarks came after a year in which Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza suffered heavy losses amid wars with Israel, and two weeks after the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who had been a key link in Tehran's so-called axis of resistance.

Another spoke of that axis, Yemen's Houthi rebels, have been repeatedly targeted by the United States and Britain over their attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes, launched in solidarity with Palestinians.

"The Islamic Republic does not have a proxy force. Yemen fights because it has faith. Hezbollah fights because the power of faith draws it into the field. Hamas and (the Islamic) Jihad fight because their beliefs compel them to do so. They do not act as our proxy," supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told a group of visitors in Tehran.

"They (the Americans) keep saying that the Islamic Republic has lost its proxy forces in the region! This is another mistake," he said, adding: "If one day we want to take action, we do not need a proxy force."

Earlier this month, Syrian rebels' lightning push to Damascus from their strongholds in the northwest ended the decades-long rule of Assad regime, which had been an ally of Tehran.

Khamenei predicted "the emergence of a strong, honourable group" in Syria, saying the country's young men had "nothing to lose."

"His university, school, home, street and life are insecure; what should he do? He must stand with strength and determination against those who have designed this insecurity and those who have implemented it, and God willing, he will overcome them."

Assad had long played a strategic role in Iran's anti-Israel axis of resistance, particularly in facilitating the supply of weapons to Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon.

The axis of resistance also includes Hamas, the Houthis and smaller Shia militia groups in Iraq.

All of the groups are united in their opposition to Israel and its main backer the United States.

The supreme leader, who has the final say in major state policies, also accused the United States of trying to create chaos and unrest in Iran.

"The Iranian nation will trample under its strong feet anyone who accepts America's mercenary role in this regard," he said.

The Aseman Airlines flight by Shahrzad Shams - one of Iran's pioneering women pilots - carried 110 passengers on board, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Dubbed the "Iran Banoo" (Iran Lady) flight, the plane touched down at Hasheminejad International Airport in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city and home to the revered shrine of Imam Reza, one of Shiite Islam's holiest sites.

"This is the first time a women-only flight, with both female passengers and crew, lands in Mashhad," the official IRNA news agency said, without specifying the flight's departure point.

The trip to Mashhad coincided with the anniversary of the birth of Fatima al-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed, according to IRNA.

Iran's aviation industry has seen some women become pilots in recent years, though it remains uncommon.

In October 2019, pilot Neshat Jahandari and co-pilot Forouz Firouzi became the first women to fly a passenger flight in the Islamic Republic's history, according to local media.

The missile, which wounded 16 people, was the second such attack in two days.

Among the targets of US forces was a rebel missile storage centre and a "command-and-control facility," the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

American forces also shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, it said, shortly after the rebels' Al-Masirah TV channel reported that an "aggression" had targeted the Attan district of Sanaa, blaming Western forces.

American and British forces have repeatedly struck rebel targets in Yemen this year in response to Houthi attacks on shipping in Red Sea-area waters vital to global trade, which the rebels say are being carried out in solidarity with Gaza amid Israel's war on the Palestinian territory.

Israel has also previously struck back, including against ports and energy facilities, after rebel attacks against its territory.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels had claimed responsibility for the Saturday strike on Israel, saying they directed a ballistic missile at "a military target of the Israeli enemy".

The Israeli military said it failed to intercept the missile, forcing many residents to leave their homes in the early hours.

"One projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made," after alert sirens sounded, the Israeli military said on its Telegram channel.

In a later statement, the military said Israeli civilians had been "deliberately targeted".

It stressed the country's "aerial defence is not hermetic" so Israelis should follow security instructions.

In their statement on Saturday, the Houthi rebels pledged to continue their attacks against Israel "until the aggression stops and the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted".

The attack came two days after the rebels fired a missile that damaged an Israeli school.

The military said that missile had been intercepted but only partially, and its warhead "exploded and damaged the school".

In response, Israel struck several Houthi targets in Yemen, including in Sanaa - the first such strike on the rebel-held capital.

Rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said nine civilians were killed in the strikes.

Warning

Hours after the Houthi attack on Saturday, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a drone over southern Israel, which had approached from the east.

It did not specify the origin of the drone, but similar attacks have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq group, also pro-Iran, since the Gaza war broke out.

Soon after retaliating for Thursday's attack by the Houthis, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the rebels of severe repercussions if there were any repetition.

"After Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Assad regime in Syria, the Houthis are almost the last remaining arm of Iran's axis of evil," Netanyahu said.

"The Houthis are learning and will learn the hard way, that those who strike Israel will pay a very heavy price for it."

The sources added that the Israeli army seized the governorate building where it established a military post and deployed soldiers on the roof of the building, amidst Israeli warplanes flying over Quneitra and the western countryside of Daraa.

The sources added that Israel's moves come amid a "dangerous escalation", amid an invasion of the  between Syria and the , which occurred following the fall of the.

On Saturday and Sunday, Israeli forces also conducted patrols, raids and operations in the area and arresting at least two people suspected of collaborating with Hezbollah, local sources told .

Further raids were conducted in several towns and villages, including Al-Hurriya, Tranja, Jabata Al-Khashab, Western Al-Samdaniyah, Ufaniyah, Kafr Batna, Kodna, Al-Qahatiyah, Al-Rafeed, Rasem Al-Shar', Rasem Al-Rawadi, and Saida Al-Golan in Quneitra province.

Israeli forces also demolished several houses in Saida Al-Golan and Al-Rafeed, uprooting trees, and levelling land in Al-Rafeed, the sources said.

They also set up roadblocks at key intersections and established military positions in Al-Hamidiyah and Al-Baath City.

The operations included raids on homes and farms, which Israel claims it was carrying out to secure its borders and ensure the absence of Syrian army forces as well as Iran-backed factions.

Locals were warned against "resisting" the search operations, sources said.

Meanwhile, residents have called for daily demonstrations against the Israeli occupation of Syria, highlighting that locals did not possess any weapons that may threaten Israel's security.

Saeed Al-Mohammed, a local resident, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the occupation forces aim to pressure and isolate residents by targeting their agricultural activities, intending to displace them or provoke resistance as a pretext for further incursions.

Al-Mohammed said that the ongoing incursions and setting up of checkpoints and military positions indicated that Israeli forces had no intention of withdrawing from southern Syria or handing over these areas to United Nations forces.

Meanwhile, residents in the Daraa governorate's Maariya and Jamlah villages attempted to convene for a meeting on Saturday to address the situation of farmers and beekeepers.

They were barred by Israeli forces, who had established an outpost at the nearby Al-Jazeera Brigade base - formerly under the control of the Assad regime forces - from accessing their agricultural lands and apiaries in the Yarmouk Valley area.

Amr Al-Mahasnah, a local resident, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the meeting took place on Sunday morning and was attended by village elders, farmers, beekeepers, and officers from an Israeli patrol.

An agreement was reached to let residents resume their activities under guarantees from Israeli positions not to interfere, with a local committee taking responsibility for oversight.

Al-Mahasnah noted that Israeli soldiers claimed their presence in the area was "temporary and aimed at ensuring Israel’s security" until forces from the new Syrian government could be deployed to maintain security and control arms among residents.

Later on Sunday, a local committee representing residents of the town of Maaraba in the Yarmouk Basin area of rural Daraa reached an agreement with Israeli forces to avoid disruption of agricultural activities.

Youssef Al-Musalih, a media activist from Daraa, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the agreement had included allowing farmers to resume their work and halting search operations.

He added that the agreement had followed demonstrations in the area against Israeli interventions, with Israeli forces reiterating to residents that their presence was "temporary".

On Saturday, UN officials announced plans to deploy peacekeeping forces to the buffer zone in the coming days, with a six-month mandate extension.

The looked at anti-Muslim sentiment in 28 European countries, finding that the war on the besieged Palestinian enclave had "functioned as a geopolitical catalyst of anti-Muslim racism in Europe".

The findings asserted that Islamophobia had manifested through "systemic discrimination, political rhetoric, media narratives, and societal attitudes", which was exacerbated by events like Israel's war on Gaza.

The report said the reaction of the European governments had "intensified Islamophobic rhetoric and actions", as well as framing pro-Palestinian solidarity as "terrorism" and challenging calls for a ceasefire.

It said that French President Emmanuel Macron's "pro-Israel" statements following the 7 October attacks had exacerbated institutional racism against Muslims.

To address the rise and awareness of anti-Muslim rhetoric, the United Nations General Assembly announced that 15 March would be the "International Day to Combat Islamophobia".

Of the 28 countries in the report, only Spain had observed the day in 2023.

The report also highlighted the role of far-right parties exploiting Islamophobia for political gains with the legal systems in countries like France and Finland passing policies targeting Islamic practices like banning religious attire and the media’s role in perpetuating Islamophobic stereotypes and narratives where Muslims are dehumanised.

Islamophobic hate crimes also increased in countries like Norway, Spain, and Greece highlighting an uptick in verbal and physical assaults on Muslims.

Muslim women wearing religious clothing, in particular, experienced discrimination in employment, education, and housing, the report said.

In Switzerland, its report noted that Muslim women, particularly those who wear hijabs, faced workplace discrimination and were blocked from advancing in their careers.

The report also highlighted the closure of several mosques and hotels in Bosnia and Herzegovina being built on land that was meant for mosques as a way of erasing the country’s cultural heritage.

The writer of the European Islamophobia Report 2023 called for "robust political, legal, and societal interventions to combat this pervasive racist phenomenon".

Jumblatt is the first Lebanese figure to meet Sharaa since his Islamist group HTS and allied rebel factions launched an offensive last month, seizing Damascus on 8 December and ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

The Druze leader, long a fierce critic of Assad and his father Hafez who ruled Syria before him, headed a delegation that included his son and head of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Teymour Joumblatt, the Druze spiritual leader (Sheikh al-Aql) Sami Abu al-Muna, and other Druze MPs and members of the community's religious council in Lebanon, according to .

He met with Sharaa - until recently known more widely by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani - at the presidential palace, where the new Syrian leader was wearing a suit and tie.

"From Mount Lebanon
  we salute this nation who got rid of tyranny and oppression. Greetings to you and to everyone who contributed to this victory," Joumblatt said, addressing Sharaa.

"We hope that Lebanese-Syrian relations will return through the embassies, that all those who committed crimes against the Lebanese people will be held accountable, that fair trials will be held for all those who committed crimes against the Syrian people, and that some of the prisons will remain museums of history," he added.

Sharaa reassured the delegation that Druze and other minorities in Syria would be protected, adding that no sect would be excluded in what he described as "a new era far removed from sectarianism".

"We take pride in our culture, our religion and our Islam. Being part of the Islamic environment does not mean the exclusion of other sects. On the contrary, it is our duty to protect them," he said during the meeting with Jumblatt, in comments broadcast by Lebanese broadcaster Al Jadeed.

Sharaa also told the Lebanese delegation that his country would no longer exert "negative interference in Lebanon at all - it respects Lebanon's sovereignty, the unity of its territories, the independence of its decisions and its security stability".

Syria "will stay at equal distance from all" in Lebanon, Sharaa added, acknowledging that Syria has been a "source of fear and anxiety" for the country.

Jumblatt accuses the Syrian authorities of having assassinated his father in 1977 during Lebanon's civil war. Numerous other assassinations have been blamed on the Assad family's government over the decades.

The Syrian army entered Lebanon in 1976 as part of an Arab force that was supposed to put an end to the country's civil war, which began a year earlier.

But instead it became the dominant military and political force, looming over all aspects of Lebanese life.

Syrian forces only quit Lebanon in 2005 after enormous pressure following the assassination of former prime minister Rafic Hariri, a killing attributed to Damascus and its ally Hezbollah.

Photographs and footage shared by the ministry showed Fidan and Sharaa, leader of Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which led the operation to topple Bashar al-Assad's regime two weeks ago, walk ahead of a crowded delegation before posing for photographs.

The two are also seen shaking hands, hugging, and smiling.

On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara would help Syria's new administration form a state structure and draft a new constitution, adding Fidan would head to Damascus to discuss this new structure, without providing a date.

Ibrahim Kalin, the head of Turkey's MIT intelligence agency, also visited Damascus on December 12, four days after Assad's fall.

Ankara had for years backed rebels looking to oust Assad and welcomed the end of his family's brutal five-decade rule after a 13-year civil war, which has killed at least half a million Syrians. Turkey also hosts millions of Syrian refugees it hopes will start returning home after Assad's fall, and has vowed to help rebuild Syria.

Fidan's visit comes amid fighting in northeast Syria between Turkey-backed Syrian fighters and the Kurdish YPG militia, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northeast and Ankara regards as a terrorist organisation.

Earlier, Turkey's defence minister said Ankara believed that Syria's new leadership, including the Syrian National Army (SNA) armed group which Ankara backs, will drive YPG fighters from all territory in the northeast.

Ankara, alongside Syrian allies, has mounted several cross-border offensives against the Kurdish faction in northern Syria and controls swathes of Syrian territory along the border, while repeatedly demanding that its NATO ally Washington halts support for the Kurdish fighters.

The SDF has been on the back foot since Assad's fall, with the threat of advances from Ankara and Turkey-backed groups as it looks to preserve political gains made in the last 13 years, and with Syria's new rulers being friendly to Ankara. 

"And with pain I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals. What cruelty," the pope said after his weekly Angelus prayer.

It comes a day after the 88-year-old Argentine lamented an Israeli airstrike that killed seven children from one family on Friday, according to Gaza's rescue agency.

"Yesterday children were bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war," the pope told members of the government of the Holy See.

His remarks on Saturday prompted a sharp response from Israel.

An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman claimed Francis's intervention as "particularly disappointing as they are disconnected from the true and factual context of Israel's fight against jihadist terrorism - a multi-front war that was forced upon it starting on October 7."

"Enough with the double standards and the singling out of the Jewish state and its people," he added.

"Cruelty is terrorists hiding behind children while trying to murder Israeli children; cruelty is holding 100 hostages for 442 days, including a baby and children, by terrorists and abusing them," the Israeli statement said.

Israel bean waging its war on October 7 of that year on Gaza, in response to Hamas' attack on the same day. At least 45,259 Palestinians have been killed since, in acts labelled as genocide and condemned globally.

Gaza's civil defence rescue agency reported that an Israeli air strike had killed 10 members of a family on Friday in the northern part of the territory, including seven children.

Hardened tone

The mounting criticisms of Israel appear to mark a change in the pope's tone in recent weeks.

He has consistently called for peace since the beginning of the war more than 14 months ago.

But at the end of November, Francis denounced "the invader's arrogance" in Ukraine as in "Palestine", a contrast with the Holy See's modern tradition of neutrality.

He has recently published a book in which the pope calls for scrutiny over whether the situation in Gaza "corresponds to the technical definition" of genocide, an accusation firmly rejected by Israel.

At the end of September the Argentine Jesuit also criticised Israel's "immoral" use of force in Gaza and in Lebanon, where Israel launched an offensive against Hamas's ally Hezbollah, which killed over 3,670 people.

Since 2013 the Vatican has recognised the State of Palestine, with which it maintains diplomatic relations, and it supports the two-state solution.

Two years ago, UNESCO added it to its Intangible Cultural Heritage List, and the US State Department has recently begun issuing annual statements for Shab-e Yalda.

"As Iranians around the world gather to celebrate Shab-e Yalda, the longest night of the year, we honor the enduring spirit of the Iranian people. This cherished tradition symbolizes hope and renewal—a poignant reminder that even the darkest nights give way to light," said Matthew Miller, State Department spokesperson, in a on Friday.

"On this Shab-e Yalda, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people. Their courage in the face of repression and their unwavering pursuit of freedom inspire the world. We stand with them in their struggle, knowing that the dawn of a brighter future will come," he added.

Though Western recognition of Shab-e Yalda is relatively new, the holiday, originally celebrated across Central Asia, the Middle East, as well as some parts of Eastern Europe and South Asia, goes back thousands of years, dating as at least as far back as 500 BCE, possibly as early as 7,000 years.

The holiday marks the longest and darkest night of the year, in 2024 falling on 20 December, and symbolises the victory of light over darkness. 

This year, in cities across the US, universities, community centres and municipalities members of the Iranian and Afghan diasporas displayed pomegranates, watermelons, nuts, and other traditional foods, while reading poetry and playing music.

In the last couple of years, Iranians and Afghans in the diaspora have emphasised freedom and women's rights in their Yalda celebrations.

Local sources reported hearing gunfire around the camp's entrances and perimeter, as PA security forces encircling the camp clashed with fighters from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)'s Jenin Brigade.

On Sunday, Palestinian news agency Wafa, reported the first death of a member of the PA security forces, Saher Farouk Jumaa Erheil of the presidential guard.

Erheil, one of four Palestinians including a 14-year-old boy killed in Jenin this month, was the first member of the security forces to die in the violence. Others killed were a fighter, and a 19-year-old passerby on a motorcycle.

Meanwhile, the PIJ called for a general strike and mass mobilisation on Sunday, urging mass demonstrations towards the camp to lift the siege and end the PA's crackdown, which the group said only serves Israel's occupation of the West Bank and expansion of settlements.

"The mobilisation is the least moral duty we can fulfil to uphold the Palestinian cause; it is essential to support Jenin and its resistance fighters while honouring the sacrifices of our brothers in besieged Gaza," the PIJ said in a statement.

For the past 18 days, Palestinian fighters in Jenin have been locked in a rare open battle with the PA forces, arrested more than two dozen Palestinian fighters were arrested.

PA security forces have taken control of approximately ten homes within the camp, converting them into military outposts and forcibly displacing their residents.

Snipers have also been stationed throughout the camp as part of the PA's effort to establish control over the area, which is home to around 25,000 Palestinians originally displaced from their homes during the creation of Israel in 1948.

A report on Sunday stated that the PA, backed by the West, is attempting to demonstrate its ability to manage security in its limited areas of the West Bank as it aims to govern a postwar Gaza Strip.

In the latest round of ceasefire negotiations, Israel has agreed to let the PA take over administration of the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt for a short period, according to a former Egyptian official cited by the WSJ.

It comes as Israeli officials revealed that the Israeli military was backing efforts to increase coordination and cooperation with the PA under government orders.

While the PA has a relatively strong presence in the southern and central West Bank cities, it has failed to assert control in the northern part of the territory, especially the refugee camps in Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarem areas.

The Israeli army sought to encourage the PA to continue in its crackdown operations, with officials saying Israeli forces would "do what they can" to ensure the PA was "strong" and "successful" in its operations against "terrorists".

Recent reports by highlighted that the crackdown would "benefit" Israel, highlighting that steps were being taken to "bolster" PA forces.

Abu Safiya said the mission was "next to impossible" because staff did not have ambulances to move the patients.

Israeli forces targeted the hospital's generators with gunfire and artillery shelling, destroying one completely and causing damage to the hospital that has been subject to several attacks in recent days.

The army is also targeting fuel tanks, which could lead to a disaster for the workers and everyone inside the hospital if they explode.

The army also deliberately set ablaze a number of homes surrounding the hospital, as well as dropping bombs, further plunging the area in danger. 
 

"The situation remains extremely dangerous. We have made appeals to the international community, but unfortunately, no one has intervened to stop the occupation from attacking our healthcare system in such a brutal and indiscriminate manner," Abu Safiya said.

"Our medical staff and the hospital itself have been targeted, as if we were a military installation."

The Israeli army has launched a deadly offensive and siege in the two towns of north Gaza, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, as well as the nearby Jabalia camp for nearly three months, under the army's so-called 'General's Plan', which seeks to ethnically cleanse the are in a bid to rid of its Palestinian residents.

Palestinians also have accused Israel of carrying out the atrocities to depopulate those areas to create a buffer zone.

Israel's attacks on the Kamal Adwan Hospital has raised fears that the largest healthcare facility in northern Gaza would be forced to cease its operations, leaving scores of Palestinians without care.

Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 19 Palestinians, eight of them at a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City, medics said, as of Sunday morning.

Palestinian medics said eight people, including children, were killed in the Musa Bin Nusayr School that sheltered displaced families in Gaza City.

At least 28 have been killed overnight, including the death toll from Sunday so far.

Also in Gaza City, medics said four Palestinians were killed when an airstrike hit a car.

At least five other Palestinians were killed in two separate airstrikes in Rafah and Khan Younis south of the enclave.

Israel's military onslaught in the Gaza Strip, ongoing since October 7, 2023, have killed at least 45,259 Palestinians, with experts, UN agencies and several world leaders condemning Israel's atrocities as genocide.

Saudi officials first reportedly warned Germany in 2007, citing concerns about the suspect’s radical views, including islamophobia, according to CNN.

Saudi security officials told German media they had warned the Berlin authorities of the alleged attacker three times and requested extradition, which was refused over concerns for his safety.

According to German newspaper Die Welt, the state and federal police had carried out a "risk assessment" on the suspect last year but found he posed "no significant danger".

At the same time, a source close to the Saudi government told the BBC that the country had sent four warnings to Germany over al-Abdulmohsen's "very extreme views", which were allegedly ignored.

Following the attack, the Kingdom condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Germany after finding out the suspect was a Saudi national.

Writing on , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Saudi "affirms its position in rejecting violence, and expresses its sympathy and sincere condolences to the families of the victim, and the government and people of the Federal Republic of Germany".

Five people, including a nine-year-old boy and four women, were killed in the attack while over 200 were taken to 15 hospitals, with 41 seriously injured and many in intensive care. It is feared the death toll may rise.

The attack also came almost eight years after an attacker drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 and injuring 49.

Prosecutors said the suspect was under investigation for murder, attempted murder and bodily harm and tested positive for drugs.

Al-Adbulmohsen came to Germany as a refugee in 2016 after being reportedly threatened with death for abandoning Islam. The 50-year-old was a psychiatrist in a specialist medical clinic in Bernburg, 28 miles from Magdeburg.

He is an outspoken atheist and former Muslim who helped Saudis, particularly women, leave their country who no longer believed in Islam.

Nancy Faeser, the German interior minister, said the suspect held “Islamophobic” views, while prosecutors said he could have been angered by Germany’s treatment of Saudi Arabian refugees.

On his X account, the suspect described himself as "Saudi military opposition" while also writing that "Germany chases female Saudi asylum seekers, inside and outside Germany, to destroy their lives" and "Germany wants to Islamize Europe". He also managed a Twitter account called “Saudi Ex-Muslims”.

The suspect reportedly boasted on social media that "something big will happen in Germany".

It is believed Al-Abdulmohsen expressed support for anti-Islam figure Tommy Robinson, the far-right German AfD party, and right-wing billionaire Elon Musk, who has been promoting anti-immigrant views in recent months.

He has also expressed pro-Israel views and responded to tweets by the Israeli military’s Arabic-speaking official spokesman, Avichay Adraee. Al-Abdulmohsen has since been remanded into custody.

Eight of those victims - including four children -, were killed in the attack on the Musa Bin Nusayr School that sheltered displaced families in Gaza City.

One of the deadly attacks occurred on the home belonging to the Abu Samra family in central Gaza's Deir el-Balah.

Attacks killing Palestinians also took place in Gaza's southern city of Rafah, medics said.

Israel has also been targeting the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, considered a lifeline for those injured in the Strip.

Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said on Sunday the army ordered staff to evacuate the hospital and move patients and injured people toward another hospital in the area.

Abu Safiya said the mission was "next to impossible" because the staff did not have ambulances to move the patients.

Experts say that the Israeli army's attacks aim to push the hospital out of service.

The pontiff made his remarks a day after the rescue agency in Gaza said an Israeli air strike had killed seven children from one family.

"Yesterday they did not allow the Patriarch (of Jerusalem) into Gaza as promised," the pope told members of the government of the Holy See.

"Yesterday children were bombed. This is cruelty, this is not war," he said. "I want to say it because it touches my heart."

In a statement, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman described the pope's remarks as "particularly disappointing", adding: "Enough with the double standards and the singling out of the Jewish state and its people."

Gaza's civil defence rescue agency reported that an Israeli air strike had killed 10 members of a family on Friday in the northern part of the territory, including seven children.

Israel's offensive on the besieged enclave continues to rock the territory more than 14 months into the war, even as international mediators work to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Francis, 88, has called for peace since Israel's war on Gaza began on 7 October 2023. In recent weeks he has hardened his remarks against the Israeli offensive.

In late November he said "the invader's arrogance... prevails over dialogue" in "Palestine", a rare position that contrasts with the tradition of neutrality of the Holy See.

In a recently published book the pope called for a "careful" study as to whether the situation in Gaza "corresponds to the technical definition" of genocide, an accusation firmly rejected by Israel.

Since 2013 the Holy See has recognised the State of Palestine, with which it maintains diplomatic relations, and it supports the two-state solution.

Agencies contributed to this report.