Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire gives Lebanon the chance to rethink and overhaul its entire government and economic models

by Hussain Abdul-Hussain | November 28, 2024

Military units affiliated with Hezbollah parade during an event marking the Al-Quds Day in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 14, 2023. Photo: Andalou Agency / Asia Times Files / Twitter Screengrab

It’s not just Israel that wants to see Hezbollah disarmed.

After a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on November 27, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is expected to hold its annual summit in Kuwait on December 1 to announce that their reconstruction aid money in Lebanon will be incumbent on Hezbollah’s disarmament. A similar GCC condition of disarming Hamas will likely be attached to rebuilding Gaza.

Read more…

Peloni:  This video provides the context under which Zelensky announces a new negotiating offer in which he suggests to cede territory held by Russia in exchange for Ukrainian NATO membership, as if he has any leverage with which to be making any offers at all.  As I have noted previously, Ukraine’s only hope for survival, even as the currently melting Rump-state which it is, remains to be Trump’s intervention on their behalf…and Trump recognizes that it is important that the war should simply come to an end, which means no NATO membership for the corrupt mafia state of Ukraine.

Peloni:  As the Syrian Rebels today enter the city of Aleppo and Bibi holds a rare Friday night security meeting, it is important to take a look at the various interests and parties involved in this conflict.

By Jeffrey A. Tucker

Peloni:  We have shared many perspectives regarding the recent ceasefire deal in Lebanon in recent days, but amid all the conjecture and conclusions which either defend or attack Bibi for having alternatively capitulated to the US or cleverly outwitted the US, but the greater consequence of this deal seems to have been lost on many.  It has not however been lost on Tony Badran who explains that whatever Israel avoided by signing this deal, they signed away part of their sovereignty.

by Tony Badran

https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/obama-dead-man-hand-wins-lebanon

A Missing Piece Of Censorship Chronology Only New Twitter Files Can Resolve ?
– How did saying "Eric Ciaramella" become a TOS violation in 2019?
– What role did the US Embassy in Kyiv (the Vindman network, Yovanovitch) play in throttling US journalists like @jsolomonReports? pic.twitter.com/Yyaqw5uWmw

— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) December 4, 2023

But these were in New York, Washington, and The Hague

Clifford D. May | November 27, 2024

For more than a year, Israel has been fighting a brutal multifront war against Iran’s rulers and their terrorist proxies: Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Shia militias in Syria and Iraq.

Last week, Israel also was attacked by enemies in New York, Washington, and The Hague. Although these were not kinetic battles, they did damage.

First attack: On Nov. 20, 14 members of the UN Security Council voted in favor of a resolution that did not call on Hamas to release its hostages – Americans among them – as a precondition for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Read more…

by Eric R. Mandel | 11/24/24

FILE – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses lawmakers in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem. Monday Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)

According to Israel’s former national security advisor, Giora Eiland, “Regarding Gaza … In warfare, the aim is to engage as little as possible. The ideal outcome is to win without prolonged fighting.”

Read more…

By Agence France-Presse  |  November 28, 2024

Peloni:  The path to victory over Hezbollah goes thru Tehran.  Any action taken in Lebanon should be understood to be merely one of force containment and degradation of capabilities, but not of victory.  So long as the Mullahs persist to enslave the Iranian people, they will work their will over the Lebanese people as well, and no dialogue or calls for revolt should be anticipated to squeeze blood from the Lebanese turnip.

Analysis: Israel must create conditions that permanently prevent Hezbollah from regaining the capacity to threaten our communities and citizens

Amir Avivi | November 28, 2024

IDF forces in Lebanon  (Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)

The Israeli public often tends to form strong opinions on issues without fully understanding the details, and the anticipated cease-fire in the north is no exception. The public discourse is filled with voices expressing harsh criticism and even anger toward the proposed 60-day cease-fire along the northern border.

In fact, residents of northern Israel are expected to stage demonstrations against the emerging agreement. Many feel a sense of déjà vu, recalling the events of 2006, and fear that Hezbollah will soon reestablish its presence along our border. There is a widespread sentiment that we are missing a historic opportunity to permanently resolve the persistent threat posed by the Shiite forces at the northern border.

Read more…

All Israel News Staff |  November 28, 2024  

Residents of northern Israeli towns who were evacuated from their homes following the war protesting against a ceasefire, in Tel Aviv, November 26, 2024. (Photo: Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The Israeli public appears to be sharply divided on its response to the newly-announced ceasefire with the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon, according to a fresh snap poll conducted by Israel’s Channel 12 news.

The Israeli Security Cabinet approved the U.S.-brokered ceasefire on Tuesday night, with 10 ministers voting in favor. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was the sole minister to oppose the agreement, which officially went into effect on Wednesday morning.

Read more…

Peloni:  It will be revealing to see if the incoming Trump administration will be mesmerized by the snake charming attempt of the Mullahs to forestall their own destruction with this latest attempted hudna.  Having displayed Iran’s assets as being paper limbs extending from a paper octopus, it would be an enormous mistake to grant the Mullahs the opportunity to rebuild and restructure their onslaught on both Israel and the West after Israel alone has brought them to the point of utter destruction.  It is time to eliminate this menace, and thereby free Israel and the West of this mounting threat, while also freeing the people of both Iran and Lebanon from the enslavement in which they have been left shackled for the past 40yrs.

As Iran faces domestic and foreign challenges, its bellicose rhetoric on the United States and Israel has given way to signs that it wants less confrontation.

By Farnaz Fassihi | NYT | November 28, 2024

A billboard in Tehran showing Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.Credit…Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

In mid-November, Iran dispatched a top official to Beirut to urge Hezbollah to accept a cease-fire with Israel. Around the same time, Iran’s U.N. ambassador met with Elon Musk, an overture to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inner circle. And on Friday, it will hold talks in Geneva with European countries on a range of issues, including its nuclear program.

Read more…

Alice Wairimu Nderitu’s departure raises concerns about UN priorities and fairness toward Israel.

Israfan | November 28, 2024

Read more…

A case study in the management of reality

Peloni:  As the constitutional US govt, which restrains and submits govt to the will of the people, has been hopefully returned to being both restrained and submitting to the will of the people with the re-election of Pres. Trump, it might be relevant to review the Rabbinical teachings which helped give rise to the intellectual foundation of such a democratic govt in the age of kings.

Leonard Grunstein | Fall 2022

The United States of America is a constitutional republic, with a system of governance designed to prevent tyranny of government or the majority. This includes a division of power and checks and balances, as well as the rule of law, which is imbued with a spirit of liberalism that recognizes that each individual has rights too. These principles of good governance are rooted in the oral and written laws and traditions of the Torah, embodied in the Bible, Mishna, and Talmud, as elucidated and interpreted by rabbinic commentaries thereon. The Founding Fathers had access to this treasure trove of wisdom, in the body of Hebraic literature and thought, extant at the time, when they originally formulated our constitutional republic.1 

However, it is important to appreciate that the Bible itself is not a political treatise. It does not literally prescribe the intricate details of how to organize a society into a polity and the mechanisms for providing for the best form of government, in absolute terms. There are some principles outlined; but, as more fully discussed below, this is not the fundamental purpose of the Bible and, therefore, not a primary focus of the biblical text. Even the discussions in the Book of Samuel2 about the deficiencies of monarchy do not expressly address the matter of alternatives or what is the most desirable form of government, beyond just implicitly preserving the status quo. That subject is taken up by some of the medieval rabbinic commentators, but more on this below.3 

Read more…

Peloni:  Among the six principles discussed by Berman in this important analysis is the fact that Iran’s nuclear ambitions may not necessarily be extinguished with the rule of the Mullahs, presuming the Iranian opposition ever finds the means by which to solidify their overwhelming support to achieve such a happy undertaking.  This should not be a terribly surprising conclusion, given the power and prestige which continuing to pursue inclusion into the nuclear power club, would afford to the governing body which might rise following the fall of the Mullahs, no matter which form that govt might actually take.  Hence, the fears of a nuclear Iran should be seen to be both a contingent with and separate from the pursuit of ending the menacing Mullahs in Tehran.

A NATIONAL SECURITY BLUEPRINT FOR THE UNITED STATES

ILAN BERMAN | AFPC | OCTOBER 2024

Executive Summary

Nearly half a century after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran stands at a critical juncture.  Widespread popular disaffection, pronounced economic decline, dwindling religiosity, and pervasive societal malaise have coalesced into a volatile and potentially transformative political climate.  The recent “woman, life, freedom” movement has highlighted a fundamental rejection of the Islamic Republic’s religious system of government on the part of many Iranians. And despite the regime’s current, dominant position, these underlying tensions persist, suggesting that Iran may face another cycle of anti-regime activity in the near future.

Read more…

The NIH — the “nation’s medical research agency” — oversees 27 separate institutes and controls a budget of nearly $48 billion. It is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

by Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D. | The Defender | November 27, 2024

• This article was originally published by The Defender — Children’s Health Defense’s News & Views Website.

President-elect Donald J. Trump late Tuesday nominated Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., professor of health policy at Standford’s School of Medicine, to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The NIH — the “nation’s medical research agency” — oversees 27 separate institutes and centers and controls a budget of nearly $48 billion. It is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

“I am thrilled to nominate Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, to serve as Director of the National Institutes of Health,” Trump announced on X. “Dr. Bhattacharya will work in cooperation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to direct the Nation’s Medical Research, and to make important discoveries that will improve Health, and save lives.”

Read more…