Al Mayadeen – October 31, 2024
Eight Israelis killed in rocket fire from Lebanon
The Israeli occupation has been under intense rocket fire from Lebanon since the morning, with the casualties count rising steadily, as eight Israelis have been killed in the attacks thus far.
Israeli Channel 13 reported Thursday that six Israelis were killed in Metula, located in the Upper al-Jalil, and two others were killed in the Kiryot, following a direct rocket strike from Lebanon.
Israeli media highlighted that multiple rockets launched from Lebanon struck a gathering of Israeli soldiers in Metula, describing the incident as "severe." Reports indicated that the attack demonstrated Hezbollah's continued capacity to launch large volleys of rockets.
Israeli media further emphasized that Hezbollah's recent strikes reflect not only its capabilities but also its intentions. "Hezbollah knew precisely where to aim when firing at Metula, resulting in severe consequences," the reports stated. Additionally, the media expressed doubt that northern residents would be able to return to their settlements anytime soon after the day's events.
Following the incident, an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that approximately 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon, triggering alerts between 12:21 and 12:23 in the Central, Upper, and Western al-Jalil regions.
In related developments, Israeli Channel 14 reported that rockets had killed two additional Israelis and injured two others near Kiryot in northern occupied Palestine. Another direct hit was reported in the area of Fraam, where emergency teams were en route.
Air raid sirens sounded across multiple locations, including eastern Haifa, the Kiryot, and various areas in Haifa Bay, as well as Kiryat Ata and Kiryat Bialik. The sirens extended to the Western al-Jalil settlements of Avivim, Avnei Menachem, Shomera, Zar'it, and Shtula, according to Israeli media.
In response to the escalating strikes, the Israeli military declared Metula, Kfar Giladi, and Misgav Am closed military zones based on current assessments.
Rising Israeli casualties
Hezbollah continued its strikes on Israeli military gatherings along the border on Thursday, with an Al Mayadeen correspondent indicating that seven Israeli positions were targeted in the areas surrounding Wadi al-Khiam, south, west, and near the detention center.
According to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent, close-range confrontations broke out between Hezbollah fighters and the invading Israeli occupation forces in the eastern neighborhoods near the al-Khiam detention center, with skirmishes extending to an olive press in the eastern part of al-Khiam. Confirmed casualties were reported among Israeli forces near the detention center and the western entrance to the chalet area. Following a failed assault, Israeli forces reportedly evacuated their dead and wounded and retreated south.
The correspondent further noted that Hezbollah fighters prevented Israeli forces from using armored vehicles in their advances due to the risk posed by Hezbollah's anti-tank missiles.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli military, under a permitted-for-publication directive, confirmed that 14 of its soldiers were injured within the last 24 hours, with 10 of these injuries occurring in southern Lebanon. Moreover, it was revealed that over 100 Israeli soldiers had been killed since the start of the invasion of Lebanon during direct confrontations.
Hezbollah 'draining Israel'
Israeli newspaper Maariv suggested on Tuesday that Hezbollah can continue to drain "Israel" and launch its projectiles for many months. It also highlighted that the Lebanese Resistance still retains its rocket capabilities and will persist in its launches in the coming days, with significant fire directed at Safad and Haifa.
In a related context, Israeli media cited former Gaza Division commander, Reserve General Gadi Shamni, as saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a "cold-hearted person" who does not care about the captives held in Gaza and is disconnected from "his people" and soldiers.
Shamni acknowledged a complete failure of Netanyahu's government, asserting that the premier has caused immense damage to "Israel".
"Israel" needs to end the war and bring back the captives, he stressed.
On his part, former commander of the Israeli Northern Corps, Noam Tibon, highlighted that more than 800 Israeli soldiers have been killed and around 12,000 injured, with thousands suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since the war began a year ago.
"We have lost the manpower of a whole division, and we need three additional divisions; otherwise, we will find it difficult to defend Israel," Tibon underscored.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/eight-israelis-killed-in-rocket-fire-from-lebanon
Al Mayadeen – October 31, 2024
US-Israeli proposals do not include permanent ceasefire: Source
A Palestinian source tells Al Mayadeen that Hamas believes the US wants to exploit partial initiatives only for the benefit of election campaigns.
The Israeli and US proposals regarding a deal on Gaza lack provisions for a permanent ceasefire or a complete withdrawal from the Strip, a Palestinian source told Al Mayadeen on Thursday.
Instead, the proposal entails 10 days of calm in exchange for the release of four Israeli captives, including two women, in exchange for the release of an unspecified number of Palestinian detainees, according to the approved mechanism.
The proposal also stipulates the entry of about 300 aid trucks daily into Gaza.
The source stressed that Hamas believes the US wants to exploit partial initiatives to benefit election campaigns only. Meanwhile, upcoming meetings are planned between Fatah and Hamas to resume discussions on managing the Gaza Strip and forming a special committee with mutual approval from both parties.
Netanyahu 'buying time' with Gaza deal negotiations: Hamas official
On Wednesday, Taher al-Nounou, a senior Hamas official told Al Mayadeen that in any negotiations, the movement's goal is to stop the war on the Gaza Strip while "Israel" merely seeks a prisoner exchange.
Al-Nounou stressed that any potential agreement must include a permanent ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, reconstruction of the Strip, an end to the blockade, and a captive-prisoner exchange.
According to the official, prioritizing a prisoner exchange alone would not necessarily lead to a lasting ceasefire.
The Palestinian official argued that current discussions regarding a deal are merely a waste of time, under the guise of negotiations in preparation for the coming US elections.
Al-Nounou said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's aim with these proposals is to "buy time", which he sees as "part of a local or US election campaign."
"We have no veto on listening to mediators if they have any proposals," the Hamas official reiterated but underlined that the movement had made it clear that it opposes a temporary pause of hostilities and the resumption of the Israeli aggression on Gaza.
The Palestinian official clarified that openness to offers is distinct from agreeing to them, particularly "if they fail to meet the resistance's four core demands," affirming, "If we are invited to hear new proposals, we will certainly attend."
His statements echoed those of the movement's spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri, who confirmed on Tuesday that Hamas has responded to requests from mediators to discuss new proposals regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Several meetings have already occurred on this matter, with more scheduled to follow, Abu Zuhri indicated.
Hamas slams intl. silence on Gaza ‘ethnic cleansing’ after Israel’s hospital bombing
The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has condemned global silence on the ongoing “ethnic cleansing” in the besieged Gaza Strip following Israel’s deadly bombing of Kamal Adwan Hospital that torched medical supplies and disrupted operations.
Israeli warplanes on Thursday once again struck Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, killing at least four people, including two children, and wounding several medical staff as well as inflicting heavy damage on a warehouse containing medicines and medical supplies.
The airstrike targeted a desalination station in the kidney dialysis department, the engineering and maintenance departments, and water tanks in the ill-fated hospital.
In a statement, released a few hours later in the day, Hamas denounced the persisting international silence on Israel’s brutal massacre of Palestinians in the coastal enclave, calling the strike on the hospital as sheer war crime committed by the occupying entity.
“The Zionist bombing of Kamal Adwan Hospital and the ongoing massacres in Beit Lahia town and project area are war crimes and a continuation of an ethnic cleansing campaign being carried out before the eyes and ears of the world,” the Gaza-based resistance movement said.
Hamas stressed that deadly aerial aggression against the hospital “is a compounded war crime committed by the fascist occupation army within the context of the comprehensive war of genocide it is waging against our steadfast people in northern Gaza.”
The resistance movement also said that the ongoing massacre in densely-populated Beit Lahia, where Kamal Adwan Hospital is located, along with the escalating air and artillery attacks and the breakdown of critical services like hospitals, ambulances, and civil defense “confirm that the Zionist occupation is implementing ethnic cleansing against our people in northern Gaza before the entire world, under direct orders from war criminal leaders of the occupation, broadcast openly.”
Additionally, Hamas “condemned the continued international silence over the brutal genocide committed by the fascist occupation army” in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
“We affirm that this crime, and the silence surrounding it, will remain a stain of shame on the international community, which has surrendered to the criminal American administration,” the resistance movement stressed.
In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health also condemned the “repeated attacks by occupying forces” on Kamal Adwan Hospital, saying that the airstrike targeting the third floor of the hospital inflicted significant damage to the remaining medicines and medical supplies in the hospital.
It added that the bombing also destroyed medical supplies donated to the hospital by the World Health Organization just five days earlier.
The ministry calls on international and UN organizations to safeguard hospitals and medical personnel from the Israeli regime’s brutality and its crimes against health institutions and staff in the Gaza Strip.
On October 23, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital warned that the facility could no longer provide healthcare services to the injured and sick due to the depletion of medical supplies.
The warning came as all three major hospitals in the northern territory area are out of service, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Separately on Thursday, dozens of civilians were also killed and injured in Israel’s artillery shelling of several houses in Beit Lahia, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
‘Axis of Resistance’ operations against Israeli occupation
By Press TV Website Staff
Amid Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 43,200 Palestinians so far, as well as the ongoing genocide in Lebanon, resistance groups in Palestine and across the region continue their operations against the Tel Aviv regime and its Western backers.
The major operations carried out by the Palestinian and regional resistance groups on Tuesday, October 30, are as follows:
Al-Qassam Brigades' operations on Oct. 30:
- Targeted and destroyed two Israeli Merkava tanks: one with a high-explosive device near the Razan junction and another with a barrel bomb near the Sakafi junction in northern Gaza.
- Targeted a Merkava tank with an Al-Yassin 105 shell in the Beit Lahia project area in northern Gaza.
- Targeted two Israeli D9 bulldozers with tandem shells and a third with an Al-Yassin 105 shell on Ternis Street in Jabalia Camp, northern Gaza.
- Targeted and destroyed an Israeli troop carrier with a Shuath explosive device and a Merkava 3 tank with a Shuath explosive device in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza.
- Targeted an Achzarit troop carrier with an Al-Yassin 105 shell, a Hummer jeep with an anti-tank shell, and a D9 bulldozer with a ground bomb northeast of the eastern cemetery in eastern Gaza City.
- Al-Quds Brigades' operations on Oct. 30:
- In coordination with the Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, shelled Israeli command and control positions on the Netzarim axis with 107 mm rockets and heavy mortar shells.
- Targeted Israeli military gatherings south of the Juhr Al-Dik area with standard 60 mm mortar shells.
- Targeted Israeli army command and control sites along the Netzarim axis with 107 mm rockets.
- Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades' operations on Oct. 30:
- In a joint operation with the Al-Quds Brigades, targeted Israeli military positions around the Turkish Friendship Hospital and along the supply line to the Netzarim front with 107 mm rockets.
- Targeted gatherings of Israeli forces with mortar shells northeast of the eastern cemetery, east of Gaza City.
- Targeted Israeli military positions in the Al-Jineina neighborhood, east of Rafah in southern Gaza, with standard 60 mm mortar shells.
- Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades' operations on Oct. 30:
- In a joint operation with Al-Quds Brigades and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, shelled Israeli command and control sites on the Netzarim axis with 107 mm rockets and heavy mortar shells.
- Martyr Abdulqader Al-Husseini Brigades' operations on Oct. 30:
- Targeted Israeli military gatherings east of Jabalia camp in northern Gaza with 60 mm mortar shells.
- Mujahideen Brigades' operations on Oct. 30:
- Targeted an Israeli military position east of Jabalia camp in northern Gaza with a barrage of mortar shells.
- Hezbollah's operations on Oct. 30:
- A rocket barrage targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the Amra area, south of Khiam.
- A second rocket barrage targeted Israeli forces in the Amra area, south of Khiam.
- A rocket barrage targeted Israeli soldiers in the Yaqousa area on the outskirts of Khiam.
- A second rocket barrage targeted Israeli soldiers in Yaqousa on the outskirts of Khiam.
- As part of the Khaybar series of operations and with the call of "We are at your service O Nasrallah", launched a drone attack on the "Tira Carmel" base in southern occupied Haifa.
- A drone targeted Israeli soldiers in the "Jaatoun" settlement.
- Another drone targeted Israeli soldiers in the "Shtula" settlement.
- A rocket barrage targeted Israeli soldiers in Khallat Al-Asafir in Al-Khiam.
- A rocket barrage targeted Israeli forces east of Wazzani Spring.
- A rocket barrage targeted Israeli forces in Wati Khiam (southeast of the town).
- A second rocket barrage targeted Israeli soldiers in Khallet Al-Asafir, Khiam.
- A rocket barrage targeted Israeli forces at the Shebaa Gate.
- A second rocket barrage targeted Israeli forces at the Shebaa Gate.
- Another rocket barrage targeted Israeli forces in Wati Khiam (southeast of the town).
- A rocket barrage targeted "Krayot" north of occupied Haifa.
- A rocket barrage targeted Israeli forces at the Fatima Gate.
- The air defense forces repelled an Israeli "Hermes 450" drone in the western sector, forcing it to leave Lebanese airspace.
- A rocket barrage targeted Israeli soldiers in Wadi Al-Asafir, Khiam.
- A rocket barrage targeted Israeli forces in "Rosh Pinna" settlement.
- A rocket barrage targeted the "Yesod HaMa'ala" settlement.
- A rocket barrage targeted the "Kidmat Tsvi" settlement.
- A rocket barrage targeted the "Hatzor HaGlilit" settlement.
- A guided missile targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers between Kfar Kila and Deir Mimas.
- The air defense forces repelled an Israeli warplane over Zahrani, forcing it to leave Lebanese airspace.
- As part of the Khaybar series of operations and under the call of "We are at your service O Nasrallah", launched a combined attack using advanced missiles and drones on the "Ein Shemer" base (air defense and regional brigade base) east of Khdeira, and also targeted Israeli forces in "Eliakim" camp (Northern Command base) south of occupied Haifa, and the "Sharga" base north of occupied Akka.
- As part of the Khaybar series of operations and with the call of "We are at your service O Nasrallah", launched a barrage of missiles at "Adam" camp (special units training camp) southeast of Tel Aviv.
- A rocket barrage targeted Israeli soldiers in Wati Al-Khiam (southeast of the town) for the third time within 24 hours.
- A rocket barrage targeted Israeli soldiers in Wati Al-Khiam (southeast of the town) for the fourth time.
- A rocket barrage targeted gatherings of Israeli soldiers in the “Liman” settlement.
- A rocket barrage targeted gatherings of Israeli soldiers in the “Gesher HaZiv” settlement.
- A rocket barrage targeted gatherings of Israeli soldiers in the "Kiryat Shmona" settlement.
- A rocket barrage targeted the "Kiryat Shmona" settlement.
- Islamic Resistance in Iraq's operations on Oct. 30:
- Targeted a vital Israeli military site in Akka in northern occupied Palestinian territories.
- Launched a drone strike toward a vital Israeli military site in the occupied Golan Heights.
- Targeted two vital Israeli military sites in northern Tabariyya and Jordan Valley.
Al Mayadeen – October 31, 2024
How sanctions on Russia backfired on the West?
Trade flows with China and India have soared, allowing Moscow to redirect its oil exports and secure critical imports previously provided by Western suppliers.
The Responsible Statecraft on Thursday published an analysis highlighting how Western sanctions against Russia may be inadvertently strengthening Moscow's long-term resilience.
Initially designed to cripple the Russian economy and pressure the Kremlin into abandoning its military campaign in Ukraine, these sanctions appear to have had mixed results, with significant unintended consequences that are now reshaping global geopolitical dynamics, writer Ariel Petrovics says.
While sanctions have stifled segments of Russia's economy, they have also driven the Kremlin to form deeper economic and political ties with non-Western countries.
Trade flows with China and India have soared, allowing Moscow to redirect its oil exports and secure critical imports previously provided by Western suppliers.
This pivot, say analysts, may signal the emergence of a more cohesive anti-Western bloc that is less vulnerable to US-led economic pressures.
Putin's growing popular base
Moreover, the report details how sanctions have bolstered domestic support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, fueling a wave of nationalism.
Since 2022, public opinion polls have shown approval ratings for Putin and his administration steadily rising, suggesting that sanctions have rallied the Russian public around the Kremlin rather than inciting dissent.
The report notes that Russian leaders have successfully framed Western sanctions as part of a broader attempt by NATO to curb Russia's influence, a narrative that resonates with many Russian citizens.
The analysis further reveals that attempts to counter alleged Russian misinformation by banning state-owned media outlets and social media channels have also backfired.
With Facebook, Twitter, and other Western platforms restricted, Russian authorities have consolidated their control over information, allowing them to present an unchallenged narrative that bolsters public morale and validates Russia's foreign policy.
Calls for a strategic reassessment
In response to these findings, several experts are calling for a reassessment of current sanctions policies.
Some argue that more targeted, strategically nuanced sanctions may achieve better outcomes, as sweeping economic penalties risk backfiring and could prolong the very conflict they were meant to end.
As it stands, sanctions may be reshaping Russia's alliances and fortifying its position, potentially challenging Western diplomatic influence in the years to come.
Meet Trump's key Muslim ally on Michigan mission
Bishara Bahbah tells TRT World his rallying of Arab Americans for Donald Trump is rooted in the Republican's promise to end wars in the Middle East amid Democrats' complicity in the war on Gaza.
Washington, DC — With early voting under way, campaigning on its last legs and Democrats seeing a dip in support over the Gaza war, Bishara Bahbah has taken it upon himself to woo Arab American voters to back former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris.
Bahbah, a wealth management expert and author, used to be a Democrat and was registered as such until earlier this year. After what he said were "repeated pleas to have the US stop arming Israel," he jumped the fence and joined the ranks of the Republicans.
In May, he launched Arab Americans for Trump, an independent group that is separate from the official Trump campaign, which has been campaigning in the swing state of Michigan and elsewhere.
Bahbah has been working closely with powerful Trump allies, including Richard Grenell — former acting director of national intelligence in the Trump administration who hopes to become US secretary of state if Trump is re-elected — and the Lebanese American businessman Massad Boulos, whose son is married to Tiffany Trump, Trump's daughter.
"People are getting really tired of the war-mongering of this administration and people don't see much of a difference between (US President Joe) Biden and Harris in terms of how she views the world and the Middle East. And they've lost faith in Harris, and they've lost faith a long time ago in Biden," Bahbah, who formerly taught at Harvard University, told TRT World in an exclusive interview.
While Bahbah is trying to get voters to endorse Trump, whose past remarks on Muslims often sparked controversy, it's not clear how much support his appeal has garnered among the Muslim Arab community. In fact, his decision to throw weight behind Trump hasn't gone over well with some of the community members he seeks to lure away from the Democrats.
"I have never encountered so much hate from this group on X," he posted on the social media platform in August.
Polling trends
Nevertheless, he's buoyed by a new poll that shows Trump has widened his lead over Harris among Arab American voters.
The YouGov poll of Arab Americans commissioned by the Arab News suggested a massive Arab American turnout (87 percent) on November 5, with Palestine being these voters' top priority and Trump enjoying a two-percentage-point lead (45-43) over Harris.
The findings came after a survey from the Arab American Institute earlier in October gave Trump a 42 to 41 percent advantage over Harris among Arab Americans.
"The message right now has become really fine-tuned to the point that if you vote for Harris, you're voting for continued wars in the Middle East, and if you vote for Trump, you are arriving back to peace in the Middle East," Bahbah, who voted for Biden in 2020, said.
Bahbah's family was uprooted from Jerusalem in historic Palestine during the 1948 Nakba, or "catastrophe" in Arabic, which refers to forced exodus of Palestinians from their land in 1948 when Israel was created.
The family fled to Jordan and then returned to occupied East Jerusalem, where Bahbah was born and spent his childhood and youthful days before moving to the US in 1976.
Now with Israel's war on Gaza again causing mass casualties, expulsions and dispossession among Palestinians, Bahbah, while referring to his own shift away from Democrats, said Arabs in America have been watching the horrors of war and the Biden administration's failure to rein in Israel with disbelief.
TRT World has previously reported on the fury against the Biden administration in areas such as the city of Dearborn, Michigan, where Arab Americans make up a sizable population, with more than 300,000 of the residents claiming to have Middle Eastern or North African roots.
"When you talk to people there, they have families that have been killed in Lebanon … their houses have been demolished or bombed by the Israelis three times, and each time they rebuilt," Bahbah added.
'She's slapped them in the face multiple times'
For months, Palestinians, rights activists and anti-war veterans have accused Harris and Biden of facilitating Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.
Their critics say the administration's unrestrained military, financial and diplomatic support of Tel Aviv's far-right regime, including at least $18 billion since the start of the war, makes the administration complicit.
Harris, who has called for a ceasefire in Gaza, a two-state solution to one of the world's longest ongoing conflicts and dignity for Palestinians, has also been lambasted over her repeated refusals to stop arms supply to Israel.
She has further angered Arab voters by campaigning in Michigan with former representative and Republican congresswoman, Liz Cheney, the daughter of hawkish ex-Vice President Dick Cheney.
Michigan's residents include more than 90,000 Iraqi Americans who have not forgotten the senior Cheney's role in the 2003 American invasion of Iraq.
Liz Cheney, on the other hand, is known for her controversial speeches and ideas. She has been declared by CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil rights organisation, as "a torture advocate, anti-Muslim bigot and warmonger who once refused to condemn racists spreading the Obama birther conspiracy."
Trump has seized on Harris' rehabilitation of Cheney.
Last week, the Republican slammed Cheney as someone who "wants to go to war with every Muslim country known to mankind." He also warned that "if Kamala gets four more years, the Middle East will spend the next four decades going up in flames."
Bahbah said Trump has infused hope among Arab Americans.
"People are sick and tired of Biden and Harris, and they really see hope in Trump," Bahbah claimed, adding many Arabs, particularly Arab Democrats, seemed confident when Harris was nominated as a presidential candidate, "but then she's slapped them in the face multiple times, refusing to have a Palestinian American speaker at the DNC (Democratic National Convention) to talk about the family that he lost in Gaza."
Bahbah was referring to pro-Palestine Democratic delegates and their allies who were denied a prime-time speaking slot at the DNC in August to address the bloodshed and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
That convention was held in Chicago, home to the US' largest Palestinian community.
Republicans also did not give a platform to any Muslim speaker in their national convention this year. In 2016, however, Sajid Tarar, a Pakistani American, grabbed media headlines when he spoke at the convention and also prayed for Trump.
Trump's ties with Muslims
Trump's history with Muslims is complex.
For example, his ban on Muslim migrants from several Muslim countries, his brazen support for Israel, and his refusal to criticise Israel or consider an arms embargo against Tel Aviv have not gone well with many Muslim voters.
Yet, many Muslim leaders have lined up to support Trump.
The Republican recently received support from Amer Ghalib, a Yemeni Muslim immigrant who serves as the mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan.
Last week, Trump invited several Muslim leaders onstage with him at a campaign rally in Michigan where he acknowledged, "They (Muslims in the US) could turn the election one way or the other," adding, "The Muslim and Arab voters in Michigan and across the country want a stop to the endless wars and a return to peace in the Middle East. That’s all they want."
At the rally, Mayor Bill Bazzi, the first Muslim and Arab American elected mayor of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, threw his weight behind Trump.
"We're going to stop the wars, we're going to make the United States safe again, and we're going to make the world safe," Bazzi said.
Democrats are also losing a large number of Arab American voters to Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornel West. Some analysts say the Democratic votes for these candidates might actually boost Trump's chances.
Democrats could also face a significant setback because of thousands of "uncommitted" voters who want to punish Democrats for their role in the Gaza war but also dread Trump's return to power.
Bahbah, who sees his Michigan mission succeeding, contended, "I tell you, I'm very confident that he [Trump] will stop the war."
Bahbah, who is often seen with Trump and recently campaigned in Arizona swing state with the ex-US president, said "One of the things that the president (Trump) and I spoke about was peace in the Middle East based on a two-state solution. And his response to me was 100 percent. He agreed with that."
Bahbah, however, sought to defend Trump, saying the Republican leader "has not mentioned anything about Muslim ban during his entire campaign, right now."
"There is no such thing as Muslim ban. Trump has not raised the issue, and no one is raising the issue on the Republican side. And the whole issue centres around extra vetting of people coming from countries with political turmoil. And that would apply to any country that has political turmoil in it, and that's about it.",,
Jerusalem and Trump
Commenting on the Trump administration's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing nearly 70 years of American foreign policy and shifting the country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — a move the Biden administration adhered to as well — Bahbah said, "most of us were angered by the embassy shift and the recognition of the (Syria's occupied) Golan Heights as part of Israel."
"But when it comes to the move of the embassy, Trump never precluded recognition of East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. That was never mentioned and it was laid on the table and it was up to negotiations at the time. The Palestinian government said thousands of 'nos' and 'we're not going to be talking to President Trump.'"
Bahbah asserted that sentiment had changed following the exchange of letters between Trump and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, which he argued, "was a clear indication that they have reestablished communication and relationship."
Bahbah said he along with another person was involved in the exchange of those letters.
Palestinians see East Jerusalem, which has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, as the eternal capital of their homeland. The US had moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to an area in undivided Jerusalem that cuts across the 1949 Armistice Line that separates West Jerusalem from No Man's Land, which Israel occupied in 1967.
And Israel, which illegally annexed East Jerusalem in 1980, claims undivided Jerusalem as its capital. Both Palestinians and the international community reject it.
Like many Arab Americans, Trump's Jerusalem decision forced him to vote for Biden in 2020, "only to be disappointed by the Democrats later."
"Biden has proven to be a very weak president for the US. He has proven to be a non-consequential individual vis-à-vis (Israeli PM Benjamin) Netanyahu," Bahbah said.
"Biden could put any red lines. Netanyahu would cross them and there would be no consequences. So, Netanyahu has zero respect for Biden. Harris, too, will remain non-consequential if elected."
Baba Umar is an Executive Producer with TRT World.
https://www.trtworld.com/us-and-canada/meet-trumps-key-muslim-ally-on-michigan-mission-18224435
North Korea confirms launch of ICBM in longest-ever ballistic missile test
North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile test marks longest flight time recorded for one of its missiles, raising fears of new weapon.
North Korea has confirmed it launched a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) towards waters off its eastern coast in what was the longest flight time yet for a North Korean missile, authorities in South Korea and Japan said, raising fears of advanced weapons development by Pyongy
ang.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was present at the missile test launch on Thursday and issued a warning to his enemies, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
“The test-fire is an appropriate military action that fully meets the purpose of informing the rivals, who have intentionally escalated the regional situation and posed a threat to the security of our Republic recently, of our counteraction will,” Kim was quoted as saying by KCNA.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement the missile launched towards the East Sea, which is also known as the Sea of Japan, was detected at about 7:10am (22:10 GMT) and was fired on a “lofted trajectory”.
The JCS said later that initial analysis points to a possible use by North Korea of a newly developed solid-fuel booster for its long-range missiles.
Japan’s Defence Minister Gen Nakatani said the missile, which splashed down about 300km (190 miles) west of Japan’s Okushiri Island, off the country’s northern Hokkaido region, had flown the longest time of any of Pyongyang’s past missile tests.
“It was the longest time flying of any missile so far,” Nakatani told reporters.
“I think it may be different from conventional missiles,” he said.
North Korea’s launch of longer-range missiles in “lofted trajectory” means firing the missile almost vertically. This allows a missile to travel to a very high altitude but then land a short horizontal distance from the launch site. Such launches are said to enable Pyongyang to gather data to better understand the challenges faced when a long-range warhead re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere.
According to South Korea and Japan, the missile on Thursday recorded a flight time of 87 minutes, longer than the last ICBM test launch in December 2023, which clocked in at 73 minutes.
The trajectory of the missile reached an altitude of 7,000km (4,349 miles) and flew a distance of 1,000km (621 miles), the Japanese government said, calling it an ICBM-class missile.
The latest launch comes a day after South Korea’s military intelligence agency told lawmakers that North Korea has likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test and was close to test-firing a long-range missile capable of reaching the United States.
US National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett called the launch a “violation” of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions that he said “needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilising the security situation in the region”.
The launch also comes amid concerns about North Korea’s reported troop dispatch to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.
Speaking at a news conference in Washington, DC, with South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun on Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment are moving towards Ukraine, in what he called a dangerous and destabilising development.
South Korea reports that North Korea has sent more than 11,000 troops to Russia and that more than 3,000 of them have been moved close to fighting in western Russia.
Shin Seung-ki, head of research on North Korea’s military at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said the missile launch was likely to test the improved booster performance of an existing ICBM – possibly with the help of Russia.
“North Korea will want to keep getting help like this because it saves times and costs while improving performance and upgrading the stability of weapons system,” he said.
Having come under pressure over its engagement with Russia in Ukraine, “the intention may be to show that it will not bow to pressure, that it will respond to strength with strength, and also to seek some influence on the US presidential election,” Shin added.
