The Salha massacre, which occurred in the autumn of 1948, is considered one of the most horrific bloody episodes in the early record of the Israeli occupation. This village is located at a sensitive geographical and historical intersection between Lebanon and Palestine. While Palestinian sources classify it within the Safed district, Lebanese documents confirm that it is one of the seven villages that were detached from Lebanese territory and administratively annexed to Palestine during the British and French Mandate periods.

On October 30, 1948, forces of the Seventh Brigade of the Haganah gangs, known as 'Sheva', stormed the village as part of what was called 'Operation Hiram'. This operation aimed to establish control over the Upper Galilee region and secure the northern borders through a scorched-earth policy and forced displacement of the indigenous population.

Historical estimates indicate that the number of victims of the massacre ranged between 94 and 105 martyrs, most of whom fell in mass field executions. The tragedy began when the attacking forces ordered the villagers to gather in the mosque square under the pretext of surrendering weapons, after which a random shooting spree began, targeting unarmed civilians indiscriminately.

Survivors' testimonies recount that the Arab Liberation Army, formed to support the Palestinians, had withdrawn from the area before the arrival of Israeli forces, leaving the residents in direct confrontation with the killing machine. The attackers did not stop at shooting; they later blew up the mosque over the bodies of the martyrs and demolished homes over the heads of the remaining residents.

Historically, the residents of Salha were administratively and socially linked to the Lebanese city of Tyre, where they were registered in the 1921 census within the old population records. This connection made their tragedy a deep Lebanese wound, as some of them regained Lebanese citizenship in the 1960s, while others continued to be treated as refugees in their homeland.

After emptying the village of its inhabitants and turning it into rubble, the occupation quickly erased its geographical features by establishing agricultural and military settlements on its ruins. In 1949, the settlement of 'Yir'on' was founded, followed by the settlement of 'Avivim' in the late 1950s, to entrench a new settlement reality that obliterates the Arab identity of the place.

The Salha massacre was not an isolated incident but came as part of a series of massacres that targeted villages in Galilee and southern Lebanon during that era. Lebanese military sources documented that the Seven Villages, including Salha, Al-Malikiyah, and Hunin, were victims of international agreements that drew borders with blood and forced displacement.

Survivors of the massacre carried the memory of the killing with them to refugee camps and displacement areas in southern Lebanon, where they named neighborhoods in Tyre and Burj al-Shamali after their village. These new residential communities have become a reservoir of collective memory passed down from generation to generation, affirming the right of return that does not lapse with time.

According to the Encyclopedia of Palestinian Villages, Salha had about 1,300 inhabitants before the Nakba, and they primarily relied on agriculture and livestock farming. With the massacre, this stable life turned into a long journey of diaspora that began under the whizzing of bullets and mortar shells that targeted safe homes.

During 'Operation Hiram', Israeli violence did not spare women, children, and the elderly, as the killings were accompanied by widespread looting of property and livestock. The policy adopted aimed to terrorize neighboring villages and push their residents to flee en masse, which was partially achieved through these horrific massacres that remained without international accountability.

In Lebanese memory, Salha remains a symbol of the 'severed' villages whose people paid the price of colonial tug-of-war between Britain and France. Despite subsequent naturalization decrees in Lebanon, many residents of these villages still demand full recognition of their historical and legal rights as original landowners.

The current scene at the village site shows a sharp contrast between the ruins of old houses and the modern settlement buildings erected over them. Despite attempts to change names and landmarks, the olive and cactus trees that still stand bear witness to the identity of the land watered with the blood of more than a hundred martyrs in one night.

These documentary reports are an urgent necessity to reclaim the historical narrative from attempts at obliteration and distortion practiced by the occupation. The Salha massacre is not just a number in the record of victims; it is a story of resilience and memory resisting erasure, connecting the Nakba of Palestine with the suffering of Lebanese border villages.

In conclusion, Salha remains a living witness to the policy of replacement adopted by the Zionist gangs since 1948, a policy that targeted both land and people. Recalling these bloody episodes aims to emphasize that crimes against humanity do not lapse with the passage of time, and that memory is the first line of defense for usurped rights.

The attackers called out to the residents and ordered them to go to the mosque square, before opening fire on them in cold blood, turning the place into a mass grave.

The Israeli occupation army continues to escalate its military operations in Lebanese territories, committing a series of massacres that have affected civilians, relief teams, and military personnel alike. Field sources reported that Israeli Air Force helicopters were seen transporting injured soldiers from the border area towards Rambam Hospital in the occupied city of Haifa, following fierce clashes on the southern front.

In a new crime targeting humanitarian teams, the Lebanese Civil Defense announced the martyrdom of two of its members in the city of Nabatieh in the south of the country. The statement clarified that the Israeli targeting was direct against the relief team while they were attempting to aid an injured person from a previous raid, leading to the martyrdom of the paramedics and the injured person they were trying to save.

Regarding the military institution, the Lebanese Army mourned one of its soldiers who was martyred due to an airstrike carried out by occupation aircraft on the town of Jabshit. This incident comes amid repeated targeting of Lebanese Army positions and movements in the southern areas, despite its non-direct involvement in the ongoing military confrontations.

According to media sources, the town of Jabshit, part of the Nabatieh district, was subjected to a series of violent raids carried out by occupation drones. These attacks resulted in the martyrdom of three citizens and the injury of four others with varying degrees of wounds, as part of the scorched-earth policy pursued by the occupation in the border villages.

Field statistics indicate that the toll on the health and relief sectors has become very heavy since the start of the aggression. Medical sources confirmed the martyrdom of about 80 paramedics from various associations and relief organizations, as a result of the occupation deliberately bombing ambulance centers and fire trucks while performing their duties.

In the town of Arzoun, an Israeli raid completely destroyed a house located near an ambulance point belonging to the Islamic Message Scouts. The shelling caused extensive material damage to medical equipment and nearby facilities, hindering the ability of relief teams to respond to humanitarian calls in that area.

Intensive airstrikes today, Tuesday, included a long list of southern and Bekaa towns, including Haniyeh, Mansouri, Tyre Debba, Sha'itiyeh, and Qleileh. The shelling also hit the towns of Harouf, Bazourieh, Houche, and Sahmar in western Bekaa, leading to widespread destruction of property and infrastructure.

On the ground, Hezbollah announced a series of qualitative operations against gatherings and movements of the occupation army encroaching in the south. In its statements, the party confirmed targeting an Israeli force entrenched inside a house in the town of Houla using a guided missile that accurately hit its target, causing confirmed casualties among the force.

In the Naqoura area, the resistance carried out an aerial attack with a swarm of kamikaze drones targeting a gathering of occupation soldiers near the port. The attack was carried out in two consecutive waves to ensure the maximum possible losses among the enemy forces attempting to position themselves at strategic points.

Resistance operations also extended to the town of Bayada, where an Israeli force positioned inside a house was targeted by a kamikaze drone that carried out two consecutive raids. This coincided with the targeting of an Israeli soldier in the vicinity of Khirbet al-Manara opposite the town of Houla using a kamikaze drone that directly hit him.

Hezbollah concluded its operations for today by announcing the destruction of a Merkava tank in the vicinity of Khirbet al-Manara using a kamikaze drone. These operations come as part of countering Israeli ground incursions and affirming the resistance's ability to target deep and border areas with high efficiency.

About 80 paramedics from various relief agencies have been martyred due to direct Israeli targeting during the ongoing aggression on Lebanon.

Tension is escalating in the occupied city of Jerusalem with the revelation of Israeli plans described as the most dangerous since the city's occupation in 1967. Extreme Temple groups, with broad political support, are seeking to impose settler incursions into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque next Friday. This step gains extreme sensitivity as it coincides with the seventy-eighth anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, and what is called the Hebrew anniversary of the occupation of the eastern part of the city, placing the mosque before an intense religious and political confrontation.

The International Jerusalem Foundation warned that the occupation authorities, in coordination with extremist organizations, aim to turn this occasion into a permanent season of aggression against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. The foundation indicated that the plan goes beyond mere traditional incursions, reaching an attempt to impose unprecedented Judaization facts aimed at changing the pure Islamic identity of the place and crossing red lines that have been stable for many years.

The great danger in this move lies in the occupation's attempt to break the protocol in place since 2003, which prohibits settler incursions on Fridays and Saturdays due to the large number of Muslim worshipers. The success of settlers in entering the mosque on these days would practically mean the collapse of what remains of the historical and legal 'status quo,' which grants the Jordanian Islamic Endowments Department exclusive authority to manage the mosque's affairs.

In the context of field movements, informed sources revealed that the plan includes creating a new evening incursion period next Thursday, to be a prelude to making it a permanent reality in the future. This approach aims to extend daily incursion hours to nine hours, effectively paving the way for the temporal and spatial division project sought by the far-right government.

For his part, Jerusalem affairs researcher Ziad Abheis affirmed that the coincidence of these calls with Friday turns the issue into a direct 'sovereignty battle' within Al-Haram Al-Sharif. Abheis explained that the dense Palestinian presence on Fridays represents the biggest obstacle to the occupation's ambitions, and therefore settlers seek to break this popular will by imposing their presence during the most sacred and attended times for Muslims.

According to analytical readings of the plan, Temple groups have developed multiple incursion scenarios, starting with an attempt to enter during the usual morning period. If this is not possible due to popular steadfastness, they plan to impose a sudden incursion after Friday prayers, a step that, if it occurs, would be the first of its kind in decades, and represents a dangerous escalation that could ignite the situation throughout the Palestinian territories.

On the political level, these movements are no longer mere demands from marginal groups but have received official cover from within the Israeli government and the Knesset. Twenty-two Israeli officials, including nine ministers and 13 members of parliament, signed a letter demanding that the police secure Friday incursions, reflecting a shift in the official Israeli position towards fully adopting the agenda of the religious far-right.

The right-wing organization 'By Our Hands' is leading a wide incitement campaign to mobilize the largest number of settlers to participate in these incursions, under the slogan of restoring 'Jewish rights' in the mosque. Observers believe that this mobilization reflects a state of fierce competition within the Israeli right-wing camp, where each party seeks to prove its worth to extremist electoral bases by targeting Islamic holy sites.

In this context, the role of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stands out, as he seeks to carry out a provocative incursion into the Dome of the Rock prayer hall or the Al-Qibli Mosque based on new religious fatwas. These provocative moves aim to undermine the role of the Islamic Endowments within the covered prayer halls, which represents an advanced stage of aggression aimed at full control over all facilities of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

In the face of these threats, widespread Palestinian calls have been launched to intensify steadfastness and presence in Al-Aqsa Mosque starting from Thursday's noon prayer and continuing until Friday evening. Jerusalemite activists stressed the necessity of I'tikaf (seclusion for worship) inside the mosque despite strict security restrictions and checkpoints set up by occupation forces around the Old City to prevent worshipers from the West Bank and the occupied interior from reaching it.

A state of anticipation prevails regarding the position of the occupation police, who have not yet announced a final decision on whether to allow incursions, amid security fears of an explosion of the situation. This hesitation reflects the Israeli security agencies' awareness of the sensitivity of harming Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, and the unexpected popular and military reactions that may result.

The coincidence of these developments with the Nakba anniversary gives the confrontation a national dimension that transcends the religious dimension, as Palestinians see the defense of Al-Aqsa as a defense of their existence and national identity. Al-Aqsa Mosque represents in the Palestinian consciousness the first line of defense and the central symbol behind which all forces and activities unite in confronting liquidation and displacement projects.

Analysts believe that the coming days will be a real test of the Palestinian people's ability to protect their holy sites amidst widespread international silence and complicity from some parties. Popular resistance and steadfastness remain the last fence preventing the implementation of Judaization plans that have reached advanced stages of actual implementation on the ground with the encouragement of ministers of the extremist government.

In conclusion, what is being prepared for next Friday is not just a fleeting incursion, but part of a major strategy aimed at resolving the conflict in Jerusalem in favor of the Zionist narrative. The steadfastness of Jerusalemites and the results of this confrontation will have a significant impact on shaping the features of the next phase of the conflict over the identity of the holy city and the future of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The coincidence of events with Friday makes any potential incursion a battle for sovereignty aimed at establishing a new reality within Al-Haram Al-Sharif.

Last April, the city of Barcelona witnessed a remarkable gathering of elite progressive leaders from around the world, including Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. The core objective of this meeting was to promote the values of pluralism and democracy in the face of the global rise of the far-right, and to honor the experience of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.\n\nToday, Sánchez is the longest-serving center-left leader in power in the Western world, and he has gained widespread international recognition as the most daring leader in confronting the policies of former US President Donald Trump. While other leaders chose to avoid confrontation with Washington, Sánchez took a completely different path characterized by assertiveness and clarity.\n\nThis assertiveness was evident in firm sovereign stances, as Madrid refused to allow its military bases to be used in any potential American confrontation against Iran, and also condemned interference in Venezuelan affairs to overthrow Nicolás Maduro. These steps positioned Sánchez as a fierce opponent of the Trumpian agenda in Europe and beyond.\n\nRegarding NATO, Sánchez emerged as a lone voice opposing Trump's demands for excessive military spending last year. Not only that, but he also confronted threats of US tariffs, emphasizing the independence of European and Spanish decision-making in managing sensitive economic issues.\n\nConcerning the Palestinian issue, Sánchez led a historic diplomatic movement within the European Union to recognize the state of Palestine, describing what is happening in the Gaza Strip as a war of extermination. This principled stance enhanced his position as a moral leader in the eyes of global progressive forces, despite significant international pressure.\n\nSánchez's critics view his policies, which they describe as 'Sanchismo,' as mere populist maneuvers aimed at staying in power at any cost. However, the economic and social reality in Spain presents a different narrative, as he succeeded in transforming his country into a strong bastion of social democracy in a turbulent European environment.\n\nSánchez's journey to power began unconventionally, as he regained leadership of the Socialist Party through grassroots tours in his own car to connect with popular bases. In 2018, he successfully orchestrated the first successful vote of no confidence in modern Spanish history, ousting the conservative government mired in corruption scandals.\n\nHis tenure was characterized by high pragmatism and an ability to forge complex alliances, most notably the amnesty deal for Catalan separatists in 2023. Despite the widespread controversy and protests that accompanied this decision, it ultimately led to political stability and a significant decline in separatist tendencies within the region.\n\nUnder the slogan of 'successful progressivism,' the Spanish government achieved remarkable economic leaps, with the minimum wage increasing by over 60% in seven years. Reforms also included labor laws that reduced unemployment and protected the rights of workers and women, creating a strong social safety net.\n\nBy 2024, international economic reports described Spain as the best-performing rich economy in the world, surpassing many of its European neighbors. This success was based on developed tourism sectors, high-value service exports, and a rapid transition to renewable energy and the automotive industry.\n\nSánchez did not overlook historical aspects, working to clear the legacy of the dictatorship by moving the remains of General Franco from the 'Valley of the Fallen.' He also enacted the Democratic Memory Law, which aims to do justice to the victims of the civil war, a move conservatives considered divisive while progressives saw it as a national entitlement.\n\n"The Iberian Miracle" also relies on a flexible and generous immigration policy, where the status of hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants has been legalized to fill labor market gaps. This policy prioritizes cultural and social integration, making Spain a different model from its neighbors who adopt strict policies.\n\nAs the next elections approach, opinion polls indicate that more than half of Spaniards view current US policies as a threat to Europe. This popular sentiment strengthens Sánchez's chances, as he has made confronting Trumpism a cornerstone of his political discourse and his upcoming election campaign.\n\nIn conclusion, Pedro Sánchez has managed to formulate an alternative governing philosophy that proves that the center-left can succeed economically without abandoning its social principles. He has become a role model for leaders seeking a third way that combines idealistic ambition with political realism in a world buffeted by waves of extremism.\n\nSánchez is the longest-serving center-left leader in the West, and he has recently become known for leading the global opposition to President Trump.

Social media platforms and Hebrew media outlets witnessed a wave of incitement against Barcelona's young star, Lamine Yamal, following his appearance celebrating the Spanish League title while carrying the Palestinian flag. Media circles in Tel Aviv considered the player's action a deviation from sportsmanship and an intrusion of politics into the Catalan club's celebrations.

Yamal, 18, caught attention during the celebratory parade that toured the streets of Barcelona on an open-top bus, where he insisted on waving the Palestinian flag in front of thousands of fans. These celebrations came after a decisive victory by the Blaugrana over their traditional rival Real Madrid with two goals to nil, officially securing the league title.

Hebrew media sources, including Channel 12, reported that Yamal used this global football occasion to express what they considered controversial political stances. The channel claimed that the player chose to distinguish himself from his teammates who wore traditional club scarves, preferring to openly and explicitly show his solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

For its part, 'Yedioth Ahronoth' newspaper stated that this incident is not the first time the player of Moroccan origin has shown his principled stances, noting a previous record of statements reflecting his pride in his identity. The newspaper recalled the player's positions regarding chants targeting religious beliefs in sports stadiums.

Hebrew reports recalled previous statements by Yamal after a match between the Spanish and Egyptian national teams, in which he faced racist chants from some fans. At that time, the player affirmed his pride in being Muslim, emphasizing that football should be a bridge for human empathy, not an arena for spreading hatred or ridiculing religions.

In a related context, the 'Walla' news website launched a similar attack, claiming that the rising talent at 'Camp Nou' deliberately exploited public momentum to convey a political message. The website considered that the timing of raising the flag at the peak of the Spanish title celebrations reflected the player's insistence on showing his national and religious affiliation.

The Hebrew sports website 'ICE' described the scene of raising the Palestinian flag as the 'most controversial' moment of the Catalan celebrations evening. The website added in its report that Yamal directly chose to oppose Israeli policies through this symbolic act in front of photographers and international news agencies.

Hebrew media did not limit itself to political criticism; the sports website 'Sport 5' focused on the player's cultural background, pointing to his Moroccan origins as an influential factor in shaping his positions. The reports attempted to portray the player's solidarity with Palestine as a 'provocative' act that goes beyond the recognized spirit of sportsmanship in La Liga.

On the other hand, Yamal's picture wearing the Palestinian flag received tremendous interaction and widespread praise from Arab and pro-Palestinian fans around the world. Commentators considered that the young player's courage in expressing his opinion despite media pressure reflects great maturity and a leadership personality on and off the field.

This campaign comes at a time when debate is escalating about the role of athletes in humanitarian and political issues, especially with the increasing cases of solidarity with Gaza in European stadiums. Yamal is currently one of the most prominent talents in world football, which gives his stances a wide resonance beyond the green rectangle.

Observers believe that the Israeli incitement aims to pressure the Barcelona club management to deter its players from showing any future solidarity symbols. However, the Catalan club has not issued any official comment condemning its player's action, amidst the ongoing popular celebrations of the title that had been absent from the club's coffers.

It is worth noting that Lamine Yamal has quickly become a key player in Barcelona's and the Spanish national team's lineup, breaking many records as the youngest player to participate and score. Sports sources expect this incident to increase the player's popularity in the Arab and Islamic regions as a sports icon who embodies his identity's values.

In conclusion, the incident of raising the Palestinian flag in the streets of Barcelona remains a significant milestone in the young player's career, as he proved that sports stardom is inseparable from national commitment. Media outlets continue to monitor the repercussions of this step on the player's relationship with sponsors and international sports organizations amidst ongoing incitement.

As a Muslim, I believe that using religion as a subject of ridicule in football stadiums indicates ignorance and racism, as sports were created for enjoyment and empathy.

The young Palestinian artist Elyanna announced the release of her new song titled 'Illuminate,' which is part of the official music album for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This work comes as part of an international artistic collaboration that brought her together with Canadian singer Jessie Reyez, aiming to deliver a humanitarian message that transcends geographical boundaries, relying on the language of music to promote values of communication and belonging among different peoples.

The song features a unique fusion of global musical styles such as R&B and pop, with Middle Eastern rhythms and melodies that reflect the Palestinian artist's roots. Elyanna was keen to include Arabic lyrics within the song's text, in a step aimed at addressing the global audience in her native language, and affirming the presence of Arab and Palestinian identity on one of the largest sports and cultural platforms worldwide.

Regarding the production details, sources indicated that the song was born during a musical session that brought Elyanna and her brother Firas together with international producer 'Circut,' where it was recorded in record time with the addition of special oriental touches. The lyrics were crafted by a team that included the artist's mother and brother, in addition to artist 'Massari' and a number of writers, which gave a family and emotional character to this massive artistic project.

Visually, Elyanna appeared in the song's music video with an innovative look that blends sports and heritage symbols, using a goal net as a head accessory and adorning her hands with traditional henna drawings. These artistic details reflect Elyanna's vision in transforming global symbols into expressive tools that serve her cultural cause, highlighting the aesthetics of Palestinian heritage in a modern style that keeps pace with the aspirations of the new generation.

"I am very proud to represent my culture, my country, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Arab world on this big global stage."

Palestinian citizen Maliha Nassar wages a daily battle for survival on her land in the city of Jericho, east of the West Bank, where she insists on continuing cultivation despite the siege imposed by three expanding settlement outposts. Nassar travels long distances and many kilometers to reach her land, defying harassment from settlers and the occupation army who try in every way to deter her from continuing her agricultural project.

Since 2020, Maliha has succeeded in transforming arid land into a productive green paradise, specializing in the cultivation of aromatic plants and medicinal herbs that now find their way to local and international markets. Nassar believes that her presence in this sensitive area represents a "thorn in the side" of settlement plans that seek to transform the region into an exclusively settlement area, devoid of Palestinian presence.

The Palestinian woman faced harsh conditions imposed by the occupation authorities, including banning access to the land at certain times and her repeated detention, in addition to closing roads leading to her farm. Sources confirmed that settlers cut off water supplies to the land for three consecutive months, which led to the drying up of large areas of crops and significant damage to palm trees.

Despite these severe material losses, Maliha did not stop working. Instead, she introduced the cultivation of strong desert plants such as "Moringa," which she describes as a miracle plant for its ability to withstand harsh climatic conditions. She also works on producing sage, thyme, and wild thyme, and through this, she seeks to preserve the authentic Palestinian plant wealth and export it as a message of steadfastness to the entire world.

Nassar endures the hardship of traveling from her home in Ramallah to Jericho via rough roads and Israeli military checkpoints where she may have to wait for long hours. Maliha describes the scorching desert climate and the continuous objections from settlers as a deserved price for protecting the land, noting that the presence of steadfast Bedouin communities in the area gives her the determination to continue her journey.

Maliha recounts provocative incidents she has faced, including settlers objecting to her wearing a shirt with the name "Palestine" and the Keffiyeh emblem, emphasizing that these symbols provoke the occupation, which seeks to erase national identity. She stressed that true resistance at this stage is actual presence on the land and cultivating it, and not succumbing to forced displacement policies.

In the absence of a comprehensive national plan to enhance the steadfastness of farmers in friction areas, Nassar indicates that citizens face the occupation machine as individuals, which exposes them to the risk of killing or direct assault at any moment. She expressed hope that the world would pay attention to the suffering of Palestinian farmers and provide the necessary legal and material support to enable them to stand firm against settlement encroachment.

Maliha's story comes in the context of terrifying figures documented by official reports, where the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission has monitored a systematic escalation in attacks since the beginning of 2024. In April alone, more than 4,400 olive trees were vandalized, poisoned, and uprooted by occupation forces and settlers, in an attempt to undermine the economic foundations of Palestinians.

Statistical data indicates that settler attacks have exceeded 2,000 since the beginning of this year, resulting in the martyrdom of 15 citizens by direct settler gunfire. These figures reflect a state of security anarchy enjoyed by settlers under the protection of the Israeli army, with the aim of intimidating the indigenous population and forcing them to leave their lands.

Since the outbreak of the war of annihilation on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the scope of displacement in the West Bank has expanded to include 79 Bedouin communities whose residents have been fully or partially displaced. These communities include more than 4,700 citizens who found themselves homeless after the escalation of armed attacks targeting their tents, livestock, and basic livelihoods.

According to Palestinian reports, about 42% of the West Bank's area is now subject to various settlement procedures, with about 770,000 settlers residing in more than 430 settlement sites and random outposts. These data confirm the magnitude of the challenge faced by women like Maliha Nassar, who insist that the land belongs to its original owners and that the strangers will eventually leave.

If they try to remove Palestine from the map to erase the Palestinian presence, our role is to resist in this battle and stay here, on this land.

Mrs. Amal al-Hayya, wife of Khalil al-Hayya, head of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip, embodied a model of Palestinian steadfastness as she recounted the details of losing four of her sons and five of her grandchildren due to the continuous Israeli occupation aggressions. Al-Hayya affirmed in an interview with media sources that she remains committed to staying within the Strip, rejecting all options to leave despite the immense pain and suffering endured by the residents of Gaza, noting that her remaining children, Izz al-Din, Tasneem, and Shaima, share her determination.

The chapters of sacrifice in the al-Hayya family began in 2008, when her son Hamza was martyred along with his wife and three of his children, leaving behind a son and a daughter. He was followed by his elder brother Osama in the 2014 aggression. The targeting did not stop at the borders of the Strip but extended to her son Hammam, who was killed in an Israeli attack targeting a meeting of the movement's leaders in the Qatari capital, Doha, last year, after he was chosen by lot to accompany his parents abroad.

In a recent field development, sources announced the martyrdom of her fourth son, Azzam, this May 2026, following an Israeli attack that targeted him in Gaza City, making him a martyr after a journey of pursuit and injuries. Azzam had suffered a severe injury in 2022 and received treatment in Turkey before insisting on returning to Gaza to continue his national path alongside his people, which his mother considered proof of true belonging.

Mrs. Amal spoke with a patient heart about the last moments before Azzam's martyrdom, explaining that she had not been able to see him or hear his voice since the outbreak of the war until just two weeks before his martyrdom in a call that seemed like a final farewell. She indicated that she was afraid for him from the pain of injury and physical suffering, so she prayed to God to grant him martyrdom, which he received bravely, affirming that she had also lost many of her siblings and relatives during the years of conflict.

Regarding her feelings about the loss of her sons, the wife of the Palestinian leader explained that she was unable to bid farewell to any of her martyred sons due to the difficult field conditions, but she received the news of their ascension with steadfastness, praise, and prostration in gratitude to God. She stressed that her family refuses to be distinguished from the rest of the citizens, as her children and grandchildren live under the same harsh conditions and siege imposed by the occupation on all residents of the Strip without exception.

Al-Hayya expressed her deep pride in offering her sons as a sacrifice for Palestine, considering that the children of leaders must be at the forefront of those who sacrifice and not fall behind the resisting popular movement. She believed that these sacrifices are a small part of what the Palestinian people offer, who have faced difficulties that mountains would struggle to bear, describing the people of Gaza as having become a 'beauty mark on the forehead of the nation' with their legendary steadfastness in the face of the Israeli war machine.

In conclusion, Mrs. Amal al-Hayya extended a message of salute and reverence to all families in the Gaza Strip who have given their most precious possessions, praying to God to grant them imminent victory, break the siege, and relieve their distress. She affirmed that the will to remain on the land is the strongest weapon in confronting attempts at displacement and liquidation, and that the blood of her sons and grandchildren is fuel from which the Palestinian people draw strength to continue their path towards freedom.

The children of leaders must be at the forefront and not fall behind their people as they resist the occupation, and I feel proud that I offered my children as a sacrifice for their homeland.

As the seventy-eighth anniversary of the Nakba approaches in May 2026, discussions are escalating in research centers about the ability of the Palestinian diaspora in Silicon Valley to transform their programming excellence into a solid political lever. This comes at a time when the American administration is adopting pro-settlement policies, relying on deep alliances with cybersecurity and big data analytics companies.

Experts believe that talking about digital resistance is no longer an academic luxury, but has become a strategic necessity that requires the creation of a Palestinian tech lobby that engages with Washington in the language of interests. The goal is to move from mere traditional protest to exercising real pressure emanating from the data centers that make global strategic decisions.

Dr. Tariq Dana, a researcher in political economy, emphasizes that the current dilemma lies in the continued fragmented individual work of Palestinian talents within major technology companies. Dana describes this situation as 'technical alienation,' calling for a radical shift from the role of a professional employee to the role of an influential sovereign actor in public policies.

Dana adds that the presence of Palestinians in key semiconductor companies gives the cause a historic opportunity to technically disrupt the settlement narrative. Electronic chips are the engine of all modern technology, and possessing expertise in them raises the cost of technical complicity with the occupation and imposes new geographical realities on monitoring systems.

For his part, Raja Khalidi, director of the 'MAS' Institute, believes that Palestinian entrepreneurs in America represent a dormant economic force that has not yet been exploited to confront settlement policies. Khalidi points out that these entrepreneurs manage companies worth billions of dollars, which gives them the ability to speak the language of profit and competitiveness that American administrations understand.

Khalidi proposes building a financial-technical lobby that clearly links massive investments in the technology sector with Washington's commitment to stopping land encroachment in the West Bank. Transforming local innovation models into a cross-border global pressure network can make recognition of the Palestinian state a condition for the stability of international technical cooperation.

Despite these ambitions, this vision faces serious challenges related to job dependence and strict corporate laws in the United States. Expressing political stances against Washington's policies can lead to 'forced professional exile,' prompting many to prefer silent resistance over explicit confrontation.

The challenge of counter-infiltration emerges as a major obstacle, with sources indicating that the pro-occupation lobby is a founding partner in many Silicon Valley companies. This infiltration creates a politically hostile work environment for any emerging Palestinian bloc, making it difficult to direct wealth towards organized political action without legal risks.

Researcher Noor Arafa warns of the danger of conflict in the field of cybersecurity, where building independent monitoring tools requires direct confrontation with big data analytics giants. Arafa emphasizes that maintaining the integrity of Palestinian data requires a technical infrastructure that is not currently available collectively, necessitating a cross-continental alliance.

Arafa considers the 2026 battle to be a battle of encryption and data sovereignty par excellence, aimed at protecting the digital map from falsification. She proposes the idea of building a 'sovereign cloud' for the Palestinian diaspora that grants the national narrative digital immunity against deletion or manipulation by major social media platforms and biased companies.

Palestinian engineers' ability to develop independent computing tools is what will protect the political future of the cause from informational evaporation. A state recognized by open algorithms and documented by real-time data becomes politically impossible to bypass in any future Middle East equations.

In this context, prominent Palestinian names emerge, such as Charlie Kawas at Broadcom, Jumana Muwafi at Synopsys, and Andrew Da'doum in the healthcare sector. These represent potential parties in the presumed lobby, and the bet remains on their ability to transform their individual successes into organized collective action that serves the cause.

The reports conclude by emphasizing that time is not on the side of waiting in light of increasing technical dominance, politically supported by international parties. Building the Palestinian tech lobby in the diaspora is the remaining path to protect land and identity from digital erasure, and opportunities to impose recognition of the state as a geographically and informationally connected entity.

Ultimately, the key to return is no longer just an old metal symbol, but has transformed into a fortified software password that opens the doors of sovereignty. Drawing a map of Palestine that algorithms cannot erase begins from the heart of technology centers in California, where the digital and political future of the world is shaped.

The key to return is no longer a metal symbol carried by the refugee, but has become a fortified software password that opens the doors of sovereignty from the heart of California.

Although the 2028 US presidential elections are still far off in time, the corridors of the Republican Party have begun to witness intense activity regarding the identity of the next leader. The names of Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand out as the strongest candidates to succeed Donald Trump, amidst increasing speculation about who will receive the current president's blessing.

Informed sources reported that President Trump repeatedly asks a fundamental question to his aides in the White House and at Mar-a-Lago about who is most suitable to lead the party in the future. While Vance and Rubio try to avoid direct confrontation, their recent political moves indicate that the undeclared primary race has already begun within the Republican camp.

Trump constantly tests the loyalty of those around him by polling their opinions on their preferred candidate, and he has hinted on several occasions at the possibility of forming a joint ticket combining the two men. Trump describes both Vance and Rubio as 'young,' a clear indication of his desire to inject new blood to lead the next generation of conservatives.

On the diplomatic front, Marco Rubio has significantly intensified his international presence in recent weeks, appearing in the White House briefing room to discuss tensions with Iran. He also conducted a European tour that included meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which enhanced his image as an international leadership figure.

Rubio is scheduled to accompany President Trump on an important official visit to China, a move observers see as strengthening his position as an architect of American foreign policy. His allies believe that his ability to speak both English and Spanish gives him a strategic advantage in attracting Latino and moderate voters who are hesitant to support hardline rhetoric.

In contrast, J.D. Vance is solidifying his position as the legitimate heir to the populist movement founded by Trump, relying on a solid popular base in rural states. During his recent visit to Iowa, Vance launched a sharp attack on the Democrats' cultural agenda, emphasizing that the opposing party has moved away from the concerns of the working class in favor of identity issues.

Vance greatly benefits from his current position as Vice President, which gives him extensive logistical influence and a superior ability to raise funds from major donors. His oversight of financial affairs in the Republican National Committee also makes him the person most connected to the political funding networks that will decide future battles.

Despite the implicit rivalry, both men are keen to show a friendly relationship at public events inside the White House, where they exchange conversations about family and sports issues. Rubio had previously stated that he would be among Vance's first supporters if the latter decided to run for president, in an attempt to calm fears of a party split.

Recent opinion polls issued by the 'Pew' institution indicate a relative advantage for Vance among grassroots supporters, where he enjoys an approval rating of 75% among Republicans. In contrast, Rubio received 64%, with a knowledge gap among about 19% of Republican voters who do not have sufficient information about him.

Strategic experts believe that the image of a 'sensible politician' that Rubio represents may be attractive to centrist voters in general elections, away from sharp polarization. However, the close association with Trump's policies could be a double-edged sword for Vance, especially if the administration faces major economic or military challenges in the near future.

The upcoming midterm elections are considered the real test of the two men's strength, as their results will determine the ability of each to mobilize voters and achieve field victories. If the party falters, Vance may find himself facing direct criticism as the primary partner in decision-making within the current administration.

Donald Trump remains the most important player and the main driver of all these scenarios, as he has not yet shown a real desire to relinquish his absolute leadership. Some close to the former administration believe that Trump prefers to maintain a state of competition among his aides to ensure their full loyalty to him without thinking about political independence.

The challenges associated with energy prices and regional wars may reshape the priorities of the Republican voter, which could change the balance of power between the 'populism' represented by Vance and the 'institutionalism' represented by Rubio. Each of them will have to prove their ability to provide practical solutions to livelihood crises away from ideological speeches.

Ultimately, the question Trump poses remains unanswered, awaiting what the coming years will bring in political transformations. Whether the choice is Vance or Rubio, the Republican Party is heading towards a transitional phase that will define the contours of American politics for decades to come.

It is sad for a child raised in a union Democratic family to realize that Democrats today care more about transgender issues than they do about protecting citizens' money.

Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, has been facing harsh detention conditions in Israeli occupation prisons for nearly 18 months. Family sources reported that the 52-year-old doctor is subjected to a systematic starvation policy and deliberate deprivation of basic medical care, which has led to a severe deterioration in his general health.

Abu Safiya had voluntarily surrendered to the occupation forces in December 2024, in a heroic step aimed at protecting patients and medical staff and preventing the storming of the hospital, which was the last health facility in the northern Strip. Since then, direct communication between him and his family has been cut off, and they live in constant anxiety over his unknown fate.

Elias Abu Safiya, the son of the detained doctor, explained that his father is suffering from a significant health deterioration as a result of being deprived of all his rights guaranteed by international laws for prisoners. He pointed out that the occupation authorities did not allow his father to meet his lawyer until after 90 days of complete prohibition, under intense human rights and international pressure demanding disclosure of his fate.

The family follows the doctor's news with great difficulty through lawyer Nasser Odeh, and the doctor's son confirmed that all news coming from behind bars increases their fears. Elias described the family's situation as living in continuous torment, as they await any information as if it might be the last news about their father, who was forcibly disappeared from practicing his humanitarian profession.

The family condemned the continued detention of Dr. Abu Safiya without any formal charges, stressing that his record with the Public Prosecution and the Israeli Supreme Court is free of any legal violations. Sources indicated that the only crime Abu Safiya committed was his insistence on saving the lives of children and the wounded amidst the harsh war conditions that ravaged northern Gaza.

Legal data provided by the 'Physicians for Human Rights' organization indicate that Abu Safiya is one of 375 medical personnel detained by Israel without fair trials. These personnel are held under the so-called 'unlawful combatant' law, a legislation used by the occupation to justify indefinite detention without the need to present clear evidence or indictments.

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya has become a global symbol of professional steadfastness, especially after the scenes that documented his movement among the rubble in his white medical uniform to confront the occupation mechanisms. The doctor refused to leave the hospital throughout months of siege, preferring to stay with sick children who were facing the imminent danger of death from all sides due to lack of resources.

Abu Safiya's suffering was not limited to detention and torture; he was also heartbroken by the martyrdom of his son Ibrahim in October 2024 due to an Israeli bombing that targeted the vicinity of Kamal Adwan Hospital. The doctor himself was injured during repeated attacks on the medical facility before he was led away in shackles by occupation soldiers after the hospital was stormed and parts of it were burned.

Human rights reports indicate that the occupation transferred Abu Safiya at the beginning of his detention to the notorious 'Sde Teiman' center in the Negev desert, before he was later transferred to Ofer Prison. In the absence of justice, his detention was extended several times during 2025, the last of which was a decision issued last October to extend his detention for an additional six months.

The doctor's appearance in a leaked recording broadcast by Israeli media in February 2025 sparked a wide wave of international condemnation, as he appeared handcuffed and in a state of extreme weakness. Human rights organizations considered that publishing such images falls under 'psychological terrorism' practiced by the occupation against Palestinian medical personnel and their families with the aim of breaking their will.

Legal sources confirm that the use of emergency laws to disappear doctors aims primarily at destroying the health system in Gaza and depriving civilians of the last line of defense for their lives. Abu Safiya remains a model for hundreds of doctors who pay the price for their commitment to the medical oath amidst international silence regarding the blatant violations they are subjected to inside Israeli interrogation centers.

The Abu Safiya family appeals to the international community and global medical institutions to intervene immediately to save their father's life and ensure his release and the release of his detained colleagues. The family stresses that the continued detention of medical personnel under vague legal pretexts constitutes a war crime that requires prosecuting those responsible in international courts to ensure that these tragedies are not repeated.

My father is living in tragic circumstances and is subjected to systematic starvation, and we live in constant anxiety and treat every call as if it were the last.

Attention is turning towards the Gulf region with escalating tensions following the recent aggression against Iran, as preparations are underway for a large-scale international naval movement involving more than 40 countries. This mission aims to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which is considered one of the most vital waterways for global energy trade.

This anticipated naval mission is the largest of its kind in the history of dealing with the Strait of Hormuz issue, both in terms of the number of participating countries and the level of representation. For the first time, preparatory meetings are being held at the level of defense ministers, reflecting the international seriousness in addressing threats to navigation security.

Both Britain and France are leading this mission through a joint political and military management structure, aiming to coordinate international efforts. Countries from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America are participating in this coalition, in a collective endeavor to restore stability and freedom of movement in the maritime passage.

On the ground, more than 12 countries have officially announced their readiness to provide direct military contributions to support the mission. These contributions include sending advanced warships, modern reconnaissance assets, in addition to specialized teams for naval mine clearance to ensure the safety of passing vessels.

Major countries such as Germany and Italy have expressed their desire to join this movement, provided that it is within a clear international legal framework. These steps were preceded by an extensive military meeting in the British capital, London, which included representatives from 44 countries to develop detailed plans for protecting commercial ships.

The primary tasks of the international force are to escort oil tankers and commercial vessels as they pass through sensitive areas in the Strait. The forces will also sweep the waters for naval mines, and prevent any attempts to seize ships or launch attacks that could disrupt global supply chains.

The joint command in London and Paris affirmed that the nature of the mission will be purely defensive and not offensive, emphasizing its commitment to international law. Sources clarified that the actual launch of field operations is linked to the establishment of a permanent ceasefire, despite ongoing intensive military preparations.

In a show of readiness, France deployed the aircraft carrier 'Charles de Gaulle' to the region to bolster the European naval presence. From the British side, the destroyer 'HMS Dragon' arrived at the designated locations, sending a clear message about the commitment to securing the Strait and restoring confidence in international trade.

Today, Tuesday, the British government announced an enhancement of its contribution with advanced equipment, including autonomous devices dedicated to detecting underwater mines. 'Typhoon' fighter jets will also participate in providing the necessary air cover for the defensive mission, to ensure comprehensive protection from air and sea threats.

In contrast, Tehran has expressed strong opposition to this move, as Iran rejects any foreign military presence in its territorial waters and considers it an escalation. Amidst this tug-of-war, observers believe that the presence of an independent defensive force led by Europe could help reassure global shipping companies and reduce the risks of a catastrophic closure of the Strait.

This is an opportunity for Europeans as a middle power to play a diplomatic role, and it is a message to their allies in the Gulf that we are present and support our local allies.

Palestinian medical sources announced on Tuesday evening the martyrdom of a young man and the injury of another by Israeli occupation forces' bullets in Al-Ram town, located north of occupied Jerusalem. This new crime comes amidst an escalating targeting of Palestinian civilians in areas adjacent to the racist annexation and expansion wall.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed that its field teams received the martyr's body after he was directly shot by occupation soldiers stationed near the wall. The teams also dealt with another live bullet injury to the foot area, where the injured person was transferred to the hospital for necessary treatment and their condition was described as stable.

Occupation authorities claimed that the shooting occurred after the two young men attempted to cross the racist annexation and expansion wall built on Al-Ram town's lands, a justification that is constantly repeated to legitimize field killings. Israeli forces impose strict security measures in that area, hindering the movement of citizens and constantly endangering their lives.

In a related context, occupation forces launched a campaign of raids and incursions in various areas of the West Bank, resulting in the arrest of several citizens, including children. Local sources reported that a military force stormed Qalqilya city, north of the West Bank, and arrested a child whose identity or destination of detention is unknown until now.

Arrests also extended to Hizma town, northeast of occupied Jerusalem, where a Palestinian young man was arrested after his home was raided, searched, and its contents tampered with. These arrests are part of a daily policy adopted by the Israeli army to intimidate Palestinian residents in towns and villages surrounding the Holy City.

In Jenin Governorate, occupation authorities handed citizen Bilal Khalil Jaradat from Silat al-Harithiya town an official notice to seize his home. The military decision justified this measure on the grounds of using the house for 'military purposes,' which threatens to displace a new Palestinian family from their residence.

Violations in Silat al-Harithiya did not stop at demolition and confiscation notices; Israeli bulldozers continued extensive leveling operations of agricultural lands in the town. These operations aim to construct new settlement roads connecting settlements built on citizens' lands, leading to the encroachment of more green spaces.

In Jericho city, occupation forces, in cooperation with groups of settlers, placed concrete blocks to close a vital road southwest of the city. This closure targeted the Wadi al-Qelt intersection and the vicinity of Aqabat Jaber camp, causing traffic obstruction and restricting the movement of citizens between neighboring villages.

Sa'ir town, north of Hebron, witnessed violent confrontations between Palestinian youths and occupation forces who stormed the town amidst heavy firing of gas and sound bombs. Simultaneously, the Israeli army set up a sudden military checkpoint on the road connecting Yabroud and Silwad, east of Ramallah, where passersby were subjected to thorough searches.

Official Palestinian statistics indicate that the pace of Israeli violence in the West Bank has reached record levels since October 2023. During this period, 1155 martyrs have fallen, and about 11750 others have been injured, while the number of detainees has exceeded 22,000 Palestinians amidst unprecedented repressive campaigns.

Our teams received a martyr after he was hit by live bullets fired by the occupation forces, allegedly for attempting to cross the racist annexation and expansion wall in Al-Ram town.

Informed sources revealed that Tehran has informed the American side of five preconditions, which it described as necessary for building trust before engaging in the second round of negotiations. The sources confirmed that the current Iranian stance is characterized by rigidity, as the Iranian leadership refuses to enter into any diplomatic dialogue without the practical and tangible implementation of these demands on the ground.

These moves come at a time when Iran feels it possesses field power cards, especially with what it describes as the failure of the American 'Freedom Project,' which did not succeed in imposing a new reality in the Strait of Hormuz. Political circles in Tehran believe that the continued existence of its enriched uranium stockpile strengthens its negotiating position against the pressures exerted by President Donald Trump's administration.

The list of five conditions set by Tehran includes the necessity of ending the war on all raging fronts, with a clear reference to the Lebanese front as part of this demand. Iran also stipulates the complete lifting of economic sanctions imposed on it, considering these steps as the only gateway to demonstrating American good intentions towards any future settlement.

In addition to political demands, Tehran demanded the immediate release of all frozen Iranian funds abroad, as well as financial compensation for the damages it incurred as a result of the war. The condition of international and sovereign recognition of Iran's full supervision over the Strait of Hormuz also emerged as one of the fundamental, non-negotiable items from its perspective.

Sources explained that Tehran conveyed these conditions through the Pakistani mediator, expressing its dissatisfaction with the continued American naval blockade in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. It considered that the presence of American naval vessels in those areas after the announcement of a ceasefire reinforces the state of distrust and makes sitting at the negotiating table impossible at present.

In contrast, the Iranian response came as a direct rejection of an American proposal described as 'unilateral' and aimed at achieving political gains that Washington failed to extract by military means. Tehran believes that the latest American proposal was formulated to serve partisan and electoral interests in Washington without regard for Iranian sovereign rights or new regional balances.

For his part, the American response was not delayed, as President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of a limited military action targeting Iranian facilities to impose a new reality. Trump stated that his administration is not in a hurry to reach an agreement, emphasizing that any future deal must ensure Tehran abandons uranium enrichment by one hundred percent.

The American president concluded his statements before heading to China by asserting that the United States will only conclude a 'good deal' that permanently prevents Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon. He indicated that Washington would seek to obtain what he described as 'Iranian nuclear dust' to ensure the termination of any path that could lead to the development of military nuclear capabilities in the future.

No negotiations will take place without the practical implementation of these conditions, which represent the minimum guarantees for building trust.

By: Said Arikat

May 13, 2026

News analysis

Washington, D.C- While the world remains transfixed by the horrors unfolding in Gaza and the expanding regional confrontation involving Iran, another historic transformation is quietly accelerating in the occupied West Bank. Far from the television cameras and emergency summits, Israel is steadily reshaping the territory into a fragmented landscape of permanent control, expanding settlements, military isolation, and creeping annexation. What is emerging is not merely a harsher occupation. It is the slow destruction of the geographic, political, and economic foundations of a future Palestinian state.

That was the stark warning delivered by Max Rodenbeck, director of the Israel-Palestine project at the International Crisis Group, during a briefing before the United Nations Security Council on May 8. His assessment painted a grim picture of a territory being systematically transformed into disconnected Palestinian enclaves surrounded by Israeli military infrastructure, settlements, and settler-controlled corridors.

According to Rodenbeck, Palestinians in the West Bank now confront more than 900 checkpoints, roadblocks, military gates, and movement restrictions that have turned ordinary life into a daily ordeal. Entire villages can be sealed off without warning. Workers spend hours trapped at checkpoints trying to reach their jobs. Students miss schools and universities. Patients struggle to access hospitals. Farmers are denied entry to their lands during critical harvest seasons.

But the deeper significance of these restrictions lies beyond the immediate suffering they inflict. They are not simply temporary security arrangements imposed during a moment of instability. They are instruments of territorial fragmentation designed to break Palestinian continuity and isolate Palestinian communities from one another. Roads are cut. Towns are separated. Economic life is paralyzed. Social cohesion slowly erodes.

The result is a map increasingly resembling disconnected islands of Palestinian population centers surrounded by expanding Israeli control.

At the same time, settler violence across large parts of the West Bank has escalated dramatically, particularly in vulnerable rural areas such as the Jordan Valley and the South Hebron Hills. Rodenbeck warned that these attacks can no longer be dismissed as the actions of isolated extremists. Increasingly, they occur within an atmosphere of institutional protection and near-total impunity.

Palestinian communities face sustained intimidation campaigns aimed at forcing residents from their homes and lands. Villages are attacked. Livestock is stolen or killed. Agricultural property is burned or vandalized. In many documented incidents, Israeli soldiers are present during settler assaults and are accused either of standing aside or actively protecting the attackers.

The distinction between unofficial settler violence and state authority is becoming dangerously blurred.

This violence directly serves the rapid expansion of Israeli settlements throughout the occupied territory. New outposts continue to emerge and are quickly connected to roads, utilities, military protection, and administrative support. Meanwhile, neighboring Palestinian communities face severe restrictions on construction, land use, and development. Homes are demolished while settlements expand.

Together, these policies are producing a reality that appears increasingly irreversible.

The most consequential development may be the growing role of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, one of the strongest advocates of annexation within Israel’s far-right government. Smotrich has steadily acquired powers once exercised by Israel’s military administration in the occupied territories, effectively functioning as a civilian authority over large parts of the West Bank.

On the surface, these bureaucratic changes may appear technical. In reality, they represent a profound political shift.

Under international law, military occupation is theoretically temporary. Civilian governance implies permanence. By transferring authority from military structures to Israeli civilian institutions led by annexationist politicians, Israel is gradually erasing even the formal distinction between sovereign Israeli territory and occupied Palestinian land.

This is annexation by administration rather than declaration.

Road systems, planning authorities, land registration, infrastructure management, and territorial governance are increasingly absorbed into Israeli civilian control. The process advances incrementally, often quietly, but with enormous long-term consequences. Every bureaucratic change creates new “facts on the ground” that become harder to reverse politically or diplomatically.

Meanwhile, economic pressure is intensifying the crisis. Israel’s withholding of billions of dollars in Palestinian tax revenues has severely weakened the Palestinian Authority’s ability to function. Public-sector salaries are delayed. Essential services are deteriorating. Restrictions on Palestinian labor inside Israel have deepened unemployment and poverty across the West Bank.

The cumulative effect is a society being squeezed from every direction: economically weakened, geographically fragmented, politically paralyzed, and increasingly hopeless.

What makes this moment particularly dangerous is the weakness of the international response. The United States occasionally criticizes settlement expansion and settler violence, but such criticism has remained largely rhetorical. Washington appears unwilling to impose meaningful political costs on Israel amid broader regional instability following the Gaza war and the escalating confrontation with Iran.

But this hesitation carries consequences.

For Israel’s far-right leadership, the absence of meaningful international pressure reinforces the belief that creeping annexation can proceed without serious repercussions. And with every passing month, the territorial foundations of a viable Palestinian state continue to disappear.

The tragedy is that this transformation is unfolding gradually enough to avoid the shock of a single dramatic event. There is no formal declaration announcing the end of the two-state solution. No singular moment commanding global intervention. Instead, there are checkpoints, settlement roads, administrative decrees, land confiscations, economic restrictions, armed settlers, and bureaucratic transfers of authority — each appearing manageable in isolation, yet collectively reshaping the future of the conflict.

History may ultimately record that the Palestinian state did not collapse in one decisive war or diplomatic failure. It died slowly, silently, and piece by piece, while the world was looking somewhere else.

Washington – Said Arikat – 5/12/2026

News Analysis

In his interview with "60 Minutes," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to present himself as a leader who faced an "existential moment" after the October 7, 2023 attack, rather than as the primary political official responsible for the security and intelligence collapse that shook Israel. While he admitted for the first time, almost indirectly, that responsibility "lies with everyone, from the prime minister down the hierarchy," he quickly tried to shift the discussion from the question of failure to the question of "what comes after failure," meaning the wars Israel has waged since that day against Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran.

This shift in discourse is not improvised; rather, it reflects a clear attempt to reframe Israeli and international consciousness: from holding the political and military leadership accountable for the security catastrophe, to portraying Netanyahu as a historic war leader leading a battle to "save Israel" from the "Iranian encirclement." In this sense, the limited acknowledgment of responsibility was merely a political maneuver to alleviate internal pressure, not a prelude to genuine accountability.

Most tellingly, Netanyahu again refused to form an official independent investigative committee, preferring a politically-oriented committee whose results could be controlled. This refusal reveals the core of the crisis: the man not only fears the results of the investigation but also fears that the investigation will become a moment of collapse for his entire political project, especially after many years of presenting himself as the "security master" capable of protecting Israel and deterring its adversaries.

Netanyahu's statements reveal a deep dilemma within the Israeli political system: the ruling elite wants to acknowledge failure without paying its political price. Therefore, responsibility is generalized to everyone so that true responsibility is lost. When everyone is responsible, no one is actually responsible. This formula allows Netanyahu to remain in power despite the biggest security failure in modern Israeli history. But the problem is that societies do not regain their trust by collectively distributing blame, but by clear and transparent accountability that starts from the top of authority, not from soldiers or lower-ranking employees.

In the same interview, Netanyahu also tried to justify Israel's shift towards open regional wars, considering the Hamas attack as merely part of a comprehensive Iranian project to "strangle Israel." From this, he justified expanding the war to Lebanon and Yemen, and then direct confrontation with Iran in cooperation with the United States. But this discourse ignores a fundamental truth: that Israeli policies themselves, especially in Gaza and the West Bank, contributed to creating an environment of continuous explosion.

For years, Netanyahu relied on managing the conflict rather than resolving it, and on weakening the Palestinian Authority while turning a blind eye to the growing power of Hamas, based on a concept of keeping Palestinians divided. However, the October 7 attack revealed the complete collapse of this doctrine. Nevertheless, Netanyahu refuses to acknowledge that the crisis is not only security-related but also political and moral.

One of the most striking parts of the interview was Netanyahu's demand for the United States to send special forces into Iran to extract enriched Iranian uranium, considering it the "only way" to end what he called "Iranian nuclear ambitions." This proposal reveals the extent of escalation that now governs Israeli thinking, as it is no longer limited to airstrikes or economic sanctions but has moved to calling for direct military operations inside Iranian territory, with all the possibilities of a wide regional explosion that this entails. More strikingly, the interview did not address Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal at all, which is one of the region's most obvious and simultaneously denied secrets. Thus, the discourse seemed to demand complete nuclear exclusivity for Israel, under the guise of "non-proliferation" and "stability protection," while Israel itself is exempt from any accountability or international oversight.

What is dangerous in Netanyahu's discourse is not only the justification of war but the transformation of war into a permanent doctrine. Instead of reviewing the causes of the explosion, military escalation is presented as the only solution. This vision makes the entire region hostage to the logic of open force. The wars that began in Gaza have spread to Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran, while the United States appears to be more entangled in Israeli calculations. The result is not the restoration of stability, but the production of a more turbulent Middle East, where politics recedes in favor of security, and diplomacy recedes in favor of the logic of aggression and occupation.

In his discussion of Iran, Netanyahu appeared less confident than he tries to show publicly. When asked about his previous predictions regarding Iran's weakness and inability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz, he admitted that "no one has a complete vision." He also acknowledged the existence of "risks and uncertainties" in the joint war with Washington against Tehran. This acknowledgment is important because it reveals the limits of military power, even for Israel and the United States.

Nevertheless, Netanyahu continued to bet on the idea of the gradual collapse of the Iranian regime, considering that its fall would automatically lead to the collapse of its allies in the region, from Hezbollah to Hamas and the Houthis. But this perception reflects a simplistic understanding of the structure of regional conflicts, as it ignores that these forces are no longer mere Iranian "proxies" but have become part of a complex political and social reality shaped over decades of wars, occupation, and divisions.

In another part of the interview, Netanyahu complained about the decline of Israel's image globally, attributing the reason to "propaganda wars" and social media. However, this explanation ignores the scenes of massive destruction in Gaza, the large number of civilian casualties, and the growing international criticism of Israel's military policies. The crisis is not just a "picture" crisis, but a crisis of political and humanitarian reality that has become difficult to market even within allied Western societies.

Netanyahu's attempt to reduce the global decline in Israel's popularity to a "propaganda" problem reflects a growing disconnect between official Israeli discourse and ongoing global transformations. Young generations in the West do not rely solely on the traditional narrative coming from governments and major media outlets but directly see images of war and destruction through digital platforms. Therefore, the crisis is deeper than just a media battle; it is a crisis of moral and political legitimacy. And as long as the war continues without a political horizon, the erosion of Israel's image will increase, even within societies that were historically more sympathetic to it.

Brazilian activist Thiago Avila arrived in São Paulo on Monday, following the Israeli occupation authorities' decision to deport him after a ten-day detention period. Upon his arrival at São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport, Avila stated that he had been subjected to various forms of abuse and torture, describing what happened to him as a full-fledged kidnapping rather than a legal arrest.

Avila clarified in his statements that the violations were not limited to him alone, but also included his companion, Spanish activist Seif Abu Kishk, as they faced harsh conditions inside Israeli detention centers. The Brazilian activist also conveyed painful testimonies of what he witnessed behind bars, confirming that Palestinian prisoners in adjacent cells are subjected to more brutal and cruel treatment that exceeds all international conventions.

In the context of legal responses, the occupation authorities rejected the accusations made by the human rights center 'Adalah', which undertook the task of defending the activists before Israeli courts. Israeli sources claimed that all measures taken against international solidarity activists were in accordance with the law, which was denied by the Brazilian and Spanish governments, who considered the detention an illegal and blatant transgression.

Avila and Abu Kishk had participated in the second 'Global Freedom Flotilla', which set sail from the Spanish coast on April 12th. The flotilla aims to try to break the unjust naval blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip for years, and to deliver urgent humanitarian and relief aid to the besieged population suffering from severe living crises.

Sources reported that Israeli naval forces intercepted the flotilla at sea and prevented it from proceeding towards its destination, where Avila and Abu Kishk were arrested and transferred to the occupied territories. At the same time, the occupation authorities diverted the course of more than a hundred other international activists who were on board the ships, forcibly deporting them to the Greek island of Crete.

Both activists faced serious security charges brought against them by the Israeli prosecution, including 'aiding the enemy' and 'communicating with terrorist organizations', accusations that the activists completely denied before the court. After international and human rights pressure, the authorities decided to release them last Saturday and hand them over to immigration departments in preparation for their expulsion from the country.

A crowd of solidarity activists and campaigners welcomed Avila at the airport, raising banners demanding that the Brazilian government cut diplomatic ties with Israel in response to its crimes. For his part, Avila called on the international community to work seriously to defeat those he described as 'war criminals', specifically mentioning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the policies supporting him.

Israel kidnapped me, and I was not a prisoner. My return today is merely a correction of a serious legal and humanitarian violation.

A human rights report issued by the Israeli organization "Bimkom" revealed a dangerous escalation in the discriminatory planning policies pursued by the occupation authorities against Palestinian residents in the occupied city of Jerusalem. The report clarified that the year 2025 witnessed a huge gap in the approval of housing units, as only 600 Palestinian housing units were approved, compared to the approval of about 9,000 housing units for settlers and Jews in the city.

These shocking figures indicate that the Palestinians' share of approved housing plans did not exceed 7%, a figure that is absolutely inconsistent with their demographic size, as they constitute about 40% of Jerusalem's population. This reality reflects a continuous deterioration in housing rights, as Jerusalemites currently benefit from only 26% of the total existing housing units in both parts of the city.

Compared to the previous year, data shows that 2024 saw the approval of two thousand housing units in Palestinian neighborhoods, meaning that 2025 recorded a sharp decrease of approximately 70% in building rights granted to Palestinians. In contrast, Jewish neighborhoods and settlements in 2024 received approvals covering 15,700 housing units, including thousands of units on lands occupied in 1967.

The human rights organization described this situation as an exacerbated freeze of urban planning allocated to Palestinians in East Jerusalem, coupled with a widespread acceleration of settlement projects. This dual policy aims to stifle the natural growth of Jerusalemites and expand the Jewish presence throughout the city, serving clear political and demographic agendas.

Among the most prominent obstacles set by the occupation authorities is the tightening of procedures related to proving land ownership as a basic condition for approving any building plans or issuing permits. This policy is a fatal blow to the Palestinian population, given that the majority of lands in East Jerusalem are still not officially registered in the land registry known as "Tabu" for decades.

The report links the planning freeze to the resumption of "land settlement" procedures pursued by the Israeli government since 2018, a process aimed at registering land ownership whose procedures have not been completed since 1967. Although this process is marketed as a regulatory measure, field results prove that it is a tool for land confiscation and legitimizing control over it for the benefit of Zionist institutions.

The figures reveal that settlement procedures included about 9,000 dunams, but out of 2,300 dunams whose procedures were completed, only 1% was registered in the name of Palestinian owners. In contrast, about 82% of those lands were registered in the name of the occupation state, the Jerusalem municipality, and other public bodies, while the remaining percentage was allocated to private settlement entities.

Human rights sources confirmed that the majority of lands subject to this settlement are immediately allocated for the establishment of new settlements, with work currently underway to push for eight settlements comprising nearly 20,000 housing units. A large part of these massive projects is planned on lands newly registered in the name of the state after being seized from their original owners through the aforementioned settlement mechanism.

For their part, urban planning experts explained that what is happening in Jerusalem is no longer just administrative discrimination, but a systematic process of "demographic engineering" aimed at reshaping the city's identity. While obstacles are removed for thousands of settlement units behind the Green Line, impossible conditions are placed on Palestinians, preventing them from exercising their basic right to housing on their historical lands.

The occupation government had decided last February to end all procedures for settling and registering Jerusalem lands by 2029, with huge budgets allocated for this purpose. Human rights organizations warned that this step aims to entrench Israeli sovereignty over occupied East Jerusalem and facilitate the uprooting of Palestinian communities that lack official documents consistent with Israeli standards.

Jerusalemites face impossible difficulties in providing official documents, especially since registration operations that began during the Jordanian administration were forcibly stopped after the occupation of the city in 1967. Experts estimate that only 5% to 10% of the lands are officially registered, leaving the vast majority of the population vulnerable to demolition or confiscation under the pretext of unlicensed construction.

The fragmentation of ownership and the distribution of heirs between inside and outside make proving the right to land an almost impossible task before Israeli courts and committees, which the occupation authorities exploit to implement their plans. These policies continue to push Jerusalemites towards forced migration outside the city limits, as part of a silent struggle over land and identity that intensifies day by day.

Planning policies in Jerusalem have become a central tool for the city's demographic and political engineering, aiming to exclude Palestinians and dispossess them of their lands.

The current global transformations towards a new world order compel Arabs to reformulate their national identity and their vision for their strategic interests. The recent military confrontations have produced a set of undeniable facts, foremost among them being that the Palestinian issue remains the primary central issue, no matter how much some try to diminish its importance or prioritize other security concerns over it.

The Palestinian issue derives its weight from being the core of the conflict with the Western colonial project embodied by Israel. Facts confirm that Israeli ambitions do not stop at the borders of Palestine but extend to target the wider Arab region within an expansionist vision that seeks to control the region's resources and sovereignty entirely.

The war has revealed that exclusive reliance on the United States to ensure regional security and stability is a losing bet par excellence. Despite the presence of nineteen American military bases in the Gulf region, they did not provide the necessary protection for their host countries when military tensions escalated in the region.

These military bases often turned into a security burden on the countries that hosted them, as they were a direct cause of targeting their infrastructure. It has become clear that the American decision to wage or engage in wars is issued exclusively in favor of the Israeli agenda, without regard for the interests or positions of allied Arab countries.

Political readings indicate that the foreign military presence aims primarily to protect Israel and undermine the unifying Arab identity. These forces seek to transform the region into warring national or sectarian entities, which facilitates the destabilization of the strategic security of major states in the region.

Regarding military capabilities, Arabs have spent hundreds of billions on armaments without achieving real technological superiority, as international restrictions dictate providing them with outdated generations of weapons. Arabs possess wealth and intellect, but they still lack the political will to develop independent national military industries that free them from dependence on foreign powers.

The Joint Arab Defense Treaty, signed in 1945, remains shelved without real activation on the ground. Despite signs of a theoretical awakening towards establishing a political-military alliance led by Saudi Arabia, American and Israeli pressures remain the biggest obstacle to achieving this national ambition.

Arab decision-makers must realize that successful nations formulate their strategies based on a future vision and an accurate reading of changing power balances. The United States is no longer the only power to bet on, which opens the door to wide options for moving towards other international poles such as Russia, China, and Europe.

Exiting from under the American-Israeli umbrella first requires rebuilding national and pan-Arab identity on solid foundations. This transformation requires courage in decision-making and seeking international alliances that ensure balance and protect supreme Arab interests away from absolute dependence on one pole.

Regarding the relationship with Iran, the fact emerges that geography dictates the necessity of coexistence for both sides, as ancient civilizations located on both sides of the Gulf cannot be displaced. Tehran has affirmed on several occasions that it does not seek hostility with its Arab neighbors, and that tensions are often linked to the presence of foreign bases that provoke regional security.

Internal Arab conflicts, as seen in Sudan, Libya, and Yemen, have contributed to weakening the overall national position and allowed external interventions. Instead of directing efforts towards building a joint deterrent force, these conflicts have drained Arab resources and led to sharp divisions that served projects hostile to the region.

The long Palestinian experience, leading up to the events of 2023, has proven that the will to resist is the decisive factor in any conflict. Despite the imbalance of military power, adherence to rights and insistence on confrontation imposes a new reality that traditional war machinery cannot easily resolve.

Arabs today need to move from the stage of condemnation and denunciation statements to the stage of organized strategic action. The cry of 'we are alone' that Palestinians have long echoed is now reverberating in other Arab capitals, necessitating unity of destiny and purpose to confront common existential challenges.

In conclusion, the ongoing war remains a harsh school for learning political and military lessons, where there is no place for the weak in a world order shaped by power. Restoring the initiative requires self-reliance, activating joint Arab action, and understanding that the security of Jerusalem is an integral part of the security of Riyadh, Cairo, and Baghdad.

The ongoing war has proven that the American military presence in the region exists only to protect Israel, not to protect Arab sovereignty.

The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) in the United Kingdom has issued a ruling affirming the legitimacy of British newspapers using the term 'genocide' when referring to Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip. This decision came after a thorough review of professional standards, with the organization asserting that this description falls within the scope of freedom of expression and journalistic editorial discretion available to media institutions in the country.

IPSO officially rejected a complaint filed by a reader against 'The National' newspaper, which had used the term in a headline for a report published last October. The report at the time covered a visit by a delegation of 27 British MPs to Israel, describing the timing as coinciding with what it called the 'genocide of Gaza,' which sparked widespread controversy in political and media circles.

For their part, Jewish organizations and groups expressed strong protest against this trend, considering that labeling it as genocide lacks legal accuracy and represents an insult to the victims of the historical Holocaust. These groups clarified in protest memos that the repetition of such descriptions contributes to the escalation of antisemitic sentiments and creates a hostile environment against Jewish communities in Britain and abroad.

In the context of angry reactions, media sources quoted a spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism describing IPSO's decision as 'ridiculous' and ignoring objective facts. The spokesperson criticized IPSO's focus on procedural aspects without considering the seriousness of making grave accusations such as genocide without relying on rulings issued by independent and competent international judicial bodies.

This decision opens the door for new legal and ethical discussions about the limits of political terminology in the Western press, especially given the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territories. Observers believe that IPSO's ruling may encourage more media outlets to adopt harsher language in criticizing Israeli policies, despite continuous pressure from pro-Israel lobby groups.

Do people still not realize that the repeated assertion that the Jewish state has committed genocide contributes to creating an atmosphere of hostility towards the Jewish people?

American writer Nicholas Kristof shed light on widespread sexual violence and rape practices against Palestinians in Israeli occupation prisons. In a lengthy report based on field interviews in the West Bank, Kristof affirmed that these violations are committed by prison guards, soldiers, and interrogators, calling for the necessity of unequivocally condemning these practices by all international parties.

In his documentation, the writer relied on live testimonies from 14 Palestinian men and women, who spoke bitterly about being subjected to severe sexual assaults during periods of detention and interrogation. Kristof did not stop at these testimonies but reinforced his report with interviews with lawyers, aid workers, and international investigators to verify the accuracy of the accounts given by the victims about what happens behind bars.

Among the most painful testimonies cited in the article was the account of Palestinian journalist Sami Al-Sa'i, who was arrested in 2024. Al-Sa'i described how he was stripped naked, severely beaten, and assaulted with various tools amidst the mockery of the guards, emphasizing that the goal of these practices was to psychologically break him to pressure him into working as an informant for Israeli intelligence.

Kristof pointed out that despite the absence of evidence of direct orders for rape from the high command, Israeli authorities are responsible for creating an environment of 'inhumanity.' The writer believes that the prevailing policy of impunity gives a green light to security personnel to commit these crimes without fear of legal prosecution or judicial accountability.

Regarding the American role, the writer directed sharp criticism at Washington, considering that American taxpayers' money directly contributes to supporting the Israeli security establishment. He clarified that the United States becomes a partner in this violence if it does not link its military aid to stopping sexual violations and ensuring regular access for the Red Cross to Palestinian detainees.

The report cited UN data issued in 2025, which described sexual violence as having become part of 'routine procedures' in Israel's dealings with Palestinians. It also drew attention to reports from the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, which concluded that systematic sexual violence has become a widespread practice within the Israeli detention system and is not limited to individual cases.

Detainees in their testimonies spoke of recurring patterns of violations, including forced naked searches, deliberate beating of genitals, and constant threats of rape. A number of released detainees confirmed that they received direct threats from Israeli authorities to prevent them from speaking to the media or human rights organizations about the sexual humiliations they faced inside the cells.

Regarding child protection, the writer quoted 'Save the Children' organization's shocking survey results, which showed that more than half of Palestinian children detained by Israel witnessed or were subjected to sexual violence. These figures reflect the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe affecting minors inside Israeli detention centers, which lack the minimum international protection standards.

The Committee to Protect Journalists also revealed statistics indicating that about 29% of released Palestinian journalists were subjected to various forms of sexual violence. Some of these journalists reported actual rape, indicating the use of these vile means as a tool to intimidate media personnel and prevent them from performing their professional duty of conveying the truth.

The statistics in the article indicate that Israel has detained more than 20,000 Palestinians in the West Bank since the events of October 7, 2023. About 9,000 detainees are still in prisons to date, most of them held under 'administrative detention' without clear charges, and deprived of visits from lawyers or representatives of the International Red Cross.

In the context of the absence of justice, Kristof quoted lawyer Sari Bashi as saying that hundreds of complaints submitted by her organization did not result in any actual trials for the soldiers involved. The article recalled an incident in 2024 when charges were dropped against reserve soldiers who sexually assaulted a Palestinian detainee until he was seriously injured, amidst desperate defense from right-wing politicians for these soldiers.

Violations were not limited to prisons but extended to include settler attacks in the West Bank, who use the threat of rape as a means to displace Palestinians from their lands. A report by the 'West Bank Protection Coalition' confirmed that this pattern of sexual violence practiced by settlers primarily aims to force Palestinian families into forced displacement and expand settlements.

Israeli authorities have created an environment of inhumanity and impunity, allowing such violations to occur without accountability.

Groups of settlers carried out a robbery operation today, Sunday, targeting livestock in the village of Kafr Malik, located east of Ramallah city. Local sources reported that the attackers seized about 80 sheep belonging to a Palestinian farmer in the area, amidst the escalating pace of systematic attacks targeting the livelihoods of Palestinians in the occupied rural areas.

Eyewitnesses stated that the settlers stormed the farm suddenly and brandished weapons at its owners, enabling them to forcibly lead the flock towards one of the settlement outposts established on the village's lands. This incident reflects the extent of the dangers faced by livestock breeders in the West Bank, as their properties have become a direct target for organized looting operations that take place under the eyes of the occupation forces.

Field observers believe that these thefts are not just random incidents, but rather part of a broader strategy aimed at pressuring the indigenous population to force them to leave their pastoral lands. These practices seek to empty areas classified as 'C' of Palestinian presence, in preparation for expanding the settlement area and gaining full control over natural resources and pastures in the Ramallah countryside.

Hundreds of Palestinian families who depend on livestock farming face existential livelihood threats as a result of these repeated attacks, which also include burning agricultural crops and cutting down ancient olive trees. These attacks often occur with direct protection from the occupation army, which provides cover for the settlers and prevents citizens from defending their property or recovering what was stolen from them by force of arms.

Amidst this escalation, residents of villages east of Ramallah renewed their demands for urgent international protection for farmers and citizens in areas threatened by settlement. Residents stressed that the failure of the occupation authorities to curb settler attacks contributes to deepening human and economic suffering, and opens the door to further violations affecting all aspects of life in the occupied West Bank.

Settlers stormed the farm and seized the livestock at gunpoint before retreating to a settlement outpost.

The Israeli occupation state currently adopts an excessive security doctrine, which over time has transformed into a permanent functional structure that necessitates the continuous existence of a 'necessary enemy.' This strategic quagmire in which Israel is sinking is not merely a fleeting situation, but a deep manifestation of the settler mentality crisis that conflates actual existence with geographical expansion.

The multiple fronts extending from the Gaza Strip to Tehran demonstrate a comprehensive depletion of the geopolitical, military, and symbolic resources of the occupation. The failure of the cumulative deterrence doctrine turns every operational arena into a spatial and temporal trap, offering no sustainable victory or long-term political investment.

The chasm between mobilizing political discourse and the reality on the ground now represents an existential shift towards a complete collision with geographical facts. The slogan of 'absolute victory' raised by the Israeli leadership in Gaza has become merely a linguistic ritual devoid of content, concealing an inability to translate military might into political achievements.

On the northern front, promises to crush Hezbollah clashed with the geography of entrenched resistance, turning the region into a scene of reverse demographic displacement for settlers. This field failure reflects the army's inability to protect its strategic depth against unconventional threats that exceed the capacity of aerial bombardment.

Iran represents the major knot in the Israeli mind, where decision-makers imagine the possibility of liquidating a geopolitical entity comprising eighty-eight million people through military force. This perception ignores the complex demographic and political reality, and plunges Israel into a fantasy of uprooting that cannot be achieved on the ground.

The geoeconomic cost of these open wars is increasing, causing erosion in the infrastructure of historical Western alliances with the occupation state. Furthermore, the rise in energy prices resulting from regional instability has begun to hit the economies of allies, generating structural discontent within the halls of the US Congress.

Israeli political capital erodes with every new airstrike, accelerating the pace of complete international isolation that has begun to loom. The current leadership embodies a personification of the Zionist project's crisis, where the prime minister reduces political being to media appearances and narrow personal gains.

In this context, the concept of 'investing in calculated loss' emerges as an entry point for redefining victory away from destructive instinct. History confirms that addiction to direct power generates strategic blindness that hastens self-fall, just as happened in the experiences of previous empires that exceeded their capacity limits.

The current situation can be likened to sumo wrestlers, where a temporary withdrawal becomes a means to destabilize the opponent rigid in their positions. Tactical withdrawal in military science is not surrender, but a process of rationalizing the conflict that allows pressure to be transformed into a collapse in the enemy's offensive structure.

Historical memory recalls Menachem Begin's model when he returned Sinai to Egypt according to the Camp David Accords, despite being accused at the time of humiliating concession. Subsequent decades proved that withdrawal was the most profound step in securing the southern front and disengaging between biblical myth and national interest.

The current geopolitical stalemate and adherence to every inch of land as an identity doctrine transforms inflexibility into a self-destructive tool for Israeli society. This hybrid alliance between religious fundamentalism and media populism paralyzes the ability to produce any rational regressive option that protects the entity from a major collision.

In the confrontation with Tehran, a distinction must be made between the actual nuclear threat and the illusion of being able to change the Iranian regime by brute force. Simplistic discourse conflates the necessity of containment through diplomatic tools with daydreams that call for the uprooting of regional powers entrenched in geography and history.

Any future regional system will force parties to coexist with complex actors instead of attempting their failed liquidation, as happened between the major European powers. The principle of comprehensive containment is the procedural model that can spare the region mutual wars of annihilation in which there are no victors.

Recognizing that the 'real enemy' sometimes resides within closed decision-making rooms is the first step out of the dilemma of permanent attrition. The small step backward is what pulls the rug out from under the instigators, and redefines power as the ability to freeze and wisely manage conflict.

The slogan of absolute victory in Gaza has turned into a hollow linguistic ritual that conceals a structural inability to translate military power into political gain.

The pace of Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip has escalated since dawn on Monday, with scattered attacks resulting in the martyrdom of four Palestinians and the injury of eight others with varying degrees of wounds. Medical sources reported that the bodies of the martyrs arrived at Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis hospitals, noting that among the injured were a woman and a child who were hit in targeting operations that affected populated areas.

In field details, a Palestinian citizen was martyred by the bullets of the occupation forces stationed on Salah al-Din Street in the southeastern part of Gaza City. An Israeli drone also targeted another citizen while he was collecting firewood and plastic materials near Bani Suhaila roundabout, east of Khan Yunis city, leading to his immediate death.

Beit Lahia town in the northern Strip witnessed intense artillery shelling targeting the vicinity of the Nabi Yusuf Mosque in the Tal al-Dahab area, which resulted in six citizens being injured with various wounds. The injured, including a woman and her child, were transferred to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for treatment, amid difficult health conditions suffered by the Strip due to the ongoing siege.

In the center of Gaza City, a young man was injured by bullets fired by Israeli cranes stationed in the eastern area known as the 'Yellow Line' while he was passing near Al-Samir intersection. This coincided with indiscriminate firing by the occupation army targeting passersby and residential areas near the contact lines where the army had recently redeployed.

A violent explosion shook Gaza City at dawn today, which was later revealed to be caused by a massive demolition operation carried out by the occupation army of residential buildings in the eastern part of the city. The demolition operation was accompanied by intense artillery shelling and gunfire from military vehicles, causing a state of panic among citizens who are trying to return to check on their homes in those areas.

The coast of Khan Yunis city was not spared from the attacks, as Israeli warships fired their shells and heavy machine guns towards the beaches and western areas of the city. This naval shelling coincided with ground movements of military vehicles that fired heavily towards the eastern and central neighborhoods, hindering the movement of citizens in those areas.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health revealed a heavy toll of Israeli violations since the ceasefire agreement came into effect, with the number of martyrs reaching about 854 Palestinians. Medical teams also recorded 2,453 others injured with various wounds, as a result of shelling and direct firing operations that did not stop in various governorates of the Gaza Strip.

Local sources reported that the occupation army is pursuing a strategy of field expansion along what is called the 'Yellow Line,' which leads to the swallowing up of more Palestinian lands. These military measures aim to impose a new geographical reality that shrinks the spaces available to the population, forcing more than two million Palestinians to crowd into very narrow areas in the western part of the Strip.

The areas from which the occupation withdraws suffer from continuous tightening, as Israeli forces prevent citizens from exploiting agricultural lands or accessing vital facilities. This internal siege leads to a sharp decline in the ability to live and provide basic needs, exacerbating the suffering of displaced people who lost their property during the war.

On the humanitarian front, the occupation continues to violate the terms of the agreement by keeping the Rafah crossing completely closed to the movement of travelers and goods. This deliberate closure complicates travel procedures for tens of thousands of wounded and sick people who need urgent medical interventions outside the Strip, and turns the crossing into a tool for political pressure and control over the fate of the population.

The occupation authorities strictly control the quantities and types of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, with a noticeable preference for the entry of commercial goods at the expense of essential relief materials. This approach aims to keep the Strip in a state of permanent deprivation, and prevents any real improvement in the deteriorating living reality left by long months of aggression.

Field reports concluded that Israel continues its aggression against the Gaza Strip through various methods, combining direct killing with economic and geographical strangulation. Despite the existence of an announced agreement, the reality on the ground indicates the continuation of military operations targeting civilians and preventing the stabilization of humanitarian conditions in all areas of the Strip.

The occupation continues to prevent any real improvement in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, in parallel with the continuation of its aggression in different forms.

Groups of settlers, today, Monday, established a new settlement outpost on private Palestinian lands belonging to the town of Rammun, east of Ramallah. Human rights sources clarified that the settlers stormed the 'Jisr al-Khalla' area and began erecting tents and mobile homes, in a step aimed at imposing a new geographical reality in the area.

The 'Al-Baydar' organization for the defense of Bedouin rights warned of the repercussions of this outpost, stressing that it represents a starting point for carrying out attacks against neighboring Palestinian villages. The organization indicated that the strategic goal of these movements is the forced displacement of local residents and the expansion of Israeli control over citizens' lands.

In the context of the field escalation, the northern Hebron area witnessed a new assault that resulted in three Palestinians sustaining various injuries after being beaten by settlers near the town of Halhul. Palestinian Red Crescent crews provided first aid to the injured at the scene before transferring them to hospitals for necessary treatment.

On the international political front, EU foreign ministers in Brussels announced an official agreement to impose sanctions on Israeli settlement organizations and leaders. This step comes in response to the escalating violence and intimidation carried out by settlers against Palestinian civilians in various governorates of the occupied West Bank.

EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, affirmed that the time has come to move from condemnation to actual implementation to confront extremism. Diplomatic sources clarified that the sanctions include asset freezes and travel bans for three settlers and four settlement organizations, in addition to listing Hamas leaders.

The change in the Hungarian position, following recent political shifts in Budapest, paved the way for the European Union to overcome the paralysis that lasted for months due to the 'veto'. This decision is a qualitative shift in Brussels' handling of the violent settlement issue, which has directly threatened regional stability.

For his part, the commander of the Central Command in the occupation army warned of the danger of settler practices, describing them as 'terrorist and immoral'. The military official indicated that these attacks are pushing the region towards the brink of disaster, reflecting the growing tension between the military and political levels in Israel.

In Israeli reactions, ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu's government strongly attacked the European decision, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir describing the European Union as 'anti-Semitic'. Ben-Gvir vowed to continue supporting settlement expansion in all areas, considering international sanctions an attempt to undermine the Zionist project.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar also considered the sanctions to have been taken arbitrarily and politically and to lack any solid legal basis. Sa'ar claimed that targeting Israeli citizens and entities comes against the backdrop of their political views, in an attempt to delegitimize the settlement presence in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Official statistics indicate that the West Bank is in a state of turmoil, with more than 1,600 attacks documented in April alone. With approximately 780,000 settlers in 192 settlements, Palestinian suffering continues, having left more than 1,155 martyrs and thousands injured and detained since October 2023.

The actions of some settlers put the region one step away from disaster, and these are immoral practices.

The Israeli political arena has witnessed a new escalatory move, as 22 Israeli officials signed an official letter demanding that the police allow settlers to storm the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque next Friday. This step comes amid pressure from alleged Temple groups to change the status quo in the mosque, especially on days when incursions are usually prohibited.

Sources revealed that the letter, published by the far-right organization 'By Our Hands', included the signatures of 9 ministers and 13 Knesset members, reflecting a broader governmental trend towards escalation in occupied Jerusalem. These demands aim to exploit what is called 'Jerusalem Day' according to the Hebrew calendar, which this year falls on Friday, May 15th.

This timing carries dangerous symbolic and political connotations, as the proposed day of incursion coincides with the Palestinians' commemoration of the 1948 Nakba anniversary. This move represents an attempt to impose a new reality within the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque on a day that holds special sanctity for Muslims and when the number of worshippers doubles.

Since 2003, the Israeli police have followed a protocol that prohibits settler incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque on Fridays and Saturdays of every week. However, the current pressures from Likud and Religious Zionism ministers seek to break this historical rule and expand the scope of violations to include all days of the week without exception.

Benjamin Netanyahu's 'Likud' party topped the list of signatories to the petition, with sovereign ministers such as Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Justice Minister Yariv Levin participating. They were joined by ministers of health, energy, communications, sports, and innovation, as well as MKs from the extremist Religious Zionism party.

Observers believe that the involvement of Likud ministers with such weight reflects Netanyahu's desire to undermine National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. It appears that the Prime Minister seeks to assert his control over the Jerusalem file and not leave the arena to Ben-Gvir alone to showcase his gains to the far-right bases.

Previous reports indicated that the number of ministers demanding the incursion was limited to only three last week, but the sudden jump to nine ministers puts the police under immense political pressure. The Israeli police have not yet issued a final decision regarding responding to these demands, which could ignite the situation on the ground.

Settler incursions are usually accompanied by provocative practices, including performing Talmudic rituals, silent prayers, and raising Israeli flags inside the Haram al-Sharif. These violations occur under strict protection from occupation forces, which impose severe restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshippers and assault them.

Researchers in Jerusalem affairs warned that this escalation represents a real and unprecedented danger to the identity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. Research sources confirmed that the occupation is effectively moving towards imposing incursions on Fridays, which is considered a crossing of all red lines that have been maintained for decades.

For their part, Palestinian activities continue to warn of the consequences of these steps, which fall within plans to Judaize Jerusalem and erase its Arab and Islamic features. Palestinians adhere to East Jerusalem as the capital of their independent state, rejecting all annexation and occupation measures not recognized by the international community.

These developments come at a time when occupation leaders face international prosecutions, with Netanyahu remaining wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of committing war crimes. Al-Aqsa Mosque remains the primary focal point of the conflict, as the occupation attempts to exploit current circumstances to impose absolute and false sovereignty over Islamic holy sites.

The occupation is moving towards imposing settler incursions on Friday for the first time since the occupation of Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is a real and existing danger.

Political systems, throughout their various stages of formation, undergo fundamental changes affecting their goals and means. These transformations fluctuate between positive and negative based on internal and external factors. The strength of the system and its cohesion play a crucial role in determining its ability to withstand changes, especially regarding its flexibility and commitment to periodic review of its basic principles.

Popular support and the leadership's belief in the philosophy upon which the system was founded represent the true safety valve against erosion. From the perspective of political sociology, states and movements are social institutions managed by humans, making them susceptible to the natural human shortcomings and weaknesses that can lead to deviation if oversight is absent.

Khaldunian thought long ago attested that states experience human stages of strength and weakness, leading to inevitable demise. Ibn Khaldun believed that the collapse of nations is not a sudden event, but rather the result of continuous internal accumulations that ultimately lead to the complete downfall of the political and social structure.

Factors such as luxury and corruption emerge as the most prominent threats to the stability of states, as they weaken 'asabiyyah' or social cohesion. Injustice, tyranny, and the corruption of the economic system accelerate the pace of political decay, making the system fragile in the face of any external challenges or internal tremors.

The attitudes of political leaders towards negativities and corruption vary, just as people differ in their handling of chronic diseases. The first attitude is characterized by denial and stubbornness, where leaders refuse to acknowledge the existence of a defect despite clear indicators, ultimately leading to the system's demise and disintegration.

The second attitude is early vigilance, where the system senses the beginnings of a defect and quickly takes decisive remedial actions. This approach requires changing political habits and administrative inputs to ensure the reduction of losses and the preservation of the continuity of national institutions with the least possible damage.

In the third attitude, laxity appears as a fundamental characteristic, where the leadership postpones confronting corruption, believing that time will resolve the crises. However, this postponement often leads to the infiltration of corruption into the joints of the state, making the reform process later almost impossible due to the 'disease' taking hold of the system's body.

Applying this vision to the Palestinian political system, we find a great similarity with many Arab systems that have been weakened. Corruption has seeped into the political arteries as a result of rejecting the idea of self-criticism, and leaders believed they were immune to collapse until the winds of change and upheaval struck them.

Stubbornness and obstinacy in claiming immunity did not prevent the demise of some systems and the loss of their rule in the region, while other systems tried to catch up too late. In the Palestinian case, it seems that the need has become urgent for comprehensive and deep examinations of the structure of the political system to ensure its survival and effectiveness.

Observers believe that the only cure for the ailments of the Palestinian political system begins with a frank acknowledgment of the existence of the defect by the current leadership. This acknowledgment is the first and necessary step to open the door to real reform paths that go beyond traditional slogans to tangible action on the ground.

The next stage requires injecting new and young blood into the arteries of Palestinian political action, away from the faces and tools that have been consumed over the past decades. The youth generation has the ability to offer innovative ideas and a new spirit that is compatible with the challenges of the era and the complexities of the current Palestinian issue.

It is not possible to continue playing the same old tunes that no longer please anyone; instead, modern working tools characterized by transparency and accountability must be adopted. The desired change is not merely a change of personnel, but a comprehensive change in the political mindset and the way public affairs and national institutions are managed.

These calls for reform represent the 'weakest faith' in light of the pressing circumstances facing the Palestinian issue internally and externally. Without a real and serious review, the system will continue to revolve in a vicious cycle of crises that weaken the overall Palestinian position in the face of the occupation and the international community.

The question remains for decision-makers and those in authority: Will these warning cries find an echo in minds before it is too late? History does not forgive systems that ignore the laws of change, and the Palestinian reality today requires exceptional courage to move towards a more stable and democratic future.

The demise of nations does not come suddenly but is a natural result of internal factors that accumulate over time, and the solution begins with acknowledging the disease and injecting new blood.

The Israeli Knesset is preparing for final approval, this evening, of a controversial bill aimed at establishing a special military court to try elite fighters of the Al-Qassam Brigades. This legislative move aims to create an exceptional legal framework that allows for the imposition of the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners who participated in the events of October 7.

This project had passed through legislative stages, beginning with a vote on the first reading in mid-January, with broad support from the ruling coalition and segments of the opposition. This trend is led by MKs Simcha Rothman and Yulia Malinovsky, as part of a series of retaliatory laws that followed the Al-Aqsa Flood operation.

According to media sources, the new court will be based in occupied Jerusalem and will specialize in cases related to those Tel Aviv describes as 'terrorist fighters'. The occupation authorities claim to have detained hundreds of elite members without trial since the outbreak of confrontations in the Gaza envelope and subsequent ground operations.

Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin stated that these trials would represent what he described as 'historical justice', emphasizing the need for efficient and swift proceedings. Levin indicated that the law grants the judicial body full authority to issue and execute death sentences immediately upon their approval, a legal precedent within the Israeli system.

The court's powers include reviewing indictments based on anti-terrorism and genocide prevention laws, in addition to crimes directed against state sovereignty. Potential death sentences are not limited to murder charges but extend to include other accusations such as rape and crimes committed against Israeli prisoners.

Judicial bodies in this court consist of three judges, one of whom must be a president of a military court or a district court judge of a high rank. This formation aims to give a formal legal character to trials that human rights activists describe as lacking fair trial guarantees.

According to the proposed law, charges will be brought against prisoners for actions that occurred between October 7 and 10, 2023. Israel classifies these actions as crimes against humanity and war crimes, in addition to classifying them as crimes specifically directed against the Jewish people.

Regarding legal defense, the law allows defendants to appoint lawyers licensed in Israel or the West Bank, but it places restrictions on appointing lawyers from the Public Defender's Office. The Israeli government seeks to charge the Palestinian Authority for the costs of these trials by deducting amounts from clearance funds.

Most hearings are scheduled to be conducted via video conferencing from inside prisons, to reduce prisoner movement and ensure security control. However, the law requires defendants to personally attend five main sessions, including responding to the indictment and the final verdict.

These trials will be public and fully recorded, with opening sessions and closing arguments broadcast via a dedicated website for the public. The occupation aims through this step to document its narrative of events and preserve it in the official archive as part of the international media and legal battle.

The law allows families of killed Israelis and affected settlers to attend sessions or monitor them from separate rooms within the court building. A special unit affiliated with the military prosecutor will also be responsible for overseeing what is called 'victims' rights' during judicial deliberations.

In the event of a death sentence, the project stipulates an automatic appeal mechanism before a higher judicial body comprising retired judges and judicial officials. This mechanism is an attempt to beautify the court's image before the international community and claim the existence of levels of litigation despite the exceptional nature of the court.

Political circles in Tel Aviv confirm that this court differs from the bills previously proposed by Itamar Ben-Gvir, although it converges with them in objectives. While Ben-Gvir's law was general, this court has a military character exclusively dedicated to dealing with Hamas prisoners.

Observers believe that the approval of this law represents a dangerous escalation in dealing with Palestinian prisoners and violates international conventions related to prisoners of war. These moves come amid harsh conditions experienced by prisoners inside prisons, coinciding with extremist right-wing calls for their physical liquidation through official laws.

This law is not only about justice, but about historical justice, and we seek to begin trials as soon as possible.

The humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip is escalating to affect the dead after the living, as the families of martyrs face extreme difficulties in securing dignified graves for their loved ones. Local sources reported that the cost of a single grave in Gaza City's cemeteries has soared to record levels, ranging between 1200 and 1400 shekels, equivalent to about 500 US dollars, an amount beyond the means of the vast majority of besieged citizens.

Sheikh Hamdi, one of those responsible for burials in Sheikh Radwan cemetery, confirmed that the spaces allocated for burial have been completely exhausted, and there is no room left, not even for an additional half meter. He explained that the intense pressure on Sheikh Radwan and Baptist cemeteries has forced families to reopen old graves to bury more than one body in a single tomb, in an attempt to cope with the increasing number of daily victims.

Given the impossibility of accessing public cemeteries or affording their costs, hundreds of grieving families have been forced to convert their home courtyards and private gardens into makeshift burial sites for their children and grandchildren. This step came as a last resort to preserve the dignity of the martyrs and bury them close to their homes, away from the dangers of roads and continuous shelling that prevents access to official cemeteries.

grave construction suffers from a complete lack of basic building materials such as cement and stones due to the tight siege imposed by the occupation. Residents are forced to collect rubble from homes destroyed by aircraft and use mud and primitive methods to build tombs, making these graves fragile and insufficiently protected from external and environmental factors.

Painful testimonies from citizens revealed that some primitive graves, no more than half a meter deep, were exhumed by stray dogs. The shallow burial using corrugated iron sheets (zinc) allowed animals to access and remove bodies, a scene that embodies the cruelty of a war that did not spare the sanctity of the dead in the afflicted Strip.

In addition to the natural crisis, field sources documented the deliberate bulldozing of entire cemeteries by Israeli occupation mechanisms, as happened in 'Al-Batsh' cemetery east of Gaza. This systematic destruction led to the loss of grave markers and the mixing of remains, depriving families of their right to visit the shrines of their children or identify their burial places after the withdrawal of forces.

This suffering comes at a time when the occupation controls about 59% of the Gaza Strip's area, with the ongoing war of annihilation that has left more than 72,000 martyrs and 172,000 injured. Palestinians in Gaza remain hunted by the killing machine while alive, and deprived of stability in their graves after death, amidst comprehensive destruction of infrastructure and services throughout the Strip.

Families can no longer find even half a meter inside cemeteries to bury their loved ones, and graves are being opened multiple times to bury more than one martyr in a single tomb.

By: Said Arikat

May 12, 2026

News Analysis

Washington, D.C- On Thursday, May 14, the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to Washington are scheduled to meet for a third round of US-sponsored talks aimed at reducing tensions along the Lebanese-Israeli frontier. So far, the previous meetings have been largely ceremonial, producing little beyond cautious statements about de-escalation and continued dialogue. Yet even if these encounters remain symbolic for now, the political trajectory they represent carries profound risks for Lebanon.

Lebanon’s possible entry into direct negotiations with Israel would not simply mark a diplomatic adjustment. It would represent a strategic transformation capable of reshaping the nature of the conflict itself. The central issue is not whether talks can temporarily calm the border or prevent another war. The deeper danger lies in the imbalance of power between the two sides and in Israel’s long history of using negotiations to consolidate regional advantage rather than pursue equitable peace.

Israel enters any negotiations backed fully by the military, economic, and diplomatic power of the United States. Lebanon, by contrast, approaches the table weakened by economic collapse, political paralysis, and severe institutional fragility. Under such conditions, negotiations rarely become exercises in mutual compromise. More often, they evolve into mechanisms through which the stronger side gradually imposes its priorities on the weaker one.

This pattern has defined much of the region’s diplomatic history. Agreements presented internationally as frameworks for “stability” and “security” have frequently normalized Israeli power while leaving the core questions of sovereignty, occupation, and rights unresolved. Lebanon risks entering precisely such a process.

Supporters of direct talks argue that Lebanon desperately needs stability after years of financial devastation, social despair, and repeated military confrontation. Many Lebanese understandably seek any path that could spare the country another catastrophic war. But stability built on structural imbalance is inherently fragile. Negotiations conducted under economic desperation and external pressure rarely produce fair outcomes. Instead, they tend to institutionalize weakness while deepening dependency.

Lebanese skepticism toward direct talks is rooted not in abstraction, but in lived experience. During the recent war, Israel forcibly displaced more than 800,000 Lebanese civilians from towns and villages across the south. Entire residential neighborhoods, farms, shops, and businesses were systematically destroyed, leaving large areas resembling the devastation seen in Gaza. Streets were flattened, infrastructure shattered, and entire communities uprooted. For many Lebanese, entering direct negotiations after such destruction appears less like diplomacy than an attempt to normalize relations through coercion and exhaustion.

At the same time, direct negotiations would hand Israel an important political victory at a moment of growing international scrutiny over its conduct toward Palestinians. Israel faces mounting accusations of collective punishment, war crimes, and systematic violations of international law. Bringing another Arab state into direct political engagement serves a broader Israeli objective: reducing its regional isolation and reframing itself as a normal actor despite continuing conflict and occupation.

This is why even supposedly “technical” or “security-related” talks cannot be separated from their wider political implications. Border discussions evolve into security coordination; security coordination gradually becomes normalization; normalization eventually reshapes public consciousness until the original nature of the conflict itself is obscured. What begins as limited engagement can slowly evolve into long-term political accommodation.

For Lebanon, the danger extends beyond foreign policy. Direct negotiations with Israel could reopen dangerous internal fractures inside a country still shaped by sectarian distrust, unresolved memories of civil war, and competing regional loyalties. Any Lebanese leadership perceived as moving toward normalization would likely face fierce opposition from political and social forces that continue to view Israel as an occupying and expansionist power responsible for repeated destruction inside Lebanon.

In such a volatile environment, negotiations could quickly become a catalyst for domestic instability. Political disagreements over relations with Israel have historically carried existential implications in Lebanon. External pressure aimed at altering Lebanon’s strategic posture — especially regarding Hezbollah and resistance politics — could deepen sectarian polarization and destabilize the fragile balance that has prevented large-scale internal conflict in recent years.

Israel’s own strategic perspective reinforces these concerns. Israeli policy has long viewed Lebanon primarily through a security lens, focusing less on Lebanese sovereignty than on how Lebanon can be managed, pressured, or reshaped to fit Israeli security priorities. Any direct negotiations would therefore be unlikely to remain confined to border disputes alone.

Over time, talks could expand into demands concerning Hezbollah’s weapons, internal Lebanese political arrangements, security mechanisms, and broader regional alignments tied to American and Israeli interests. Under the language of “de-escalation,” Lebanon could gradually find itself pressured into concessions far beyond its original negotiating mandate.

The role of the United States further complicates matters. Washington presents itself as a mediator, yet it remains Israel’s closest strategic ally, providing military aid, diplomatic protection, and political backing across international institutions. This imbalance shapes outcomes. US-sponsored negotiations have repeatedly pressured weaker Arab actors toward “pragmatic compromises,” while Israeli demands are framed as legitimate security concerns.

In the end, the greatest danger of direct negotiations lies not only in what Lebanon may concede formally at the table, but in the political trajectory such talks could unleash inside Lebanon itself. In a country still haunted by the legacy of civil war, forcing a divisive realignment around Israel may not produce stability at all. It may instead deepen internal fractures and push Lebanon toward another dangerous era of rupture.