These articles in English language are not written in English; they are Google-or ChatGPT – Translations of our in German texted articles. If something is unclear – the text in German language is the point of orientation!!!
So far, Israel has only seen just over half of the average rainfall for the season, the water authority announced. In January, for the first time in years, no significant increase in the amount of water was recorded in the rivers, indicating extreme drought. The level of the Sea of Galilee rose by just two centimeters in January. According to the authority, the water level of the largest freshwater lake was 211.26 meters below sea level at the end of January, 1.74 meters above the lower red line of 213 meters and 3.61 meters above the lake’s historic low in 2001 (214.87 meters below sea level). The water flow measured in the Jordan River was the lowest since 1960. Data from the weather service reportedly show that the rainfall was concentrated in parts of northern Israel. In Haifa, for example, 75 percent of the usual average fell, while in Jerusalem only 32 percent. The amount of precipitation was similarly low in the southern parts of the country. All of this will have a corresponding impact in the coming months. Water scarcity has long been one of the country’s most difficult problems. Israel uses about 2.5 billion cubic meters of water annually. In recent years, its massive desalination project has reduced its dependence on rainfall. Israel now desalinates 650 million cubic meters of water per year, which accounts for 80% of its drinking water.
In 2022, Israel began filling the Sea of Galilee with desalinated water from the Mediterranean, becoming the first country to use seawater to fill a natural lake. But the method is controversial among scientists because the mineral composition of desalinated seawater is different from that of the freshwater lake.
In December 2024, the question arose: Is Israel using water restriction as a weapon of war in the Gaza war? At that time, there was only the statement by the then Defense Minister Yoav Gallant: „We have ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting against animals and are acting accordingly.“ Today, a good six weeks later, one wonders how the expected lack of water will further affect the situation in Gaza. 80 percent of the wells in Gaza have already been destroyed. Sewage treatment plants as well. What illnesses can we expect this summer when there is a lack of sufficient water – even more than there has been so far? When maintaining hygiene becomes even more difficult than it already is? When water becomes so scarce that there is not enough for drinking, cooking, and washing up?
At the same time, Israel cleans and recycles around 90% of the 600 million cubic meters of wastewater for irrigation in agriculture – significantly more than any other country in the world; nevertheless, rainwater must still be used for the intensive cultivation of fields. How can the emerging tensions be brought to a reasonable solution?
Following the enforcement of a work ban in Israel against the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the future of humanitarian aid for the suffering population in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip is in question. However, for now, the UN agency continues its operations despite Israel’s prohibition.
According to Israeli authorities, UNRWA was supposed to cease its activities by Thursday. In response, Israel’s parliament enacted a law banning the agency from operating on Israeli territory. Another law prohibits Israeli authorities from having any contact with UNRWA.
Since Israel controls all access points to the occupied territories, there are growing concerns that the agency may face severe difficulties—or even be completely unable—to continue providing aid to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
Despite strong rejections from Egypt and Jordan, U.S. President Donald Trump remains adamant about relocating Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to these countries. When asked about Egypt and Jordan’s opposition to his controversial proposal, Trump told journalists in the Oval Office, „They will do it. We do a lot for them, and they will do it.“
Following the implementation of a ceasefire last week, Trump proposed „clearing out“ Gaza and relocating its approximately 2.4 million residents to what he called „safer“ locations such as Egypt or Jordan. He referred to the war-torn Gaza Strip as a „demolition zone.“
Jordan immediately rejected what it described as the „forced displacement“ of Palestinians, while Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called the proposal „an injustice in which we cannot participate.“
Meanwhile, according to U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, rebuilding Gaza could take between 10 and 15 years. After nearly 16 months of war between Israel and Hamas, he stated that „almost nothing remains“ of the enclave’s infrastructure. Witkoff recently visited Gaza to assess the devastation both on the ground and from the air.
This week, the U.S. transported approximately 90 Patriot air defense missiles from Israel to Poland, with the intention of delivering them to Ukraine. For the war-torn country under Russian attack, this represents a much-needed reinforcement of its air defense capabilities. The Trump administration appears keen on ensuring that Ukraine can defend itself against Russian bombardments and better protect its critical infrastructure.
The missiles in question are first-generation Patriot systems that the U.S. originally provided to Israel during the first Gulf War in the early 1990s. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) decommissioned them in April of last year, after which they were either stored in IDF warehouses or repurposed for training exercises. In recent years, the Patriots have played a diminishing role in Israel’s air defense, as the country has developed its own advanced air defense systems.
Neither the Pentagon, nor the Israeli or Ukrainian governments have officially confirmed the deal.
Chaotic scenes unfolded during the handover of hostages in Khan Younis. A dense crowd gathered as armed, masked Islamists, dressed entirely in black, escorted the hostages through a shouting and jostling mob toward Red Cross vehicles. Jeers and insults rang out from the crowd, further delaying the departure of the vehicles. The exchange took place near the ruins of the home of Yahya Al-Sinwar, the Hamas leader killed in October.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have now halted the planned release of Palestinian prisoners, which was to take place in exchange for the release of eight kidnapped hostages. They stated that the prisoners would only be freed once the safe release of the Israeli hostages could be ensured. Netanyahu described the scenes as „shocking,“ calling them „further proof of the unimaginable cruelty of the terrorist Hamas.“ He urged the countries that mediated the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to ensure such incidents do not happen again and that hostages‘ safety is guaranteed.
Despite the tensions, there was relief and joy among families in Israel. The original plan was to exchange 110 Palestinian prisoners for three Israeli hostages, with more than 30 of the detainees reportedly serving life sentences. The five Thai hostages were released separately, with Israeli media reporting that their release resulted from a direct agreement between Hamas and Thailand, rather than a prisoner exchange.
German border security experts are expected to contribute to security at the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in the near future. The German government is currently planning a possible deployment. At present, the Rafah crossing remains closed. Its reopening—at an as-yet-undetermined date—is part of a three-phase agreement between the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas and Israel to end the Gaza war. The crossing is intended to facilitate significantly greater humanitarian aid deliveries to Palestinians in the coastal enclave.
The deployment of German experts could take place within the framework of the EU Border Assistance Mission in Rafah (EUBAM Rafah), which is set to resume operations on-site after years of inactivity. The mission was originally established in 2005 to assist with border control operations. However, since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, no EU personnel have been stationed at the crossing, as the EU refuses to cooperate with Hamas.
In an initial phase, beginning as early as early February, a small contingent of EU border security experts and support personnel is expected to be deployed to ensure security at the crossing. Their duties will include overseeing inspections and facilitating the evacuation of several hundred injured Palestinians from Gaza. Previous plans envisioned unarmed border personnel, but recent discussions have reconsidered the possibility of arming them. However, given the current situation, this is considered too risky.
According to Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Monday, the first group of experts will include border security officers from Italy, Spain, and France. Germany may contribute officers from the Federal Police or customs authorities. The EU operation is reportedly proceeding with the consent of Egypt and at the request of both Israel and the Palestinians. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, a member of the Green Party, has been one of the public advocates for deploying EU border personnel to Rafah. Speaking at an EU meeting on Monday, she described the initiative as an important signal that Europe is assuming responsibility in global affairs.
However, Germany is currently facing a shortage of personnel for its own border security. There have been ongoing calls for even stricter border controls within Germany, raising the question of where additional officers for the Egyptian border would come from. Should they be required to speak Arabic and/or Ivrit (Modern Hebrew)? Or should their English be improved in order to communicate in broken phrases with Israeli soldiers, many of whom have limited English proficiency? How will they manage communication with Arabic-speaking truck drivers who speak no foreign languages at all?
Moreover, how will German officers—accustomed to meticulously completed border documents—adapt to the more flexible approach often taken in the Middle East? The entire plan appears half-baked. Is this simply symbolic politics? Of course—what else? The government will be able to claim, “We have done something.” But does that something make sense? No one seems to be asking. No wonder politics in Germany has such a poor reputation.
Nine days after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect, the first 16 military helicopters set off for the Kissufim border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip. There, humanitarian aid from Jordan’s Hashemite Charitable Organization will be handed over to staff from the World Food Programme.
According to the Jordanian government, the air bridge will be maintained for eight days and supported by „friendly states.“ The 16 military helicopters—14 from the Jordanian Air Force and two from the Italian Air Force—took off from the warehouses of Jordan’s Hashemite Charitable Organization (JHCO) in Al-Ghabawi, near the capital, Amman.
Jordan had already stepped into the spotlight in 2024 with similar practical aid efforts for people on the ground—essentially the only Arab country to do so.
Turkey is asserting its power in northern Syria once again. Turkish fighter jets have carried out multiple airstrikes around the Tishrin Dam and near Sarrin. One of these strikes hit a busy marketplace, killing at least eight people and injuring 20 others, including women and children, according to observers.
The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that all the victims were civilians when the marketplace in the northern city of Sarrin was struck. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the United States, condemned the attack as a „massacre.“
Since the fall of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, the region has seen violent clashes between ruling Kurdish militias and Turkish-backed fighters. In recent weeks, Turkey has already killed 21 people and injured over 200 during a peace vigil at the Tishrin Dam. Turkish bombings in December rendered the dam inoperative, leaving the city of Kobanê without water and electricity. Turkey’s air force, a NATO member, has also targeted convoys with drones and fighter jets, while Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) militias operate on the ground.
Northeastern Syria, home to a large Kurdish population, remains plagued by instability and violence, as Turkey considers all Kurds to be „terrorists.“ Kurds make up Syria’s largest ethnic minority. During the civil war, they seized vast areas in the north and northeast, establishing autonomous structures in what is known as Rojava (Western Kurdistan). These regions are governed by the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which has strong ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey—an organization designated as a terrorist group not only by Turkey but also by many Western states.
According to a Turkish political analyst, Turkey’s campaign against the Kurds in northern Syria serves two main objectives: weakening the ideologically affiliated PKK within Turkey and preventing the establishment of autonomous Kurdish governance in the region. However, Turkey has previously annexed Syrian territory—who’s to say that isn’t the goal once again?
The relationship between the Kurds and other rebel factions in Syria, particularly jihadist groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), remains deeply divided along ideological and political lines. HTS, which currently leads the Syrian interim government, follows a radical Islamist agenda, while the Kurds in Rojava advocate for secular, pluralistic self-rule. From a Western perspective, supporting this secular governance might seem logical—but that would be a matter of rational strategy rather than ideological dogma.
Fighters allied with the new rulers in Syria have reportedly executed at least 35 people arbitrarily over the course of three days. Most of the victims were said to be former officials of the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported widespread arbitrary mass arrests, horrific mistreatment, attacks on religious symbols, desecration of corpses, and brutal executions of civilians. These acts were described as being carried out with “unprecedented cruelty and violence.”
According to the Civil Peace Group, civilians in several villages in the Homs region became victims of the so-called „security operations.“ The new regime has reportedly reacted, arresting dozens of members of local armed groups under its control for their involvement in the violent crackdowns in Homs.
Background: Following their advance into Homs, Islamist rebels detained approximately 2,700 men—mostly former soldiers of Bashar al-Assad’s defeated army and members of the Alawite sect. The Alawites, like Christians, are a minority in the Sunni-majority city. Due to their historical loyalty to the Alawite dictator Assad, they have now become targets of the new regime.
Nearly two months after the official end of Syria’s civil war, the devastated city of Homs faces the threat of renewed conflict. In the predominantly Alawite neighborhood of Zahra, armed fighters loyal to the new government have set up positions at nearly every street corner. Heavily armed men stop and search every car, and some streets leading into the impoverished neighborhood have been barricaded with concrete blocks. Government officials claim these measures are meant to protect the local population, but residents remain distrustful.
HTS patrols hunting down Assad loyalists are not the only threat. Criminal gangs have also been abducting ordinary citizens. The long war in Homs was, in many ways, a fratricidal conflict. Pro-Assad Alawites in the city formed militias, known as the Shabiha, who attacked their Sunni neighbors. In retaliation, Sunni fighters carried out murders of Alawites. Now, the cycle of revenge appears to be continuing.
The world would do well to observe carefully how much justice and accountability the new regime is willing—or able—to deliver.
In the power struggle with Israel’s right-wing government, the judiciary has achieved a significant victory. The judicial selection committee appointed the liberal jurist Yitzhak Amit as the new president of the Supreme Court. However, Justice Minister Yariv Levin has refused to recognize the election and announced that he will not cooperate with the new president. The position of Supreme Court president had been vacant for over 15 months because, according to media reports, Levin had repeatedly delayed the vote in an attempt to block Amit’s appointment. Amit, a liberal judge, is opposed by Levin—who is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party—as well as by members of the far-right Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism parties.
The Supreme Court eventually ordered the election to proceed, but Levin and two other eligible voters from the government’s camp boycotted the vote. In recent months, Levin has repeatedly called for a renewed push to overhaul Israel’s judiciary after a previous attempt failed. The proposed legal reforms by the right-wing religious coalition sparked mass protests throughout 2023, exposing deep divisions within Israeli society.
The extent of political discord in Israel was underscored by a statement from opposition leader Yair Lapid, who sharply criticized the Justice Minister following the election. Writing on X, Lapid stated: „Yariv Levin has brought nothing but destruction and devastation. As usual, he engages in criminal extortion and threatens to appoint people to the Supreme Court who aim to dismantle Israeli democracy.“
Meanwhile, former prosecutor Moshe Lador called on Israeli Air Force pilots to refuse to report for reserve duty if the government revives the judicial reform. Is Israel truly on a path to rendering itself incapable of functioning? At present, the divisions in the Knesset appear more entrenched than ever.
The government had sought to strip the Supreme Court of its ability to overturn „unreasonable“ decisions made by the government, the prime minister, or individual ministers. This power—an essential component of the checks and balances in any democracy—has long been a thorn in the side of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, especially for his nationalist, ultra-religious, and far-right coalition partners.
U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed evacuating the devastated Gaza Strip and relocating its Palestinian residents to Arab countries. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump reportedly suggested Egypt and Jordan should take in displaced Palestinians, according to accompanying journalists. „We’re talking about 1.5 million people, and we would just thoroughly clean out the area,“ Trump said. However, Trump’s proposal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza into neighboring Arab countries has been met with rejection from both Hamas and the governments of Jordan and Egypt. A senior Hamas official stated that such ideas, even if disguised as reconstruction efforts, are unacceptable.
Egypt and Jordan also dismissed Trump’s remarks about relocating Gaza’s residents. Trump had referred to Gaza as a “wasteland” where people are dying and mentioned discussions with Jordan’s King Abdullah, adding that he intended to speak with Egyptian President Sisi soon. He estimated the number of displaced people could reach 1.5 million.
While the proposal might seem „naive“ to some, it reflects what many in Israel have quietly desired for a long time. Trump framed it as a humanitarian effort, stating: “Almost everything is destroyed, and people are dying there. So, I’d rather work with Arab countries to build housing elsewhere, where they might actually live in peace for a change.” Trump suggested the relocation could be temporary or permanent.
However, the idea isn’t new. In October 2023, Israel’s intelligence ministry drafted a plan to resettle 2.3 million Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. While the Prime Minister’s Office downplayed the report, calling it a hypothetical “concept paper,” the details included moving Palestinians to tent cities in northern Sinai, later transitioning to permanent towns and a humanitarian corridor. A security zone would be established within Israel to block displaced Palestinians from returning. The document left the future of Gaza itself unaddressed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made his intentions clear about retaining control of Gaza after the war with Hamas. Responding to President Joe Biden’s suggestion that Gaza should ultimately be part of the Palestinian Authority, Netanyahu said the Israeli military did not enter Gaza to return it to the Authority.
Historically, the Gaza Strip has been a point of contention. Before Israel’s establishment, Gaza housed 80,000 people within 360 square kilometers. After Israel’s creation, 160,000 refugees settled there. By 1949, Egypt governed Gaza, but the growing population—now over 2.2 million—and recurring security concerns have led to repeated proposals to relocate Palestinians to Sinai. These plans, dating back to the 1950s, were consistently met with resistance from Egypt and the Palestinian population.
In January 2024, Israel’s Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel advocated for “voluntary emigration,” citing the hopeless conditions in Gaza and claiming many residents were already paying smugglers exorbitant fees to leave. Gamliel argued that the international community should assist in relocation efforts rather than funding UNRWA, which she claimed had failed to improve Palestinian lives. Her proposal reportedly resonated with the Israeli public, with 76% supporting “voluntary emigration” and 74% opposing a two-state solution.
Adding complexity to the situation, Israeli settlers have begun staking claims near Gaza’s borders. This is a revival of aspirations to return to territories vacated during Israel’s 2005 withdrawal. Encouraged by the war and the presence of ultranationalist cabinet members, settler leaders now call for Gaza’s complete annexation. They argue that Palestinians forfeited their right to live there following the October 7 attack. At a nationalist conference in October 2024, settler leaders and prominent ministers pledged to replace Gaza’s Palestinian population with Jewish settlers.
These developments reflect a deepening divide and underline the growing tensions surrounding Gaza’s future.
Following the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, the Israeli government has accused UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) of complicity. Israel has now demanded that UNRWA cease its operations in Jerusalem by January 30 and leave the city. For decades, UNRWA has focused on supporting Palestinian refugees, managing educational and healthcare facilities. The agency employs over 30,000 people, with approximately 13,000 working in Gaza, making UNRWA the largest employer in the region. UNRWA plays a critical role in delivering humanitarian aid to more than two million civilians affected by the Gaza conflict, with the UN viewing its work as indispensable.
Israel has accused some UNRWA employees of participating in Hamas terror activities. In response, the Israeli parliament enacted a law banning UNRWA from operating in Israel and forbidding Israeli officials from collaborating with the organization.
Recent revelations indicate that three Israeli women—Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher—held captive for 471 days after their abduction by Hamas on October 7, 2023, were intermittently detained in UNRWA refugee shelters. They reported that their captors intentionally used UN facilities as hiding spots, assuming Israeli forces would avoid targeting them. This tactic provided the militants not only a secure refuge for their hostages but also protection for themselves.
These accusations are part of a broader series of allegations. Israel claims 19 UNRWA staff members were involved in the October 7 attacks, leading to the dismissal of nine employees. Unconfirmed estimates suggest that around 10% of UNRWA’s workforce might be affiliated with terrorist organizations—a severe accusation. However, an independent expert report commissioned by the United Nations in April 2024, led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, found no evidence supporting claims of Hamas infiltration or UNRWA staff involvement in the attacks. The report praised UNRWA’s neutrality measures but recommended improved staff vetting and better protection for facilities like schools and hospitals to prevent misuse.
Despite this, Israel has criticized the investigation’s findings and maintains that the only verifiable sources on the matter are Israeli intelligence reports. Israel plans to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza through other organizations.
UNRWA’s chief, Philippe Lazzarini, recently stated on social media platform X: „Our teams are determined to stay and deliver.“ He criticized Israel’s ban, describing it as part of broader efforts to erase Palestinian history and identity. UNRWA continues to provide aid, operate schools and hospitals, and distribute supplies in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. According to the agency, over 1.5 million Palestinian refugees live in camps. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by UN member states, with 90% of its budget coming from them. The remaining 10% comes from the UN itself, corporations, and foundations. In 2022, the agency secured $1.17 billion in pledges, with the United States and Germany as the largest donors, contributing $343 million and $202 million, respectively. International NGOs such as Caritas and Oxfam, as well as other UN agencies like UNICEF and WHO, have called for continued support for UNRWA.
Syria has terminated a contract with Russia that had given Moscow the use of the port of Tartus. As Syrian media unanimously report, a 2019 agreement that guaranteed a Russian company the operation of the port for 49 years has been repealed. The official reason given is a restructuring of the port. The Russian operating company was accused of not having adequately maintained the facilities. The income from the operation will again benefit Syria in the future. The Ministry of Information in Damascus confirmed that all income from the port will now go to the Syrian state. The HTS’s decision to end Russia’s financial involvement in Tartus suggests that HTS intends to regain Syrian control of the port, making it unlikely that Russia will maintain a military presence there.
According to the Syrians, they also want to reduce customs duties by 60 percent to make the location more attractive again. Pressure from the EU is said to have contributed significantly to this change. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock clearly advocated a withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria on her trips to Damascus and Riyadh.
Tartus has an important strategic location on the Mediterranean. Russia took over the port in 2017 and used part of it as a base for its warships. Russia was also able to use the port to maintain its Mediterranean fleet. In return, it was given special rights. It is not immediately clear whether the move also means an end to the military presence of the Russian Navy in Syria. Since the fall of ruler Bashar al Assad, there have been increasing reports that the Russians have been smuggling weapons out of Syria via Tartus.
Consideration for the closure: The movable and immovable property of the Russian army enjoys immunity from search, seizure, arrest or other enforcement measures. Russia had already begun to withdraw troops and material from Syria in the days following the fall of the Assad regime. The Hmeymim military base, a Russian air force base in Syria, located in the northern area of Latakia’s Basil al-Assad International Airport in the west of the country, whose use has also been agreed for 49 years, remains under Russian control for the time being. However, it is unclear whether Russia will be allowed to continue using the facility.
The relations between Russia and Syria are characterized by a long-standing political, economic and military partnership that goes back to the Cold War era. In the background there are certainly also moments from the time when Syria, together with Egypt, tried to realize a socialist union in the 1960s and 1970s. Whatever the case, the time of close cooperation seems to be coming to an end. How the act of closing the port will be interpreted remains to be seen; whether turning away from Russia will also be linked to turning towards the West is and remains an open question; So far, the signs are not clear enough, or contradictory: The Islamist transitional government has sent different signals to Moscow since Assad was overthrown. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha was one of the first foreign diplomats to visit the new leadership in Damascus. At the time, the new leadership spoke of wanting to enter into a strategic partnership with Ukraine. On the other hand, the country’s de facto ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa, also stressed that Russia is one of the most powerful countries in the world. „We do not want Russia to leave Syria in the way that some would like,“ he said in his first major television interview with the Saudi broadcaster Al-Arabiya. Syria will not allow itself to be put under pressure.
An important goal of the transitional government in Syria is that the sanctions against their country are lifted quickly. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, the new Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani said that the reason for the sanctions is now in Moscow – he means long-time ruler Assad, to whom the Russian government has granted asylum. It is more than clear that he wanted to give a hint about easing the sanctions. What is likely to make it difficult for the West to reorient itself is the fact that Syria has still not positioned itself in such a way that future developments could be anticipated. At the beginning of next week, the foreign ministers of the European Union want to discuss lifting the sanctions imposed by the EU on Syria. It is more than unclear whether anything will change then, as Syria is still considered „unpredictable“.
The port of Tartus was the only base in the Mediterranean for the Russian naval forces and an important hub for operating in North Africa and supplying and repairing naval vessels in the region. With the termination of the usage agreement, Russia’s presence in the Mediterranean is likely to have been significantly reduced. What is certain is that the port of Tartus was an important base for the Russian navy in the Mediterranean and its loss could be a severe blow to Putin’s naval forces. In mid-December, Russia moved several warships that were anchored off Tartus to unknown locations without any official announcement. The termination of the agreement now comes as no surprise, it seems.
It is possible that with this „small step“ Syria has given the West more than Syria can and wants to admit to itself. In any case, further developments are worth continuing to monitor.
According to its foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, the transitional government in Syria wants to work for the inclusion of all population groups in the country. No one should be punished because of their origin, social or religious background or membership of certain population groups, said Al-Shaibani at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Al-Shaibani has promised a constitution in which all population groups in the country can be seen. Regarding the role of women, he also said that they are a decisive factor in building the new Syria and the future of the country. Leading roles in the transitional government have already been filled by women, including the director of the central bank, Maysaa Sabrine. The new Syrian foreign minister also again spoke out in favor of an end to the economic sanctions against his country. „The lifting of economic sanctions is the key to Syria’s stability,“ said the minister in a conversation with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Davos. The sanctions against the now-deposed Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad were once imposed for the benefit of the Syrians, but are now harming the Syrian people. The international community is hesitant, however.
The new rulers in Syria have, according to their own statements, suspended the constitution and parliament for three months. The current constitution dates from 2012. It does not stipulate that Islam is the state religion. The background to this constitution is the desire of the former Syrian dictatorship, just as it was in the new Turkey, to have a secular country in which religion and the state are clearly separated from one another, which has proven to be quite valuable over the decades, even if there have been repeated moments of injustice.
Now a UN resolution is supposed to provide the solution: Resolution 2254, which the UN Security Council passed in 2015, outlines how the Syrian civil war could be ended and the country led to democracy. But is this resolution still up to date? As the Syrian civil war became increasingly brutal and bloody in 2015, the members of the UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 2254. It was intended as a basis for ceasefire talks and advocates a peaceful transition of power from dictatorship to democracy. Resolution 2254 stipulated that a ceasefire should be used to establish a transitional government and draw up a new constitution. The primary goal was to end Assad’s rule and hold free and fair elections. This process was to take place under Syrian leadership, but with the support of the United Nations. The resolution commits Syria to territorial integrity, national independence, social unity and a non-sectarian system of government. But: is Resolution 2254 still valid? Hasn’t the initial situation changed too much? Isn’t it right to ask: „Applying Resolution 2254 today feels like prescribing medicine for a disease that no longer exists“?
In fact, some details of the resolution are now outdated. It calls for the division of power between the Syrian opposition and the Syrian government under Assad. But that no longer exists. And the current rulers fear that Resolution 2254 could serve as a pretext for foreign forces to interfere in Syria, as has always been the case. And that does not only affect America, the EU or Russia: Turkey and Israel are already creating facts, irreversible ones.
For this reason, the calculation that up to four years will pass before a new government can be elected on the basis of a new constitution is not realistic. It is certainly necessary to take time to allow the country’s complex moments to flow into such a constitution and to clearly define the rights of minorities, but this will also be possible and necessary in quicker steps. Syria is in such a deep economic downfall that new steps must be taken immediately, without firing political „quick shots“ that would not be beneficial to the country’s future.
Essentially, everything has happened as it should: Hezbollah has retreated far behind the Litani River as a demarcation line, and Israel has occupied the resulting „buffer zone“ between its own national border and this line. Everyone is ready to pad this buffer with „neutral forces“, specifically the soldiers of the Lebanese army. But, as it seems, Israel is not planning to withdraw. Instead, it looks as if the Israeli military is preparing to dig in and establish itself firmly in the villages, valleys and hills. The Lebanese Hezbollah has therefore warned against a delayed withdrawal of the Israeli army from southern Lebanon. If the Israeli ground troops have not withdrawn by Sunday, this would be a breach of the ceasefire agreement, wrote the pro-Iranian militia. She was reacting to media reports that Israel had asked the USA to extend the deadline, which was supposed to expire on Sunday, by 30 days. The USA is part of a group of countries that are supposed to monitor compliance with the ceasefire agreed at the end of November. According to Israeli sources, it is once again the Lebanese army that is to blame for everything: it is not moving into the buffer quickly enough. The Lebanese army is certainly not considered the most powerful of the world’s armies. But here too, Israel seems to be trying to use something as an excuse that could serve its own goals: another „occupied territory“ on its borders.
According to a British media report, the Israeli army is carrying out construction work in the demilitarized buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria. The BBC report refers to a new satellite image of the area that was made available to the broadcaster. The construction work is taking place in an area that is under UN supervision in accordance with the 1974 ceasefire agreement. Israel’s army entered the buffer zone after the fall of Syria’s ruler Bashar al-Assad in early December and is apparently considering long-term control of the area. The leadership in Jerusalem says it wants to prevent armed groups from attacking Israel from the plateau. The work appears to have started at the beginning of this year. The Arab Gulf states called on Israel to withdraw from Syria at a summit in late December. The occupation represents a serious violation of international law, said the final declaration of a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Kuwait. The international community has a responsibility to stop the attacks on Syrian territory and to ensure that Israel withdraws from the Syrian areas it occupies. However, as experience shows, it cannot be expected that this demand will be able to stop Israel. What is it that bothers Israel about international law?
Elise Stefanik, Trump’s preferred candidate for US ambassador to the United Nations, was asked by a Democratic senator whether she shared the views of some right-wing Israeli politicians that Israel has a „biblical right to the entire West Bank.“ „Yes,“ replied the ardent Trump supporter. This statement represents a radical turnaround from the position of the previous US administration under Joe Biden. Like other Western countries, Biden demanded that Israel stop building settlements in the West Bank in order to move closer to peace with the Palestinians. According to a 2016 UN resolution, the existing settlements in the West Bank are considered a violation of international law and an obstacle to a solution to the Middle East conflict. But already in Trump’s first term as US president from 2017 to 2021, Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank had increased dramatically. As one of Trump’s first official acts after his inauguration on Monday, he lifted the sanctions against extremist settlers in the West Bank. These were imposed by President Joe Biden. At the same time, the Israeli government has not yet abandoned the idea of annexing the occupied West Bank. In the background are religious ideas of „God’s land“, which was given to the Jewish people by God himself. Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews hold steadfastly to this idea and derive their right to this area from it.
Secular world society sees things differently: Israel has occupied Palestinian territories for almost 60 years. A violation of international law, says the highest UN court. Israel’s settlement policy in the occupied territories also violates international law. The International Court of Justice in The Hague expressly stated in a legal opinion last year that Israel is in fact guilty of annexation. This opinion is not legally binding. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the International Court of Justice’s classification – the Palestinian side, on the other hand, welcomed the opinion.
The gap between traditional religious ideas and today’s secular notions of international law could hardly be greater. Completely different understandings of the world and meaning collide here. Now the USA also seems to be taking the side of the religious fundamentalists; not really surprising when you look at the religious fundamentalists in the USA itself; there too, ideology is often more powerful than reason.
The Director General of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem, Sami Al-Yousef, has warned against plans by the right-wing nationalist Israeli government for partial or complete annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank. The Patriarchate Director described the situation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a disaster. The current Israeli government is pursuing a policy that is destroying the few remaining achievements of the Oslo Accords and is aimed at establishing Israeli rule over the Palestinian territories. According to Al-Yousef, the greatest challenges for the Palestinians are the sharp increase in settler violence and a catastrophic economic situation. The collapse of tourism and pilgrimages and the cancellation of around 150,000 work permits for Palestinians in Israel have led to an unprecedented rate of unemployment, especially among Palestinian Christians. For the public sector, the Palestinian Authority, which is already financially struggling, is unable to pay salaries or is only able to pay them to a very limited extent due to Israel’s suspension of tax transfers. Around 180,000 employees are affected.
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel has proposed to Ukrainian Ambassador Yevhen Korniychuk that the Russian weapons seized by Israel from Hezbollah in Lebanon should be handed over to Ukraine. A large proportion of the Shiite terrorist organization’s weapons come from Russian stocks. In addition, Russia also cooperates closely militarily with Iran, which in turn was and is Hezbollah’s main supporter. So far, however, the Jewish state has shown restraint when it comes to solidarity with Ukraine. In order not to jeopardize its relations with Russia, Israel abstained from voting when the UN condemned the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Jerusalem agreed to the UN resolution against the full Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but it neither adopted the US and EU sanctions nor could it bring itself to supply arms to the invaded country. The large number of Russian immigrants and the massive presence of Russian money in Israel offer explanations for this persistently pro-Russian or at least ambivalent attitude towards the Kremlin. In addition, Israel also felt that it had to exercise restraint with regard to Russia’s presence in Syria; a point that has now been dropped. There is therefore no longer any objective reason for the Jewish state not to actively side with Ukraine.
Beyond idealistic and moral motives, it is in Israel’s immediate strategic interest to help Ukraine to win against the Russian aggressor within the scope of its economic and military possibilities. A military defeat of Russia in Ukraine would also deal a severe blow to Iran, with which the Kremlin regime is in a close war alliance. Moreover, Israel can no longer ignore the increasingly open anti-Semitism that is expressed in the propaganda of Putin and his regime.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been able to confiscate more than 10,000 Hezbollah weapons in southern Lebanon in recent months. 70 percent of the ammunition comes from Russia, the rest from Iran. For decades, Hezbollah has hoarded the weapons and prepared for an attack on Israel along similar lines to Hamas’s on October 7. Despite its successes in Lebanon so far, it is feared that Hezbollah still has tens of thousands of rockets in its arsenal, including long-range and precision-guided rockets, which have not yet been found.
As early as spring 2023, Israel had approved the delivery of electronic drone defense systems from its own stocks to Ukraine. That was a first change of course at the time. In mid-2024, a new consideration was added: Ukraine could strengthen its air defense in the future with decommissioned systems from Israel. What became of the idea is not known. At the time, there was skepticism as to whether Israel would pass the air defense systems directly on to Ukraine, as it had previously shown hesitation in the case of possible arms deliveries to Kiev. At the time, it was also considered that our federal government could buy the Israeli „Patriot“ systems for Ukraine. Now the idea of giving the captured Hezbollah weapons from Lebanon to Ukraine has apparently prevailed in Israel.
As early as May 2024, US Secretary of State Blinken did not expect Israel to destroy the terrorist organization with a major offensive in Rafah. Even then, Blinken said that Hamas terrorists had already returned to certain areas in the north of the Gaza Strip that Israel had previously considered „liberated.“ Even if there were a major Israeli attack on Rafah in the Gaza Strip, thousands of Hamas supporters would remain, said the US Secretary of State. In the meantime, the events in Gaza seem to have brought even more young people to Hamas. This was evident when the first hostages were released after the ceasefire agreement: jeeps full of uniformed young Hamas fighters. All equipped with rapid-fire rifles, all confident of victory.
In September 2024, Yayha Sinwar, the head of the terrorist organization, revealed in a letter to Hezbollah in Lebanon what he really thinks about peace with Israel: Hamas will fight „until the occupation is defeated and swept from our land and our independent and sovereign state is established with Jerusalem as its capital.“ This did not indicate defeat, even if much of this statement must be discounted and attributed to propaganda.
In a television interview in June last year, Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari questioned whether Israel’s war aims in the Gaza Strip can be achieved. At the time, he said: „Hamas is an idea, it is a party. It is rooted in the hearts of the people. Anyone who thinks we can eliminate Hamas is wrong.“ And Hagari also said that promising „that we will make sure that Hamas disappears is like pulling the wool over people’s eyes.“ Netanyahu’s office immediately rejected Hagari’s comments.
Hamas’s control over the distribution of international aid during all those months, which the Israeli army refused to take over, may have played a part in creating a new reality: Hamas not only diverted sufficient supplies for its own fighters, but was also able to use them to acquire new fighters because their families were given priority. This may have driven some into the hands of Hamas. But the brutality of the Israeli army in Gaza certainly also played a part: those who have lost mothers, sisters and little brothers are certainly not inclined to forgive and behave peacefully, but rather to take revenge.
Another factor that has contributed to Hamas‘ continued existence are the hostages. The Israeli forces have acted prudently throughout the conflict so as not to endanger the hostages. The operational planning of ground maneuvers and the use of firepower were calculated in such a way as to reduce the risk to them. This caution, rightly realized, has probably led to missed opportunities and will probably continue to influence the actions of the Israeli armed forces in Gaza.
The Islamist group, founded more than 30 years ago, is therefore still a force to be reckoned with, even though it has lost thousands of fighters and its most important leaders. According to estimates by the Israeli military, around 20,000 armed Hamas members may have been killed. No one knows for sure. What is left in the Gaza Strip now is difficult to destroy. Israeli experts estimate that up to 40 percent of the tunnels are still intact. Large quantities of weapons and ammunition may still be stored there. In addition, according to experts, there are places in the Gaza Strip that Israel has not yet entered.
Israel has obviously been unable to subdue Hamas militarily for 15 months and at the same time is reluctant to place the Gaza Strip under its military rule. The statement „The Hamas machine reproduces itself“ may be true. So far, there is no real end in sight.
Syria’s interim Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani has confirmed his participation in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. „It is an honor for me to represent Syria at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland for the first time in its history,“ al-Shaibani said on X. The World Economic Forum had previously announced al-Shaibani’s participation. According to WEF information, he will give a speech on Wednesday afternoon. After years of international isolation, the new leadership in Syria has been trying to build new diplomatic relations worldwide since the fall of ruler Bashar al-Assad. But the geopolitical conditions of the meeting are more difficult than they have been for a long time: Russia’s war in Ukraine, the shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the German economic downturn and the first days in office of the then newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump – all of these will shape the Davos summit. And the federal election is also casting its shadow. What role should the „newcomer“ play in these rounds? What will be expected of him? Will conditions be formulated? The interim foreign minister will have to move very carefully on this relatively unknown terrain, not only for him but for his entire government, and be very careful not to fall into any potholes.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a foundation founded in 1971 by the German economist Klaus Schwab. It is financed through membership fees and public subsidies. The ambition is huge: the WEF says it wants to „improve the state of the world“. The main event is the annual meeting in Davos, secluded in the Swiss Alps. For years, politicians from all over the world have also used the forum for informal discussions – perhaps the really important thing at the meeting. The meeting has been criticized for being too elitist, as many of the really important meetings take place behind closed doors.
The motto this year is „Collaboration for the intelligent age“, and the official program includes cybercrime, artificial intelligence and technological change. According to the WEF, around 900 CEOs and 60 heads of state and government are travelling to the event. Germany will be represented three times, Scholz, Merz and Habek, and each of the three will speak. Israeli President Izchak Herzog has also announced his attendance, as have the Saudi Foreign Minister and the Vice President of Iran. Over 2,700 envoys from 130 countries are attending the WEF, including 1,600 business representatives and 400 media representatives from Germany and abroad. The big absentee this year is US President-elect Donald Trump. However, he is attending the meeting digitally. His already announced positions are likely to have a massive impact on the meeting. Right at the start, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke about the state of the global economy in her opening speech at the WEF. While the new American President Donald Trump is threatening to impose tariffs on foreign trading partners, von der Leyen warned against precisely this development. Trade blockades are becoming more and more common. Von der Leyen addressed the EU’s relations with China several times in her speech. It is time to create a more balanced relationship with China. Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang also warned against protectionism in a speech on Tuesday. He said that states must work towards an inclusive and globalized economy. Trade wars only produce losers, said Ding.
According to the Israeli authority COGAT, 1,693 trucks carrying 32,530 tons of aid have been dispatched to Gaza since January 1. This is the latest status of the situation. According to the Egyptian Red Crescent, more than 3,000 trucks are ready to bring relief supplies to Gaza near the Egyptian border crossing at Rafah. Trucks carrying relief supplies are backed up for many kilometers in Rafah on the Egyptian side of the border with the Gaza Strip. Many of them bear the logo of the United Nations World Food Programme. There are also transports from NGOs such as World Central Kitchen. The truckers do not drive their goods directly into the Gaza Strip – the Rafah border crossing, which connects Egypt with the Palestinian territory, is still closed to them. The trucks first drive through a side gate in Rafah – from where they are then directed to the nearby Kerem Shalom border crossing on the Israeli side. There, the Israeli military searches the load to make sure that it really only contains relief supplies and that there are no weapons hidden under the blankets. After the inspection, the trucks are unloaded – on the Palestinian side, the relief supplies are taken over by other drivers. Security first!
Among the vehicles are 15 trucks carrying fuel. It is intended to supply hospitals and emergency shelters with electricity. Of the approximately 40 hospitals that once existed in the Gaza Strip, not a single one is fully operational; all of them, if they are still in operation at all, have to live with the fact that some departments are no longer able to perform their tasks. Hamas had used almost all of these facilities as military headquarters, which repeatedly led to attacks by the Israeli army. Now there is a shortage of petrol, water, electricity, medicines and medical supplies, and there is no space in other hospitals to which patients could be evacuated from combat zones. There is no anesthetic for operations and no necessary medical equipment. And this is the case in all hospitals in Gaza. There is nothing left in the hospitals that could guarantee a minimum level of medical care, especially for dialysis patients and newborns. The health system has been almost completely destroyed. The consequence: many will die prematurely because they cannot be adequately helped. Unfortunately, the world’s attention is not on them; other things attract the media’s attention.
This means that pregnant women currently have little or no opportunity to receive prenatal or postnatal care. Many of them have had to flee several times and their health is affected by stress, food shortages and poor hygienic conditions. Because the hospitals are overloaded, many women give birth in makeshift tents or in the hospital corridors. Children are born far too early, births take place in terrible conditions or there are stillbirths. Operations have become difficult; anesthetics are lacking, as is material for postnatal care.
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One of the central areas of conflict in the Middle East is the unresolved conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. At its core, it is about territorial claims to the area between Jordan and the Mediterranean. The state of Israel, founded on May 14, 1948, now covers 78 percent of this area. Israel has occupied the remaining part, the Palestinian territories, since 1967 (West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip). In this area, which is predominantly inhabited by Palestinians but also Israeli settlers, the Palestinians are striving for an independent state, to which they are entitled based on the right to self-determination and various UN resolutions. The Federal Foreign Office website states: „The escalation of the conflict triggered by Hamas‘ terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 makes the two-state solution appear even more complex on the one hand, but on the other hand it has come back into focus when it comes to efforts to ensure lasting security, peace and dignity for both sides.“ It also states: „Due to its history, Germany bears a special responsibility towards Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and for its security. At the same time, Germany recognizes the Palestinians‘ right to self-determination and their aspirations for their own state. Germany and its partners are convinced that only through negotiations can the goal of ultimately having an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel be achieved. Only a negotiated two-state solution acceptable to both sides can lead to lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.“ But the question now is what such a „two-state solution“, which is repeatedly invoked, should look like: Almost 700,000 Jewish settlers have now settled in the West Bank in over 260 settlements – that makes up about 13% of the area of the so-called „West Bank“. All of this would have to be cleared in order to establish an independent Palestine. The settlers will not go along with that – certainly not, and there would also be enough supporters for them in the State of Israel itself; politically, therefore, it is not feasible. Other ideas want to keep the settlements that have been created, connect them with each other by „corridors“ and declare the rest that remains to be Palestine. Pragmatically not feasible, because how should the Palestinians act in a country that is crisscrossed by insurmountable „corridors“ that separate Palestinian land from Palestinian land, where Palestinian territories would lie like islands in a sea, but not freely accessible by boat or ship, but separated by barbed wire. And there is another thing: in 2024, Israel declared more land in the West Bank to be state land than in the past ten years. In total, it is almost 5,900 acres, almost 24 square kilometers. This is annexation in small steps, which turns „occupied“ territory into state territory, enlarges Israel and makes „Palestine“ smaller. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, with a view to President Trump’s inauguration today, explained that „it is about disputed territories“ „when we have a claim to certain areas, especially those in which our citizens live“. This defines the realities that have already been created as irreversible, detached from all principles of international law. Finance Minister Smotrich recently stated in the Knesset in Jerusalem: „With God’s help, the year 2025 will be the year of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.“ This refers to the West Bank – occupied Palestinian territory under international law. The Israeli government, on the other hand, uses the biblical names for the region, thereby reinforcing its idea that all of this belongs to Israel. Mike Huckabee, who is set to be the new US ambassador in Tel Aviv, recently stated: „There is no such thing as a Palestinian.“ There are Arabs and Persians – but Palestinians are „a political tool to wrest territory from Israel.“ The evangelical Christian Huckabee himself consistently speaks of Judea and Samaria instead of the West Bank. He calls the Israeli settlements there – illegal under international law – „communities“ and the occupation – also illegal according to the latest opinion of the International Court of Justice – does not even exist.
A so-called „two-state solution“ is written on paper, not wanted by many of the powerful, but continues to be formulated as an intention and put forward in order to gain as much time as possible in order to cement even more of what is already „underway“. And our European politicians, especially in Germany, are turning a blind eye to reality and continue to talk about this „two-state solution“ even though they know very well that it will never be realized. In addition, no one within „Palestine“ knows how such an independent „Palestine“ is supposed to work; the elite is not trusted; far too often we have experienced the corruption that is everywhere in all its effects. No Palestinian trusts another to want to do anything for the good of the community; everyone knows that the others are no different from themselves: only focused on their own individual interests. What then? Complete annexation? Israel does not want that either, because it would cause the number of Arabs in the „new“ Israel to increase so rapidly that the Jews would be afraid that they would soon no longer be the majority in their own country. This concern would be justified. And… huge numbers of young workers would flood into the Israeli labor market and exhaust the country’s social security funds, to the extent that they were responsible. The simplest solution for Israel would be for the Palestinians to „dissolve“ – preferably into thin air; simply disappear, if necessary, to Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon or somewhere else. Under no circumstances should they merge into a „second state of their own“, because how could this exist alongside Israel without an economy, without structure, without prospects?
Christianity in Egypt has a long history and is deeply rooted. Almost 10 percent of the country’s 111 million inhabitants are Christians. Most Egyptian Christians belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, while about 2.5 percent belong to the Coptic Catholic Church and other churches. In 2024, the government of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi appointed a Christian to the Supreme Constitutional Court for the first time and also convicted an extremist Muslim priest murderer. But the mood in the country is still not moving towards equality. Christians still have to keep their faith secret and only meet in small house churches for security reasons, although churches have now also received building permits and a new cathedral was even inaugurated in the presence of the president. Nevertheless, in April 2024, the houses of several Christians in the Egyptian town of Al-Fawakhir were set on fire while they were inside. Three hours later, the bishop reported that the security forces had arrived. They brought the situation under control and arrested the „instigators and perpetrators“.
Anti-Christian violence in Egypt can be triggered by rumors that Christians are trying to build or repair churches. This hostility reflects the traditional ban on building churches in Islamic Sharia law. President Al-Sisi presents himself as the protector of Egyptian Christians, and attacks against Christians have indeed become less frequent; but Christians are still persecuted in various ways. The worst are kidnappings, forced marriages and forced conversions, against which even the authorities appear powerless.
But the head of the Coptic Catholic Church, which is united with Rome, Patriarch Ibrahim Sidrak, also sees a positive development for Christians in Egypt: There has been real progress in the past ten years. There are „far fewer acts of violence“ against Christians than in the past, and the Egyptian state also recognizes the churches. The situation has changed fundamentally compared to 2012; At that time, the Muslim Brotherhood came to power with President Mohammed Mursi. There are still fanatics and terrorists in Egypt today, but they are „sidelined“. The Patriarch does not see any danger that the Muslim Brotherhood could regain power. Today, there are 180 Coptic Catholic schools that enjoy a good reputation, says the Patriarch. Many Muslims send their children to these schools, and among the graduates are also current government members, he stresses.
Unfortunately, the situation of Christians in Egypt is not in the focus of our „European“ field of vision, also because the situation of Christians there is hardly discussed within the European churches.
It sounds impressive: Israel is releasing more than 700 Palestinians for 33 Israeli hostages in Hamas hands. Apart from the problematic calculation of how many Palestinians an Israeli is „worth“, one should keep in mind that the Palestinians imprisoned can also be people who have not yet committed anything worthy of punishment. We do not know because Israel has not published any details about the release, except that the first „batch“ includes 69 women, 16 men and ten minors, including a 16-year-old. Only for Palestinians is there so-called „administrative detention“ in the occupied territories, which ended in November 2024 but still affects an unknown number of people from the occupied territories. Under administrative detention, suspects are held for six months or longer for security reasons. This is the case when those affected are linked to a crime, for example, but there is not enough evidence to bring charges. Lawyers complain that in such cases the detention is based on secret information and that they therefore have little power to counter it.
Administrative detention does not exist in Israel, only in the occupied territories. The rule there is to arrest Palestinians and hold them in custody without trial. At least 9,500 Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank are in Israeli prisons, about half of them without official charges: more than twice as many as before October 7, 2023, the day Hamas attacked Israel and killed 1,200 people. Around 3,700 Palestinian prisoners are in prison for months or even years without charges, and they often have no access to a lawyer. This is everyday life and the majority of the world is silent. In a constitutional state, those arrested must generally be able to consult a lawyer within 24 hours. This is not the case with administrative detention. Those affected are initially placed in administrative detention for three months. Israel can extend the period of detention as desired, without charges being brought. Thousands of Palestinians are experiencing that they are defenselessly exposed to the arbitrary will of a foreign power. Those affected perceive administrative detention as arbitrary, degrading or even cruel. It fuels hatred of the Israeli occupation, and thus of Jews, even more.
In view of these moments, there is no need to fear that „serious criminals“ could be released from Israeli prisons and become dangerous to the general public – Israel still has a „stock“ of less dangerous prisoners.
After the Foreign Minister, Ms Schulze is the second German cabinet member to travel to Damascus after the fall of long-time ruler Assad. It is not yet known when the German embassy, which has been closed since 2012, is expected to reopen. Ultimately, this is a security issue and also a political decision. But it is good to „look around“. After all, it would be wrong not to do everything possible to support Syria in a peaceful new beginning in such a historic window of time. At the same time, she emphasizes that all projects selected by Germany are not being implemented with the de facto rulers, but exclusively through United Nations aid agencies and non-governmental organizations. Is anyone already preparing for this? What fears might there be in Berlin of possibly supporting „the wrong people“? The financial support will go to Unicef, the aid organization Arche Nova, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Syrian NGOs and a special UN fund. The money will be used to repair schools and care for traumatized children, organize jobs for internally displaced people and promote reconciliation between the different population groups.
The minister announced new partnerships between German and Syrian hospitals – an approach that is certainly sensible and smart, because the Syrian health system was actually very strong and effective before the war. Now hospitals have been bombed, staff have fled, and medical care is at an all-time low. According to the Development Ministry, more than half of the health personnel have left the country and more than a third of the hospitals are no longer functional. There are now to be so-called clinic partnerships, with which Germany already has experience in more than 50 countries around the world. Doctors from Germany will travel to Syria to offer training courses there or to practice the use of new equipment with local colleagues. But what role should all the Syrian doctors who are now practicing in Germany play? At the end of 2023, 5,758 Syrians were working as doctors in Germany, around 1.3 percent of all doctors; they make up the largest group of foreign doctors in Germany. More than 2,000 Syrians worked as nurses between June 2023 and May 2024.
A real obstacle to rapid aid, however, are EU sanctions against Syria, which are still in force. The EU is currently debating their lifting. Schulze takes a clear position here: „From a development policy perspective, it is important that reconstruction is not hampered by sanctions now, that the health system can be stabilized, that education systems can be advanced. This is something that Germany is committed to.“
It is uncertain whether Syria will actually become a democratic and tolerant state. Despite all the scepticism, however, for Development Minister Schulze, the ideological background of the leadership in Damascus does not seem to be an obstacle to support for reconstruction. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressed similar views during her visit to Damascus almost two weeks ago.
After years without diplomatic representation in Syria, the German government is planning a return. Minister of State Tobias Lindner is now the Foreign Office’s special coordinator for Syria; he is to re-establish diplomatic relations. The German embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus has been closed since January 2012. But Germany has not been idle so far, despite difficult situations: the German government has already supported the citizens of Syria in recent years. In 2024 alone, the Foreign Office has provided around 213 million euros for humanitarian aid. This includes clean water, food, but also education for all children and a functioning health system. Many tasks have since been carried out from neighboring Lebanon, but of course this has only been possible with some compromises and is currently almost impossible. For a long time, reopening the embassy in Damascus was out of the question. Now the situation is completely new.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has already formulated the great task: We must not let the opportunity slip by that „a legally secure way of life is possible in Syria, that democracy is emerging, that people of different religions can live together well,“ he said back in December. Democracy. A big word for an Arab country that was ruled by a dictator for decades. And a big word for the West, which has at least partially failed in similar attempts in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq.
At the end of 2023, around 712,000 Syrian asylum seekers were registered in the Central Register of Foreigners (AZR) in this country, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). Syrians thus made up 22% of the total of 3.17 million asylum seekers and were the second largest group after Ukrainian nationals (31%). A large proportion of Syrian asylum seekers have been living in Germany for a long time (on average around 8 years): Of the Syrian asylum seekers who immigrated, a good half (52%) came to Germany for the first time after the outbreak of the war in Syria between 2014 and 2016. 12% of Syrian asylum seekers were born in Germany. In 2024, Syrians also sought protection in Germany: The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees recorded 72,000 corresponding initial applications for asylum for the period from January to November of this year. Syrian nationals submitted one in three initial applications for asylum during this period. They were thus the largest group among the total of 217,000 people who applied for asylum for the first time in Germany during this period. In 2023, people with a Syrian immigration history were on average 25.8 years old, i.e. consistently young. 57% of all people with a Syrian immigration history were male, 43% female. Also due to the comparatively low average age, 774,000 or 61% of the 1.3 million people with a Syrian immigration history were single, 461,000 were married (36%). In 2023, around 863,000 people with a Syrian immigration history were of working age between 15 and 64 years. Of these, 42% or 362,000 people were actually employed and thus subject to tax; 8% or 66,000 were unemployed and half (50% or 435,000) were not employed, for example because they were still in education or training, because they could not work due to illness or because they did not have a work permit. A good fifth of people with a Syrian immigration history between the ages of 15 and 64 had a vocational qualification in 2023 (22% or 190,000), of whom 106,000 had an academic degree. This also shows how high the proportion of „intellectuals“ among the refugees was and is. More than 60 percent of Syrians who have applied for asylum in Germany since 2015 are Arab. About a third belong to the Kurdish minority. A clear majority of more than 90 percent are Muslim, less than two percent are Christians and around one percent are Yazidis.
According to naturalization statistics, a good 75,000 Syrians were naturalized in 2023 alone, accounting for the largest share of all naturalizations at 38%. Now, on December 9, 2024, one day after the fall of the Assad regime, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has suspended asylum decisions for Syrian citizens. According to the authority, 47,270 asylum applications from Syrians that have not yet been decided are affected, including around 46,000 first-time applications. However, the new situation in Syria currently has no impact on existing decisions. It is currently not possible to predict how many of the Syrians currently in Germany will want to return home in the future. A return of many Syrians to their homeland could have consequences for clinics, among other things. Syrian doctors in Germany play an important role in maintaining care, especially in hospitals in smaller towns.
Also important: Almost 200,000 Syrian students are currently attending school in Germany. Another 50,000 are studying at a vocational school. More than 50,000 children of Syrian refugees were born in Germany. In total, around 160,000 people from Syria have received German passports; the figures are as of the first half of 2024. Syrians are the largest group of newly naturalized citizens in Germany.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, around half of the Syrian population has fled. Most of them are in Syria’s neighboring countries: Turkey (3.1 million), Lebanon (785,000), Jordan (640,000) and Iraq (273,000). 156,000 refugees are in Egypt. By comparison, there are almost 800,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon – even though Lebanon has a total population of just five and a half million.
In May 2024, Ireland officially decided to recognize a Palestinian state; Israel then closed its embassy in Ireland. A move that hardly anyone understood at the time. Was it a self-aggrandizing, pompous political move by a new Israeli politician who wanted to make headlines – or was it more? Opinions remained divided. The Irish population largely identifies with the Palestinians; this certainly has something to do with the history of Ireland, which has repeatedly experienced itself as a patronized, occupied country. In the former colony, British paramilitaries suppressed Irish supporters of independence. Then – in 1937, Great Britain proposed the division of Palestine into a Jewish and a Palestinian state, a phenomenon that Ireland was also well aware of: The British had previously also divided the Irish island – into the republic, which has been independent since 1921, and Northern Ireland, which belongs to the United Kingdom. In the decades that followed, more and more Irish people drew parallels with Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
Ireland has recognized the Israeli state since 1963 and has been calling for a two-state solution for the Middle East since the 1980s. Dublin strongly condemned the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023 and called for the release of the hostages. At the same time, Ireland criticized Israel’s actions in the Gaza war and called for an immediate ceasefire and more humanitarian aid. The country then formally joined the South African genocide lawsuit against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). And Ireland accused Israel of „collective punishment of the Palestinians.“ This led to the closure of the Israeli embassy in Ireland – an action that is not very common internationally.
What followed was a rhetorical exchange between Ireland and Israel, with no ceasefire in sight. They accused each other: Ireland, along with Spain and Norway, is one of the harshest European critics of the Gaza war and, in agreement with these two partners, has recognized Palestine as a state within the framework of a two-state solution. Then Ireland’s conservative-national liberal-green coalition also joined South Africa’s proceedings before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. South Africa accuses Israel of genocide. Nerves have long been frayed between Ireland, where around 2,500 people of the Jewish faith (0.05 percent of the population) live, and Israel. Now Ireland has once again become involved in the proceedings before the International Court of Justice: According to Article 63 of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, every member state has the right to intervene in proceedings relating to conventions that may affect it. Ireland has now done just that: Ireland declares that the perpetrator does not have to have the aim of committing the crime of genocide when committing one or more of the essential elements of the crime. But: The crime can also be committed if a perpetrator – regardless of his purpose – knows (or should know) that the natural and probable consequence of these acts can lead to or contribute to the partial or total destruction of a protected group. Translated into everyday language: Israel should have known that its brutal, excessive actions in Gaza would ultimately lead to genocide. Human reason alone should have provoked this – and prevented it; at least in part. Specifically, Ireland explains that dropping 500-pound bombs on housing complexes, destroying water pipes, most hospitals and driving homeless people from one tent camp to another in Gaza has a genocidal effect and that this should also be recognizable to „reasonable people“. So if politicians and military personnel in Israel commit these acts anyway, they are guilty of genocide, even if there is no solid document for the intention, according to the Irish argument. The Irish Cabinet decided to intervene in the process at the beginning of December 2024. Ireland is part of the EU – so Ireland’s actions are also part of European action.
In December, at a ceremony to welcome the new Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, Jilan Abdalmajid, Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins, 83, gave an angry speech and defended himself and his country against Israel’s accusation that Ireland’s stance on the Middle East conflict was actually based on anti-Semitism. Is Ireland now taking on the role of the „bad cop“ in Europe as a whole because Germany, for example, has „gone astray“ with its talk of „reasons of state“? Or does the way European countries act so differently show how divided Europe is in itself?
According to Jordanian sources, around 10,000 Syrians have now returned home after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, but most refugees are still hesitant. Jordan has taken in 1.3 million refugees from Syria, around 600,000 of whom are registered with the UN refugee agency UNHCR. Jordan is under enormous pressure. The economic crisis has worsened in the last year, unemployment among those under 24 is at 40 percent and national debt has continued to rise. The country is dependent on aid from its allies, especially the USA and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). King Abdullah II is trying to keep Jordan out of Israel’s conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah. But given the many civilian casualties, especially in the Gaza Strip, there is great discontent with his course. The longer the war lasts, the more the Jordanian population becomes dissatisfied with the king’s „western course“. And this is the basis of all possible developments: Jordan lives from the unity of the country behind the king. The king’s weakness is the country’s weakness. Corruption is already growing in the country and state services to the people are shrinking.
The discontent was expressed in the parliamentary elections in September 2024. The main beneficiary was the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, which is the best organized of all the parties. It had tailored its election campaign entirely to the fate of the Palestinians in Gaza, won around 500,000 votes and thus received 31 of 138 seats in parliament. Previously it was only seven seats. But the increasing power of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood – who wants that for Jordan? They will further reinforce the trend towards a more conservative society. And they will increasingly question the peace treaty with Israel: Now, more than a year after the start of the war in Gaza, the voices calling for the treaty to be terminated have become louder. There is an important point in the background here: Jordan is also divided, even if this is not openly visible on a daily basis: Of the 11 million inhabitants, only 50% come from the „tribes“, i.e. the „original“ Bedouin inhabitants of Jordan, the other 50% are Palestinian refugees or their descendants from the time of the founding of the State of Israel. They view Israel far more critically than the „original Jordanians“. And they are nowhere near as supportive of the establishment of the monarchy. But so far, King Abdullah, who has ruled Jordan for over twenty years, has always managed to ensure peace. But will he continue to do so? The country is suffering from a lack of water, which not only affects the weak agriculture, but also everyday life and industry. The population fears that the three million Palestinians in the West Bank could move to Jordan in the event of a possible annexation of the West Bank by Israel and exacerbate all problems, especially the already high unemployment. The „anchor of stability in the Middle East“ is by no means as stable as it should be.
Israel’s dominance in the Middle East has a corresponding effect: the Netanyahu government’s uncompromising policy towards the Palestinians – expansion of settlements in the West Bank and denial of any Palestinian statehood – leaves the Jordanian king with only poor options. A confrontational course towards Israel would be risky for Jordan simply because of its dependence on Western and above all American support. In addition, the potential for economic cooperation between the two neighboring countries would remain untapped. If the king’s moderate and dialogue-oriented approach towards Israel does not produce any success, he will jeopardise his credibility and the support of his own population – a phenomenon that has already begun.
Another point – although not so economically significant, all the more emotional: Jordan, in the person of the king, is the guardian of the holy Islamic sites in Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock. With his visit to the Temple Mount, whose Islamic sites are under Jordanian administration, the Minister for National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was himself convicted in Israel of anti-Arab agitation, caused the first provocation just a few days after taking office. In addition, shortly afterwards the Jordanian ambassador was initially denied access to the Temple Mount. Both events were politically impossible. But: Jordan wants to avoid a further escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and an explosion of violence in the West Bank that could spill over into its own country. That is why people remain largely silent about such provocations. But for how long? When will Israel have overstepped its bounds here too? And when will „our“ politicians realise how important it is to keep Jordan stable?
The number of deaths in Gaza during the first nine months of the war between Israel and Hamas is very likely significantly higher than previously assumed. The British medical journal Lancet published a study that assumes that the previously reported number of deaths among the Palestinian population of Gaza is around 40% higher than previously known. The study estimates that 64,260 people had died by the end of June 2024, with 59 percent of the victims being women, children and people over 65 years of age.
The analysis was carried out by scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Yale University and other institutions. The number of Palestinian fighters killed was not estimated. According to the studies, almost three percent of the total population in Gaza, which comprised around 2.3 million people before the war began, could have died by June in addition to the official figures. According to the new study, there is no evidence that the health ministry in Gaza is inflating the number of dead or injured. The group also looked at how the mortality rate in Gaza compares to previous years. They also found „no obvious falsifications“ in the data. „We find it implausible that these patterns would emerge with falsified data,“ they noted. The United Nations and other international institutions and experts have already stated in the first days and weeks after the war began that they generally consider the data provided by the health ministry to be largely accurate. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch said that the casualty figures were generally reliable and that it had not found major discrepancies when reviewing previous attacks on Gaza. A spokesman for the UN human rights office said: „Our observations suggest that the health ministry’s figures may be underestimated, as they do not include fatalities who did not reach hospitals or who may have been lost under the rubble.“ International media have not been able to independently verify the death toll because Israel denies foreign journalists access to the area.
In Israel, ultra-Orthodox Jews harassed and insulted a general in a cafe who is responsible for conscripting strictly religious men into the army. According to local authorities, police arrested three suspects aged between 19 and 29 on the spot. Ultra-Orthodox Jews have been exempt from conscription in Israel since the founding of the state. However, this exemption expired several months ago. The Israeli government failed to pass a law to cement the relief for the ultra-Orthodox. In the summer of 2024, the Supreme Court also ruled that ultra-Orthodox men must be drafted into military service in the future. The country’s armed forces must also draft ultra-Orthodox Jews into military service in the future, the nine Supreme Court judges responsible announced in 2024. The judges approved petitions calling for the immediate conscription of ultra-Orthodox men subject to military service. The Supreme Court’s ruling is binding. The military has since been faced with the difficult task of drafting thousands of members of a population group that is actually categorically opposed to it. Many ultra-Orthodox Jews see military service as a threat to their lifestyle, among other things because women and men serve together in the Israeli military, although the Israeli military has long ensured that the religious feelings of soldiers are not impaired during service. Men must do three years of military service in Israel, women two years. The court did not specify how many ultra-Orthodox Jews were to be drafted. According to the court, however, a total of 63,000 men are to be drafted. Since Hamas‘ attack on Israel, everything has been a little different. More and more ultra-Orthodox Jews have volunteered to join the army, according to its spokesman. So far, over 2,000 applications have been received from the ultra-Orthodox population. This shows a change in mindset among at least some of the young religious people. But only among some – a small part. Ultra-Orthodox Jews expect nothing from the State of Israel because they do not recognize it. An Israel, according to their ideas, can only be established by the coming Messiah; everything else, including the current State of Israel, is only the work of man and not of God, and is therefore insignificant and should be rejected. Since the majority of ultra-Orthodox Jews do not have a taxable profession, they do not pay into the common state treasury, but at the same time benefit from everything that Israel makes available to its citizens: infrastructure, health care, media, etc. This annoys all non-religious or only partially religious citizens who pay taxes, who see this as „parasitism“ and have little understanding for the extremely religious position. The conflict is also exacerbated by the fact that the birth rate among strictly religious Jews is many times higher than the national average, which has led to the number of ultra-Orthodox Jews constantly increasing for decades. But this also increases the number of „profiteers“ who do not contribute anything to the common state budget. A large proportion of the pious men and fathers of families live on donations from their synagogue communities, a type of private social welfare. American foundations and institutions are supposed to provide roughly the same sums annually to these as the American government transfers to the State of Israel for the military and defense or to protect American interests in the Middle East. The „pious“ in Israel are annoyed by many things in the country; not just the bikini clothing on the beaches of Tel Aviv, but also the lack of gender segregation in trams and on sidewalks. There are always initiatives to enforce this – but so far they have been unsuccessful. With these groups of the „very pious“, the already divided Israeli society has another dividing wedge, which is growing in power and strength and is putting more and more pressure on the society of this idiosyncratic little country from year to year. And it will be interesting to see how this conflict over the observance of „God’s commandments“ will affect the future – and not just in the distant future.
The Israeli army has issued new guidelines for reporting on soldiers in active combat. Active soldiers with the rank of colonel and above are no longer allowed to be shown with their full name or face in interviews. This is done to protect the soldiers and to ensure that they are safe from incidents committed by anti-Israel activists around the world. The background to this was a case of an Israeli reservist who had to flee Brazil after investigations were initiated against him for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip. He wanted to go on holiday in Brazil, to get away from the war and all the other current hardships in his homeland Israel. The 21-year-old had to flee the South American country because the Gaza war, in which he fought as a reservist, had caught up with him in the distance. A Brazilian court had ordered an investigation into whether he could have been involved in war crimes during his army deployment in the Palestinian coastal strip. He was apparently „smuggled out“ of the country, first to Argentina, then back to Israel via Miami. It is possible that in the future it will not only be high-ranking politicians such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Joav Gallant who will come under the scrutiny of international law enforcement agencies. The same could now happen to ordinary soldiers. The action was triggered by the Hind Rajab Foundation, a Palestinian organization that has made it its mission to report Israeli war crimes in Palestine/Gaza. This foundation was founded last September and is based in Belgium. It collects evidence against Israeli army members – primarily directly from their own social media posts. Many soldiers report on their deployment in Gaza there, and sometimes this content is highly problematic. This is more than just an image problem for the force, which sees itself as the most moral army in the world. Organizations such as the Hind Rajab Foundation rely on the so-called principle of universal jurisdiction, according to which certain crimes are so serious that any country in the world can initiate proceedings against alleged perpetrators. As early as October 2024, the HRF filed a lawsuit against Israel at the Hague Criminal Court, listing the names of around 1,000 soldiers accused of war crimes in the Gaza war.
801 days after the departure of Michel Aoun, Lebanon has a new president. On Thursday, the members of the Lebanese parliament elected the Chief of Staff of the Lebanese Army, Joseph Aoun, in the second round of voting on the 13th attempt, as Lebanese media reported. He received 99 of 128 votes. Aoun was not able to prevail in the first round. There he only received 71 of the 128 votes. This means that the Chief of Staff of the Lebanese Army will be the head of state in the future. Despite the same name, Michel Aoun and Joseph Aoun are not related to each other. The presidential seat has been vacant since President Michel Aoun’s term of office expired on October 31, 2022. At the same time, the country has been led by an interim government since the elections in May 2022, as no government has yet been formed. The election brings new hope that the troubled Lebanon will find some domestic calm and, under certain circumstances, economic breathing room. Representatives of the various social groups, especially the heads of the Christian churches, have long been calling for a solution to the government crisis. Observers see his election as an opportunity for a political fresh start in the country to end a political power vacuum that has lasted more than two years. Now, for the first time in a long time, the signs are pointing to hope. Saudi Arabia, the USA, France and the international community have repeatedly made the election of a president a condition for financial aid to Lebanon.
„Today a new phase in Lebanon’s history has begun,“ said Aoun in his inaugural speech in parliament. „We will invest in the army to secure the borders, fight terrorism, implement international resolutions and prevent Israeli attacks,“ he said. He stressed that there would be no immunity for criminals and corruption. Aoun took command of the army in 2017. In this position, he is currently also responsible for monitoring the ceasefire agreed in November between the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia and Israel. The general has so far refrained from making public statements, avoided media appearances and never officially announced his candidacy.
The election of Aoun now ends a period of more than two years in which Lebanon was without a president. Today’s election was the 13th attempt by the Lebanese parliament to fill the vacant office. The surprising agreement on Aoun is a sign that Hezbollah’s political influence in the country is declining. It has been severely weakened after the war with Israel, in which its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed, and the coup in Syria. It has repeatedly blocked candidates for the office of president and head of government, giving the impression that it can dictate the election of the two most important offices in the country. The election of a president repeatedly failed due to power struggles within the political elite. Until recently, Hezbollah had supported its preferred candidate, Suleiman Frangieh. However, he withdrew his candidacy on Wednesday evening.
The fall of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad at the beginning of December also contributed to the weakening of Hezbollah. A large proportion of the weapons from Iran were smuggled to Hezbollah via Syria. Hezbollah members fought alongside Assad. His fall by rebels further cornered Iran, Hezbollah’s biggest supporter. The new rulers in Damascus are distancing themselves from Iranian influence and no longer accept pro-Iranian fighters in their own country.
Joseph Khalil Aoun (born January 10, 1964 in Sin el-Fil) is a general and was the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese armed forces from 2017 to early 2025, when he was elected. Aoun joined the Lebanese Armed Forces in 1983 and received training in the United States and Syria, among other places. Since 2015, he has been commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade in Beirut. On March 8, 2017, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces, succeeding Jean Kahwagi. Maronite Christian Joseph Aoun is married to Nehmat Nehmeh and has two children.