Not so many years ago, Israel was completely dependent on foreign imports for its energy needs – oil, natural gas, coal. All imported. Two things then happened. First, Israel began to invest in solar energy, and it has become a world leader in its use; solar now supplies 10% of Israel’s total energy, and by […]
U.S. Aid to Lebanon Helps Hezbollah
Hezbollah is now, and has been for several decades, the most powerful political and military force in Lebanon. Yet it is also, following the Beirut bast for which it was entirely responsible, at the nadir of its popularity among the Lebanese. It is suffering financially, too, as its supporter Iran has itself been subject to […]
Macron, Back in Beirut, Gives Lebanese Leaders a Warning on the Need to Reform (Part 2)
Macron, in Beirut at the end of August, engaged in some symbolic acts before getting down to the business of lecturing his hosts on the need for meaningful reform. Earlier, Macron planted a cedar sapling at a forest reserve in the mountains northeast of Beirut. The Elysée palace said this was to show Macron’s “confidence […]
Lebanon’s president suggests he is open to peace talks with Israel
Aoun did not respond enthusiastically when asked if Lebanon would make peace with Israel. “That depends,” he said. “We have problems with Israel and we have to resolve them first.” This was, however, not a blanket rejection, as has always been given in the past. The Israel/UAE deal is reverberating positively around the Islamic world, […]
Lebanon: Hizballah’s Nasrallah and His Ally President Aoun Hanged In Effigy
Since last October, Lebanese have been out protesting in the streets against the mismanagement and corruption of their political class. Those nonviolent protests were put down violently by Hezbollah bezonians, following the directions of Hassan Nasrallah. In the spring, the coronavirus epidemic took its own toll on the protests, because many were afraid to show […]
Time for Lebanon’s President Aoun to Resign
In Lebanon, there is rage building against the entire political class, the politicians who for years have, through mismanagement and corruption, helped to lead Lebanon to economic ruin. Lebanon’s Debt-to-GDP ratio is the second highest in the world; the currency is cratering; unemployment has skyrocketed; young Lebanese professionals dream of emigrating. The collapse of the […]
Lebanese Politicians Want Their Government to Act Against Hezbollah (Part 1)
Lebanese politicians have been up in arms decrying their government’s inaction amid tensions with Israel. The story is here. They are not talking about the government acting against Israel, which has tried its best to dampen tensions with Hezbollah, but against Hezbollah. For it is Hezbollah that threatens to drag the Lebanese into a war […]
Turks irked as Lebanon’s Aoun says Ottoman occupation was marked by repression and injustice
Dhimmis learn the lesson quickly: if you complain about your lot, it will go even worse for you. Islam mandates death for non-Muslim subjects of the Islamic state who mention “something impermissible about Allah, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), or Islam” (‘Umdat al-Salik, o11.10), and such laws are based upon passages […]
Is the Umma Shatter-Proof? (Part 3)
A third example of a split in the Umma has to do with the reaction of Muslims, and non-Muslims, to the savage repression of the Uighurs and the campaign against Islam in China. Here is some of what the Chinese government has done: The government in 2017 passed laws requiring all restaurants to stay open […]